54 replies to this topic

[WizWom]

On a BAM...


You have a standard palette consisting of:

• Transparency colour
  
• Shadow colour
  
• Two empty colours
  
• The seven base gradients (12 shades each)

and (this is the important part)

• any given combination of the base gradients (8 shades each).

...

I hope that made sense >.<

Basically, I end up having to do a "closest match" on the mixture colors, which sucks, but does work.

For Meepo's Paperdoll, I scaled the Kobold Animation BAM up double, did a manual smooth step, and then converted to PLT. Worked OK, and gave us a mappable PLT which was a lot better than nothing.

[Sam.]

ANISND by the way is not a link to animation files (which paperdolls are based on) but as the name suggests it (seems to) link animations with sounds. If you change your character animation to the IWD zombie for instance, you'll notice your character will intermittently make zombie-esque sounds. This is without changing a line in your CRE file or soundset or anything, except the animation slot.

It appears to me that ANISND.IDS is sort of a middle-man. When you change your animation to-- lets say a zombie-- "MZOM" from this:

0x7D00 MZOM CGAMEANIMATIONTYPE_ZOMBIE

points to the appropriate .2da file (in this case it would be MZOM.2DA) which applies the animation-related sounds.

[Sam.]

I'm starting to think that it would be easier to make a new animation for Drizzt in the "M" or "A" series (where we know how to add a paperdoll). I read somewhere that the number of slots for different animations was hardcoded, but there were several animations that were unused in the game and could be safely replaced. Is there a tutorial anywhere for adding new animations?

[Miloch]

I'm starting to think that it would be easier to make a new animation for Drizzt in the "M" or "A" series (where we know how to add a paperdoll). I read somewhere that the number of slots for different animations was hardcoded, but there were several animations that were unused in the game and could be safely replaced. Is there a tutorial anywhere for adding new animations?

I guess you could, in theory, copy the existing animation to another slot. There's a discussion, some code and links on that here. It's just not such a great idea if you're going to be installing it with any other mods that add animations, and there's a lot of those. All those mods fill the unused slots, and worse, they use them for different animations. There's a way to work around this by "stacking" animations (described in the linked post) but that has issues too (the big one being they will share a common death animation and corpse).

[Sam.]

I'm starting to think that it would be easier to make a new animation for Drizzt... could be safely replaced.

I stand corrected. Bad idea. The incompatibility issues would be through the roof (unless someone hacks the .exe to add animation slots...).

[Miloch]

It's not necroposting if it's barely over a year old (gods, has it even been that long? ).

The issue I'm looking into now revolves around this:

The M/etc. animations are individually hardcoded as well. I haven't really done much with them, so I can't say a lot about them.

I have however not seen any monster paperdoll support animation series or other things like that. The simple skeleton animation is probably one of the most sophisticated of the monster animations, since it is compatible with (BG1) PC animations and allows character helmets, weapons, and shields to be equipped and displayed. I don't know if this extends to a potential paperdoll as well, but I think it would be the most likely candidate if any.

Some animations have defined paperdolls (following no uniform convention, but usually *anim_ID*INV, or *anim_ID*xINV with x being usually 0, or 1). These work, but it doesn't mean they do for any given animation. It seems to be largely trial and error when it comes to animations which currently have no paperdolls at all since some (but I don't think all of them) do support rudimentary paperdolls even if the content isn't there.

I'm trying to get a ghoul paperdoll to display, but it stubbornly won't, either as a PLT or BAM, in mghlinv, mghl0inv, mghl1inv, and so on. The files are valid in both formats - I can see them in NI, DLTCEP etc.

As for the "trial and error", well, there are dozens if not hundreds of these M-prefixed monster animations. Has anyone had *any* luck getting a new M-series paperdoll to display? I mean brand-new paperdoll additions, not revisions of existing ones like mindflayers, trolls, kobolds, etc. which already have paperdolls. Do we have an idea of the possible slots this might work for, or is there a way to look it up in the .exe? I didn't seem to have any luck grepping the existing paperdoll names in there, but I'm mainly just fumbling about with a hex editor. Along the same lines, would it be possible to hack the .exe to "enable" a paperdoll for a specific animation if it's somehow not enabled?

Edit: skeleton, zombie, vampire don't work either... not even with paperdolls copied from existing ones. I'm thinking maybe none of them will unless they have them already .

Edited by Miloch, 03 November 2009 - 01:55 PM.

[Sam.]

I mean brand-new paperdoll additions, not revisions of existing ones like mindflayers, trolls, kobolds, etc. which already have paperdolls.

I do not think Kobolds (MKOB) have a paperdoll in vanilla BG(II). WizWom had to make one for Meepo in Classic Adventures.

Along the same lines, would it be possible to hack the .exe to "enable" a paperdoll for a specific animation if it's somehow not enabled?

