New enemy versions for Flare
Friday, November 1, 2019 - 05:25
Hi, now that i have free time i want to help with creating new versions of old models. But i tried getting it game ready and failed, would it be fine if i just modify and upload the 3d model? so later someone more experienced can process them.
As far as i know nothing has changed regarding included animations or textures, rigth? If so i want to start with minotaurs.
Would this agreement be fine?
I made a new normal map for the base minotaur, now it doesnt look flat.
Looks good. When you say you couldnt get it to be game ready, what was the exact problem? Maybe I can look into it.
The main problem is that im dumb, i can run the script and create all the separate pieces, then run the comand console and join then into a spritesheet, but after that in totallly clueless as to how compress that and wirte the file that controls the animation ingame (the one with the miliseconds)
Here's how this works. There are two types of spritesheets, called "unpacked" and "packed". Let's use the minotaur example. The first screenshot shows an unpacked sheet, while the second one shows a packed one. When you use Clint's script in Blender and then you run Image Magic's montage tool from the command line, it generates an unpacked sprite sheet. If you want a more detailed explanation, it can be found here:
https://github.com/flareteam/flare-engine/wiki/Animation-Definitions
In order to transform your unpacked sprite sheet into a packed one, you would use another tool, called "sprite sheet packer". Stefan Beller has written one for FLARE and you can download it here:
https://github.com/stefanbeller/RectangleBinPack
But here's the thing: you don't need to transform your sprite sheet into a packed one, you can play the game just fine with the one you generated with Blender and the montage tool from the command line. For example, let's say that you're modifying the Empyrean Campaign. Copy your unpacked minotaur spirte sheet, and paste it into this folder:
/flare-game/mods/empyrean_campaign/images/enemies
Make sure that it's named minotaur.png. Now you need the text file that control the animations. Go to:
/flare-game/art_src/animation_defs/characters/minotaur.txt
Copy that file, which is the unpacked animation definition for the minotaur. Now go to:
flare-game/mods/empyrean_campaign/animations/enemies
Paste the .txt file there. Just one more step. Open the minotaur.txt file, and remove the first line. Replace it with this:
image=images/enemies/minotaur.png
I've include two more screenshots, showing the minotaur.txt file before editing it, and how it shood look after you've added that line.
That's it! You're good to go. Ideally, you would use the RectangleBinPack for optimization, but you can play the game just fine using unpacked sprite sheets and their corresponding .txt animation files.
Would it be fine if i just upload the models? I enjoy more the artistic side than the code one.
And the first one is done, this one even has a tail. ;)
Ideally this bad boy will rush and use Charge/tackle/shield bash or whatever the skill is called as soon as the hero is detected to get into a melee instantly, and cause stun with most of its attacks, a challenge for archers and mages who have it way too easy rigth now.
https://opengameart.org/content/charging-minotaur
Very cool, you've put a lot of work into this. Just a note: remember to save your sprites with the .png extension instead of .jpg.
Nothing wrong with .jpg per se, but Flare mods generally use .png
looks really cool
I just finished a few animateds variations for male peasant nps; more to come soon, ill release them in a packet when im done with them all. I want to make versions for women, children, farm/wild animals and maybe a noble or two...
Looks good. Since your mod is a tribute to Diablo 1, are you planning on making randomly generated levels for the dungeon? If so, I've been working on a generator for that, but I abandoned it half way (like almost all of my projects). But you can use what there is if it fits your needs. Currently it just creates random rooms, but it does not place crates, barrels, or enemies. There's a forum post that I made where you can see some screenshots. The files can be found here:
https://github.com/m7600/random_dungeon_generator
If you do use it, you don't have to mention me or give me credit for it. In fact, you can modify, or only use some parts, etc. Basically, you can do whatever you want with it.
I would love to use it, but i dont have the C++ knowledge needed to complete it... Since it seems you already did the worst, why dont you finish it?
