Devlin Opera for the 65742th time

[Jack Rackham]

I raised the ground just a little to make the water lower look lower.

 

[Pieter Boelen]

I'll look into it, but something in my memory tells me that I already tried it once and it didn't work for the Beatrice models.

As for loading screens? Do you have time to make these? I guess it would save a lot of time since I don't have a good image editing programme and even when I had, I haven't had much success when I tried to work with PotC image files.

There are the screenshots I made, I would name them "Wreckage Cove" (1), "Sacred Forest" (2) and "Offering Room" (3).

I think those VCO locations still need COL files made first.

Also, shouldn't the game auto-generate foam the first time you load into the location?

 

[Grey Roger]

For clarification: I'm talking about sitting on the ground, or in other words: PoorType and about doing it with the player. And all my tests indicate that PoorType simply doesn't work for the Beatrice models. For example: executing LAi_SetPoorType(Pchar); through console makes player character Blaze sit on the ground, but player character Beatrice keeps standing, frozen in place. And creating an NPC with that model and in that type actually results in an invisible NPC (see picture):

EDIT: Probably PoorType doesn't work for female characters at all? Indian_girl1 also disappears.

Correct. Looking at "PROGRAM\Loc_ai\types\LAi_poor.c", the animations used are "Ground_sitting", "Ground_look_around", "Ground_Scratch", "Ground_Death" and "Ground_Death1". These do not exist in "RESOURCE\animation\woman_sit.ani", which is the animation used for most female models including "Beatrice". Moreover, if you use "Animation View" to look at "Beatrice" or most other female models, pick any animation, change "From" to 1 and "To" to about 2800, you can view all possible animations. There's one sequence not referenced in "woman_sit.ani" which looks as though she's pushing a button, but there's no sequence for sitting on the ground. So unless someone can make a whole new "woman_sit.an" to include sitting on the ground, almost no female characters can possibly use 'LAi_SetPoorType'. So whenever the player needs to sit on the ground, the game uses 'LAi_ActorSetSitMode'. It doesn't look too bad because you can't see yourself sitting high up as if on a chair - try doing a treasure quest and look what happens when you dig up the chest.

Did you notice that I said "almost no female characters"? I've found one female model which does support the "Ground" animations. That's "33_Piratess10.ani". So "33_Piratess10" and "HildaPiratess" can sit on the ground. If you're really determined to use 'LAi_SetPoorType' then Bonnie is going to need to find a new set of clothes involving a big coat and a floppy hat, and you're going to need to retexture either "33_Piratess10.tga.tx" or "HildaPiratess.tga.tx" to give her those clothes.

The screenshots are from within the game with free camera. I agree that the water looks a bit cheap there, but I wouldn't know to how to change that. I think it looked always that way. When the location model was transferred from VCO, @Jack Rackham raised (or lowered?) the water level a bit for me.

Can you upload the model and texture files for Wreckage Cove? And, for preference, the location definition file. I'll then see if it's possible to raise the water level to put normal water there. Or, if the flat-looking water is part of a texture file, maybe change it to look more watery - it won't look reflective like proper water but at least it won't look like an island in the clouds.

 

[BathtubPirate]

I raised the ground just a little to make the water lower look lower.

Hello Jack, I think we haven't seen each other so far this year

So unless someone can make a whole new "woman_sit.an" to include sitting on the ground, almost no female characters can possibly use 'LAi_SetPoorType'.

Not me - I'll just let them stand around the fire. As I said, it's not the end of the world, even though it would have been nice if it worked.

Can you upload the model and texture files for Wreckage Cove? And, for preference, the location definition file. I'll then see if it's possible to raise the water level to put normal water there. Or, if the flat-looking water is part of a texture file, maybe change it to look more watery - it won't look reflective like proper water but at least it won't look like an island in the clouds.

There are the files, textures according to GM Viewer.

If you notice any locators that don't seem ideally placed, especially the two reload locators, I have it on my to-do list to make better ones.

The next things I'd like to try for the continuation of the quest is actually to create three simple light sources in the Sacred Forest location (hopefully I did not bite off more than i can chew with that one, or else I'll have to think of a different task for the player).

 

[Grey Roger]

I got the water to appear correctly:


Here's what I had to do to make it appear: nothing. Well, alright, that's not quite true - of course I had to copy the location model files, the texture files, and the storyline version of "Aruba.c" into place. But I didn't need to do anything to them - no changes to the definition of "Wreckage Cove", the location model or the texture files.

