LGS's Forgotten Creatures Project

[Zoro]

I'm happy to see this project is alive! The cobraman looks really cool, reminds me of a snakeman from Arcanum

[PinkDot]

Yes It does with bugbeast !
Because bugbeast actually got the same amount of joint in arm, they just have different name. Unlike craymen who really got more joints making the stuff uncompatible.
But it works, I tested it already

Good to hear it works. Dark engine must be then ignoring missing joints or something.
Bugbeasts however DO have extra joints in arms and are a separate type of creatures from humanoids.

BTW. would you mind making the source file (.3ds ) public as well? I'd like to have a look at your setup. I opened your cobraman in 3dsmax using my tools and it's not getting right the leg setup, I think. It's most likely my tools get confused with a different layout of joints for the legs.

Also - I would suggest that you use the Constantine skeleton as a base, rather than humanoid. This is because Constantine has one more joint in legs, which would give more control over posing your Cobraman's tail. (one more bend, basically). But this would make sense, if you wanted to create new motions of course.

[FireMage]

Hey Pinkdot !

Yeah, Dark Engine is welldone at that point !

Constantine type ? Hmmm... To be honnest I never took a real look at it, it would have been indeed easier if his tail is animated.
I actually put the left leg at the end of the right leg to make something more living with a motion more fluid and realistic.

It is working in a particullar way but it worked so I'll leave it like this and indeed, it avoid me some works with motionset (which is pretty harsh to do and ask long instruction to tell users how to install them in their own MSchema, or even ask you to do many version of MotionDB depending on the base people wants to work from...)

So yeah, I can send you the 3ds file if you want to, I can even send you the blend file too so you will see everything in details !

I'll send the files this evening. I running out of time now.

[PinkDot]

Hey,
The .3ds file probably should do. I don't even know if I had Blender installed and don't know how to use it at all.

It would definitely be a good idea to have some GUI tool to add new motions and schemas to the motiondatabase. It seems to be a scary process, as it is now. I might add it to my to-do list... (a neverending list... :/ )

[FireMage]

HWG : http://download1346.mediafire.com/wl...4my/Cobra5.3ds

MotionSchema are actualy following a process similar to sound schema. The difference is instead of having to reload via Dromed, you should recreate motiondb with an exe file and overwrite the one used in your Thief's main repertory.

The hardest thing to do is converting bvh to mi/_mc files and setting the flags...

[PinkDot]

I'm getting an 'Improper file format' error when trying to import it into 3dsmax.

[LarryG]

Opens just fine in Anim8or. But the texture surface mapping seems to be no good.

Edit: I just checked the mapping in UVMapper Pro and the map is missing.

[FireMage]

That's why I wanted to send the blend file ^^"
When you import 3ds file there are loss...

At worst, I send the blend file, you download blender only to export the stuff to the appropriate format and check it out via 3DSmax ?
Or I could send the e file too ? Or another format with less loss ?

[LarryG]

Try the e file.

[PinkDot]

Can we convert from .e to .3ds using LGS tools? Can't remember all them little programs...

Otherwise yeah, you can send the .blend file. (I have a mental block for learning this program, but one day I need to get the hang of it...)

[LarryG]

yes. e to 3ds.

[FireMage]

HWG : http://download1581.mediafire.com/1s...3bp/cobra5.zip

Hopefuly it will works this time.

[LarryG]

Here, try this. I converted the .e to a new .3ds and then made a new .bin from the .3ds. I also converted the .png to .dds as long as I was doing things. I have not tested all this in-game.

[PinkDot]

Thanks Larry and Firemage!
The second .3ds file worked well.

@Firemage - I see what you did with placing the other leg as extension of the first one - pretty clever. However I don't know how the walking animations work with this setup! I guess some randomness of the motions works in a favor for this snaky creature.

To properly animate this beast, an individual rig setup would have to be made. (well, more like some modification of a regular rig - not from scratch). The most important thing would be to make the "left hip" follow the "right toe" joints - currently they're separated. But it's doable. It would be really cool I think to have such a unique creature available for mission makers.

[FireMage]

The most important thing would be to make the "left hip" follow the "right toe" joints - currently they're separated..

Haha ! But I already did it. But when I saw that hips are moved by butt only and Toe is a joint considerated as a limit instead of a motion joint, such a thing do not improve the motions :/

Infact, Toe behave like ankle.

[-Terra-]

Great work with that Cobraman, Firemage, i really like it.
It would be nice for forgotten citys or old temple, maybe i can use it for my project.

[PinkDot]

Haha ! But I already did it.

You mean you placed it in one line - correct? You couldn't 'connect' them in any way, as far as I understand...

On a second thought I realized it actually may not be trivial or even possible to move the hip joint, other than to follow the movement of butt. It's just the way the hierarchy of bones work like.
However I've never tried outputting a translational channel for other joints apart from the butt. The .mc format can take it, but whether the engine would read it properly or not, that's unlikely. But if the motion could have translational data for any joint, then we could build a rig in a 3dapp and simulate one leg kind of connected to another, creating one long chain.

