GLADE Team Project: Dark Magic

[Mark]

The model looks good, Omega, but could you change the runes to a carved in type color or greyish white?

P.S. Archmage101, since i was bored i checked and you didn't edit my post at all!  ???

[John.d.h]

Shouldn't the runes be in team color?  That's kinda what I was assuming all along, but however you want to do it is fine as long as it looks cool.  I'm happy to see more progress being made on Dark Magic.  Oh, and btw I got a new keyboard so I'll be trying to get some modding done today.  I'll be trying to do some basic unit animations, as per this thread's request, and then I'll try to finish the Blood Fountain.

[-Archmage-]

Mark: Two things, one, call me arch or archmage(or archmage101, if you must), two, I said rearranged not edited when I copied your post.

You did:

Sorcery Runes:

(Picture)

(Description)

I did:

Sorcery Runes:

(Description)

(Picture)

[modman]

I will make a complete list of everything that needs to be completed before the project can be completed.  The list will be linked to on the initial post, too.

I was looking at the official faction diagrams of Tech and Magic on www.glest.org, and they are fantastic.  I want to make a similar image for Dark Magic before it is completed.

//EDIT

You can see a WIP list on the initial post.  Also, a link is below, for your convenience.
https://forum.megaglest.org/index.php?topic=3796.msg27778#msg27778

[modman]

Before Dark Magic is Done:

1.  All Models Finished.  Each of the models/animations for the Glest units will beed to be completed.  I’m no good at this, so Omega, Titi, John.d.h, Elimnator, Arch, Fluffy203, and maybe Gameboy too will need to carry out this step before any more progress can be made.  This step I think will take the longest of all, but it is also one of the most wonderful.  This might take well into October before it is finished.  It is arguably the most important step of all, so it really needs to be done well.
2.  Images Finished.  Once the models are done, this step is really easy.  Basically this entails a knowledge of a moderate image editor like Paint.net and a cool image background.  Maybe Gameboy could help out a bit with this step, since he is basically the 2D art pro.  This step should take less than two weeks to finish once the models are done, but again, this requires that the models be done.
2.  Completion of Sounds.  Notice that I marked this as another step 2.  This step also requires that the models be completed, because the concept is almost completely held in the model and its animation.  My brother Mark will do these sounds, with mine, and hopefully others’ help as well.  If you have a microphone, you can help us!  Just say the things we want you to, and with a lot of help from others this can be a quick and easy step.
3.  XMLs and Faction Testing.  This is the last step!  It entails minor tweaks to the stats of the units for balance.  I have been adding the new works as they come in, so Dark Magic is always playable.  But this step needs to be done well because after it’s over, we release Dark Magic and the faction is complete.  I’ll figure out some clever way to track balance testing done by any volunteers, and I would appreciate your comments at that point on how to better balance the faction.  Different factors can be altered, such as the impact of a certain unit (HP, EP, attack factors, and cost), or even, if necessary, the movement of a unit in the faction, so it requires more to acquire.

[Omega]

Ok, the next version is complete. It has a brighter glow, and darker texture. As for upload my work, I'm going to export and finish the animations first. However, if you want to give it a shot, it can be done very easily after because I'll include the no-rune textured version, which you only have to rename to use.

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[img]http://img268.imageshack.us/img268/8038/newsra.jpg[/img]Of course, if you want to modify them to be carvings or team color, go ahead. That would be the only place appropriant for team color if you want some, but buildings aren't necessary for team color... I chose green because the first thing that came to my mind was a magical glow, and I guess harry potter spell colors (avada kedavara) came into my head. You can change as you want after.

Having some trouble with my blender though. The moment I click to select the object, blender crashes and closes, and thus having some trouble editing further....?!? Must google for a solution. I wonder if it has to do with my having python 2.6, while this was built with 2.5. If I can't get it to work, I could try either the blender library that is uploaded on the board, or maybe I need a new version of blender (dial-up KILLER!).

Eitherway, I'll do what I can do.

[ElimiNator]

I still think it would look better if it weren't green.

