Importing some graphics

New models, textures, & integration of 3rd party content.

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stormsong
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Importing some graphics

Post by stormsong »

Along with building and coding, one of the first things I want to do is experiment with pulling things from NWN1. The first of which is a Fairy Dragon. I’ve got the equipment and software to do this, so let’s see if I’ve got the chops.

An additional package I want to do is more housing for hobbits. Burrowbluff in the Vast along with some other areas need some good quality hafling housing. As it stands, there is one nice house for hobbits in NWN2. I’m looking at chopping it up and combining the bits to make more structures. Also pulling the Halfling graphics from NWN1 3rd party stuff as well.

Greetings all. I’m new and want to introduce myself. I’m a coder/builder and am looking forward to doing the things I dreamed about doing all during NWN1.

During NWN1, I was a board member and the senior coder for the Realms of the Dragon Reach. That included building the entire environment and almost all the additional coding for the server ring. By the time we got additional coders I was starting to burn out and in the end, never made it to the point where I could do my thing.

My real desire was to build a persistent world spanning the Vastian Coast. (http://figuresnbits.com/TheVast/VastMasterMap.php ) When NWN2 came out I was ready to take a shot again and had a team of 7 builders ready to go. Then life interfered and a job that required flying out Sunday afternoon, working 14 hours a day and returning late Friday attacked me. I gave up on the idea, but not before creating this web site. ( http://figuresnbits.com/TheVast/ ) It gives you a bit of a view of what I would like to do.

And now, I’ve been accepted by the leaders of ALPHA as a developer and look forward to helping out with the building and coding you folks have need of doing. My dream of the Vast hasn’t died either.

I look forward to meeting everyone.
Last edited by stormsong on Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:22 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Stormsong Wyndsinger
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Re: Importing some graphics

Post by hollyfant »

Hello! Welcome to ALFA and good luck with your second... erm... burrow?
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Riotnrrd
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Re: Importing some graphics

Post by Riotnrrd »

Hello and welcome!
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Re: Importing some graphics

Post by danielmn »

Firstly, a huge welcome.

And next, keep those library entries coming, very enjoyable!!!
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Re: Importing some graphics

Post by HEEGZ »

Welcome to ALFA.

At some point we will need to talk on IRC about your server plans, so that things will go as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

8)
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Re: Importing some graphics

Post by AcadiusLost »

Glad to have you on board. We've had a real shortage of expertise in the area of models and conversion here, about the best we've managed for ALFA-original content has been some limited reskinning of existing NWN2 models, plus a handful of ruins placeables that Racerblue put together a while back. There have been some significant developments in the greater NWN2 community regarding creature models in particular more recently. If you've not yet encountered it, Robinsons Workshop has released some tutorials on NWN1-NWN2 creature conversion, which can be accessed here:

http://www.robinsonworkshop.com/phpBB2/ ... m.php?f=28

ALFA has not yet incorporated a custom creature hak to our complement, though it's been in the "to-do" box for a while now. If you have an interest in collecting a selection of the better NWN1 conversions and new creature models out there, that could easily become the basis for the initial alfa_creatures.hak.

Additional halfling-type placeables would be a nice addition as well, naturally. If we could manage new equip-able item models, I'd like to be able to make wands and rods equip-able, the actual models themselves for those ought to be much simpler than most.

The easiest place to catch me for discussion of these and other tech issues is the IRC channel, #alfa-builders - hopefully we can touch base on there before too long.
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Re: Importing some graphics

Post by stormsong »

To everyone thanks for the welcome. I'm sure that there will be more in the Library as time goes by.
HEEGZ wrote:Welcome to ALFA.

At some point we will need to talk on IRC about your server plans, so that things will go as smoothly and efficiently as possible.