[FireMage]

Indeed, it can't connect. Always depending on Butt's translation or rotation, not the other leg.
I guess everything come from the cal file when converting the e file. But I think even if we modify the cal file to force those changes, I'm not sure Dark Engine would appreciate.

All we can do is doing tricks at the moment... And hope that NewDark Team will spot our message and do some changes to trespass the limit to give more opportunities and kind of creatures. ^^"

The last thing we could do in such case could be creating Joint #2 ? Test needed... I'll check this out this week-end.

EDIT : Thank you very much Terra, LarryG and Pinkdot btw

[TriangleTooth]

Hi again, FireMage!

Really liking these creatures and can't wait to see them in some FMs. Was just wondering if you'd made any progress, or had to give up, on the T2 creature I had mentioned before (I know it's been like, 3 years now so there must be a reason).

Even if that one wasn't possible it's amazing what you've already made!

[FireMage]

Hi again, FireMage!

Really liking these creatures and can't wait to see them in some FMs. Was just wondering if you'd made any progress, or had to give up, on the T2 creature I had mentioned before (I know it's been like, 3 years now so there must be a reason).

Even if that one wasn't possible it's amazing what you've already made!

Hi TriangleTooth !

I did not gave up the project, no worries
Actually, I was just busy with my studies, The Black Parade Campaign, and plenty other little projects I'm working on. I just did not found the time yet to work with it.

It is however not cancelled !
I've at least five creatures to create now I found more information about them/understand how meshes are workins in Dark Engine :

-Mechanical Stalker (the bucket headed bot that I called before "Copper slave"), this one is actually fast, fighting with a hammer (I'll change the weapon because it's a mecanist creature and you vote for a saw).
-Spiderbot : it was not supposed to be just a spider spitting blades but something more complexe with the furnace on the front protected by it two heads when unalerted which expose it only when scanning/attacking.
-Ghoul
-Multipolys Spiders
-Multipolys Burrick

Doing them will probably end my quest I think until we found out more Forgotten Creatures.

[FireMage]

Due to the change of MediaFire's politics and the fact some files use to vanish randomly, I will change the hosting file I was using since the beginning of this ambitious project.

---> All Meshes files will be moved to the Thief Object Repository. Which is clearly a better place for those files.

I also plan to write a better tutorial on how to install objects with custom motions in the meantime. I can't tell you how much time it will takes to move all these files but for sure, don't be scared if some links are not working anymore : this will be temporary.

Finaly, I also succeed on making the High Polys Burrick. This one will be published here with the usual video once I'll fix all these links and contents.

Thanks for reading and see you soon !

[Petike the Taffer]

Due to the change of MediaFire's politics and the fact some files use to vanish randomly, I will change the hosting file I was using since the beginning of this ambitious project.

Yeah, I've noticed MediaFire tends to cause issues while downloading, though it depends...

---> All Meshes files will be moved to the Thief Object Repository. Which is clearly a better place for those files.

I also plan to write a better tutorial on how to install objects with custom motions in the meantime. I can't tell you how much time it will takes to move all these files but for sure, don't be scared if some links are not working anymore : this will be temporary.

Finaly, I also succeed on making the High Polys Burrick. This one will be published here with the usual video once I'll fix all these links and contents.

Thanks for reading and see you soon !

Glad to hear that !

On a sidenote, I've archived all your cut content creature redevelopment videos at the official Thief Wiki. If you visit the "Cut Material" category on the wiki, all the videos will be at the bottom of that page, listed under the automatic "Media in this category" heading. All videos neatly in one place. I've included the videos of the cut Thief II Gold NPCs/creatures too.

As silly or weird as many of these creatures are, they're a part of Thief's (and even Dark Camelot's) development history, and I love all the hard work you've put into bringing them back to life. The various guard NPCs in particular could be a very useful addon for FM builders, especially those who want to add more NPC archetypes to the Hammerites or want to add more variety to TDP-style guards.

[FireMage]

Wow, I didn't knew about this! Thank you very much Petike!

But yeah, the goal is to make sure modders and map creators could have more ressources to put into their contents. And I know plenty of them could be interested on those discarded creatures.
Searching for Artworks to work from or pieces of Thief's developpement story is always fun, and creating the models is always fun despite how challenging it could be because of the system used by DarkEngine to split the model into limbs with numerous planes. The hardest part are when custom motionset are necessary since our available modding tool for motions are not very comfortable to work with (you may understand why I used to be grumpy at the idea of writting tutorial the first time it happened...) but hey, this is because I love this job I'm doing it!

[gamophyte]

That site/wiki redirected my browser to spyware or faux-antivirus message.

Edit: Sorry, more specifically when I clicked on BLUR creature concept art. You have to sit there for at least 15 seconds.

[Yandros]

Doesn't happen for me.