Rideable Motorcycle Alternative Travel System Concept

Post » Fri Feb 18, 2011 9:17 pm

I'm new to these paticular forums, but not to the concept of personal modifications for gaming. Anyway, I came across Fallout 3: Wanderer's Edition, which sweepingly changes gameplay functionality, immersion, roleplaying, and realism. I was certainly impressed at the amount of work that went into it. However, despite all of the good things that FWE presented, especially it's new alternative travel system, which included a motorcycle known as the "Wasteland Explorer" which acted as a more realistic substitute for the fast travel system in the game, I did have some issues. Here's the link to the mod and it's description and credits below:

https://sites.google.com/site/fo3wanderersedition/detailed-changes/06immersion

Wasteland Explorer Altertnative travel System
Spoiler
OPTIONAL - Alternative Travel

(by jjgun + malacova)

As an alternative to just disabling fast travel, the "Alternative Travel" module can be used.

This module provides an altenative fast travel mechanism based arounfdthe use and maintenance of the "wasteland Explorer," a pre-war motorcycle waiting for a new rider. This mod disables the normal-fast travel system, and instead requires you to use the motorcycle for your fast travel needs. The motorcycle requires fuel and parts to keep ir running, and can be upgraded with saddlebags, a GPS unit, and other amenities.

In addition this module includes a "morrowind" style fast travel system where you can hire NPC's to escort you between major settlements [Credit: Arthmoor's Wasteland Travel Caravans] . NPC's outside of the major towns will provide a fast travel service for modest fee between a set of locations. The mod has been tweaked to improve follower behavior when traveling this way, as well as increasing the costs for traveling. Traveling to unvisited locations is more expensive compared to known locations.

The Wasteland Explorer - Motorcycle Manual

RIDING

Select Ride from the menu to ride your motorcycle. This brings up your Pip Boy to select you destination from the World Map. You can only travel to previously discovered locations. Your Explorer comes from the factory with a carrying capacity of twice your Carry Weight. As your carrying capacity increases so does your motorcycle’s carrying capacity. As long as your inventory doesn’t exceed the Explorer’s carry capacity (i.e., weight limit) you can ride it. You can adjust the carrying capacity of your motorcycle using the Configure Options menu described below under CONFIGURATION.

Note that you can only ride the motorcycle if it has fuel and its condition is greater than zero (see the FUEL and MAINTENANCE sections below). Note that the Explorer has a special fuel reserve so you will always arrive at your destination but you may arrive with negative fuel in the tank. You’ll have to replenish this reserve before using the bike again. Superior engineering insures that your vehicle won’t break down in mid-journey but you may arrive at your destination with the Explorer’s condition below zero. This simply means that you’ll have to get its condition back up above zero before you can ride it again. WARNING: A poorly maintained motorcycle may not start. If this happens your motorcycle will sustain some damage. You can try riding it again but each time it fails to start the damage sustained increases. Once successfully started the damage counter is reset. So to avoid these problems keep your motorcycle in good condition.

Recovering a Lost Motorcycle (New Feature)
Occasionally because of technical problems you may lose your motorcycle. You just can’t seem to find it where you left it. Well we’ve got you covered. After your first ride an item called is placed in your Aid inventory. Activating this item from your Pip Boy will return the motorcycle to the last place you rode it. Note that this doesn’t bring the motorcycle to you it simply returns it to its last destination; if you are standing at that location your motorcycle will appear.

However, if you forgot where you left it this won’t help much. Purchasing the GPS option described section 5 will help you locate your motorcycle. However, if you don’t have this option and you can’t afford it you can always stop by the dealership and ask the staff to locate your motorcycle. For a small fee of 100 caps they will locate and deliver your motorcycle to the dealership. How’s that for service!

FUEL

The Wasteland Explore requires special fuel that can be difficult to obtain. Bring this Owner’s Manual to the dealership just south of Megaton to get our secret formula for creating fuel from common supplies. To refuel your motorcycle select Refuel from the menu. This option will only be available if you have fuel. The tank can hold 10 units and cannot be overfilled so if you have between 9 and 10 units in the tank you can't add anymore fuel. Fuel stored in the saddlebags has to be transferred into you inventory to be used.

MAINTENANCE

Be sure to keep your Explorer in tip-top shape. Those with a little mechanical ability can perform routine maintenance using ordinary motorcycle parts, leaf blowers, conductors, and scrap metal. If the condition of your motorcycle falls to zero you won't be able to use it until you repair it. To repair your motorcycle select repair from the menu. The repair option is only available if you have suitable spare parts in your inventory. Spare parts stored in the saddlebags have to be transferred into your inventory to be used.

Your Repair skill influences the effectiveness of your repairs in two ways. (1)The maximum condition of the motorcycle cannot exceed your Repair skill. (2)The repair value of each part is adjusted by your Repair skill. A player with a Repair skill of 100 gets the full repair value of each part while a player with a repair skill of 50 only gets half the value of each part.

STORAGE (Dealer Installed option)

This handy option equips your Explorer with an internal storage compartment often called "saddlebags". You can use this to store all of your gear while on the road. When initially installed they have a capacity of 100 pounds so they add 100 pounds to your motorcycle’s carry capacity. You can change their carry capacity in ten pound increments using Configure Options. You can also enable the Infinite Capacity feature. As long as the combined weight of the items in your inventory and the saddlebags doesn’t exceed the Explorers carry capacity you can ride. If you enable Infinite Capacity the weight of the items in the saddlebags are ignored.

Note that after accessing the saddlebags there is about a seven second period during which you cannot activate the Explorer, move, or access your Pip Boy. This period is required for the Explorer to reweigh the contents of the saddlebags. A message will appear in the top left corner informing you when the reweighing is complete.

GPS (Dealer Installed option)

Did you ever forget where you parked your motorcycle? This feature allows you to locate your Explorer on your Pip Boy World and Local maps. Select the Wasteland Explorer quest and the location of your motorcycle is shown with a quest marker.

