Create a New Character

Note

Some thing to do with new body types or new character types.

Putting a new character into the game

Set up an ent_type for your new guy.

• In data/ent_types make a new file "mytype.txt"

File example

Type
Name 		mytype
Sequencer	player_library/mytype.seq
Graphics	player_library/g_mytype.anm
MidLOD		player_library/G_male_LOD.anm
LowLOD		player_library/G_fem_BOX_LOD.anm
Shadow		player_library/G_male_SHADOW.anm
UseShadow	1
LOD1 		100				##Distance to go to LOD1 from LOD0
LOD2 		200				##Distance to go to LOD2 from LOD1
FadeOutStart	200				##Distance to start fading out
FadeOutFinish	220

RootScale	1.2 1.15 1.2			##Scale Factor
AnimScale	.9
End

##Could also specify permanent fx, other stuff

##RootScale	1.2 1.15 1.2			##Scale Factor
##RootScale	1.05 1.05 1.05			##Scale Factor 

Description

Name mytype

Always the same as the filename (not really used right now)

Sequencer player_library/mytype.seq

Sequencer. Steve's animation sequencer for this guy. There will be a corresponding file: "player_library/mytype.anm", but you don't have to specify it. Skeletons and animation come out of this file, no geometry ever. All animation nodes in these files must be named one of the recognized bone names, HIPS, CHEST, etc or it will get thrown away by the preprocessor.

Graphics player_library/g_mytype.anm

Default Graphics. Optional . This is where the game looks for the geometry for your character if you don't specify custom graphics. It is overridden by custom graphic descriptions from NPC.dta or wherever.

For example, when the game finds the bone "HIPS" in the mytype.seq animation file, the game first checks to see if custom geometry has been asked for (or if the custom geometry is set specifically to "none"). If no custom geometry has been set, the game looks in this file for "GEO_HIPS" and attaches that to the bone.

All geometry in this file must begin with GEO_ or it gets thrown away by the preprocessor. After GEO_ comes the name of the skeleton bone it corresponds to. So GEO_HIPS, GEO_CHEST, etc.

Note that every bone in the skeletons given in mytype.seq look for geometry in this file, so if the file has GEO_BELT, it will have attach that belt unless you specifically over ride it with custom geometry or "none". It is fine for this file to be empty or nonexistant, if you know that you will always be setting custom geometry whenever you want geometry on the character. Doing this might be a good idea in some cases to reduce confusion as to where a geometry is coming from.

MidLOD player_library/G_male_LOD.anm

First LOD this is where to get the geometry for the mid level LOD. The switch distance for this LOD is the LOD1 number given below. This geometry will be used regardless of whether custom geometry is specified, but will have custom textures and custom colors applied. Note, we were talking about having this overridden if the custom geometry file has it's own LOD it would rather use, it would be easy to put in if you want that feature.

Note that this LOD uses a smaller subset of the skeleton specified in mytype.seq.

LowLOD player_library/G_fem_BOX_LOD.anm

This is the far LOD. The switch distance for it is the LOD1 number below. It uses a very small set of bones from mytype.seq (Like four).

Shadow player_library/G_male_SHADOW.anm

Shadow File. File to be used as the shadow. This is peculiar in that it links with the given ??? This will change.

UseShadow 1

Whether this character should use a shadow at all. This is different from having no shadow specified because the shadow could be attached by a different use of this default geometry...? Kinda confusing. I hope I can figure out boned shadows

Extra file items

LOD1 		100				##Distance to go to LOD1 from LOD0
LOD2 		200				##Distance to go to LOD2 from LOD1
FadeOutStart	200				##Distance to start fading out
FadeOutFinish	220

RootScale	1.2 1.15 1.2			##Scale Factor
AnimScale	.9
End

##Could also specify permanent fx, other stuff
RootScale	1.2 1.15 1.2			##Scale Factor
RootScale	1.05 1.05 1.05			##Scale Factor