Builders' Cross

[ascottk]

Forgive me for being so TDS oriented but they often used dummy objects in their meshes so they could attach things together without a lot of guess work. The meshes for lights (torches, street lamps, etc.), for example, had hp_lighttarget as a "hard point" and the light would automatically be assigned at that place in the mesh. I wonder if a similar system could be implemented in d3?

[SneaksieDave]

Are MD5s the only models that can animate? If so, how does one export/save an MD5, do we need a separate app? (e.g., Maya or whatever)

[PinkDot]

A slow rotating gear (...)

I just thought about it again - well, if it's slow (f.e. about 1 - 2 minutes for one full turn) and quite silent then who knows... it could be something similar as the light that's still on in christian churches - like permanent presence of Builder's Spirit... (no, no - I don't really believe in Builder... yet?)

But anyway - we could try it. At least just to learn how to do such things

[Springheel]

If we're going to try, we should try on the models that are already set up for it and have the md5 files made. I've been trying to get the gfather clock to work all summer with no luck.

 

(And personally, I think a rotating gear would make it look like some kind of mall display.)

[OrbWeaver]

Are MD5s the only models that can animate? If so, how does one export/save an MD5, do we need a separate app? (e.g., Maya or whatever)

 

Yes, MD5 is required for animation. You can export them from Blender using a script available on Doom3World, but it is a bit more involved than a static mesh due to the need for animations to be specified using Blender's animation system.

[Darkness_Falls]

Springheel wrote: (And personally, I think a rotating gear would make it look like some kind of mall display.

Heh. Not when set to the Thief universe with a deep, powerful grinding stone sound set to it, and when set outside of a cathedral rather than a local mall.

 

With this, I get the feeling that if you had been helping out with Thief back in the day, you would've looked at a model of a zombie and comment on how it looks like it should be in a Michael Jackson music video (Thriller), not Thief. Of how a holy water potion should be in Damien, not Thief. Or how a big stone hammer looks like a trade-show prop.

 

Just because the gear would rotate, it's all the sudden a Disney spectacle? hehe

[Springheel]

Heh. Not when set to the Thief universe

 

*sigh*

[Darkness_Falls]

I know, you would hate it Sorry...

[Ishtvan]

Forgive me for being so TDS oriented but they often used dummy objects in their meshes so they could attach things together without a lot of guess work. The meshes for lights (torches, street lamps, etc.), for example, had hp_lighttarget as a "hard point" and the light would automatically be assigned at that place in the mesh. I wonder if a similar system could be implemented in d3?

 

I don't know if someone said this already, but that basically describes "bind to joint" functionality. However, it would have to have an MD5 mesh in order to have named joints corresponding to different parts of it. So far we haven't had much success at creating those except for AI and weapons I guess. Often we just use offset coordinates, but that of course doesn't work when you have different models with the attachment point in different places.

[OrbWeaver]

Unfortunately bindToJoint does not clear the bound object's offset, it just causes the movement of the joint to be transmitted to the bound object relative to its original position.

[Ishtvan]

Yeah, you'd need additional script to move it to some position relative to the joint first before binding. I think I may have written an attach script for actors, but I didn't yet extend it to all entities with an MD5 skeleton in script, even though I did do that in the SDK.

[Springheel]

I know, you would hate it Sorry...

 

Probably, but I was responding to you calling our setting the "Thief Universe" again....

[SneaksieDave]

(And personally, I think a rotating gear would make it look like some kind of mall display.)

Hah! Exactly! The first thing I thought of was either Las Vegas or a fountain in the mall.

[Darkness_Falls]

Probably, but I was responding to you calling our setting the "Thief Universe" again....

Point being? ... as if everything we've seen created in The Dark Mod (or ever will be created) is so far different than the Thief universe?

 

Hah! Exactly! The first thing I thought of was either Las Vegas or a fountain in the mall.

:|

[Springheel]

Point being? ... as if everything we've seen created in The Dark Mod (or ever will be created) is so far different than the Thief universe?

 

The point being that calling it the 'Thief Universe' is one step closer to a Cease and Desist order.

[sparhawk]

I thought this would be clear by now and doesn't need to be specifically mentioned anymore.

[OrbWeaver]

Is there really a significant difference between the "Thief universe" and a "Thief-like universe"?

 

It is not as if either of them actually exist, so whether TDM is set in some non-official extension of the "official" Thief universe or another, totally separate but conceptually similar equivalent would seem to be very much an academic distinction.

[sparhawk]

There is a whole profession that feeds on hair splitting and 'academic distinctions'. It's called laywers.

[gleeful]

There is a whole profession that feeds on hair splitting and 'academic distinctions'. It's called laywers.

 

Hear, hear!

 

So please, let's all stick to "-inspired" (a seemingly magic word to keep Cease and Desist orders away).

[Darkness_Falls]

The Thief Universe is the single point of reference we are all familiar with, so it's only natural to refer to it in conversation. If you can imagine it there, you can imagine it in a Dark Mod universe. I used it to help try to drive my point home, since it wouldn't have the same impact or meaning if I said, "Imagine this hammer/gear in The Dark Mod!" Oh, forget it, why am I bothering.

 

For any lawyers that may lurk in our internal forums and who may potentially whistle-blow us, I would like to take the time to clarify that any mention of "Thief Universe" is meant to be "Thief-like Universe." The Dark Mod aims to be a dark and moody stealth game inspired by the Thief series by Looking Glass Studios. It is not Thief and will not be Thief.

[Dram]

lol, it's funny how this topic always seems to haunt us

[gleeful]

For any lawyers that may lurk in our internal forums and who may potentially whistle-blow us, I would like to take the time to clarify that any mention of "Thief Universe" is meant to be "Thief-like Universe." The Dark Mod aims to be a dark and moody stealth game inspired by the Thief series by Looking Glass Studios. It is not Thief and will not be Thief.

 

I think the reason why some people (including me) are so fussy about it, is that if we're not it might get used on the public forums (ours and others) and that might be trouble.

[Domarius]

If all it takes is adding words like "-like" and "inspired", what's the problem?

[sparhawk]

For any lawyers that may lurk in our internal forums and who may potentially whistle-blow us, I would like to take the time to clarify that any mention of "Thief Universe" is meant to be "Thief-like Universe." The Dark Mod aims to be a dark and moody stealth game inspired by the Thief series by Looking Glass Studios. It is not Thief and will not be Thief.

 

I don't think that any laywers are lurking here right now (well I probably wouldn't know it if he is smart). But in worst case it might happen that the forums have to be opened for them, so you shouldn't assume that this is a safe haven where you can say whatever you want. If the intentions of the mod have to be proven in court, a judge might easily order that the forum has to be made accessible.

[OrbWeaver]

If all it takes is adding words like "-like" and "inspired", what's the problem?

 

The problem is when people get beaten up for not adding those suffixes, since using terms in informal discussion makes no difference to any possible case of trademark infringement.

 

Passing TDM off as "Thief: The next generation" on the official website would be problematic, but referring to the "Thief universe" in a discussion about the appearance of a model is not grounds for lawsuit in any jurisdiction I have heard of.