06-19-2008, 12:15 AM
Quote:Originally posted by nick_op
Right, all 20 Kwama Forager animations are complete, 16 of them are working fine in the CS, I'll need to mess around a bit to test the idles.
That leaves havoking the skeleton (again) and figuring out the particle effect. I have a working particle sytem in Max, I just need to determine how to get it exported properly. I think I'm pretty close, it just needs a bit more experimentation. Fear not, for the Forager will soon be spitting poison at you!
With the Forager nearly done I've started looking over the Worker.
@ The Modax Jago
Do you mind if I change some features of the Worker? At the moment it's looking too much like the Warrior (at least, it looks like TES 3's warrior, I've not managed to open the one you uploaded). Namely, I'd like to remove the Foarager head and flip the legs so they're facing backwards. I might also want to change the design of the legs slightly to make them more animation friendly (to me).
@ SACarrow
If you have the time, could you work your magic to get the UV map and textures into a consistant format like you did with the Forager, please? Also, if you could convert the model to .nif format that'd be fantastic.
Cheers,
Nick
Good luck on the forager, I cant wait to see it in game.
As per the worker, I dont think your proposal would be a good idea.
1. I wanted the worker and warriror to look, logically, like they are from the same genetic pool, if not to almost appear like differnt metamorphical stages of the same species. Take for refreance ants, or even better, Xenomorphs (THE Alien,... from the moive). For instance compare the standerd "drone" alien with the "queen gaurdian" alien, and then the queen itself. Its important to keep a rational logical consistency with the design.
2. There are differnces, namely a) the worker is far smaller, b) does not have sharp "horns" like the warriror c) the head carapeace is very much duller and smaller d) it's profile and walk is "lower" then the warrior e) it is far, far duller in color and texture then the warriror f) overall it has a squawt feel to it that should distinguish it from the very much larger, bulker, and brighter worrior.
3. If you want to reverse legs of the worker, then ALL the legs should be reversed, it makes no sense that from one morph to another suddenly the gene's will instruct the creature to reorder entire leg structures, especially so late in it's development. The original Kwamas had this VERY cheesy design theme where they would just flip and reverse the body, remove the head in one, and place it in another. Just really cheesy design, you could so tell it was all reusing the same models, that I guess could be justified by limited resources. I want to avoid all this "flipping around, reverseing here, adding body parts here and there" design policy.
4. I am sure that once the model is in game, and in its enviroment, it will be easy to tell all the kwama's apart. When you have 3-4 workers grouped together and 1-2 warriors looming over the petit dimunitive workers it should be very clear which is which.
5. One additionally differnce in animation as well is that the warrior is designed to be able to rear up on its massive hind legs, where the worker is not.
6.Also I have plans to build yet one more new type, the "Kwama Guardian" which would be an even bigger, ultra-Kwama with huge tusks, similiar to say an Ultralisk from starcraft.
7. The forgarer "head" that adult kwamas have should be a consitent design element, either they all have it, or none. It just is not logical in a biological sense that these larva head would suddenly disapper and reapper in differnt morphs. Again, there should be a certain logic to the evolution here. This is what my idea is.
Kwama egg - Forager - Kwama woker - Kwama warrior - "Kwama Gaurdian" - Kwama Queen
8. As for altering the leg geometry, sure go for it, if it makes your animation eaiser to do.
9. Maybe as a suggestion, maybe a more distinct texture for each creature would be better then chaning around the parts.
Hope I've been helpfull.
Again you will need 3DS MAX 9 to open the files I uploaded
Any further request let me know.
Note From Steve: I sliced this post from the Kwama Forager thread 'cause it seemed like a natural starting point for a worker thread.