Well, for two reasons. The first one is due to a character flaw of mine: with a few exceptions, I almost never finish anything that I start. I'm not proud of it, and in fact I'm trying to change it, but it's a tough habit to break. The second one is that there is a technical inconvenience with my generator: the characteristics of each map (such as its size and its number of rooms) are defined in C++ files (.h and .cpp). This is a huge inconvenience because it means that if you want to change something, even if it's something insignificant, you would have to edit the .h and .cpp files, and then you would have to recompile. A better solution would be to have the possibility of configuring randomly generated maps using only .txt files. But this means that new properties/attributes should be created for this purpose. Such a task would demand a considerable ammount of time, I think.
Some new animated models, the fat nobleman is a derivate of "undead male" from Tiziana CC-by, the others are derivates of the game base models. Still missing a lot of women models and children, but i will get there eventually.
I wonder, is Dorkters active these days?
they look cool, I may want to re-render them with a toon shader for my mod in the future.
Im happy to hear that rubberduck, i really hate the idea of doing work for no good, and if it helps you all the better.
Ill skip the children models, they add nothing to the game and are too much effort; and get to do some farm animals before resuming work on the first act of my mod.
All of the new girls are derivate of the base woman model. Half the noblewomen are fat but its not showing too well, i migth redo them.
Is there an unarmoured version of your more depth armoured minotaur? Or did I miss it? It would be nice to have variety of minotaurs.
Hello WithinAmnesia; in this post you can find many pointers to make your own enemies, i think the process is fully explained. And yes, in the future ill make a heavy armor minotaur. Modifiying existing enemies is a way to increase their number and will give you the knowledge needed to start from 0.
But the easiest way to start is loading an existing Flare model in blender, move model to a secondary layer and import the model you want to create in first layer, that way you have all the setup ready for the "photo" session. Check if the model emit shadows as well, it needs to (little camara item-Shading-Shadows).
After that animate or load the animations if it has any, by using dope sheet -> action editor. It will save you a lot of time if it has some already, if not, they are simple to create given the small qualities of the models (to save lots of time ignore models without skeleton unless they are excellent). If you are lucky and it got animations, open "Nla tracks" this allows to turn the animation into a strip you can move around, rename, and RESIZE. Why did i leave the older model in second layer instead of erasing? to copy the keyframe distribution. Thats it:
Frames:Idle 1-4,Run 5-12,Attack 13-17,Death 18-28,Critical death 29-38,Spell/breath 39-42
I stick to this very one, 90% of my new models use it. So animate/resize existing animation to match the initial model, since you are seeing both moving at the same time its easier. Why do i do this? Because later you can pick the creature definition file and just copy&change the name and the new image name you generated. Saving you extra work.
After that, run script, stitch pics with imagemagic and drop new model into Mod/images/enemies; go to Mod/animations/enemies and copy any of your previous models, since they are 1:1 frame wise (if you follow my tip) just copy&change the file name and the direction/name of the new image you generated.
By the way the slime you posted somewhere else is Flare ready, by my hand. Play my mod to see lots of new enemies.
Hey Danimal I am sorry that I suck so much with Blender to animate stuff. My brain does not understand Blender very well right now. Yet I want to make more creature animations for Flare to fill out more creature types found in my older rpg projects. Which I am currently trying to ~'port' over to Flare (~'Flare-ification'). If I can learn how to do this (current personal major stumbling block / blind spot) I can share all of my new creature animations with the community freely so everyone wins.
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Myself trying to figure out how to animate with Blender:
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I opened Clint Bellanger's Skeleton in Blender 2.79 (I have this version of blender from working with WoW dungeon models) for Blender 2.83 crashes when the older .blend file of the Skeleton is opened by it.
I am not sure how I should set up blender and what windows should be where. I have to relearn a bunch of things for I never properly animated with blender before.
It feels as if I truly am starting from 0 XD. I have to figure out what blender wants and how to properly utilize https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/2.79/editors/3dview/object/properties... + https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/render/eevee/lighting.html (is emit shadows in here?) + https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/editors/dope_sheet/index.html + https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/editors/nla/tracks.html + https://docs.blender.org/manual/en/latest/scene_layout/object/editing/tr... + https://blenderartists.org/t/how-to-distribute-keyframes-in-dopesheet/11... . Does this Skeleton use your template for animation definitions: https://github.com/flareteam/flare-game/blob/master/mods/fantasycore/ani... ?