I have, however, been using LocLighter to create better lighting files. This is "Wreckage Cove" in the late evening:


Attached are the revised .col files. I haven't had time to make loading screens yet, and I'll probably want to make new lighting files for "Sacred Forest". Then I can recreate the screenshots with proper lighting, and then I can make loading screens.

 

[BathtubPirate]

Attached are the revised .col files

Thanks, that's interesting. I added your files and also have better lighting now, in fact the wreckage cove almost looks like a different location now, a much better one. But the water looks the same for me as it ever did, rather bland and flat and grey-ish. Of course it does, I didn't change anything because you didn't change anything, and you didn't change anything because mysteriously, it looks right in your game and only off in my game. I also just noticed that the water looks similarly off inside the shipwreck.

About lighting files for the sacred forest: I have no idea how these are made and anything, so is there something that must be done when I want to add three extra sources of light? Basically I need three "light bubbles" at night similar to e.g. the lanterns in a town, except those light sources can just be on the ground without any torch, lamp etc. The in-story logic is that you are told to get up at night and collect the magical herb which conveniently glows in the dark, so you'd just have to search where there's a light inside the bushes and you get the object upon touching the locator. If I were to upload a revised locator file, could you add such night lights for them?

 

[Grey Roger]

If you're going to revise the locator file then you could probably add the night lights. Have a look at a town locator file. You should see some "fonar" locators. I believe those are the ones which produce light. See what happens if you add "fonar" locators to the forest.

 

[BathtubPirate]

This works in principle, but the lights only seem to be visible from certain angles. When moving the camera or character, they can quickly become absolutely invisible. I need to test other placements that perhaps are not near bushes, and if that doesn't work I could narrow the areas you have to search.

Looks quite lovely though.

 

[Grey Roger]

That light appears to be next to a small mound. See if you can use the XX, XZ, ZX and ZY values to turn it round so that it's invisible from the direction of the mound - you can't see the light if there's a big pile of earth in the way!

I don't know why "fonar" lights would be restricted by angle, though. Have a look at some streetlights in towns - do they also disappear from some angles?

Worst case scenario - they're magic. The shaman can explain that the lights can only be seen properly by standing in the right place.

Meanwhile, if I am to create new lighting files and a loading screen for the forest, I'm going to need the forest! Model files and textures, please - the location definition is already in "Aruba.c". I've done them for "Wreckage Cove" and "Offering Room", though. In "Aruba.c", change the "Locations[n].image" lines for "Offering Room" and "Wreckage Cove" to:

Locations[n].image = "Offering_Room.tga";

Locations[n].image = "Wreckage_Cove.tga";

 

[Jack Rackham]

@BathtubPirate Maybe the locator got corrupt somehow.
Open the locatorfile and check that

XX = YY = ZZ = s0 = 1
all other values to the right of Position Z = 0

 

[Grey Roger]

If XX = YY = ZZ = 1, then XY = YX = XZ = ZX = 0. That is the usual default for a locator pointing in the default direction, straight along the Z axis.

YY, XY and YX probably won't change unless the locator needs to point up or down. But XX, ZZ, XZ and ZX may very well change to make the locator point in a different direction. You can do some trigonometry calculations to work out the values to make the locator point to a chosen angle.

Or you can do it the easy way. Change "console.c" from 'switch(0)' to 'switch(2)', then play the game, be in the right location, walk to the locator, face the direction you want the locator to point, and press F12. You'll then find a line in "compile.log" which contains all the values, and another line which can be copied straight into a text file. TOOL can export a locator file into a text file and it can import a locator file from a text file. So you export the locator file, change the line in that file by copying the line from "compile.log", then import it back in. Check TOOL's View -> Locators to make sure the locators all still look right, then save the result. (If they don't look right, it may mean you made a mistake editing the text file, in which case don't save the file or you'll end up with an unusable locator file!)

 

[BathtubPirate]

Or you can do it the easy way.

That's how I always do it. So while I never had streetlights that disappear from a certain angle, maybe the fonars I made with my characters coordinates disappear because the game is not used to have them basically on the ground. I'll do some more testing (perhaps raising them a bit) this evening and also send you the files. Typing from my phone right now...