ESCAPE (Dealer Installed option)

This option allows you to escape from an enemy infested location back to the safety of the dealer showroom. From there you can ride your motorcycle to your desired location. To use this feature select the new Escape option from your Explorer menu. Note that this feature uses fuel and the motorcycle will sustain twice the usual wear and tear.

CONFIGURATION

Select Configure Options from the menu to adjust fuel use, wear rate, carry weight, and saddlebags capacity parameters. You can also use this menu to disable the Explorer and return to normal fast travel. Note that if you disable wear you will not encounter any failures to start as described in the RIDING section above.

POSITIONING THE MOTORCYCLE

Sometimes when you arrive the Explorer may not be ideally positioned. You can drag the Explorer forward, backward, left, and right by holding the Grab key (default z key) and walking in the desire direction. Release the Grab key to terminate the drag. While dragging the motorcycle you will not be able to look around or turn (after all you are dragging a several hundred pound motorcycle). If you want to rotate the motorcycle press the left or right arrow key to rotate it in that direction. Be careful of the terrain because your motorcycle can fall over at the end of a drag. If that happens, you can attempt to stand it up by tapping the Grab key. If you can’t get it to stand up move it to level terrain and try again. Note that in order to drag or rotate your motorcycle you have to see the Activate prompt.

MILEAGE REWARD

Your Explorer comes with the Desert Shadow paint job. Four additional paint jobs are available and are earned by accumulating miles. These paint jobs are on display at the dealership. Activate the desired paint job to get the mileage requirement for it. Your Explorer will inform you each time you have earned a new paint job. You can switch among all of the earned paint jobs at the dealership whenever you want at no charge; so have fun showing your colors!


This is an excellent module. I love it, as it makes it incredibly more realistic and fun, as your now dependent on transportation to get across the wasteland that has needs to be taken care of. However, it isn't rideable in real time, unfortunately. And, there's all those cars and other motorcycles out on the ruined highways and in parking lots, probably full of old utilizable parts and active (and thus usable), explodable fuel. Furthermore, my time in Iraq and Afghanistan has proven that necessity is always the mother of invention, as insurgents or just general [censored]s would rig not only corpses like what was shown in Fallout 3, but also broken down Cars and motorcycles. This is just a question- is it possible to turn cars and motorcycles into an interactable part of the environment, such as a container, that would hold repair components, scrap metal, fuel, and possibly (though rarely) other supplies such as food, medicine, weapons, ammo or even armor? And even further more, could I turn that Car into a proximity activated or looting activated trap?

Though I was disappointed at the fact the "Waste Land Explorer" was unrideable in real time, I found a mod that was able to implement it at least usably in to the UI. It was called "Drivable Motorcycle" by J3X for obvious reasons, and it allowed you to get a variety of motorcycles to fit your style. Here's the link to the page:

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=6005

And it's Remake

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=6005

Spoiler
J3XIfied Drivable Motorcycle

==============================================================
J3Xified Driveable Motorcycle v 0.3.5
Original mod from VeliV, modded by J3X
==============================================================

READ THE WHOLE README!

Use 7-zip (http://www.7-zip.org/) to unpack it.


More videos under the videos tab.

Need a place to store your motorcycles?
Try this mod: http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=6013

==============================================================
NEW IN 0.3.5:
==============================================================
- Should work with any weird keyboard configuration.
- Added fixed camera / steer with mouse.
- Fixed Lightbub bug.
- Fixed traider inventory bug.

==============================================================
FOSE:
==============================================================
J3Xified Driveable Motorcycle must have the latest Fallout Script Extender, 'FOSE'. (It was compiled with v1.1.8.)
Download it here -> http://fose.silverlock.org/
Read the fose_readme.txt file in the fose package, IT'S NOT LIKE INSTALL AN ORDINARY MOD!

IF THIS MOD DOES NOT WORK FOR YOU IT'S MOST LIKELY BECAUSE YOU INSTALLED FOSE WRONG OR DON'T USE IT.

==============================================================
DESCRIPTION:
==============================================================
Adds motorcycles to the Wasteland for you to repair, cruise around on and upgrade and pimp with weapons, awesome textures and crazy inventions. - "Nothing is better than first cripple a raider with your dual miniguns then crush his skull under your wheel!"

==============================================================
MODIFICATIONS:
==============================================================
MINIGUNS
- Adds two miniguns to the motorcycle.
- Use left mouse button to fire and right mouse button to change angle.

FLAMERS
- Adds two miniguns to the motorcycle.
- Use left mouse button to fire and right mouse button to change angle.
- The enemies won't catch fire due weapon enchantments won't trigger with "fireweapon".
- The flames lags a bit.

GATLING LASERS
- Adds two gatling lasers to the motorcycle.
- Use left mouse button to fire and right mouse button to change angle.

MISSILE LAUNCHERS
- Adds two missile launchers to the motorcycle.
- Use left mouse button to fire and right mouse button to change angle.

LIGHTBUB
- Replaces the broken motorcycle lightbub with a new one allowing you to illuminate the area around you.
- Use Z to toggle on and off.
- Can be brought from Rivet City Supplies or Moria Brown.

LEAKING GAS TANK
- Adds a leaking gas tank to the back of your motorcycle. You might think that this is highly dangerous and it also is. When the driver press a button will a pilot light ignite the leaked gasoline and create a explosion that will accelerate him to nearly lightspeed.
- Press space to use.
- Can be brought from Rivet City Supplies or Moria Brown.

==============================================================
PIMPED MOTORCYCLES:
==============================================================
Use the mod kits by activating the standard motorcycle and select Upgrade or downgrade motorcycle. Remove any weapons attached to the motorcycle before upgrading.

STANDARD MOTORCYCLE
- Nothing special with this one.
- Can be found outside of Paradise Falls, Rivet City, Megaton, Vault 101 and Tenpenny Tower.
- Can be bought from Moria Brown.