[silnarm]

Ok, the next version is complete. It has a brighter glow, and darker texture. As for upload my work, I'm going to export and finish the animations first. However, if you want to give it a shot, it can be done very easily after because I'll include the no-rune textured version, which you only have to rename to use.

The darker texture looks good!

Perhaps if it's not too much trouble darken the texture for the spikes at the base a bit, so they blend into the 'structure' a bit nicer.  I think the runes in team colour is a good idea btw, should definitely run with that

Good work

[hailstone]

If you really want more work I think the green would look nice engraved into the rock  . I don't think it would be noticeable when playing though.

[gameboy]

This very nice, i'm afraid i've didn't have any time for modeling these days.
Omega u the model looks good, but if u can try making it more cylindrical i think the texture will blend alot better then. Also i think the blood for the spikes should be a lot more fluid like, it looks like a piece of meat at the moment. I agree with Silnarm and John, i think the engravings should be in team color or maybe it already is, can't be sure 'cause ur showing an from blender. A bump-map filter would make the runes look engraved, try doing it i'm sure u'll feel more satisfied.
apart from that keep it up.

And i guess i'll have to do the images, so i'll do it. I'll start today so expect some in the next few days.

[modman]

And i guess i'll have to do the images, so i'll do it. I'll start today so expect some in the next few days.

My brother worked on something for a long time using Paint.Net, and I think it looks really good.  He'll PM it to you, but it is in .PDN format (Paint.Net format, which is incompatible with Photoshop ???) so he'll also give you each layer as a separate image.  Basically, there's a backing, a layer for the unit portrait, and a few ornament layers on top of them.  We can't really start working full speed until the models are done, but it would be great if you would improve what we have.

I've started work on the official Dark Magic faction diagram, which is going to be a lot nicer than the ones I usually have at the initial post.  It will look like parchment on the back, and I'm trying to emulate the official ones for Tech and Magic .

Ok, the next version is complete. It has a brighter glow, and darker texture. As for upload my work, I'm going to export and finish the animations first. However, if you want to give it a shot, it can be done very easily after because I'll include the no-rune textured version, which you only have to rename to use.

How long do you think that it will take?  I do agree with Gameboy over the look of the blood, but I don't think you're going to be able to tell the difference in Glest, because you can't really zoom that far in.  I could be wrong...  I think you went a little crazy with the runes, though, because you probably would need to zoom in a lot to be able to make out the individual symbols.

[Omega]

Why not take a look at it youself? (scroll to bottom of post for image)

http://www.mediafire.com/?vmyjymwagz5

DISCLAIMER: DO NOT JUDGE BY THE G3D VIEWER!!! Like most of my models these days, the thing seems jinxed in the viewer, and the shadows make the texture seem a little off. As well, the death animation looks lame in the viewer, but sweet in game. There was some MAJOR problems with developing the models, as you may have heard above. Rather than explain it to you, I'll post the included read me file:

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This is the model set for the scorcery runes by Michael (Omega) Hoffert.
Copyright for this model is aligned to the author, but is released under the GPL.

Do NOT depend on the G3D viewer to show you the animations/models!!! For reasons currently
unknown, the models, like many of mine, seem to end up with improper shadows. As well, animations
are made with knowledge of how they will appear in the game, not how they will appear in the g3d viewer.

Because of glinches modeling in blender, at one point, it became impossible to even CLICK the center
part, and thus it was required that all later models did not use this part. This made things EXTREMELY
difficult to continue, and still hasn't been fixed, thus the build and death animations do not have this
center piece. As a result, the build animation is static (which may be for the best, since an animated
build would force the build time to be nearly instant, thus making it way too easy to build, which
is not good for buildings) and the death animation only has animated spikes.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Descriptions and necessary information for each file are below:

sr.g3d - The static model of the full building. The only with a working centerpiece.
         This is for the main stop model, as well as it will have to be used for the
         produce/upgrade models, since the original attempt to animate the spikes failed,
         since it (for reasons unknown) will crash upon trying to edit if the center piece
         is there...

sr_build.g3d - A static model for the build animation. It has spikes with a few blocks in the
               center, adding to a 'build' theme.

