6 réponses à ce sujet

[craigdolphin]

Hi,

Ok, so I have read the wiki vfx tutorial, and searched the wiki, and scanned pages of threads here without finding what I want to know. So, hopefully someone will be willing to educate me a bit more directly.

Essentially, I am following the wiki tutorial for the hut monster quest. However, I wanted to go one step further and add the flames (otherwise, what's the point of the 'crackling' sound resource right?)

I've managed to find the right kind of animation visual effect, and it now shows up as a model in the palette. But I'm stumped as to how to add it to area. There's no obvious fields in the firepit placeable properties, and it won't let me drag and drop it onto the map like you can with placeables.

Do you have to script the use of the vfx on the firepit when the area loads or something? I've looked through the demo module and can't figure out where the flame effect in the fireplace comes from either.

What am I missing?

Thanks,
Craig

[FalloutBoy]

VFX are added in the level editor.

[craigdolphin]

Hmm. Thanks for the reply.

So, if I were to have a scene where a fire is burning, and then another scene where the fire is out, I need to build two levels that are identical except for the one visual effect? That seems....inefficient. I must still be misunderstanding something. I guess I need to look for a level design tutorial to get a better understanding of this.

[EJ42]

craigdolphin wrote...

Hmm. Thanks for the reply.

So, if I were to have a scene where a fire is burning, and then another scene where the fire is out, I need to build two levels that are identical except for the one visual effect? That seems....inefficient. I must still be misunderstanding something. I guess I need to look for a level design tutorial to get a better understanding of this.

You can't even have a character change clothes in a cutscene.  You have to create two different creature versions of the character as far as I can tell, then switch between the two by the "Visibility Change" setting if you want a wardrobe change.

There are plenty of things that seem inefficient about the design, so I wouldn't be too surprised here.

Don't even get me started on the way voice-overs are handled.  You can't even reuse audio from one line to the next.  If you have two different conversation trees where a character responds "Yes," then you have to make two separate versions of the "Yes" audio, each with the respective line's number in its name.  You should be able to simply click on the line of text, and set an "audio file resource" entry to point to the audio to play for that line.

Even with all the minor annoyances, there is still so much we can do with this amazing game.

[JackFuzz]

craigdolphin wrote...

Hmm. Thanks for the reply.

So, if I were to have a scene where a fire is burning, and then another scene where the fire is out, I need to build two levels that are identical except for the one visual effect? That seems....inefficient. I must still be misunderstanding something. I guess I need to look for a level design tutorial to get a better understanding of this.

If you are talking about "cutscenes".  Then you can add a VFX of a fire to one "cutscene" that needs fire.  Then in the other cutscene where you don't want a fire, just delete it.  You are talking about "two" cutscenes.  There is no going around that.  

Now if you are talking about "one" cutscene.  You can have the fire going in the beginning.  Then let's say a monster attacks and the wind of some kind causes the fire to go out.  You can just turn the fire off I think or just move it way below the ground via the timeline.  No more fire

"Areas"
"Stages"
"Cutscenes"

Dynamic fire VFX goes into cutscenes since fire is dynamic I would think especially in your situation.

Any other feedback is welcome.

[craigdolphin]

Actually, I was referring to a placeable firepit burning while the player is exploring the area: not in a cutscene or conversation. I apologize if this was not clear from my post.

It just seems strange that you can place a firepit in one of the pre-existing areas, and give it the sound effects of a burning fire, but seemingly cannot make the firepit appear to be alight without editing the area itself to include the relevant vfx.

I'm expect/hope that someday I'll find out I'm misunderstanding it. But please don;t take this as any kind of rant against the toolset. I'm excited by the possibilities and already have an outline of the story for my eventual first serious mod in my head. What I'm trying to do is educate myself on how to use the toolset until I reach a point where I think I can actually make it happen.

I've learned a lot, but I have a long-long way to go!

[Aslend]

craigdolphin wrote...

Actually, I was referring to a placeable firepit burning while the player is exploring the area: not in a cutscene or conversation. I apologize if this was not clear from my post.

It just seems strange that you can place a firepit in one of the pre-existing areas, and give it the sound effects of a burning fire, but seemingly cannot make the firepit appear to be alight without editing the area itself to include the relevant vfx.

I'm expect/hope that someday I'll find out I'm misunderstanding it. But please don;t take this as any kind of rant against the toolset. I'm excited by the possibilities and already have an outline of the story for my eventual first serious mod in my head. What I'm trying to do is educate myself on how to use the toolset until I reach a point where I think I can actually make it happen.

I've learned a lot, but I have a long-long way to go!

I know exactly what you mean, in NWN and NWN2 toolsets, if you wanted a flame on something, firepit, torchlight, etc. you mearly added a "placeable" flame to it,  in various sizes, this does not seem possible thus far, without creating a vfx and then adding it to the model, somehow. I am at a loss on this as well. Why does this process have to differ so greatly?