Cerez

Yep, @@Circa's spot-on with this one. I usually take a larger screenshot of the torso-head (bust) of a character, and then use the Polygonal Lasso Tool (with straight ends) in Photoshop to cut the character image I need, and then downsize it to the required size. But I'm a hopeless perfectionist... @@Circa's method is more productive, and easier. The reasons most people omit the extra skin icons are two: 1. The game only supports so many icons in the character selection screen. 2. It's a tedious process to create icons for every skin variant. The advantage you have by creating your own icons for the character skins you've collected is that you can customise it anyway you like, but it does take work...

Update: we've finally merged this simple code enhancement with OpenJK. If you are using a build past March 2015, you can use the extra facial expressions without the need for this mod. I've updated the official SDK Icarus documentation to reflect the additional options. @@Circa, @@Xycaleth, @@ensiform, @@eezstreet, I'm not sure what the best way to distribute this would be... https://www.dropbox.com/s/roqi86hqz6vsnq8/ICARUS%20Manual.doc?dl=0

This is actually a more advanced coding/scripting request, possibly requiring team work. Since the beginning in this game, Kyle has been used as a default character in MP for any skin/model that the player does not have in their base directory. Personally, I have always thought this was a rather cheap way to manage the situation by Raven. Now that we have possession of the source code, I suggest we have a look at how to create and implement a small script that runs each time a new player/bot joins in on a server, and assigns a random model/skin of the same gender as what the player/bot on the other side is using from the player's current selection of models/skins (or the default/base selection) -- if the player does not have the model/skin used on the other side. This assigned model/skin would then be preserved for the duration of the game (the player's presence on the server) on that individual. This assignment would be handled on the client side. The genders could be parsed from the sounds.cfg files, and communicated by the server to the client. This would help to insure that the monotony of seeing Kyle clones is broken, once and for all. (No more ever-present and boring "take that" taunts from your opponents.)

@@SiLink, you know, people say that JK3 is not a great game, but any game that keeps you around for that long can't be that bad... I guess it has way more to offer than many of us realise. I'm actually a little stunned by how long I've been playing this video game, on and off. The only other games I've kept around are ones that really inspired me and left a mark. I remember Dark Forces. I was mesmerised by it as a kid.

Witnessing the recent comments and discussions, and seeing the renewed rise of interest in Jedi Academy has inspired me to ask this question from everyone, simply out of curiosity and getting to know each other better. We all come from different backgrounds and experiences, and some of us have started this journey with JK2 (Jedi Knight: Jedi Outcast), or even earlier. All things considered, how long have you been a part of the Jedi Knight (JK2/JK3) community? I'll start. I have started with JK3 (Jedi Academy) and joined the greater community (back then JK3Files was the main hub) in 2004. So I've been around (on and off) for 11 years now.

JA+ has had the biggest adoption rate on servers by far. The extra animations it has introduced from base JKA served well to facilitate communication within the multiplayer world of the game (with an expanded emote system), as well as re-introducing some Star Wars related game features to multiplayer, such as the grapple hook, and the jetpack, and introducing some entirely new concepts, such as private duels in an FFA environment. Movie Battles II has created an alternate, huge stream of outstanding creative modifications that aimed to expand on the character and world-set, create a new battle system, and create a Star Wars experience that was more true to the movies. A remarkable achievement as far as the modding community goes, and an impressive demonstration of the power of the community spirit within a single project. The more niche role-playing community received a number of mods that aimed to make role-playing on JKA competitive servers possible with a new ruleset and RPG features. One of the most adopted ones of these mods has been the Lugormod. I have had the pleasure of being a part of a number of smaller role-playing communities that used the action-based MP game servers for story-telling and an entirely different gameplay than what the game was intended for. Most recently, with the release of the JKA source code, the OpenJK project has given rise to a number of more advanced JKA modifications, and is likely expected to be the hub of a new era in JKA modding. It already is here on JKHub. It is an open source initiative to improve upon and expand on the original game while remaining true to its origins. It is a mother project and an outstanding base and resource to many. Out of all these amazing community projects, I would say OpenJK will have the biggest impact, however, it does not yet rival the impact the Movie Battles II project has created, as it is still young in its development. All that said, it is unfair to judge any of these projects above the other simply due to their widespread adoption rate and larger community impact. Every mod ever created for JKA has made a huge contribution to advancing the modding community and inspiring new talent, no matter how big or small. The magic of modding comes from each of us as individuals, and through the act of sharing we are contributing to an everlasting and ever-growing, inspiring community. As long as we are prepared to create and share, its spirit will live on. JKA and these mods mean something different to each and every one of us, and we do our share to contribute back to the source, and expand on its world, creating the community that has been, and that we know today.

Hahaha! I don't think there's a universal version B. I think you mean versions B-C-D-E-F-G-H... That's what re-skinning is for. I will create one version while taking everyone's feedback into consideration. And version A will receive a major update/revamp shortly...

I suppose you could shoot a movie in JK3 and turn that into a ROQ video, but you might as well use an Icarus scripted cutscene. They scale nicer to larger screens. Unless you wanted to include some advanced video editing effects that can't be accomplished in JK3...

What do you guys think of this photo as a reference for her face? Direct Comparison:

Don't forget that the series was created after the movies, under Lucas' general direction, therefore the series has developed some of the ideas that were in the movies further. While I concur that I can't really imagine the movie Anakin taking on an apprentice, I will also say that I find the movie Anakin in all honesty somewhat of an over-spoilt and lost cause from the beginning. I liked the way they had developed Anakin's character further in the series, and I think having a Padawan contributed a lot to his personal growth, and ultimately his conflict with the Jedi ways. I find Anakin's drama in the series a lot more interesting than in the movies. I totally agree with you in that I would love to see Asajj Ventress and her story in a movie!

