Hiya,

I was just wondering, with all the modz running around for this game, if there was one that would allow you to use Malak's single saber animations on your PC character models? I dunno about you guys but I'd think that'd be awesome! His fighting style r0x.

I don't know anything about programing but I figured if anybody would know how or if something like this can be done it'd be one of you guys. Thx! :D

BUMP! Any takers????

Making a highly UNeducated guess, I'd think all it would involve would be editing whatever weapon value checks the game makes when you flourish/engage in combat (ie. checking for a staff-type weapon, single hand weapon, 2 swords, or in this case Malak's saber) before loading the combat animations. Of course assuming that is case I'd still have no way of knowing how to go about doing that.

Any ideas? is this even a possibility?????

It depends.

Obviously, animation files exist for Malak and his model. Thing is however, since he looks a bit different from most other "human" models in the game in terms of geometry and stance, his model may not use the same skeleton, meaning that animations written for his model would do.. well.. rather odd things on any other model.

If that's not the case however, and they're fairly "standard", it's possible that something on these lines could be worked out. I've got a whole boatload of other projects in the works simultaneously right now, but if I manage to find the time, I'll see if I can put something together.

-Kitty

Woohoo! :D

Thx for the reply! With over 100 views and no posts I was thinking it was totally hopeless. If you can actually get it to work I'd be more than grateful. :)

Well.. I did a little digging around. From what I'm seeing, it looks like all the definitions that would ponit me to which animations Malak uses are in compiled files within the RIMs.

I could be wrong.. but that's what it's looking like right now... So my current assesment is not to hold your breath just yet. This is going to take some work before it's going to happen for a while.

-Kitty

Bah! Damn RIMs!... (actually I have no idea what that means but from what you said, I'm assuming that's bad) :(

Ah well, if it doesn't work out that's ok. I just thought that'd make for a kewl mod, and storyline-wise it'd kinda make sense for ur PC and Big Red to share styles ;)

Malak also only has one florish animation and thats when he is standing still and it's for single saber only.

At least thats what i gatther from playing around with Holowan CloakWorks and Malak's diguise.

Well the thing is.. first, the RIMs aren't really the problem. It's the fact that as far as I can tell so far, the instructions that basically tell the game, "If Malak does <this> use <THIS> animation" are in encrypted script files without any source.

I'm not giving up just yet, but it might take a good bit of work. I gotta track down a lot of data before I can even think of hacking out a mod, since right now I haven't actually even got a clue how the thing points who to what animation when. ;)

As to the comment about him only having one flourish and only single saber anims... Probably true. However.. I'm pretty sure that IF I can track all the information down, I should be able to make a mod that allows for all those animations that he DOES have to be in effect when the player has a single saber equipped, but default it back to regular player animations for anything that's "missing" - which in theory, would also include multiple flourish animations and the like.

Eh.. I'll keep bashing my head against it now and then and see if I can't figure it out. :)

-Kitty

I am probably reading the info wrong but here goes anyway. I think that the combatanimations.2da file might be the place to go. It seems as though the animations are linked to either the classes or creatures from that file. I am more than likely wrong and this is just a guess. Hope it helps in some way.

Stator

shameless BUMP!!!1 :cool:

I know this may seem odd, and it probably makes no sense. But this is just what i'm trying to gather from information i've seen around this board.

If malak's fighting stance is based on something characteristic about him. Checking to make sure its still malak and such. What if you just overwrote your characters information over malak, so that for all points and purposes the game thought that you were malak, but you appeared as the character you chose. Kinda like putting on blue jeans, then putting black jeans over them, and then spraypainting your black jeans blue. (I hate not knowing tech talk so i have to make retarded analogies like this)

I Hope that was at least somewhat insightful and not just a lot of hot air.

Ok.. I'll attempt to explain.

Right now, this is all theoretical... since we don't actually know.. but..

A model in a 3d game engine is generally made of joints, bones, meshes, and polygons.

The joints and bones become the skeleton, the meshes and polygons then cover the skeleton to give it a shape and form.

The skin is of course, the texture that gets put on top.

Now.. your analogy above would work IF all you had to do was "change the color of your jeans".

That would equate to laying a new texture over the same model. Problem is, *IF* the model for Malak and the animations that go with it aren't compatable with the player model, that won't help us. We'd need to actually use Malak's model to use his animations, which would also mean we couldn't use the rest of our normal animations etc etc.

Now.. if we get lucky, and the skeletons and such are totally compatable, it's possible we can play one of Malak's animations without any problems.. But if not, we'll need to figure out how the models work before anything can be done with this without being really ugly, or even more likely, not even working at all.

It's gonna take some digging and some time to figure out in either case though. :)

-Kitty

Yeah, thats what i was hopeing too. Reminds me of the time i was playing tekken 2 at a friend shouse and he gamesharked new skins on wireframes. Its hilarious seeing king do anna's moves and wiggle his butt when he wins. But uh yeah, back on topic.

If that is possible i'm sure it would be a huge help to the modding community. Of course it would be an even bigger help if bioware decided to make modding easier on everybody and open the game up a little bit. Its so much easier to get into a christmas present on christmas day then trying to steam open the box before christmas comes.

BUMP!!!1

Errr... you wouldn't happen to have made any progress would ya kitty? *crosses fingers* :D

Sorry, nothing yet really. Partially just because I've been SO damn busy IRL lately I haven't had any real time to sit down and dig in to the files and such. Been working 12 - 15 hour days and by the time I get home, all I want to do is fall down =/

Hopefully I can get a little free time again after this weekend and maybe find some time to actually get some FUN work done. ;)

-Kitty

Not sure about this, but I think most of the models use a universal skeleton. The reason I think this is because you can change the player model to use like darth bandon's body or malak's body and yet keep the player's head. This means the skeletons appear to be compatable. (I am basing this off of other gaming models though, I don't know how kotor does it) I will do a little test and see what I can do with malak's model, even though we don't have any way of editing them as of yet.

Yikes 12-15 hrs :eek: ! I'm practically alergic to 10 hour work days... I've got no idea how you manage that :p

Anyways, don't stress yourself out on my account. I'm just glad that you're taking time out to help me with this stuff at all, considering I know absolutely nothing about modding :D

so you saying it's not possible?

Originally posted by darth makaan
so you saying it's not possible?

Well it's been a while without any word... but lets hope not :D ... I personally think it would rock.

[kiss-up] Anyway Kitty is probably the biggest modding genius on this board so if it is possible she'd be the one to know [/kiss-up] ;)

Oh yes, one more thing.... bump!!!