Scabbards, shields on the back ... ¿anyone?

[Legacy_Wallack]

               

Hi!

 

Long time ago there was this hak: http://nwvault.ign.c....Detail&id=4730

 

It was really buggy but the good thing and the one I liked was that you could have different scabbards,items, shields in the same position due to VFX.

 

I wanted to take this and use it for customization but just by giving the player the option to choose what vfx he wants to have active on himself. The problem is that seems to be outdated and a lot of the VFX clip into the players body. Good thing for me, if I manage to fix it is that I only need human models, so is a lot of less work doing that. It even works as mounted (with the same clipping issues tho).

 

The thing that I found really weird about neverwinter nights is that there are really few options when it comes to scabbards, you can't show a shield on your back or on your belt and never found anything else to show a shield on your back, which is something I think really cool for customization.

 

Do you guys ever find or know something about it?

 

Thanks and regards.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_The Amethyst Dragon]

               

Visual effects tied to the PC's impact node is the way to go, which is what the krs system does. 

 

However, one VFX model is needed for each item appearance x 12 race/gender combinations...and that's not counting the "large" body size (phenotype) which could double that number.  So for a single shield appearance, it's 12 new models (or 24 if a model maker is feeling generous).

 

Multiply that number by the number of shield appearances (because who wants a shield to show that doesn't match what they actually carry?).  Then consider all the other items that might need to be visibly stowed (every sword's hilt+grip - assuming a generic scabbard texture, every axe's look, every bow's appearance, and onward).  And also include different versions of scabbards for various sized weapons, and different colors of those to better match PC outfits... I think the fact that it's an incredibly massive undertaking is what keeps people from taking it on.

 

I did VFX quivers and arrows, and even those are just for the "normal" body size.  They come in various colors of scabbard and arrow fletching, but being VFX the colors can't be changed beyond the ones built into the VFX textures.  I haven't been ambitious enough to try to tackle other VFX-based equiment.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Frush O'Suggill]

               

It probably would have been a fairly simple task for Bioware to have coded this in when they made the game, possibly by just adding a few more nodes to the character model. To try and duplicate that with vfx is extremely daunting to do well. A unique vfx model would have to be made for every possible weapon appearance. I think there was a team working on it at some point, but the lack of environment maps on vfx  caused the project to be left uncompleted.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Jedijax]

               

I don't think that was the issue. This matter has been discussed at length through the years. I have brought it up twice in recent memory. The problem with it is one of scripting rather than environmental maps. Have enough items of every type in inventory and the clutter and changes crashes the system. That's why it has never been fully tackled, and I am sure the VFX approach is being studied at length, but dynamic showing of items seems more like a pipe dream for now. I have resorted to wing models in my personal haks. I think only a big breakthrough may make dynamic items stable.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Wallack]

               

Hey, thank you for your answers.

 

I wasn't looking for a system or whatever. Just looking for some VFx to do the rest. I'm very good at scripting and creating custom classes and behaviour but completely null at modelling or related.

 

So I just wanted to ask if there was any content that allowed maybe a few more options with scabbards or shields or weapons, I wasn't looking for a system that shows all your equipment, I know that's not possible because the huge amount of models (4 per race, luckily mounted phens works exactly as unmounted) and I know that is a huge amount of work.

 

I was more wondering if ever was a hak that allowed you to use one neck as a shield on the back, or axe, great axe ... as some of the new wings (which only allow you a quiver, greatsword and sword) because I really love that kind of customization.

 

I guess now, my question should be, is there any program to easily increase/decrease the global X/Y/Z coordinates of a .mdl? cause this VFx works great for me (I just want the VFX and I will script a simple system to allow the char to have some visual effects applied) but there are some clipping issues and sometimes is just moving the model a few "units" back, a few "units" left ... and that should be easy to solve. Also I only need the humans for my module so that's less work for me.

 

Thank you for your time!!

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Randomdays]

               

I have the adventurer's kit installed from the old vault and never had an issue with it,except  for getting it to work with some other haks I have installed. Its been awhile but I think the items might be modified cloaks. Check it out.

 

http://nwvault.ign.c...s.Detail&id=146

 

http://nwvault.ign.c...s.Detail&id=142

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Wallack]

               

I have the adventurer's kit installed from the old vault and never had an issue with it,except  for getting it to work with some other haks I have installed. Its been awhile but I think the items might be modified cloaks. Check it out.

 

http://nwvault.ign.c...s.Detail&id=146

 

http://nwvault.ign.c...s.Detail&id=142

 

And I like it, it comes with the CEP but I still feel that it needs a few more options. I always wanted to show an axe on my belt or on my back.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_MannyJabrielle]

               

I have the adventurer's kit installed from the old vault and never had an issue with it,except  for getting it to work with some other haks I have installed. Its been awhile but I think the items might be modified cloaks. Check it out.