DARKFLAME
- Can be bought from Karl in Meresti Metro Station.
- Can be found in Evergreen Mills.

AZURE KNIGHT
- A broken one can be found in Smith Casey's Garage (Vault 112).

WASTELAND CONQUEROR
- Can be bought from Moria Brown in Megaton or from Crazy Wolfgang.
- Can be found outside of Fort Constantine.

IRON CRUSADER
- Can be found near Knight Captain Durga at the Citadel.

==============================================================
DRIVING INSTRUCTIONS:
==============================================================
- Drive with WASD or whatever you have chosen as up/down/left/right.
- Use Jump (Space) for turbo boost.
- Use Use-key (E) to get out.
- Z for toggle light.
- H for toggle free camera / steer with mouse.

- Fire weapons with left mouse button.
- Turn weapons with right mouse button.

==============================================================
FORM IDs:
==============================================================
Use player.additem formID 1

Where XX is the load order. - Learn2FOMM!

Dismantled Motorcycle: XX012618
Darkflame: XX0111E2
Azure Knight: XX0111E3
Wasteland Conqueror: XX0111E4
Iron Crusader: XX0111E5

Lightbub: XX008C97
Leaking Gas Tank: XX008C96

==============================================================
RELEASE LOG:
==============================================================
0.1:
- Release

0.2:
- Tons of bug fixes;
- Fixed trader bug.
- Added sounds.
- Added collision detection.
- Added flamers.
- Added gatling lasers
- Added ingame readme.
- Decreased max speed.
- Increased turnrate.
- Reduced motion blur.
- The enemies won't catch fire from the flamers due weapon enchantments won't trigger with "fireweapon".
- Added aggro for drive over.
- Better readme

0.3:
- Missile launchers!
- 4 different textures by Drag0ntamer; Darkflame, Azure Knight, Wasteland Conqueror & Iron Crusader.
- You will now fall of if you hit something at high speed.
- Fixed animation bug when you dismount.
- Dismantle the motorcycle and carry it in your inventory.
- Improved the scripts so it should be easy to add new types of motorcycles.
- Fixed collision detection not calculating correctly.
- Maybe fixed bug when motorcycles falls though floor....
- Fixed a permanent motion blur bug.
- Placed some more motorcycles around the wasteland.
- Added firing sounds to minigun and gatling laser.

0.3.1:
- Updated collision in motorcycle meshes.
- Fixed collision detection script.

0.3.5:
- Should work with any weird keyboard configuration.
- Added fixed camera / steer with mouse.
- Fixed Lightbub bug.
- Fixed traider inventory bug.
- Fixed mount angle.

==============================================================
BUGS:
==============================================================
- The motorbike bad sounds. - Try to changing the sounds in /sound/fx/j3x/ to some better ones!
- Driving system still a bit [censored].
- The guns lag behind a bit.
- I got no idea if this mod works for gamepads ect. (It depends on what software you use, it works with gamepads that emulates keypresses)
- The flamers won't set enemies on fire.
- Bad things happen if message boxes are displayed while you are driving fast.
- DO NEVER EVER USE TGM WITH IT!

==============================================================
CREDITS:
==============================================================
- Credits to VeliV for creating his "Drivable motorcycle BETA" mod. He's the mastermind behind this mod.
- Credits to Backsteppo for creating a much better driving animation.
- Credits to Odin_ml for his awesome minigun!
- Credits to Drag0ntamer for his awesome motorcycle textures!
- Credits to Rolandb for his motorcycle pipboy icon.
- Skykappa for a lots of scripting tips and solutions!
- Everyone that have send me sounds!
- Thanks to DieHard335 for creating a trailer, beta testing and being a general awesome guy!
- Credits to me, J3X, for adding everything else.
- You can message me at fallout3nexus as J3X or at the official forums as Nib.
- Or drop me a message at jex_ mus [at] hotmail [dot] com.

==============================================================
LICENSE:
==============================================================
This will not be updated nor fixed as I'm not modding Fallout 3 anymore. PM me or mail me at jex_mus [at] hotmail [dot] com if you have some questions but, please, do not send pathetic questions like how to install FOSE.

Clone, copy, spread, mutate, merge, and do whatever you want just as long you give me (and the other guys) credit for our hard work.

If you manage to fix some bug or add a new awesome feature please, let it be included in this mod as well.
If you create a own modification to this mod please release it.


Well, as good as this mod is, unfortunately, it doesn't do a real time mounting and dismounting from the the bike. The bike's handlebars unfortunately don't turn with the direction you point them in (like the horse would in oblivion), and the sound is god awful. Also not shown is getting a jarring or injuring effect from going to fast over something or hitting something. The bike also has friggin miniguns. MINIGUNS! What is this, Machete? While it is badass, it's completely out of balance and needs retuning. The animations do not show any paticular lean associated with riding a bike; nor does the bike lean while turning like a bike would in real life. Is there any way to script in a mount system that was at least similar in nature to oblivion? Is there anyway to get this working?
User avatar
Doniesha World
 
Posts: 3437
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2007 5:12 pm

Post » Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:52 pm

It was more than the mini-guns that made that motorcycle a cheat.

You could outrun anything, It seemed to have the same traction on all surfaces including the ability to travel up impossible slopes, it seemed to take no damage.

This was true of all 3 versions I found.

If you could address those issues then you have found a playtester.
User avatar
Kate Schofield
 
Posts: 3556
Joined: Mon Sep 18, 2006 11:58 am

Post » Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:31 pm

Well, as good as this mod is, unfortunately, it doesn't do a real time mounting and dismounting from the the bike. The bike's handlebars unfortunately don't turn with the direction you point them in (like the horse would in oblivion), and the sound is god awful. Also not shown is getting a jarring or injuring effect from going to fast over something or hitting something. The bike also has friggin miniguns. MINIGUNS! What is this, Machete? While it is badass, it's completely out of balance and needs retuning. The animations do not show any paticular lean associated with riding a bike; nor does the bike lean while turning like a bike would in real life. Is there any way to script in a mount system that was at least similar in nature to oblivion? Is there anyway to get this working?

