New Character Models

[Springheel]

It's good - any chance later of some other skins on the same model for general servant or towns person? Maybe raise the bodice to cover the cleavage and a soft bonnet for a servant plus with a shawl over the shoulders for a townswoman. A choice of colours for the skirt etc is also good value for not too much work hopefully.

 

Yes, making different coloured skirts will be extremely easy. You can't really cover the cleavage with skins, however. We have a maid model Odd did, though, but I'm still working on it--it needs to be uvmapped and textured, among other things. It will come eventually.

[Springheel]

Now that I'm starting to get a handle on working with md5meshes, I'm going through our existing heads and making them more versatile. I've started with the citywatch head. I haven't added any new files, but by modifying the md5mesh I've added five new variations. I rebuilt the mesh underneath the helmet and added an eyepatch accessory. With nodraw textures, that results in five different appearances (plus two different eyepatch colours).

 

That gives us:

 

Default citywatch

Default citywatch + eyepatch 01 or 02

Nohelmet with chain coif

Nohelmet with cloth coif

Both of the above with eyepatch 01 or 02

(a helmeted version with cloth coif could also easily be made if someone wanted it)

 

Here are a few:

 

 

Oh, I also added a shadowmesh to the head itself (I'll eventually remove that from the body, but for the moment there will be two). The shadowmesh for the helmet is a separate mesh, so it is turned off for the skins that don't use the helmet.

 

My plan is to go through the rest of the existing heads and do something similar, and then start making new heads.

[Crispy]

Cool.

 

I guess that's bronze chainmail on the left there?

[Springheel]

No, it's supposed to be really cheap, coarse cloth.

 

I actually expanded the uvmap a bit on the head to make the chainmail more visible from a distance (it tended to just look like grey cloth to me), so I may have to adjust the size of the weave in the texture to compensate.

[Crispy]

Ahhh OK. Yeah, the weave on that is probably a little too large now.

 

Maybe it would also look less like chainmail if the gaps weren't so dark? There must be something else behind the cloth, like skin or a different cloth, and presumably that would show through a little if you had a really big weave. Particularly where it hugs the body, like on the scalp, shoulders, and chest.

[Domarius]

If you can go from a helmet to a coif like that, with the same head, that really shows how versatile they've become

[Fidcal]

Excellent - love variety and combos. I never got over TDS's barbie doll clones - like a scifi nightmare.

[Springheel]

Here's the newest head--this is going to be the nobleman default head (the new nobleman isn't rigged yet though). He comes with and without the hat, and with dark grey and light grey hair.

 

[Domarius]

The hair suits him very well.

[Fidcal]

Looks very good - and a good proportion from that screenshot. I always thought the noblewoman head is a bit on the small size.

 

BTW did you know we still don't have the wench def? Is that intentional? I was looking the other day. We seem to have the model, textures, etc. but no def that I can see.

[Springheel]

Looks very good - and a good proportion from that screenshot

 

Glad you like him. The face is a modified version of the builder priest, and I built the hair and hat onto it.

 

BTW did you know we still don't have the wench def? Is that intentional? I was looking the other day. We seem to have the model, textures, etc. but no def that I can see.

 

Yes, there's no def file because she is just a model at the moment. She still needs to be rigged and exported as an md5mesh. I'm still working up to being able to do that.

 

I always thought the noblewoman head is a bit on the small size.

 

Yeah, there is something off there. It's on my list of eventual fixes.

[Springheel]

Ok, I think I've more or less finished my adjustments to the citywatch. Here's a list of changes:

 

1. Split the meshes up properly so that all plate, chain, and leather areas register as such.

 

2. Removed the head from the shadowmesh (so the helmet shadow is no longer casts on all heads) and adjusted it so that some shadows that were being cast on the visible mesh aren't any longer.

 

3. Adjusted the uvmap for the chainmail parts so that it looks more like chainmail at a distance.

 

4. Added a shoulder belt accessory, which can be added or removed as necessary.

 

5. Separated the sleeves and made them part of a different mesh, so that the sleeves and tunic can be all the same texture now--that makes for much better skins.

 

6. Made the boots slightly smaller

 

7. Added some polys to fix gaps in the arms and wrists where you could see through the model.

 

8. A few minor uv tweaks here and there.

 

 

The end result is that the citywatch is pretty versatile. He can be used for anything from a healthy nobleman to a hunter or buff labourer. On the left is the new skin for the citywatch archer (the quiver is not part of the mode, but is def_attached to the back).

[New Horizon]

Holy crap spring. These are amazing! Great work on this stuff! You deserve a medal man.

[Crispy]

Yeah, great work! I didn't realise that those were essentially the same model until I read the text. Now that it's been pointed out I can see the tell-tale similarities, but at first glance they look completely different.

 

Is that a cross shape shaved into that nobleman beard?

[Dram]

WOW....that is truly awesome Spring, great work!

[Fidcal]

Yes, combinations are really flexible and makes the best use of resources. I like the jaunty cap.

[Springheel]

Is that a cross shape shaved into that nobleman beard?

 

I think it's probably just a quirk of the texture. I'd never noticed before.

[Crispy]

Heh, OK. Was just wondering if it was intentional or not. Since it's not, the texture would probably look better without it.

 

...But I'm nitpicking, so ignore me!

[Domarius]

Fantastic - so many good tweaks for variety.

[Springheel]

I've created a new head for the beggar in the release map. I still need to tweak the normalmap a bit, but it's ready for upload in the meantime. The mesh includes a version with hair as well, though I'm not as happy with it (curly hair is a bitch to texture). The version with the skullcap is the one I'd like to use in the map.

 

 

 

Next up, a body.

[Tels]

I've created a new head for the beggar in the release map. I still need to tweak the normalmap a bit, but it's ready for upload in the meantime. The mesh includes a version with hair as well, though I'm not as happy with it (curly hair is a bitch to texture). The version with the skullcap is the one I'd like to use in the map.

 

Next up, a body.

 

Will the beggar be smaller? (And have a hunchback? sorry just kidding). Anyway, if he stands up, and I look straight ahead, I stare at his shoulder. Seems strange that he is so big, wouldn't malnutrition keep people small?

[Springheel]

At the moment there is no "beggar" character. The figure in the map is curently using the houseguard model, which is going to be replaced, as it has serious problems.

 

Unfortunately a beggar isn't going to move like a beggar, since we don't have the time to make specialized animations.

[Domarius]

It's cool - this is probably not worth the time but the sneer looks a bit artificial somehow, like it's simply stretched.

 

Don't rule out ever seeing specialised anims, that's something I want to work towards.

[Fidcal]

At the moment there is no "beggar" character. The figure in the map is curently using the houseguard model, which is going to be replaced, as it has serious problems.

 

Unfortunately a beggar isn't going to move like a beggar, since we don't have the time to make specialized animations.

Would the zombie animations be too extreme for a crippled beggar? Might not be ideal but might be interesting to see as an alternative.

[Springheel]

Would the zombie animations be too extreme for a crippled beggar? Might not be ideal but might be interesting to see as an alternative.

 

I've been thinking along the same lines. The zombie animations can't be used because the skeleton is different, but there are some existing animations (like the blind walk or the drunk_idle) that might be half-decent.