 

[BathtubPirate]

Meanwhile, if I am to create new lighting files and a loading screen for the forest, I'm going to need the forest! Model files and textures, please

Here they are. Those are only the textures that GM Viewer lists when I open the main location file in GM viewer - there would be lots more for tree.gm and xiao.gm, those two files are the trees and all the other decorations there. Because I also just sent you the texture files corresponding with the main file for the wreckage cove, I assume they suffice.

 

[BathtubPirate]

I don't know why "fonar" lights would be restricted by angle, though. Have a look at some streetlights in towns - do they also disappear from some angles

I placed the fonar-locators in the sacred forest differently. Not on the edge of bushes, more in places where the terrain is flat and plain. Now they're much better visible, at least when you get somewhat close. From a distance, they can't bee seen, and moving character and camera around them, there are still certain "blind spots". But it has much improved and I gave some instruction to narrow the areas where you have to look down.

The blind spots seem to appear when anything slightly obscures the camera view to the locator. For example, when I point the character directly at the light, it disappears, even though there should still be light visible left and right of the character. I turn her slightly left or right, the light is back there. The bushes, even though they look relatively translucent, also block the view and make the light invisible. In my first try, the fonar locators where all placed near or inside bushes, so it was much worse, meaning there were much more blind spots than there are now.

Next, I studied fonar locators in San Juan. And indeed, they behave exactly the same. There, you just don't notice it that much.
- First, because you're usually not actively looking for them.
-Second, because even when for example the edge of a building gets slightly in front of the light and it disappears fully instead of partially, there is still a yellow-filled lantern to be seen. Whereas in my case, the lights are just on the dark ground.
-And third, a town like San Juan is much smaller and narrower, when you get further away from the light and the yellow radiation disappears, it is because you're far away from it. The same distance in the much larger and emptier forest feels smaller.

I'd say that's "Mystery solved"

 

[Grey Roger]

Here they are. Those are only the textures that GM Viewer lists when I open the main location file in GM viewer - there would be lots more for tree.gm and xiao.gm, those two files are the trees and all the other decorations there. Because I also just sent you the texture files corresponding with the main file for the wreckage cove, I assume they suffice.

Probably I already had all the other files for the wreckage cove. But I don't have the files for "tree.gm" and "xiao.gm".

 

[BathtubPirate]

But I don't have the files for "tree.gm" and "xiao.gm".

Here they are.

Love the loading screen for the wreckage by the way!

 

[BathtubPirate]

A goto locator inside a non-walkable area (using sidestep and then the coordinates through console) places the character floating two metres above ground for some reason.

Which column of the locator would have to be adjusted to get him back on the ground? I don't see much logic in the numbers of X, Y, Z and so on.

 

[Jack Rackham]

Placing a character outside the walking area his y-value (height) will unfortunately always become 0.
You can of course be lucky if the walking area is about 0, you wont notice it.

 

[BathtubPirate]

Placing a character outside the walking area his y-value (height) will unfortunately always become 0.
You can of course be lucky if the walking area is about 0, you wont notice it.

The y-value was indeed 0 and when side-stepping into the cage, the player character also "jumps" to a slightly higher level.

The characters nearby (on the ground next to the cage) have a y-value of around -0.71, so I changed the one locator inside the cage...

...and he's still hovering above the ground. Looks a bit silly. If I can't fix that he'll have to go somewhere else. For example tied to a totem pole instead of locked in a cage.

 

[Grey Roger]

Here are the loading screen and lighting files for "Sacred Forest".

For "Offering Room", I just used your screenshot - the lighting seemed alright as it was. For "Wreckage Cove", I tried to recreate the same camera angle and position as you'd used for your screenshot. For "Sacred Forest", I started by doing the same, then tried different times of day to get a good background sky. That's when I noticed that early in the morning, the sun rises over one of the hills and there was a rather nice lens flare effect if I moved the camera round, and in any case I needed to angle it down a bit to allow room for the test scroll. This was the result:


I'd like to move the definition for "Sacred Forest" out of the storyline "Aruba.c" and into "PROGRAM\Locations\init\Aruba.c", minus the reload to "Offering Room" - that can easily enough be set up in "Storyline.c". That way, anyone who manages to fight their way through the Arawak Burial Ground and find the rope will also find somewhere interesting at the other end of the rope. But they'll not find your Offering Room except in "Devlin Opera".