On the specific issue of lean animations, this would be really hard to fix. The scripting available to modders doesn't allow the player or NPCs to be rotated around any axis except the vertical, and while it is possible to add new animations it's not especially user friendly. In particular, I'm not aware of any way of moving smoothly from one so-called 'idle' animation to another (in this case, from one angle of lean to another).

It might be possible for a really brilliant model animator who knows Fallout's game engine inside out... but I haven't seen any examples. I'd love to be proved wrong, but I don't think it's happening any time soon.

Mount/Dismount animations are also tricky, though if you've got a good animator willing to make them then it should be possible. My hoverchair mod (see my signature) uses some existing furniture animations which sort of do the trick. Though my mod also suffers somewhat from the 'overpowered badass' syndrome :shrug:. I did try to compensate by making its handling a bit tricky. It takes a certain amount of practice to be able to use it in a combat situation and it chews through ammo, but it does make running away very easy.
User avatar
lillian luna
 
Posts: 3432
Joined: Thu Aug 31, 2006 9:43 pm

Post » Sat Feb 19, 2011 5:12 am

On the specific issue of lean animations, this would be really hard to fix. The scripting available to modders doesn't allow the player or NPCs to be rotated around any axis except the vertical, and while it is possible to add new animations it's not especially user friendly. In particular, I'm not aware of any way of moving smoothly from one so-called 'idle' animation to another (in this case, from one angle of lean to another).

It might be possible for a really brilliant model animator who knows Fallout's game engine inside out... but I haven't seen any examples. I'd love to be proved wrong, but I don't think it's happening any time soon.

Mount/Dismount animations are also tricky, though if you've got a good animator willing to make them then it should be possible. My hoverchair mod (see my signature) uses some existing furniture animations which sort of do the trick. Though my mod also suffers somewhat from the 'overpowered badass' syndrome :shrug:. I did try to compensate by making its handling a bit tricky. It takes a certain amount of practice to be able to use it in a combat situation and it chews through ammo, but it does make running away very easy.


Okay, how exactly did you create your mod? I'm not exactly clear on how J3x made his, but how did you even manage to get something like the weapons, storage and configurations without clipping or error in there with the design and scripting process? What programs did you use in it's creation? Your mod seems like an entirely more reasonable mod to go off of, and instead of holding my hand, could you give me a reference or tutorial that I could use, or at least a base?

As for the animation process, I think I can solve that relatively easily. If I can find a movable, useable Motorcycle skeleton for Blender 3D, chances are that I can either animate the skeleton and/or motorbike and replay the animations in nifskope. Here's an example of using custom animations and changing idles

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=634 (Umpa animations mod- It's a blast watching the wasteland dance!)


Another example is the Fallout 3 Re Animated Mod:

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7670

I'm sure it can be done with the proper programs and scripts, as well as skeletons.
User avatar
Jessie Rae Brouillette
 
Posts: 3469
Joined: Mon Dec 11, 2006 9:50 am

Post » Sat Feb 19, 2011 6:54 am

Okay, how exactly did you create your mod? I'm not exactly clear on how J3x made his, but how did you even manage to get something like the weapons, storage and configurations without clipping or error in there with the design and scripting process? What programs did you use in it's creation? Your mod seems like an entirely more reasonable mod to go off of, and instead of holding my hand, could you give me a reference or tutorial that I could use, or at least a base?

As for the animation process, I think I can solve that relatively easily. If I can find a movable, useable Motorcycle skeleton for Blender 3D, chances are that I can either animate the skeleton and/or motorbike and replay the animations in nifskope. Here's an example of using custom animations and changing idles

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=634 (Umpa animations mod- It's a blast watching the wasteland dance!)


Another example is the Fallout 3 Re Animated Mod:

http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=7670

I'm sure it can be done with the proper programs and scripts, as well as skeletons.

Whew. Well, there was no one tutorial I used, instead there was a great deal of piecemeal googling for specific tutorials, hints and discussions whenever I found a point in the process where I didn't know what I was doing. A lot of searching these forums for discussions of modding techniques. Also looking on the wikis for the GECK and The Elder Scrolls Construction Set (TESCS). It would be beyond me to pull it all together, sorry.

The modelling package I used was Blender, along with NifScripts for exporting to (approximately) Fallout 3 format .nifs, plus a fair amount of hand editing of .nifs in NifSkope. Falcon8204 helped me immensely by doing most of the modelling - as a general rule the good bits are his and the bad bits are mine :). I used GIMP for a little texturing, but quickly switched to using stock Bethesda textures.

One of the big problems with any vehicle mod is tracking the terrain. I believe that the J3X motorcycle basically used the player to follow terrain, in that it used an animation to force the player model into a pose, but left the player character still able to run around - with modifications to run speed, and a lot of scripting to achieve motorbike specific effects. The ridable creatures mod did exactly what you'd expect, holding the player in position above a creature with minimal AI, then using the PlayGroup commands to play its movement animations and so force it to move, turn etc. The same trick would work for a wheeled creature such as a robot... or a motorbike.

I use a system where I have an object with no rendering information in the .nif (so invisible) but with a collision mesh. This rotates when it touches the ground, and I can detect that and move the chair upwards - or move the chair down if the ground detector doesn't read anything. Doing this means that I have complete control over the rate of upward movement or downward fall, but it means a ton of scripting, and it isn't completely reliable. I need to use two ground detectors in case one clips straight through the ground and becomes useless.

The fact that the chair is hovering means I have a lot of leeway in following the terrain, something that really wouldn't work for a wheeled vehicle.