"After that, run script..."
- What script, where is the script and how is it used?
I have installed ImageMagick https://imagemagick.org/script/download.php and I need to figure out how to use it XD.
"drop new model into Mod/images/enemies"
- I take that this means when I make one of these: https://lpc.opengameart.org/sites/default/files/forum-attachments/minota... I put it in there, not the .blend file?
"go to Mod/animations/enemies and copy any of your previous models, since they are 1:1 frame wise (if you follow my tip) just copy&change the file name and the direction/name of the new image you generated."
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- I take it that if I stick to a standard animation definition set of animation images / 'tilesets' with the same pixel dimension frame size I can better ~'mass produce' animations?
For the animation definitions can be standardized and all that is needed is a name swap from new animation definition to new animation definition? With standardized animation frame orders / animations definitions; if done properly will save a HUGE amount of work hand stitching and bug fixing animation images to work in Flare?
If standardized animation image definitions are done properly all of the major work / heavy lifting is in creating the frames needed to fit into the standardized animation image definition for Flare to utilize?
So stick to "Frames:Idle 1-4,Run 5-12,Attack 13-17,Death 18-28,Critical death 29-38,Spell/breath 39-42" and focus on making the animation images with Blender + ImageMagick?
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So in general I need to learn Blender to make new animations and train my brain to figure out the work flow from 0 to hero XD. I like pictures so this is going to take a while :-S. Eh bit by bit piece by piece until there is nothing left but success:-).
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Myself trying to ~'cheat' with a quick fix:
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"By the way the slime you posted somewhere else is Flare ready, by my hand. Play my mod to see lots of new enemies."
- Can I dig through your module and use that slime you speak of?
I am currently working on making the starting area in my project currently and it has slimes. If I could use your slime asset I can make a bunch of different colour variants like a rainbow and publicly share them with the same license(s) as all of your other free use / open source / public access works.
I have extensive experience / skill with 2D / isometric art asset creating and remixing: https://www.deviantart.com/withinamnesia/gallery .
My starting area of my older rpg project(s) uses slimes and has a small slime / water cave themed starter dungeon that I want to convert into Flare: https://youtu.be/47Eu8DKzHcI?t=180 (Old non 3D version I hand on hand to quickly share).
I could get a jump start on this 'Flare-ification' if I could use your slime and add many different colour variations and have them be open free for the community on Opengameart.org.
Lets see; sadly Blend-fu is something you have to learn by yourself, but you will get the hang easily. Watch a few videos on youtube, they are really eye opening.
The older files of Flare are almost sure to be outdated. Some of them had an older script thats not working now. Since im making monsters my teamplate is unique to me, none of the older models will have that frame order.
The script is that window you see at the rigthmost, the one with pi= 3.14, deg45... which is outdated and non working (grab the new one from one of my files), you would have to hit Text-> Run script to start the "photo session", always save before doing so, it normally freezes Blender and needs a restart. It will create a new folder where you have the file with all separate images. If you are using windows you will save time by Shift-right clicking the result folder and hittting Open powershell here, since it reminds console commands, with powershell open the instruction will look like this:
PS C:\Desarrollo flare\Terminados\Flying terror> magick montage -background "transparent" -geometry 128x128 -tile 32x8 *.png sprites.png
You can just copy paste all after ">", the only value you need to change is 32x8, in which if the animation is larger than 32 frames you have to input correct amount, like 40*8. This will output the "stitched" file. This file consume lots of game memory so its wise to keep under 40 animation frames.
Correct put the stitched file into YourMod/images/enemies
Yes, yes and yes. i attached the one from my wolf and rat so you can see the minimal changes needed if you follow that frames order.
Yup, no other way than lo learn blender.
Of course everything in my mod is free to use as long as you respect the CC-by-sa license; im going to mass release everything right now into OGA. Have a look at it.
Wolf animation file:
Rat animation file: