I guess my only thought why I might ask this right now is maybe some numbers should be set aside early on to avoid ick later. It seems other graphic or effect limit has been requested lengthened at some point, and they started with more than 99 entries. While I haven't come up with models for 99 replacement effects yet, nor would anybody want to use all 99 of my textures if I did, I can easily think of reasons to have nearly 100 models for just beams at this very moment, even more for texture replacements. Not so much the envmaps personally, though I see its enormous potential.
Just in case anybody is interested in what I am getting at, here is a list of things Ive been working on since 2007:
1) Armor as robes + location models as accessories. For instance, you have robe 0-9 be nudes and undies. 10-20 might be clothes. 20-30 be actual robes. 30-40 fancy dress...50-60 light leather, 60's light chain, and so. Using the locational model parts, you could change just the bracer/gauntlet, necklace/pendant, boots, belt etc without changing a whole fleshed part. Using the info OldTimeRadio showed using TGA with PLT on the same model part, I can now go even further, having a non colorable portion, with a standardized portion. And now using NWNCX I could potentially switch out an entire model skin for another (shown in the video where the troll is made bloodied). Dungeon Siege 1 only had 4-5 base robes (per sex) that were textureable (not exactly how they did it but close). Even if you examine the models for Guild Wars 1 or even the newer TERA, you can easily see the base model is the same, just the applied texture and its transparency changes the overall look so much you don't see the lines anymore. To fully make use of that, lets say I have 10 models each of 10 different armor/clothing categories. If I want 10 textures I can put on each model, I then need 1000 total textures. So 1000 minus the base texture on each model is only 900 2da lines I would need. That's not including spell induced skins like bark/stone/diamond. I could easily reduce that number if I segregated content into mods, reusing the numbers in each mod for some other effect and changing all my scripts, and limiting armor types to specific mods, but not having to do that would be even better.
1.5) Bloodied hell! : I love the bloodied effect shown in the troll video, and after playing 4e, I really think the bloodied marker is an important use of texture replacement. I think every creature should have a bloodied visual, except where an actual model swap is warranted (hunched, limb missing, etc). But I do so hate the fade in fade out during model swaps. Its infuriating how much it takes you out of game immersion when your character goes faded blue just to change basic appearance. So lets say I have 100 creatures in a module that I would actually use during that module, I need then another 100 2da slots for texture replacement. But now think of 2-5 stages of color for people who might want to make monsters that power up or otherwise change color much like nintendo or capcom games of the 80's or even on the wii today (see donkey kong country or mario wii).
2) Long beautiful hair! : trying to find the best method for hair as a helmet, or even hair as a node (tried switching left shoulder up with good success rate). Hair needs a non-angular look to be best accepted now days. I strive for the hair you see in games like sims2 or newer, not this hair from 90's video games. Flowing, transparent-bounded textures is now the norm. I tried allowing the user to change their left shoulder (my hair node) model by using a mirror tool, or a comb, similar to how the sims does it. It was...ok. So now, how do I combine this with OF helmets and also make use of the transparency now available through TGA+PNG. (by the way I moved shoulder props to the bicep prop since they pretty much moved that way already and already looked goofy). I am actually thinking of trying hair as vfx! [adhd] Has anybody experimented with the monster nodes with placing hair, helmets or extra equipment? I personally think those nodes should be standardized on the player base to things like: back (to load equipment on your back), center chest (think iron man chest burst), at the feet (for making effects that touch the ground as part of the character). I know the base spell locations have a few spots, but variety is always good.
3) Beams to 4e and beyond: [rant] I dislike the limited ability to change and accept new things that I hear from a portion of the NWN community. "No no you gotta use only 3e and/or 3.5 stuff." I'd personally like to diversify the spell selection as well as racial and class abilities. If you look at how 4e spells are structured, you can easily see (at least until 10th level) what makes up a spell and why it fits its level. Using that as a base, Ive developed a ton of spells that could easily be patched into NWN. No they don't balance with 3e, but there is no reason to just keep using the base spells in the game just because they are ready made. This ability to make new beams opens a huge door that, at least for me, finishes a goal of making a huge array of energy beams, mixed type beams, and just wicked looking effects using the beam type as a base. I see absolutely no reason if one game has a spell effect that is sweet, that you cannot somehow port it over to DND and make it fit. DND isn't about fitting the books, its about creativity.[end rant] So we will probably need at least 99 beam slots for NWN in 2013-2014.
Sorry. If nobody can tell yet, I'm not into simple 2da and tile retexture changes. I need big big changes to keep me happy
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