As far as getting the weapons to fit in with the chair, I simply keep them at the same position as the chair; their meshes are offset in Blender so they sit in the right position. Rotating them about their local axis moves them up and down. The chair model (when in motion) has a minimal collision mesh tucked inside it, as do the weapons, so they don't interfere with each other. The collision mesh is needed to avoid a game engine problem which would make them vanish unpredictably. I swap out the chair model and replace it with one that has a proper collision mesh when the player dismounts, and I swap them back when the player mounts.

... Or the other way round :).

The weapons are fired using the FireWeapon command, which opens a whole new can of worms as that command is seriously buggy; Bethesda only meant it to be used in a very few specifically scripted instances.

I hope that helps a bit, and maybe gives you some ideas for alternative approaches :D!
User avatar
Nikki Morse
 
Posts: 3494
Joined: Fri Aug 25, 2006 12:08 pm

Post » Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:57 pm

Whew. Well, there was no one tutorial I used, instead there was a great deal of piecemeal googling for specific tutorials, hints and discussions whenever I found a point in the process where I didn't know what I was doing. A lot of searching these forums for discussions of modding techniques. Also looking on the wikis for the GECK and The Elder Scrolls Construction Set (TESCS). It would be beyond me to pull it all together, sorry.

The modelling package I used was Blender, along with NifScripts for exporting to (approximately) Fallout 3 format .nifs, plus a fair amount of hand editing of .nifs in NifSkope. Falcon8204 helped me immensely by doing most of the modelling - as a general rule the good bits are his and the bad bits are mine :). I used GIMP for a little texturing, but quickly switched to using stock Bethesda textures.

One of the big problems with any vehicle mod is tracking the terrain. I believe that the J3X motorcycle basically used the player to follow terrain, in that it used an animation to force the player model into a pose, but left the player character still able to run around - with modifications to run speed, and a lot of scripting to achieve motorbike specific effects. The ridable creatures mod did exactly what you'd expect, holding the player in position above a creature with minimal AI, then using the PlayGroup commands to play its movement animations and so force it to move, turn etc. The same trick would work for a wheeled creature such as a robot... or a motorbike.

I use a system where I have an object with no rendering information in the .nif (so invisible) but with a collision mesh. This rotates when it touches the ground, and I can detect that and move the chair upwards - or move the chair down if the ground detector doesn't read anything. Doing this means that I have complete control over the rate of upward movement or downward fall, but it means a ton of scripting, and it isn't completely reliable. I need to use two ground detectors in case one clips straight through the ground and becomes useless.

The fact that the chair is hovering means I have a lot of leeway in following the terrain, something that really wouldn't work for a wheeled vehicle.

As far as getting the weapons to fit in with the chair, I simply keep them at the same position as the chair; their meshes are offset in Blender so they sit in the right position. Rotating them about their local axis moves them up and down. The chair model (when in motion) has a minimal collision mesh tucked inside it, as do the weapons, so they don't interfere with each other. The collision mesh is needed to avoid a game engine problem which would make them vanish unpredictably. I swap out the chair model and replace it with one that has a proper collision mesh when the player dismounts, and I swap them back when the player mounts.

... Or the other way round :).

The weapons are fired using the FireWeapon command, which opens a whole new can of worms as that command is seriously buggy; Bethesda only meant it to be used in a very few specifically scripted instances.

I hope that helps a bit, and maybe gives you some ideas for alternative approaches :D!



Well I downloaded some .dae files from Google 3D Warehouse of motorcycles, and I should be able to import them into blender without too much trouble. I'll post you an image of what they look like when i have a chance.

Unfortunately, I had no idea so as to make the parents and childs for the skeleton, and was at a loss until I found this website:

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

Watch all the videos that are offered there.

Cool, huh? We might even be able to make the highwayman from fallout 2 into a reality, no? Anyway, Philippe Roubal details the process on how to make a car, but nothing on a motorcycle, save in this one PDF on the last page:

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorials/Cars_Animation_Tutorial.pdf

I'm going to read up on the GUI and shape manipulation for Blender. That way I can implement what needs to be done with a motorcycle and it's dynamics, or at least in terms of it's mechanical function with the front, and possibly rear fork. it depends.

But if you can help me with implementing collision meshes, scripts and movement, I'm sure we can get hise done in no time!
User avatar
Pawel Platek
 
Posts: 3489
Joined: Sat May 26, 2007 2:08 pm

Post » Sat Feb 19, 2011 1:38 am

Well I downloaded some .dae files from Google 3D Warehouse of motorcycles, and I should be able to import them into blender without too much trouble. I'll post you an image of what they look like when i have a chance.

Unfortunately, I had no idea so as to make the parents and childs for the skeleton, and was at a loss until I found this website:

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorialsenglish.html

Watch all the videos that are offered there.

Cool, huh? We might even be able to make the highwayman from fallout 2 into a reality, no? Anyway, Philippe Roubal details the process on how to make a car, but nothing on a motorcycle, save in this one PDF on the last page:

http://3d-synthesis.com/tutorials/Cars_Animation_Tutorial.pdf

I'm going to read up on the GUI and shape manipulation for Blender. That way I can implement what needs to be done with a motorcycle and it's dynamics, or at least in terms of it's mechanical function with the front, and possibly rear fork. it depends.

But if you can help me with implementing collision meshes, scripts and movement, I'm sure we can get hise done in no time!

Well, I'll try and offer advice where I can. Bear in mind that getting animation on a model in Blender doesn't necessarily mean you'll be able to use it in Fallout - we're limited by the features in the game/graphics engine and by the NifTools blender exporter. I have very little knowledge of animating things in Fallout, but I'd personally suggest you start with something very simple (a motorbike sized cuboid, perhaps) and check that you can actually animate it as you want. I think that for some things 3DS Max might be better than Blender.

Someone else might be able to give better advice than me on animating things, though :).
User avatar
Gemma Flanagan
 
Posts: 3432
Joined: Sun Aug 13, 2006 6:34 pm

Post » Sat Feb 19, 2011 10:16 am

Here are the links to the models I wanted to try to use. I was trying to look for more "Retro" or "Mad Maxy" Looks that fit the fallout Cannon with both the motorcycles and offroad vehicles. They're .dae files, which allows me to open them in 3D Blender with no conversion from Google Sketchup. Anyway, here they are. The links are below the the title.

