Biting The Bullet: New Skeletons

Well, the python script compiled all the animation and fx scripts for each model and power. Presumably so that they could be used as the foundation for designing customizable animations and DX for each power that the scripts were pulled from.

It gave BAB a library to work with for designing the new setup, but each script was still used on the same model that originally used it. That's not nearly the same as adapting the animations to different skeletons. That requires altering each animation until it looks right, since animations made for one skeleton can look odd or just plain terrible when used on another.

Python script creates library with each book (script) still in its original language, python script does not translate library books into different languages (skeletons). At least that's how i understand it.

Yes, but then you'd have to deal with new problem: SPACE. MADNESS.

I'm sorry BaBs, could you repeat that.

Paws of Justice! D:<

Or Paws of Villainy. >_>

Which, in my experience, can make up for a LOT of actual model inconsistency. It's not just about size, it's about presentation, and even though the bulkiest we can make a woman is still pretty skinny, with the right presentation we can actually mask that fact to a large extent. In fact, I've found that JUST a big, muscular man, for instance, doesn't look nearly as big as a somewhat smaller man built with sufficiently big-looking pieces.

Here I'll have to disagree. The Champions face and body sliders are a MESS. They are confusing, they are at times triple-redundant and they are so complicated and interconnected that it's hard to predict what they'll do. City of Heroes sliders and their effects have a singularly-defined relationship - each slider combination leads to only one end appearance, and each end appearance is created by only one slider combination. In Champions, it's all over the map. Say you want to edit your arms. You have a bodymass slider which alters the size of the arms, then you have an arm size slider that alters... The size of the arms. Then you have an upper and lower arm size sliders, which alter... The size of the arms. In the exact same way, no less.

In fact, you can have a lot of arm size slider and a little upper and lower arm size slider, or you can have a little arm size slider and a lot of upper and lower arm size slider and the effect will be the same visually, and maybe even the same numerically. And don't even get me started on hand size and hand thickness, already buried under three layers of redundant sliders before you even start.

And compounded on top of that is the fact that the slider relationships are so complex it's actually hard to make something that actually looks good, and isn't goofy, weird or outlandish. There's no guideline as to what constitutes a "normal" body proportion, and I find myself incapable of telling, what with lacking any sort of talent and experience with the visual arts. If I'd gone on that arts class I've been meaning to, maybe I would be better able to deal with these, but the fact remains that anything I make is either bizarre, or the same body shape over and over again.

I honestly prefer the City of Heroes sliders, much as I may kick myself for saying this. At least with them almost anything you make at least looks good and you don't have to dodge concave chests or freakishly huge arms on the way to making an even decently-looking female character. And mind you, I enjoy having the weird and unusual stuff, but I happen to prefer an editor that's strong on the human form FIRST and good at weirdness only second.

Ugh... Don't remind me. You can get a little leeway with using the different facial expressions, as those change the faces significantly, but seen as how the majority of them are so goofy as to be unusable, that's not a big help. And, yeah, you're using the same face every time, there's no getting around that. No matter what you do to it, it's still the same face. I know people whined about the new faces we got in I15, but HOT DAMN were they diverse and interesting compared to that one Lara Croft face! I don't reuse faces here. I pick the one that goes the closest and edit it to look good to me. I just don't think you can make the same face look so different.

All of that said, I still feel a new model for more muscular women would be sweet, but a LITTLE more slider variety and skin texture work could go a long way towards achieving the same end.

Originally Posted by Arcanaville Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.

It's the standard code rant, but far more entertaining.

"Suddenly, Catgirls!"

So... I18 = orbital elevator leading to a moonbase with an icecream parlor which you defend from a new enemy group known only as The Madness?

Maybe it's just an issue of agreeing to disagree, but that's not the point.

I'd still like the opportunity to see canine skeletons brought into the game.

Canine, dinosaur, bird-like, or whatever! Just something new.

Well, as long as you can live with them having very limited abilities, I suppose that's not out of the question. If we DID get these things, I wouldn't expect them to be much more diverse than, say, Rikti Drones or Steel Valkyries, restricted to running around and cycling an attack or two. Since just about everything they do will have to be made from scratch, I wouldn't expect anything more.

One thing to note - most other MMOs have NPCs which are hideously limited in ability and variety. Each enemy will have one, maybe two abilities which it will cycle, and at most it will have a few abilities with identical animations. City of Heroes tends to make enemies which are more diverse and have a wider selection of abilities, much like the actual player characters, and while there is certainly room for single-use NPCs, I wouldn't expect them to be very prolific.

In fact, here's the perfect example - the spider skeleton. both the Arachnobots and the Tarantula use them, and they essentially only ever do two things - sort of wobble and claw strike.

Originally Posted by Arcanaville Samuel_Tow is the only poster that makes me want to punch him in the head more often when I'm agreeing with him than when I'm disagreeing with him.

BaBs.. Have we ever told you how much we love you?

They have spider skeletons, do you want to make a spider?

SHUN SHHHHHHHHHHHUN, we don't want CoX to end up anywhere near what wow is like in terms of content. we are soo much better.

SHHHHHHHUN at wow themed content


(Ps: thats why we have cim, and not some elven ancient magical place with medieval castles, which would like totally suck >_>)


anyway, i would LURVE to see a skeleton option which ran on all fours, hell, lets make an EAT out of it, it would be fun =D

Not really, no. In fact, I'm just short of heartily sick of the whole "spider" motif pervading redside as it is.