sr_die.g3d - An animated model for the death. Since we cannot have a center piece, I 'exploded' the
             center to give the impression that it was destroyed (magical destruction?). The spikes
             SLOWLY fall into the ground. Because the spikes falling is only 2 frames, it is vital
             that a VERY LOW anim speed be set to the death animation. Recommended something equal
             to choosing 'slower' 3 times on the g3d viewer. Because of that explosion, it may be
             best to have fire set to on. This is also handy in the game, since players can see when
             their buildings get critical, which is vital for gameplay.

sr.tga - The main texture, and is used by all models

spikes.tga - The texture for the outer ring of spikes. Note that the spikes on the center piece use
             the sr.tga texture instead.

sr(no_runes).tga - A copy of sr.tga without the runes. This is incase you do not like the original
                   runes and want to do just the runes over again. It is not defaultly used by any model,
                   and can be deleted (DO NOT INCLUDE IN RELEASE!). To use it, rename sr.tga to
                   anything else (ie: ~sr.tga) and rename this file to be sr.tga.
                   
sr.blend - The original blender file for the static main model. If you have blender, PLEASE TEST THIS
           FILE AND TELL ME IF IT WORKED FOR YOU. In the case it does, then I know it is my blender
           that is faultly, not my model. Of course, if you can get it to work, you may also use it
           to edit the model. Note that you'll have to relink the textures (texture window > open).

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
           
NECESSARY:
size value = 2
height value = 3
Now, for the sweet image:

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[img]http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/2170/screen1gcu.jpg[/img]

[gameboy]

okay, i've edited Mark's icon and here it is, its divided into two layers, the unit, building, upgrade picture goes in between.
here it is http://www.mediafire.com/?zydtgz3mjz2

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[img]http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/2517/darkmagic.png[/img]
oh yes and omega, it looks good , i'll maybe try to do some thing.

[Omega]

Ooh, that is a nice icon...

Remind me to try and convince him to do military!

The ruins are fine. No, you can't see them much at the default camera angle, but neither would you be able to see any other kind of ruins properly... Of course, you're welcome to do as you wish with the blank texture I included. The spikes also make no difference at glest's camera angle. Not to mention that would be a pain in the a** to redo that part, just to make it look more 'drippy'.

Omega u the model looks good, but if u can try making it more cylindrical i think the texture will blend alot better then.

Cylinderical? Besides, I guess it makes no difference because every time I select the centerpiece (or every second time, on a rare occasion), blender crashes, so I can't edit it. Keep that in mind if anyone wants anything changed. Blend file is included with above download, so see if its just my blender version.

A bump-map filter would make the runes look engraved, try doing it i'm sure u'll feel more satisfied.

Bump maps are real nice things, but glest (unfortunately) cannot support them... :'(

[gameboy]

the Gimp has a bump-map filter, dude. and it isn't hard to make a drippy texture, just use a scatter brush with a red colour and u have ur blood.

[Omega]

Except then I would have to either have it extend past the original blood or redo the entire thing. Besides, I can't use GIMP that well... I also have yet to redownload it, since it is a big file... Finally, is it really so necessary when we hardly notice it in Glest?

Oh, and one killer point: Because I used a sychronized method of making the textures perfectly symetrical, the change could either be applied only to the very middle of the texture, and would mirror on the other side, or not at all. With the latter looking more 'natural', except that it still is missing a drip...

Heh, if you are skilled enough, download the package I upload and change it. I'm strictly PDN...

[gameboy]

its all right, i'll try to do something. i'm srry if i hurt ur feelings

[Mark]

Wow, gAMeboy, that image is fantastic! 

[modman]

Omega, I'll include your disclaimer in the main readme file of Dark Magic.  Thank you for doing the Sorcery Runes, too !  I look forward to having your help on any future models you may do.

  And Gameboy, the image is phenomenal!  I didn't think I would get that quick of a response, but hooray, I did!  I was able to make the images for all of the upgrades (just simple text as the middle subject layer) and I will soon get all of the rest of the images done that I can as well.

Once I finish all of the images I can, and then implement them into the official faction diagram for Dark Magic, I will upload it and show you guys, because I think it looks pretty cool.