Triumph Speed Triple
Spoiler
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=f1693f82a326cb8afe11eeaa72c8aa36&prevstart=0

Hmmm. This is an interesting model to place to a paticular faction. For me, it says: "Brotherhood of Steel" due to it's more technological Look.

Harley Davidson Fatboy
Spoiler
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=c7a5a19edcb7a5615ccda5b5433040bc&prevstart=0

I think this one is clear: Merc, slaver and raider bike. It's a harley, right? It SCREAMS "I'm part of a gang, don't &%^$ with me."

Honda Hornet
Spoiler
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=f82d3bf2b6194b7b306928a0ea1eb003&prevstart=0

Aesthetically nice dual performance bike. It looks more like it's more technologically advanced, and probably belongs to a more wealthy wastelander.

Jawa/ Wanderer 350W
Spoiler
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=1d4522e48ad0f175a513de4eb79b310d&prevstart=0

This is an interesting model. It's aethestics look like a utilitarian/performance motorbike. I'm thinking this is the first bike the character gets, due to the fact it's a "Wanderer" model, ironically.

Now Here's the offroad Vehicles:

1968 Ford Mustang (Modified and Stock)
Modified:
Spoiler
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=a2dbc7c6487ed68f1b448c2bdeb22379&prevstart=0

Unmodified:
Spoiler
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=9fd0478d00efcace85fd587d67bea0e6&prevstart=0

Comon, this is America! Ford defined american automotive excellence, heck it DEFINED Automotive science. What not better to speed around the wasteland with in your iconic hot rod?
However, due to lore and copyrights, it might be referred to as a "Corvega Stallion", and have a more heavily modified suspension to handle to the rough degraded highways.

1978 Ford Blazer Crawlers (K5; Desert Rock and Stock)
K5 Desert Rock Crawler Blazer
Spoiler
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=da5df7b4b1041ea66f037371b02cc21d&prevstart=0

K5 Stock Crawler Blazer
Spoiler
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=13170ec279dd315be05c206579a0b75&prevstart=0

Here are the heavily modifed "Corvega Blazer Crawlers". These are good all terrain transports for paticularly harsh terrain in the east and offroading.

Ford Camioneta and F150
The "Mad Max" F150 Model
Spoiler
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=9aec898631a69b6b5da1f915cad9a74&prevstart=0

Camioneta
Spoiler
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=cb564115da823d261a04a94f2d5fba0a

This truck fills the gap between "Harsh Offroad" and "Roadish" travel. It's for people who like to do both. You'll recognize the F150 from Mad Max, as it was used by raiders in the movie.

The Sand Rail Speeder:
Stock Model (Without Weapons)
Spoiler
http://sketchup.google.com/3dwarehouse/details?mid=80974255875031f9788e57551eae0744&prevstart=0

This is a true Wastelander's Vehicle. Built from piecemeal hardware, it's barely holding itself together; but it's moddable, cheap, and capable of filling any niche you need it to.
User avatar
sam smith
 
Posts: 3386
Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2007 3:55 am

Post » Sat Feb 19, 2011 11:51 am

Well, I'll try and offer advice where I can. Bear in mind that getting animation on a model in Blender doesn't necessarily mean you'll be able to use it in Fallout - we're limited by the features in the game/graphics engine and by the NifTools blender exporter. I have very little knowledge of animating things in Fallout, but I'd personally suggest you start with something very simple (a motorbike sized cuboid, perhaps) and check that you can actually animate it as you want. I think that for some things 3DS Max might be better than Blender.

Someone else might be able to give better advice than me on animating things, though :).


I got an Email from the site director of 3D Synthesis, Phillipe Rouballe stating I can use his models. Surprisingly, it's easier to set up a motorbike then a car!

That's also a very good point, andyw. I'll set up a primitive motorbike cuboid before I import any models in.
User avatar
Mr.Broom30
 
Posts: 3433
Joined: Thu Nov 08, 2007 2:05 pm

Post » Sat Feb 19, 2011 1:40 am

Some nice models, and well done on getting permission to use them :goodjob:.

Good luck with the import/animate experiments :).
User avatar
Eliza Potter
 
Posts: 3481
Joined: Mon Mar 05, 2007 3:20 am

Post » Sat Feb 19, 2011 12:04 am

Well, I have the model imported [It's the blazer] And the scripts pretty much converted, now it's just a matter of getting on the darn thing and observing how it works. How do I script in key controls for this thing?
User avatar
Carolyne Bolt
 
Posts: 3401
Joined: Mon Jul 10, 2006 4:56 am

Post » Sat Feb 19, 2011 2:19 am

Well, I have the model imported [It's the blazer] And the scripts pretty much converted, now it's just a matter of getting on the darn thing and observing how it works. How do I script in key controls for this thing?

Might be an idea to put questions like this in the GECK forum, as there are more mod makers hanging out there. Perhaps download and study a couple of other mods to see how they do things, too.

There are a couple of ways of controlling things using keys. The most straightforward way for the modder is to use the Fallout Script Extender (google FOSE), but that makes your mod dependent on third-party software that extends the Fallout scripting language (well, duh :D). I'm a bit hazy on the other systems, but I think they rely on using hotkeys to use consumable items from your inventory, with those items having scripts on them that activate OnUse and do an action (plus put a replacement of the item in your inventory).
User avatar
Marlo Stanfield
 
Posts: 3432
Joined: Wed May 16, 2007 11:00 pm

Post » Sat Feb 19, 2011 12:06 pm

Might be an idea to put questions like this in the GECK forum, as there are more mod makers hanging out there. Perhaps download and study a couple of other mods to see how they do things, too.

