12 replies to this topic

[Mordeus]

This thread is to document my ongoing attempt to extract resources from the game Lionheart. Please click on the following link, which will take you to my Google Drive dropbox. I will sporadically update it with new content but for now, I have added everything I've got up to this point.

 

https://drive.google...YWM&usp=sharing

 

The files are mostly .psd ones with the greenscreen backdrop still attached, so you will have to use a graphic program to erase the greenscreen. I advise using Photoshop's background eraser tool. I will try to remove the greenscreen myself but since there is at most 4000 files, it will take quite a long time.

 

Please note that the reason why the files are within subdirectories is because they mimic the subdirectories within the Lionheart data folder. It's to help me remember what I have yet to do, not to mention that the filename of certain resources are identical and need to partitioned off.

Edited by Mordeus, 01 October 2013 - 07:16 AM.

[Mordeus]

How I Extracted Resources From Lionheart:

 

The map resources are stored within .MDL16 files which is unique to Lionheart.

 

Lionheart\data\Cache\Models\Environments (Map .MDL16 files are found within this directory)

 

Many have tried to convert the files themselves but the inner workings are largely a mystery because they don't only contain static artwork but also movies. So instead the way to do this is by using the game itself to read the .MDL16 files.

 

Unlike a game like Baldur's Gate, Lionheart actively places map resources via code instead of being a pre-rendered map. The map's code is within the .ZAX file and each placed resource has x and y co-ordinates that you can manipulate. So by changing the code you can change the location and placement of map resources. So what I did was create a map that has only a greenscreen tileset, remove all .MDL16 files bar the one I wanted. Then it was a simple matter of using a series of screenshots and stitching them together in photoshop.

 

Now the next problem is the Fog of War. It makes it incredibly frustrating to screenshot a map when certain portions are off limits. So you have to eliminate the Fog of War by editing the map's code. The only time the game doesn't have a Fog of War is in the introductory portion of the game, this is because the introductory map has a portion of code called "fog pusher for start game". When you add this to a map's .ZAX file it removes the Fog of War completely.

 

However the "fog pusher" only seems to work during the introductory portion of the game. This is where you divert the game into thinking another map is the introductory map. Within Lionheart\data\Rules.txt you can assign a new starting map by changing the first line of code. By changing it to something like this First Map Name=1 Barcelona/Town Exterior map, this then directs you on the comencement of a new game to the Town Exterior map instead of the Start Game map. So you have easy access to a map with absolutely no Fog of War.

 

Luckily it's not too taxing to start a new game. Just skip the intro movie, pick a pre-made character and you're in.

 

You can also edit the .ZAX file to remove enemies from the game's map completely which means you don't have to run around killing everything and then having to 'eat' their bodies.

 

I'll drop the greenscreen tileset I made (green.FRM16) in the google drive along with an example of a map with the fogpusher and one .MDL16 file. Although with the above knowledge it isn't too hard to do this from scratch.

Edited by Mordeus, 01 October 2013 - 06:58 AM.

[Mordeus]

Removing the Greenscreen:

 

My method is to use Photoshop's Background Eraser tool. Set the Limits to "Discontiguous" and the Sampling to "Once". Then Tolerance should be something from 0-50%, there is no exact number since it varies from model to model.

 

So that will remove the greenscreen from everything but the shadow. The shadow is transparent, so it has picked up shades of the green. This is where you use the menu option "Color Range". Set the Selection Preview to something like "White Matte" and then move the Fuzziness scale til you get all the shadow selected. Be cautious that you may pick up bits of the main object, that means you have overstepped the Fuzziness and will have to reselect the shadow again. When you have the desired selection then you can cut the shadow and move it to a separate layer.

 

This should leave you with two layers, one for the shadow and one for the object.

 

NOTE: the greenscreen isn't always the best thing to use. Models with green shades like trees should be captured with a bluescreen background and interiors should be captured with a black background. It's just a waste of effort to remove the greenscreen from an interior if you plan on putting it against a black background anyways. It was my mistake, I'll try and fix this in the coming months.

Edited by Mordeus, 01 October 2013 - 07:09 AM.

[Mordeus]

Non-Lionheart Resources:

 

I've stumbled upon some rather obscure resources that suit the style of Infinity Engine games. Namely some Chinese MMORPG's from the early 2000's. I managed to get some dungeon resources from a game called "Era of Faith". They are in a .DDS format (DirectDraw Surface), with the relevant graphics plugins you can open them in a program like Photoshop. I haven't spent much time on understanding the file format but converted them into .png files. I'm sure someone else could do a better job of it where the background isn't black, so you can retain the shadows

Edited by Mordeus, 02 October 2013 - 02:44 AM.

[Mordeus]

You don't have to give me credit for the use of any of the extracted resources since I do not own them.

 

Over the next couple of months I'll be adding to this collection. I'll target my efforts to requests for specific resources.

Edited by Mordeus, 02 October 2013 - 02:38 AM.

[Daulmakan]

Just wanted to say: "thanks!", and: "you rock, man!"
 

 

I expect this will be extremely useful for the modding scene.

 

 

EDIT Of course, feel free to (ask a moderator to) move or delete this post of mine as you see fit, didn't mean to clutter your thread.

Edited by Daulmakan, 01 October 2013 - 06:26 PM.

[Mordeus]

It's ok to post here now, I've got enough spaces reserved for the future.

 

I just hope that modders find use in these resources. I'll be really interested in how they are going to be used.

[Miloch]

Very cool. It might be better to use .png or .bmp as your format though, since .jpg is lossy (can cause blurred pixels etc.). Any luck exporting creature animations, by chance?

[Mordeus]

I haven't tried to stitch a series of screenshots of creature animations yet but it would work in the same wayas bove. I just did a test of switching the female/male main character model with another, since creatures have at least a walking animation (except the three spirits). It largely works, monster models can be controlled by the player, with humanoids having walking, melee and spell animations.

 

So all you need to do is get a screencapturing program that can capture motion and then you can isolate the frames. Sometimes the spell animation is the same as the melee animation. So undead, ogres and human NPCs are straight forward to do. However dragon and sand worm monsters are harder because they are missing spellcasting animations that could be used to capture melee animations. Then there are the three spirit guardians who seem to be missing all three. I estimate around 20 valid monster models that could be screencaptured.

[Miloch]

There is some suggestion that you could export frames directly from the animation files, as this thread describes. It would still be a tedious process, but better no doubt than editing and stitching together screenshots.

[Mordeus]

Yeah that just might work. Can't do it for a while but I'll give it a go in the coming month.

[Sam.]

There is some suggestion that you could export frames directly from the animation files, as this thread describes. It would still be a tedious process, but better no doubt than editing and stitching together screenshots.

I just added some information to the post about Lionheart (see the last edit).  It may be useful if/when anyone tries to extract these animations.

[Dark_Ansem]

I wish this didn't stop, the maps from that game are superb.