[Omega]

Allrighty, had more free time, started devil machine. Soooo sorry I didn't ask first, but I saw it was available in that long post of things to do you put in the original DM thread, so... Anway, v1.3 is done, and only have to do animations. Here's a chockload of photos. I should hope to finish animating tomorrow, since the animations are simple (attack has the spinning blade, idle is mostly just a still model, but it is slightly animated to 'clank' (can't describe it any better...), and die has it fall apart). In short, I am almost done it, and have had no trouble, unlike the last one.

Here's pics:

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[img]http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/1667/51179704.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img29.imageshack.us/img29/9113/dmtex.png[/img]
[img]http://img7.imageshack.us/img7/2417/texs.png[/img]
[img]http://img15.imageshack.us/img15/1832/dmcomplete.jpg[/img]
[img]http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/7105/dmscreen.jpg[/img]
BTW: I would not recommend objecting to the size. Yes, it looks a bit small, but it is actually slightly taller than a human, and is as big as a 1x1 unit can be. The spikes cannot be made longer, as they already jut out enough, and besides, once you see the attack anim, you'll agree they're perfect.

The attack anim will add 'particles' of blood, similar to how the summoner has her particles. Not much, just a little for a more violent look...

Omega, I'll include your disclaimer in the main readme file of Dark Magic.

You're welcome to go ahead, though it is unneccessary, since it is really just to keep you guys from flaming it before you may take a look in glest itself.

**DRUM ROLL** I now have more posts than anyone else on the Glest board! My quest for world dominations is halfway complete (it would be complete, except some nuisance calling himself a 'hero' took back my beautiful princess and limbered my progress!)

[-Archmage-]

Nice model, I created sort of a start but your approach was much better.

[gameboy]

Whoa! thats a good one omega, gr8 model, and awesome texture i'm liking this , but ur missing team color.

[titi]

I have a idea for the teamcolor!
Now where we know how transparent teamcolor is working you can make a very transparent and huge skull or evil head which surrounds the whole devil machine a bit like a fog. If you want to get something extra ordinary the skulls facial expression can change when he attacks to an evil smile or something like this.
What do you think?

[modman]

Very cool.  Omega, you are becoming a very good modeler.  I like the design of the model a lot.  No complaints here!  I especially like how you made the unit look mechanical without making it too complex or losing the Dark Magic feel.

I think that the model is very good, but team color is a problem, as stated above.  I like titi's suggestion of how to make team color, too.

Titi, if you at all would like something to work on, you could work on the Dark Elder.  Link to image is below.
http://media.photobucket.com/image/archmage/JadeDragonDreams/ArchMage.jpg

If anyone else is looking for an assignment, all of the units the Sorceress produces, the Morlock, the Shadow Walker, and the Harpy, are up for grabs.

[Mark]

That is a good model, Omega.  I didn't understand your post but I think that you are saying there is a splash xml that looks like a spray of blood when the machine attacks.  I like how you added a tough of blood to the tip of the spikes that is used to attack.  Would it be possible to add more?  If not, I could just do it during my free time.

@Omega-You said that the models do not look good in the G3D viewer.  I checked and mine appeared fine.  Either I was not paying enough attention to catch the error or your G3D viewer is faulty.  Maybe you should redownload it.

I have a idea for the teamcolor!
Now where we know how transparent teamcolor is working you can make a very transparent and huge skull or evil head which surrounds the whole devil machine a bit like a fog. If you want to get something extra ordinary the skulls facial expression can change when he attacks to an evil smile or something like this.
What do you think?

I think its a great idea.    Yes, the mouth part of the skull could be a dense network of faces, and they would "contract" and "expand" to show expression.  For dying the mouth could open wide.  Inside the mouth could be either blackness or completely transparent alpha.

**DRUM ROLL** I now have more posts than anyone else on the Glest board! My quest for world dominations is halfway complete (it would be complete, except some nuisance calling himself a 'hero' took back my beautiful princess and limbered my progress!)

I think a more fitting award might go to the person with the highest quality of posts.    *Cough, Cough, Me, Cough*