A Better Approach to Animation Overhauls?

Post » Tue Dec 13, 2011 1:52 am

I feel like this is missed many times. You see that a great overhaul mod is made but the install setup is extremely atrocious and is easy to mess up. See FCOM if you need a good example. :P

Well, I've yet to see an animation overhaul that's actually user-friendly. I've also yet to see one that's efficient and fully utilizes folder categories and files. So why do I think the current animation mods need some work? Here's what I'm looking for when wanting an animation overhaul, and so are many others:

1. Avoiding use of the CS to set up animations. It's better to let users set up animation sets for their PC or companions in-game rather than in the CS.

2. Let us decide if animation overhauls can be applied to all NPCs or not - Sometimes we just want our characters to be unique.

3. Easy-to-find animation paths with custom preset names. A predefined area within the data/meshes/characers/_male/ path would be preferable since it's similar to the original method of adding animations (specialanims), and it would be easier to find.

4. Copying animation files to each folder should be avoided, but instead use a callback method to find an animation. If no animations are found in either the specified file or the set's default animations, then it uses the vanilla animation (or its replacer). For instance:

Say you are wielding a crossbow but have no crossbow animation. It doesn't find the proper bow animation replacer, so it goes into the set's default files to find a bow animation. If none are there, then it reverts to the vanilla bow animation.

5. Automatic weapon type detection. This goes along with 1 - Avoid players having to use the CS to mark weapons as certain types. Instead, it's better to check the name or class of the weapon to see what animation type is suitable. If it's wrong, provide a tool to the player to apply the proper animation set.

I know some of you will tell me it's not possible on some of these suggestions. But I believe that it is, it just requires a large amount of code to be written, or that it was never tried or nobody wants to try it.

...Anyone else have an idea on what they would like to see in an animation overhaul? May I remind to have user friendliness and an easy install in mind when making suggestions.
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Nadia Nad
 
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Post » Tue Dec 13, 2011 5:25 am

You see that a great overhaul mod is made but the install setup is extremely atrocious and is easy to mess up. See FCOM if you need a good example. :P


Team FCOM keep getting kicked about that one, but the fact is FCOM itself is only the glue that binds and makes compatible several independant mods, only some of which come under the sphere and direct contol of Team Alpha.
I'd be interested, in fact delighted if anyone comes up with a truly viable suggestion for an easy installation method without us violating copyright or throwing the whole thing into one package.
The latter for that and many other reasons just isn't going to happen.
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Isaac Saetern
 
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Post » Tue Dec 13, 2011 12:01 am

What I know is that there are some limitations which are impossible to overcome as some things are hardcoded.
- animations must reside in specified folders, _male for all characters, specialanims for individual
- filename doesnt matter, what matter are tags inside animation file and thats how game knows when to use it
- there are no separate male and female animations
- idles are easy to handle while replacing default animation is pain using CS and you will have to use Tes4Edit sometimes to manually add/delete file refs.

Bad implementation of animation handling is major reason why after so many years there are no any good custom made replacers plus you need motion capture if you really want natural ones and regular modder doesn't have access to such gear and must use what is already available and have knowledge of making proper .kf out of it.
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Josh Lozier
 
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Post » Tue Dec 13, 2011 4:44 am

There are no resources out there for animations like there are for models and textures and stuff? Free or really cheap animations for various human movements that can then be tweaked? Of course I'm coming from a place of total ignorance about animations.

I've wondered why there are so few replacements though. As someone who doesn't really want the more exaggerated animations it's nearly impossible to find quality replacement ones for all of the basic actions. There's like one set, heh. I guess having not explored the more custom animations for NPCs I haven't had to deal with file structure and organization and stuff that much, so the lack of replacement animation options has always been my only issue.
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Melis Hristina
 
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Post » Tue Dec 13, 2011 11:38 am

What I know is that there are some limitations which are impossible to overcome as some things are hardcoded.
- animations must reside in specified folders, _male for all characters, specialanims for individual

OBSE v20 has animation functions which can override current animations with specified animations.
- filename doesnt matter, what matter are tags inside animation file and thats how game knows when to use it

True, but giving animations each its own name will only confuse things, so it would be better to place them in a folder. Overriding the animation with another animation via script is much better in this way.

- there are no separate male and female animations

Again, different animation profiles and some scripts can give different animations to each gender.


There are no resources out there for animations like there are for models and textures and stuff? Free or really cheap animations for various human movements that can then be tweaked? Of course I'm coming from a place of total ignorance about animations.

I've wondered why there are so few replacements though. As someone who doesn't really want the more exaggerated animations it's nearly impossible to find quality replacement ones for all of the basic actions. There's like one set, heh. I guess having not explored the more custom animations for NPCs I haven't had to deal with file structure and organization and stuff that much, so the lack of replacement animation options has always been my only issue.


I think when it comes to being "easy", there's not many free programs that handle animation so well. Blender 2.49's animation system is rather convoluted, and you have the Bip01/Bip01 Pelvis/ Bip01 NonAccum ordeal to add to it.
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Noraima Vega
 
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