There are a couple of ways of controlling things using keys. The most straightforward way for the modder is to use the Fallout Script Extender (google FOSE), but that makes your mod dependent on third-party software that extends the Fallout scripting language (well, duh :D). I'm a bit hazy on the other systems, but I think they rely on using hotkeys to use consumable items from your inventory, with those items having scripts on them that activate OnUse and do an action (plus put a replacement of the item in your inventory).


That's a good idea! I'll try posting there if I have a chance!

Thanks, it might just be a good idea to run debug while using your mod and J3X's just to see what scripts are running and how they can be adapted.

Well, anyway, I just thought I might post a little bit more on the mod's integration into the game world.
User avatar
NeverStopThe
 
Posts: 3405
Joined: Tue Mar 27, 2007 11:25 pm

Post » Sat Feb 19, 2011 8:03 am

I'm interested in putting enemies on motorbikesl; like mounted Talon company mercs, raiders or regulators.

Heck, I'm pretty sure that if I could figure out how operation anchorage added those Chimera tanks, we could probably get that raider truck up and running for use in the mod possibly.
User avatar
Emmanuel Morales
 
Posts: 3433
Joined: Sat Oct 06, 2007 2:03 pm

Post » Sat Feb 19, 2011 10:28 am

I'm interested in putting enemies on motorbikesl; like mounted Talon company mercs, raiders or regulators.

Heck, I'm pretty sure that if I could figure out how operation anchorage added those Chimera tanks, we could probably get that raider truck up and running for use in the mod possibly.

I'm pretty sure the Chimera tanks are creatures, like all the robots in the game but bigger. And angrier :).

If you can get all the model set up for a skeleton, and get all the right animations in place, then you can force any creature to move around by using a script command to play the animations. There might be some tricky scripting to get round the fact that the animations only have walk and run speeds.
User avatar
katsomaya Sanchez
 
Posts: 3368
Joined: Tue Jun 13, 2006 5:03 am

Post » Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:01 pm

For the vehicles that are creatures - this unfortunately beaten on http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1123635-fallout-3-coop-multiplayer-partially-working/ may provide a way for the player to control separate from his own controls.

It really has nothing to do with true multiplayer but does allow alternate control of other actors (and likely creatures) on the screen.
User avatar
Elizabeth Falvey
 
Posts: 3347
Joined: Fri Oct 26, 2007 1:37 am

Post » Sat Feb 19, 2011 7:40 am

Once you get the motorcycles up and running -I have all kinds of faith in this :)



You wanna work on boats and jetski's? :unsure:
Spoiler
This is kind of an inside joke for people who are familiar with my http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1055759-the-flying-dutchman/page__hl__flying%20dutchman :P

User avatar
Kirsty Wood
 
Posts: 3461
Joined: Tue Aug 15, 2006 10:41 am

Post » Sat Feb 19, 2011 1:24 am

On the specific issue of lean animations, this would be really hard to fix. The scripting available to modders doesn't allow the player or NPCs to be rotated around any axis except the vertical, and while it is possible to add new animations it's not especially user friendly. In particular, I'm not aware of any way of moving smoothly from one so-called 'idle' animation to another (in this case, from one angle of lean to another).

It might be possible for a really brilliant model animator who knows Fallout's game engine inside out... but I haven't seen any examples. I'd love to be proved wrong, but I don't think it's happening any time soon.

Mount/Dismount animations are also tricky, though if you've got a good animator willing to make them then it should be possible. My hoverchair mod (see my signature) uses some existing furniture animations which sort of do the trick. Though my mod also suffers somewhat from the 'overpowered badass' syndrome :shrug:. I did try to compensate by making its handling a bit tricky. It takes a certain amount of practice to be able to use it in a combat situation and it chews through ammo, but it does make running away very easy.


"Overpowered Badass Syndrome"?

It adds an awesome element of gameplay, my friend, but still, it works, lol!

By the way, I noticed that I get knocked out of the chair every so often by a powerful force, like a death claw. How did you do that?
User avatar
Craig Martin
 
Posts: 3395
Joined: Wed Jun 06, 2007 4:25 pm

Post » Fri Feb 18, 2011 11:31 pm

By the way, I noticed that I get knocked out of the chair every so often by a powerful force, like a death claw. How did you do that?

As far as the game is concerned the player is sitting on a piece of furniture, and player knock-down works by throwing the player off any furniture they're on. It's just the way the game works. I do have to detect the player's no longer on the furniture, and stop holding them in position - otherwise they'd end up standing jammed in the middle of the chair with their legs dragging along the ground :D!
User avatar
Jonathan Windmon
 
Posts: 3410
Joined: Wed Oct 10, 2007 12:23 pm

Post » Fri Feb 18, 2011 9:21 pm

Well, the good news is that I have it somewhat working. I just wanted to know how to make any explodeable car into a container if that's possible.
User avatar
Jarrett Willis
 
Posts: 3409
Joined: Thu Jul 19, 2007 6:01 pm

Post » Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:33 pm

Well, the good news is that I have it somewhat working. I just wanted to know how to make any explodeable car into a container if that's possible.

Somewhat working? Well, even if it isn't really playable yet that's still quite an achievement :goodjob:! Can we see a video, or is it still too early days?

I can't really advise on altering the cars. I mean, I think you could just select each base type of the car and turn it into a container in the GECK, but I'm not sure if it would still be explodable. You would certainly create an absolute ton of conflicts with several other mods! However, http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2684 mod does exactly this.

Would I be right in thinking that you want to be able to collect fission batteries from these cars? If so, people could just use the Scavangable Vehicles mod. Also, Echonite's http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1696 can produce new fission batteries from various weapon energy cells, and Highsight's http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2021 can produce new weapon energy cells from sunlight.
User avatar
Charles Weber
 
Posts: 3447
Joined: Wed Aug 08, 2007 5:14 pm

Post » Fri Feb 18, 2011 10:24 pm

Somewhat working? Well, even if it isn't really playable yet that's still quite an achievement :goodjob:! Can we see a video, or is it still too early days?