I currently have .75 hand bone weight on the front part of the knuckles, .5 on the upper mid finger joints, .25 on the lower mid finger joints, and .1 on the finger tips, but they still don't deform perfectly. I don't think they ever will... We can do our best, but there are some things we just can't fix with JKA... For the most part they are behaving normal, though. So I guess that does it.

Oh, interesting! I take it in rough, proxy animation as well? As a cutscene scripter, I actually find it amusing to see The Clone Wars reduced to such simple animation. It shows us the potential of how the JKA engine could be used to tell a similar story. Upon watching all four episodes, I too feel that something is missing, but there were quite a few entertaining ideas here.

Yep, the skin shading and details are next on my to-do, after the boots. At the moment it's just rough markers on the back. Thanks @@AshuraDX! This will come in real handy.

I've finished the arm-pads/gauntlets/bracers/whatever: It feels good in-game. I'm not sure how you'll feel about it, but I'm not missing the 3D geo. Might tone down the colour on the clips a bit...

Silo can do it, but my rig is in an old version of 3DS Max. The main problem with this idea, however, is that if you have a good look at how Ahsoka's belt, gauntlets and boots lie, you'll quickly realise that none of them are on a straight line. They go diagonally all over the place. This makes shaping anything out of the existing mesh a living nightmare. So even if I could retain the UV map and weighting, I would still not attempt to do this. The model has to be planned for it from the ground up, otherwise it doesn't really work. And that's a lot of detail to add, especially around the belt. Nope, sorry guys, but we'll have to keep them textured for this one. But a lot of the original game characters have them textured, including Luke -- so I don't see a big problem here. Edit: I will model the pouch, though.

It's still not finished, but thanks, @@JAWSFreelao. I'm halfway through with her arm-pads texture. There's still the boots to do, the face touch-up, the hands, the back, and the overall skin shading. And then the final touches and sound sampling... >.<' Lots to do, yet... But I like how she's turning out. I also love @'s expanded Clone Wars maps! Having her walk through the streets of undercity Coruscant just feels way too cool! (I know... Coming soon, guys...) (And here I thought modeling was the hard part! Rigging her, texturing, and getting all the details right have been much-much harder...)

These are 4 complete episodes from The Clone Wars TV show, story-wise, but unfinished and early in their state of production, released recently on starwars.com. Behind the Scenes Introduction: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vnH1JKr4o_8 A Death on Utapau: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg4FoXJQE08 In Search of the Crystal: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hXCcYMNC4wQ Crystal Crisis: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FZrsVx1dpEQ The Big Bang: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zAe5Ogs6a-c Worth watching for anyone who has enjoyed The Clone Wars.

@@DT85, I'm honestly amazed with what a few well placed/designed shaders can accomplish in this game! I think in large part they are the definition between digital paint and realism: I did a brief test run on this, and she does look a little younger with the mid-bottom vertexes just pushed down a very little to make the eyes just a tad rounder, so I will likely end up implementing this suggestion. Thanks @@AshuraDX. There is only so much I can tweak on the finished model, now. The model was not designed with raised bracers in mind. There is only so much detail that JKA allows for, as well, in its general design direction, and much of the other models' details have been textured. I'm afraid the bracers and shinpads/boots will need to stay textured on this model. Also, I feel the need for a disclaimer: I am basically aiming to create an Ahsoka that will match well with HS's Anakin and Obi-Wan models, not a 100% accurate Clone Wars Ahsoka per se. (Otherwise, I could spend a lifetime refining and tweaking this model and its textures to meet the near-impossible line between realism and a cartoon design. It's a character for a relatively low-definition, action game after all, not a high definition masterpiece intended for artistic gallery display, so some less significant details will need to be compromised.)

Beautiful! This is a wonderful idea and project, @@Aura. I look forward to seeing you develop it further.

I think this sounds like a great idea, @! Contests are always a good way to improve everyone's skills. And I don't have a problem with Frankenstein experiments. I've seen some outstanding Frankenstein work. Each to their own skill: creating new models is a fascinating process, but so is tweaking existing models and mix-and-matching well to achieve a brand new result. They are two creative approaches, and both have been known to produce outstanding results. So I vote that this contest be made official. Let the best Frankenstein win!

Also, be sure to browse through the Icarus manual to understand the basics of the commands in the Icarus scripting language. The manual is included in the official SDK: https://jkhub.org/files/file/389-jedi-academy-public-sdk/ I started my learning with @@GingerbreadNinja's excellent introductory tutorial: http://jkhub.org/tutorials/article/71-gingerbreadninjas-behaved-scripting-series/ Also, have a look at @@MoonDog's tutorial on BehavEd and Icarus: http://jkhub.org/tutorials/article/148-icarus-scripting/ Both are excellent introductory guides. Though, I still recommend scripting with a text editor rather than using BehavEd, as soon as you grasp how it all works. It gives you more flexibility with your script, and the ability to copy-paste efficiently. BehavEd can sometimes be tedious to work with... In short, creating a cutscene in JKA involves a bit of map design (adding cutscene elements and markers in GTKRadiant), and mostly script work.

A small update: The belt is mostly finished. I'm going for a soft kangaroo/deer leather look with her primary clothes, as that seems to match closest the colours and texture of what she's wearing in the show, and is relatively durable. Something like this, but a little thicker: I have a bit of a dilemma with the pouch, however. If I'm going to include the pouch as a 3D accessory, the path of the torso/hips decap lies right in the middle of where the pouch is located. Should I cut the pouch in two, and attach the top half to the torso, and the bottom half to the hips, or should I leave the pouch attached to the hips instead (and ignore the fact that the saber would have cut through it). Which do you think is better?