 

http://nwvault.ign.c...s.Detail&id=146

 

http://nwvault.ign.c...s.Detail&id=142

Ryu's adventurer's kit?  They're neck parts, which is why they don't play nicely with other haks that add neck parts (such as some early "cloak" mods).  It's just a matter of merging the neckparts.2da entries.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy__six]

               

I've always found it irritating that NWN doesn't have the concept of 'equipped but not armed'. For instance: you can't really show a shield on the back because if it's equipped, it's forced into your hand, and if it's not equipped, how do you know which of potentially dozens of shields in the inventory to show?

 

For Q, I looked at adding an "unarmed" phenotype, which basically was an animation set wherein the player kept their equipped shields and weapons on their back. The idea was that they'd change into armed when in combat. That was really cool, but switching into an appropriate animation set for combat reliably proved problematic. I still reckon it's doable though, and it'd be massively less work than a VFX driven system.

 

I can't remember if it ever got added to Q. I definitely used it in my campaign.

 

 

Edit: oi, oi... turns it is in Q. But currently broken, from a quick look in the test module. Hroom!

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_MannyJabrielle]

               

When I thought about adding a dynamic scabbard system to go along with TAD's quivers in the module I'm working on, I had that same issue.... which weapon gets VFX'ed onto the PC if there's a dozen weapons grabbed from looting?  I thought about adding a widget that you could use on your favored weapon, setting a variable on the PC.... when the gear was unequiped, the appropriate VFX would be applied, when equiped, the VFX would disappear (leafing just a scabbard).  That was a bit of "hands on maintenance" for the PC though, so then I thought about using a method similar to a skyrim mod that did the same basic thing...  Equip the item, and it's automatically tagged as "your favored weapon" for the purpose of deciding what VFX's to use.  The system would set one weapon of each type for this (so you could have your character showing as having a sword in a scabbard, a mace hanging from the belt, quiver and arrows on the back).... equip a NEW weapon of a given type, and the newly equipped weapon would be marked as your favored weapon.


I actually started testing the concept (although using TAD's quivers to test the various "combos" rather than making actual VFX's for the weapons), but I didn't get too far into it ooooh loook squirrel!  Let's chase it.  Hey, I found a penny!  Does anyone else smell cake?  I definitely smell lemon cake....

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Wallack]

               

I'm adjusting it for human male and human female as my PW will only have humans:

 

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Pstemarie]

               

I've always found it irritating that NWN doesn't have the concept of 'equipped but not armed'. For instance: you can't really show a shield on the back because if it's equipped, it's forced into your hand, and if it's not equipped, how do you know which of potentially dozens of shields in the inventory to show?

 

For Q, I looked at adding an "unarmed" phenotype, which basically was an animation set wherein the player kept their equipped shields and weapons on their back. The idea was that they'd change into armed when in combat. That was really cool, but switching into an appropriate animation set for combat reliably proved problematic. I still reckon it's doable though, and it'd be massively less work than a VFX driven system.

 

I can't remember if it ever got added to Q. I definitely used it in my campaign.

 

 

Edit: oi, oi... turns it is in Q. But currently broken, from a quick look in the test module. Hroom!

 

Probably because I compiled the animation super. I'm looking at it now.

 

Edit - FIXED. 

               
               

               
            

[Legacy__six]

               

Probably because I compiled the animation super. I'm looking at it now.

 

Edit - FIXED. 

 

You tha man, Paul.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Jedijax]

               

Six, your idea is most interesting. Basically, a Skyrim-like type of animation, and it fits exactly with what most of us expected out of this topic for years, but I get what you mean about changing the phenos when entering combat; that's problematic as hell in NWN, which requires either a feat or a convo to activate. Even if you scripted the phenotype change into an item, and placed it in a quickslot or button, the mere action of changing pheno would completely break ambiance, as well as work wonkily when attacked by surprise or have enemies appear out of thin air, which is a staple of most modules. Still, a very out-of-the-box idea!

 

As for what you're looking for, Wallace, there are some resource packages you can use. Like I mentioned earlier, this has been discussed at length over the years in many threads, so a search could net lots of info on the subject. Out of my head, the KRS system, the adventurer's kit and the dynamicgear are the ones I used for my own mods. As I also said before, I found using them as wings work best for me. The model labor takes little to lots of time, depending on how many options you want. I don't have many but every combination presents new and more models to add. LOVE the stark shield, by the way. If this is the level of quality your custom content has, it would bring fresh air to NWN.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Wallack]

               

Thanks everyone for the answers.

 

Now I'm tweaking the models by just changing orientation and position "blindly" with notepad++ and I have to say is working pretty fast for now.

 

As is based on Song of Ice and Fire I only need humans, so mostly I align the models for both, male and female normal phenotype. Big phenotype looks a little bit worse than the equivalent normal phen, but I have to be realistic, almost nobody is going to make a fat guy, so I have that going for me which is nice '>

 

The only problem I saw and I didn't remember about it, is that VFX can't show metallic textures/reflections, and there is no way to do it right? because I prefer to have that customization as VFx to have the option to show different models.

 

I won't have a dynamic system, I will give the players the option to show what they want. I'll have basically the models from KRS plus some shields plus some other weapons took directly from battlefield placeables (who doesn't want an Oberyn Martell with the spear on his back?!!)

 

Will keep working on this '>