8)
I'll be online tonight assuming that I don't miss the train. I'll wave at you when I'm on. I'm probably there around 8:00pn MST (Gmt-6) If that doesn't work, tomorrow is probable as well. Actually most of the weekend. We are supposed to have storms Friday and Saturday so I don't have to feel guilty about ignoring the yard.
AcadiusLost wrote:Robinsons Workshop has released some tutorials on NWN1-NWN2 creature conversion, which can be accessed here:

http://www.robinsonworkshop.com/phpBB2/ ... m.php?f=28

>

The easiest place to catch me for discussion of these and other tech issues is the IRC channel, #alfa-builders - hopefully we can touch base on there before too long.
That is the area that gave me some confidence that I could pull it off. As mentionedd above, I'm going to try to be on IRC as much as possible this weekend.
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Re: Importing some graphics

Post by stormsong »

AcadiusLost wrote:If you have an interest in collecting a selection of the better NWN1 conversions and new creature models out there, that could easily become the basis for the initial alfa_creatures.hak.
In the area of haks, do we have anyone with expertise in putting together the actual hak, getting the 2da files put in place etc? I'm very interested in gathering stuff and checking it to see if it works and looks sexy, but I'm only good for a low level of skill in haks. I assembled 1 in NWN1 but it took lots of time figuring what I was doing wrong.
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Re: Importing some graphics

Post by AcadiusLost »

I've been doing that thus far for NWN2-ALFA, there's not much to it if you're interested to learn, otherwise I'll just assemble the hak once you've selected the resources for it. I'm picky about documentation on the hak resources after the giant mess our NWN1 haks turned into, so some tedious copy/paste or typing up will be in order as well. If you're up to handle documenting which files from where are going in via text file as well, that will help speed up the process and relieve some of the busy-work burden from me during the next hak update.

An example of the .txt files I use for hak content documentation can be viewed here:
http://alfa-bmf.svn.sourceforge.net/vie ... iew=markup

Those text files get prefixed with an underscore, suffixed with the version number and packed into the hak itself, so they list up top when looking inside the hak contents, giving an internal documentation to the other packaged files.
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Re: Importing some graphics

Post by stormsong »

I can work within that.
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Re: Importing some graphics

Post by Wynna »

Welcome! Your skills sound like a most helpful addition to ALFA. Would you be interested in reskinning some dragons to give us access to more colors? I'd especially like a silver, if possible. In any case, glad to have you aboard.
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Re: Importing some graphics

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Wynna wrote:Welcome! Your skills sound like a most helpful addition to ALFA. Would you be interested in reskinning some dragons to give us access to more colors? I'd especially like a silver, if possible. In any case, glad to have you aboard.

I’m foremost a scripter and builder, but I’d like to try some things like that. With some luck it shouldn’t be too much work to recolor the graphics. I’m not really an artist so it would have to be a technical approach. I’ve done recoloring and colored black and white stuff so nothing new there.

If it works, I would need help from someone in the “create new creature” area adding the results to the hak. There are good step by step instructions on bringing the NWN1 creatures across, so that should be straightforward for me. The new creature route may be beyond me for a while yet.

I had a college trained semi-pro 3d artist on my old crew, for whom this would be a walk in the park. But when he saw the permadeath here he kept on walking. So I’m going to try and to step in and handle this as well as I can.
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Re: Importing some graphics

Post by Wynna »

Wonderful. Will look forward to seeing what you can do. I'm not knowledgeable in the area of adding the textures to creatures or creatures to the haks, unfortunately, but just getting new skins is certainly a step in the right direction. If you have access to mIRC, you should stop by the #alfa-builders channel on sorcery.net and have a chat with the rest of the alfa building, scripting and tech team.
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Re: Importing some graphics

Post by AsteroidX »

Permadeath is only for PC's..

Builders and scripters that make errors in that capacity would not face Permadeath. Hope thats helpful for your 3d friend. :coffee:
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Re: Importing some graphics

Post by stormsong »

AsteroidX wrote:Permadeath is only for PC's..

Builders and scripters that make errors in that capacity would not face Permadeath. Hope thats helpful for your 3d friend. :coffee:
He is a player who does graphics and DMs. Probably one of the best RPers I know and one tough player.

One of our builders/server owners used him to test new areas. He said that if his character could barely make it through an area, then it was appropriate for 5-8 PCs at his level.

The ongoing RP between the Zhents and him and the Drow and him was funny and worth logging in as DM just to watch. He is also one heck of a DM.

Ah well.
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