I got the impression that Erephine knows how to:

I didn't expect them to be purposely broken, which they were. I have no idea why. Sam, you'll be happy to hear this resolves your [UDRZ] issue as well.

[Miloch]

I do not think Kobolds (MKOB) have a paperdoll in vanilla BG(II).

Guess not, but adding one there works, as it does for the hobgoblin slot too. None of the undead I tried seem to work - the lich slot doesn't either. I don't know if it's something as simple as humanoid slots work for paperdolls (and at least some animals apparently) and undead don't. That'd be pretty stupid because many are structurally similar. Granted, most if not all of the undead aren't paletted, but I don't think the troll is either, and it has a paperdoll.

I got the impression that Erephine knows how to:

I didn't expect them to be purposely broken, which they were. I have no idea why. Sam, you'll be happy to hear this resolves your [UDRZ] issue as well.

I dug back in that thread a bit and it looks like she said she resolved (at least some of) the U-slot paperdoll issues, but I don't know if that goes for the M-slots as well.

[Sam.]

I got the impression that Erephine knows how to:

I didn't expect them to be purposely broken, which they were. I have no idea why. Sam, you'll be happy to hear this resolves your [UDRZ] issue as well.

I dug back in that thread a bit and it looks like she said she resolved (at least some of) the U-slot paperdoll issues, but I don't know if that goes for the M-slots as well.

I assume fixing the M series would be very similar to fixing the U series, but it's not like I really know for sure.

If you haven't already seen it, take a look at the "IE_Paperdolls.doc" here. Those are all the paperdolls (not including "C" and weapon paperdolls) found in the vanilla BG and IWD series (though various mods have added others).

Edited by Sam., 04 November 2009 - 05:55 AM.

[Miloch]

I assume fixing the M series would be very similar to fixing the U series, but it's not like I really know for sure.

*crickets chirping* Apparently no one does?

Even if I manage to fix that somehow (though no suggestions have been forthcoming) I'm having other issues. If I copy the new paperdoll to a functional slot (like MHOB hobgoblin), it has issues as either a PLT or BAM. As a PLT, it seems to take only a generic colour. It doesn't need to be paletted, but I'd like it to take the original colours at least somewhat. As a BAM, the entire palette is hosed. I've tried copying palette files over like mhob_sh.bmp, mhobpal.bmp, which is what the game seems to use for other things, but it didn't work. Obviously there's something else but I can't seem to see what it is. Also, the offsets on the BAM are off. Unlike other BAMs, there doesn't seem to be a decent formula to figure out what the offsets should be, other than manual hackery of adjusting it a pixel at a time until it works? But that's a minor thing if the palette doesn't even work.

Original image on the left, PLT in the middle, BAM on the right.

[Sam.]

It doesn't need to be paletted, but I'd like it to take the original colours at least somewhat. As a BAM, the entire palette is hosed.

Since the Hobgoblin slot is paletted and you want your paperdoll to keep the original colors, try using a slot that isn't paletted (amooinv.bam for instance).

Also, the offsets on the BAM are off. Unlike other BAMs, there doesn't seem to be a decent formula to figure out what the offsets should be, other than manual hackery of adjusting it a pixel at a time until it works?

I made an actual-color paperdoll for a moose from one of it's walking animations. To do this I did:

I. Bitmap
	a. Extract frame from BAM
	b. Cut in half
	c. Resize (each half)
		1. W128	x H80	(Pixels)
		2. W1.259	x H0.787	(Inches)
		3. W3.2	x H2.0	(Centimeters)
II. BAM
	a. Sequence0
		1. Frame0 (top)
		2. Frame0 (top)
		3. Frame1 (bottom)
III. Offset
	a. Top left (0,0) on all frames

It looks like:

 amooinv.bam   2.77K   302 downloads

[Sam.]

Is this what you are looking for? I used the Groundhog slot.

 agroinv.bam   6.12K   375 downloads

[Miloch]

Is this what you are looking for? I used the Groundhog slot.

Heh, that is one funky-looking groundhog. Erephine gave me a quick patch so I'll see if it works with that in the ghoul slot. Edit: aye, it does... sweet .

I did notice that the PLT had to be exactly 128x160 pixels to display in the centre properly, but its format does not seem to have X/Y coordinates, which BAMs do. So it seems kind a suboptimal way to make BAMs that way, but whatever works...

Edited by Miloch, 10 November 2009 - 12:24 PM.

[Erephine]

As a BAM, the entire palette is hosed. I've tried copying palette files over like mhob_sh.bmp, mhobpal.bmp, which is what the game seems to use for other things, but it didn't work. Obviously there's something else but I can't seem to see what it is. Also, the offsets on the BAM are off. Unlike other BAMs, there doesn't seem to be a decent formula to figure out what the offsets should be, other than manual hackery of adjusting it a pixel at a time until it works? But that's a minor thing if the palette doesn't even work.

