Cerez

Although, thinking about it, this does sound like a limitation to the engine itself. If it requires scripted bot routes to define behaviour for computer controlled characters and relies on these scripted routes to the full extent, then there really is limited/minimal AI scripting support in the game. Can anyone with extensive knowledge confirm that the engine relies on the bot routes 100% to define the behaviour/movement of bots in-game? I haven't looked at the source code myself...

But even with the bot route, they often end up running back and forth in what appears to be without method. Would there be any way to change this default behaviour to a more stationary/composed one? I can't see jumping around benefiting anything, and I think it's a major mess-up on the part of the original development team.

Thanks IrocJeff. There's nothing that says there is something missing or went bad in the console, so I assume the script compiled and loaded successfully. About the order, it's the scriptrunner that's supposed to be connected to the trigger, right? That means the key details for the trigger link appear in the scriptrunner event/instance. Do you still have links to the tutorials you've used to learn? I'm interested in learning cutscene scripting/writing in JA to the full extent.

I'm wondering -- especially with the JK source code loose now -- whether anyone has managed to fix the undeniably stupid jumping and back-and-forth running behaviour of added bot characters in Multiplayer JKA? Or is this a limitation of the Quake 3 engine? (Don't say it is if you're not sure!) If you're uncertain what I mean, try loading Darth Vader as a computer opponent in Multiplayer, and see him bouncing like a four-year-old. Can they be made to be grounded and attack methodically?

Does this tutorial exercise still complete successfully for you? 2. Your First Script I followed all the steps in detail, and when I loaded the map in SP, I ended up in the room with the door unwilling to open, and as a consequence the script not firing. I'm trying to find if there's a mistake I did along the line, somewhere...

Thanks Boothand. That's kind of what I had in mind, though the online utility is still very rough in editing the model. It would be good if individual vertices could be selected and dragged as well for fine adjustment. But the real trick here I guess is having a utility that allows you to import a model from the game, tweak it, and export it back into the game. It just makes things so much simpler than running 2-3 utilities with various plugins. This whole picture of mine comes from the fact that there are so many excellent 3D models created in the JK community alone, and if we had the ability to easily tweak these models -- even if it's just for our own use -- we could re-create an infinite times more characters from the Star Wars universe. Then we could fill the void of all the extra characters who no model-maker could take the time to create a dedicated model for. With a good new skin/re-skin and a tweak, many of these new characters would be clearly distinct from the original character model they were based on. Of course, credit will still need to go where it's due.

That sounds intriguing, Xycaleth. Do you think you can get it to a stable release? I'll certainly have a look at it. Could this source be compiled for Linux as well? A preview utility for both Mac and Linux, along with the Windows version of ModView would come in real handy for everyone.

Yeah, it's like scratching your back with your arm wrapped around your head. XD Not everyone knows how to work Wineskin, and emulating just for the sake of running a small preview tool sucks. Not to mention that Wineskin wrappers require maintenance when you're migrating to a newer OS release. That's why it's nice of you to offer and maintain the packages on your site. But the point still stands. And the conversion process is a hassle. Heh… would you laugh if I told you that I still haven't found the vertex select tool in Mod Tools? >.<' I can't even figure out how to rotate the bloody view!

This is just a wild guess, but do you actually have a separate light or shader set on the tramcar? It could be that the game is interpreting the lighting scenario based on the surroundings. If that's the case, giving the tramcar a fixed value should solve the lighting problem. I'm no mapping or lighting expert, just going by computer logic here...

You're quite welcome. I look forward to watching your version of A New Hope and your other videos.

Not quite, Darth. I'm not looking for a character builder. I'm looking for an easy-to-use export-import model tweaking tool. But that tool looks interesting for its own purpose, nonetheless. I repeat that this wouldn't necessarily benefit advanced modellers, as you guys can already do all the tweaks you need with your skills and setup. It would be a big help to character designers, painters and skinners, who have had no previous knowledge with professional 3D editing software. I never said I'm not ready to finance this project. With the right incentive maybe I will… (In either case I will certainly donate to Rich for his efforts.) But more importantly I'm offering a new idea that may help to elevate Neosis to a whole new level and gather attention and support from the greater community. Especially if Neosis was made available for the Mac and Linux platforms as well. I speak from experience when I say that ModView has been a nightmare to work with on the Mac platform. And Max, Maya, Blender, and Mod Tools are a nightmare to work for a beginner.

Thanks Rich. I think that would come in handy if we're using the software to preview/convert JA models. It should be something the user can toggle (along with the shading and wireframe). If it's not too much trouble, I think it would help to add. With a texture refresh option it would essentially replace the need for ModView, and combine its functionality with the many conversion features of Neosis. On a related note, any plans to port Noesis to Mac/Linux? With all that Noesis can render already, do you think it would be a lot of work to add just basic mesh stretching/editing options that leaves the general structure of the model intact? I'm really curious about this because it would really create a unique tool for character designers/skinners/painters.

Boothand, does Zbrush allow you to stretch and shape certain surfaces and adjust vertices with just a select and drag of the mouse? Thanks for your input, CloudStrife. I'm trying to understand this... what sort of implications would stretching the cheek to a rounder shape have on the in-game model for example? Why does it need weight fixing? I would expect the weight and other data to shift with the moved mesh surface. Is this not the case?