I can't really advise on altering the cars. I mean, I think you could just select each base type of the car and turn it into a container in the GECK, but I'm not sure if it would still be explodable. You would certainly create an absolute ton of conflicts with several other mods! However, http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2684 mod does exactly this.

Would I be right in thinking that you want to be able to collect fission batteries from these cars? If so, people could just use the Scavangable Vehicles mod. Also, Echonite's http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=1696 can produce new fission batteries from various weapon energy cells, and Highsight's http://www.fallout3nexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=2021 can produce new weapon energy cells from sunlight.


Well, I'm sorry if I haven't posted here in a while. I assure you that this mod is NOT a still birth or has been aborted. I'm still working on it, but I didn't have access to a working computer in a while, I haven't been able to post. College hasn't exactly been easy on me, and between family dysfunction and an impending surgery, I've litterally been to hell and back. This is not thread necro in the least, but I expect that you guys will see something by the end of the semester.

I've decided that I'm going to use Fallout New Vegas as a platform for testing this, and once I accumulate enough funds to purchase the game, I will begin testing what I've created so far. I don't have anything video worthy just yet. In the mean time, I will be reading up on how to use 3D Blender's GUI and checking in on this thread to keep it going. Oh, by the way, thanks for Pointing me in the right direction concerning the Scavengeable Cars mod. That really helps! Anyway, I will be trying to get something up and running in the mean time.
User avatar
Eduardo Rosas
 
Posts: 3381
Joined: Thu Oct 18, 2007 3:15 pm

Post » Sat Feb 19, 2011 12:33 am

[/quote]
Well, the object needs to be placed in the gameworld using the PlaceAtMe script command. That isn't ideal, as it'll never be cleaned up by the game if it's disabled. Even using the MarkForDelete command may not do that. However, so long as you don't repeatedly recreate the object hundreds or millions of times (like every frame) it won't be a real problem. If the object is Havok physics enabled, and ideally an activator, then you might be able to skip the PlaceAtMe step, and just use an object placed in the gameworld using GECK, but you'd probably have to hit the object (or shoot it) to turn on it's physics calculations. I believe the Jetpack mod uses one scripted object to shoot the jetpack and 'wake it up' .

Once the object is properly placed/woken you can move it around using the SetPos and SetAngle commands. You can get its initial co-ordinates with GetPos, although if it has a CollisionObject in its .nif file then that must be attached to the root node - that way, if the object falls GetPos will return the new position correctly.

I use FOSE (Fallout script extender) to check for keypresses using its GetKeyPress command, and that lets me update the script variables holding the hoverchair's position and rotation.

Note that SetPos will move the object around, but the object will clip through absolutely everything, so you need a way to detect obstacles. The Hoverboard mod for New Vegas shoots invisible lasers at invisible teddy bears (seriously!). The teddy bears have a script with an OnHit block - if the block doesn't run, there was something in the way. The hoverchair uses a plank of wood held in front of the chair using SetPos. Crucially, it only uses SetAngle Z to rotate the board, and repeatedly uses GetAngle X and GetAngle Y to see if the board rotated as it touches something.

The object will also clip straight through the ground, so you need to detect the ground level. Creatures (NPCs, robots, animals) never drop far below true ground level, even if they're moved using SetPos, so if you strip an animal of all AI then you can keep it below the object using SetPos X and SetPos Y and read back it's height using GetPos Z.

Hope this helps !

[quote]

This is from this thread here:

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1146015-i-need-help-with-this-mod-road-wanderer/page__pid__16796616#entry16796616

And this helps alot. Now I just need to find some more damn information on the GECK and scripting.
User avatar
Ezekiel Macallister
 
Posts: 3493
Joined: Fri Jun 22, 2007 12:08 pm

Post » Sat Feb 19, 2011 12:21 am

There's a surprising amount of information in the GECK wiki, accessed through the 'Help -> Contents' button in the GECK. A fair few tutorials too. I'm afraid, though, that the only way you're going to learn more than the absolute basics is to repeatedly try something, mess it up, figure it out, ask for help on the GECK forum, try again, eventually succeed and move on to the next bit. Oh, and be prepared every now and again to rip it all up and start over with a new scripting structure.

It sounds daunting, but it's definitely do-able.
User avatar
rae.x
 
Posts: 3326
Joined: Wed Jun 14, 2006 2:13 pm

Post » Sat Feb 19, 2011 1:24 am

There's a surprising amount of information in the GECK wiki, accessed through the 'Help -> Contents' button in the GECK. A fair few tutorials too. I'm afraid, though, that the only way you're going to learn more than the absolute basics is to repeatedly try something, mess it up, figure it out, ask for help on the GECK forum, try again, eventually succeed and move on to the next bit. Oh, and be prepared every now and again to rip it all up and start over with a new scripting structure.

It sounds daunting, but it's definitely do-able.



Interesting idea.
However, I think the basic FT wanderer bike does a great job in itself without upsetting the game balance.

A rideable bike might work if dealt with realistically. For instance, it shouldn`t really get very far very fast due to maintenance levels and improper spare parts. More so, riding along cross country would probably shake up the bike and wear it down even faster and that`s on the not so rough terrain; FO3 is full of undulating rocky ground with only a few clear roads. In fact, attempting to speed away over this ground while being chased by a Deathclaw would probably rsult in the biker crashing or bumping his bike and falling off and even if he didn`t, he`d be bobbing about so much, the deathclaw might well catch him up. If the bike was made like this, needing real care it could work.

If the rideable bike is a speed master rolling everywhere with ease then it won`t be such a great idea.

Also, let`s not forget that some AI should be given the odd rideable bike as well, since it would seem strange that the Player is the only one with one and would not make life so easy for him (Player on bike being chased by raider biker)..

But this is all supposition.
User avatar
Lizzie
 
Posts: 3476
Joined: Sun Nov 19, 2006 5:51 am

Next

Return to Fallout 3