You can't have a paperdoll that is different from the actual animation (i.e. if one is paletted, the other automatically is as well). The BMP files are only used for duplicate animations in the original games, which use the same BAM files but with different palettes. All spiders use one animation linked from different animation slots with their according palette (hardcoded), for instance.

Here's my template for inventory BAMs, with the offsets lined up if you like:



The marks are at 0,0 for the upper and lower part, respectively (Frame 0/Frame 1). The PLT doesn't have offsets or parts, so it's simply a padded image placed at the upper position.

In Baldur's Gate II both parts of the paperdoll render freely, so you could blank Frame 0 entirely and put everything in Frame 1 if you wanted. This could cause problems with paperdolls that need to show equipped objects however, because the two parts render with different z-buffering (this is why PLT shields are bugged on BAM paperdolls, if I remember correctly... if not, it's vice versa).

Late reply!

Edited by Erephine, 21 November 2009 - 03:49 PM.

[Miloch]

Thanks for the info. I did manage to get a cropped BAM to work just by messing with the offsets until they lined up. There is probably some sort of formula I could come up with based on subtraction from the 128x160 canvas like I did for other BAMs in BAM Batcher. But I don't really plan on doing any more of these anytime soon, so I probably won't bother unless there's some huge sudden demand for it.

[Picollo]

Some Necroposting, but it's best topic, where I could ask.
Has anyone made any progress with u-series paperdolls? I'm trying to make Sarevok (in his armor) Paperdoll, but I see, that it can't be used.

[Miloch]

I think Infinity Animations lets you use paperdolls in such slots.

[Gamemacik]

Drizzt: casts Resurrection: Naming new paperdolls

Sorry for resurrection of old topic

 

but if anyone still search solution, answer is:

Problem is not in the name of U- serie, the name is not problem but the slot:

make copy of 6400.INI (UDRZ Drizzt) and save as eg.: 6622.INI

with EEKeeper change appearance to value 0x00006622

(i did not even add new slot to ANISND.IDS, Animate.ids and inventory paper doll "UDRZ1INV.bam" appeared)

 

NOTE: Some slots are hard-coded eg.:

if you create exactly same copy of Melissan MMEL animation and put it to new ini slot, her die, dead, sleep, awake animation will appear differently (use ctrl+A, ctrl+s hotkey to cycle anim seq.) She has special awake anim which work only for her original ini slot, normally awake anim is generated as reversed die/sleep animation.

Edited by Gamemacik, 05 February 2021 - 03:25 AM.

[crimson_prophet]

I am sorry for necroing...
 
 

Is this what you are looking for? I used the Groundhog slot.
GhoulInventory.jpg
agroinv.bam

1. Wow @Sam. ! That looks great!  Though way above my limited skills I'm afraid...
 
Would you be so kind and produce a paperdoll for me based on "irenicus robed" avatar? Just in case Sam. is no longer present on these forums (or is just busy) - maybe somebody else could assist too?
 
 
 




2. I also tried to give Drizzt avatar an elf warror tier 3 paperdoll and was only partially successful (can't make it so two blades are displayed on paperdoll.)
 
 
 
3. Tried similar thing with female drow avatar (from Underdark) - After some initial tests, there is just no way (that I know of ofc) to give dynamic coloring to its paperdoll. Either it's the dreadful effect like below or you make the avatar blurred/broken.
 
 
 
4. I've found these great images on the web. The author is silent for years now and people constantly asking him to re-upload paperdolls - to no avail. Do you think you could make anything out of this?
 
 
 
 
Thanks!

Edited by crimson_prophet, 05 May 2022 - 04:57 AM.

[Sam.]

Would you be so kind and produce a paperdoll for me based on "irenicus robed" avatar? Just in case Sam. is no longer present on these forums (or is just busy) - maybe somebody else could assist too?

By the time you scale it up big enough to work for a paperdoll, it's going to look really terrible.
 

3. Tried similar thing with female drow avatar (from Underdark) - After some initial tests, there is just no way (that I know of ofc) to give dynamic coloring to its paperdoll. Either it's the dreadful effect like below or you make the avatar blurred/broken.

Use the Palette Generator to set the colors to look like a drow first.
 

4. I've found these great images on the web. The author is silent for years now and people constantly asking him to re-upload paperdolls - to no avail. Do you think you could make anything out of this?

These are really cool. This was saved as a jpeg (a lossy format), there is something up with the coloring/gamma (it's too light), and at one point this image was resized. Because of this, it doesn't match the in-game paperdoll background, which makes them very hard to extract. I tried and failed. I don't suppose there is a higher quality image around somewhere?