Thanks for these thoughts and suggestions, Boothand. The kind of tweaking I am talking about would be facial features, arm and legs width/size, etc. Things that help with skinning. I imagine you wouldn't need to do re-weighting with such simple tweaks, but they would help tremendously when it comes to fitting a new skin design onto an existing model. How many times have we wished we could just change that nose to be a bit flatter or those eyelashes to be a bit shorter to fix the look of our character! With a simple shaping tool like this skinners could do their own little tweaking without the need to bother model-makers unnecessarily with minor edits. I honestly think a simple tool with a feature like this would be treasured.

Only that they take a technical mind to learn. Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying Noesis should be turned into 3DS Max or Maya. All I'm saying is that it would really handy to have a software out there that allows almost everyone to do minor adjustments and shaping in a model without the need to spend much time learning the nuts and bolts of 3D modelling software. Don't be an elitist, Darth Futuza. Just because a tool that makes editing easier is available doesn't make modelling less of a challenge or skill. You have digital tools for painting that make certain aspects of painting easier. They don't make the art of painting any less of a challenge, however. The best of a trade will always stay the best. Tools cannot change that.

Here are a couple of useful camera setups. I use these for gameplay, but they can be used for filming, too: Make sure you enable cheats first. Use the ,./ and ' keys to switch views with this setup. Action View: bind , "seta cg_thirdpersonrange 40 ; seta cg_thirdpersonvertoffset 0 ; seta cg_fov 97 ; seta cg_thirdpersoncameradamp 0.9 ; seta cg_thirdpersontargetdamp 0.9 ; seta cg_drawcrosshair 0 ; seta cg_thirdpersonalpha 1" Fixed Camera: bind / "cg_thirdpersoncameradamp 0.0 ; seta cg_thirdpersonalpha 1 ;" First Person Lightsaber (MP only): bind ' "seta cg_fov 97 ; seta cg_thirdpersonalpha 0 ; seta cg_thirdpersonrange 0.1 ; seta cg_thirdpersonvertoffset 0 ; seta cg_thirdpersontargetdamp 1 ; seta cg_thirdpersoncameradamp 1" Default View (Reset): bind . "reset cg_thirdpersonrange ; reset cg_thirdpersonvertoffset ; reset cg_fov ; reset cg_thirdpersoncameradamp ; reset cg_thirdpersontargetdamp ; reset cg_drawcrosshair ; reset cg_thirdpersonalpha" There is also this bullet time visual effects script: bind K "timescale 0.9 ; wait ; timescale 0.6 ; wait ; timescale 0.3"bind L "timescale 0.6 ; wait ; timescale 0.9 ; wait ; timescale 1" K will slow things down, and L will bring them back into real life speed. You can bind any of these to any key you like, of course.

You could just bind cg_draw2d: bind O "cg_draw2d !" This will bind the HUD visuals toggling to the O key on your keyboard. Otherwise you can "set" the value to 0 (to hide HUD) or 1 (to show HUD).

I think we're both looking for a tool that doesn't require advanced training to use. Just something simple that allows you to drag and sculpt portions of the model on the fly. Thanks for the tip, though.

I don't know, I marvel at this myself. I think it's a bit like drawing or painting. When you start, you have no idea what you're doing and your drawing/painting is really primitive. As you continue to try, you start to gain an understanding of the medium and start to see beyond the technical details to feeling the shaping of the work itself. When you get to that advanced stage (after a lot of practice), it allows you to focus on details that consciously you'd never think of trying to create. At that point you're sculpting with your full creative potential and can create things you didn't think you were able to. At least that's how I would roughly sum it up. That's what people mean when they say "living and breathing" something. You really need to dig deep into it. In any case, the choices made are made on the fly and in the moment -- they are not really conscious choices. You need to feel it rather than trying to reason your choices, and just follow what your intuition's telling you. Trust your intuition, and as your skills improve, so will your work.

He looks hunched because of the model design -- I'm not sure if this was intentional. But the skinning job here is amazing. Great work, Kaivyd. This place has a lot of talent, guys. I hope you're all proud of each others' efforts.

o.O Wow! DT85, you're hitting HapSlash quality here! (Not for the sake of competition, but for the great level of quality.) Amazing work! Keep going! When this is finished, you guys have to make sure this is uploaded to all JK hubs online for the sake of the community.

Rich, I definitely like what I'm seeing so far. It's a well designed software, and it's certainly importing/displaying the JKA models correctly. A couple of questions: 1. Is there any way to toggle the display of textures on the model (in the way that ModView does)? 2. Is there a model editing interface that allows one to tweak the model (i.e. select and grab certain points and portions to move, scale, and deform them)? If not, this would be a great feature to add. A simple to use editing interface for tweaking models.

This sounds very interesting, Rich. I'm going to have to have a look at this software and browse through the documentation in detail. Is the link you provided above the most current release of the software? EDIT: Nevermind, you have it clearly informed/linked on your website. Downloading now.

For the voice actors, I recommend sourcing from: http://voiceactingalliance.com Machinimas are not the preferred production type there, but if you can show a serious level of commitment with a detailed script and concept character images, you should get a good response. Regarding the "levelshot" problem, if you are on Windows I know there are some third party utilities that allow you to take a screenshot in game. If you are on a Mac, you can use Command + Shift + 3. Here is an excellent tutorial on how to film in Jedi Academy: http://www.chopshopservers.com/education/video_editing_tutorial_by_commodore/ The Force Temple used to have a great one, too, but that's gone now… How I miss that site...