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Author Topic:   Hey Everyone...
Prophet
Serf

Posts: 3
From: Newcastle, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2001

posted 02 December 2001 20:21     Click Here to See the Profile for Prophet   Click Here to Email Prophet        Reply w/Quote   
Greetings to everyone. I just wanted to say hi (yes I'm new to the boards)... and ask a question or two.

I've been enjoying my D2LOD game and the various mods available for some time now. I have been reading everything I can regarding creation of my own mods. Lots to sort out.

Question: Does anyone know if it would be possible to create new characters completely? Or if not within the game, during the character selection screen?

I would like to create a total conversion if possible (eventually).. Ambitious, definetly.. worth it? possibly. Willing to put the work in? You bet'cha.
I realize that it would require new 3D models, sounds, effects, etc. etc. Also I would be creating new FMV sequences. I am a proffesional 3D Artist, and I have all of the tools/skills required for that end of things. Not a programmer though, so I'd have to team up with someone who was ( hint* )

Has anyone successfully modified any of the character graphics in-game?

Cheers,
Prophet

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jbouley
Forum Admin.

Posts: 4907
From: Portland, Maine, USA
Registered: Jan 2001

posted 02 December 2001 22:04     Click Here to See the Profile for jbouley   Click Here to Email jbouley        Reply w/Quote   Visit jbouley's Homepage!
It would be possible to completely alter an existing character class...but it would be a lot of work.

For example, some people have been using the program CV5 (search around the graphics and animation forum...you'll see threads on this) to convert D1 monsters for D2 use.

The same method should allow you to covert, say, D1 character animations. Then you could...probably...replace a D2 characters files with those.

You can also switch existing skills between characters with some relatively heavy hex editing of the .dll files (something I have no knowledge in...check out the Expansion Code Editing forum).

With those two things, you could make some hefty changes to existing characters.

But you cannot simply ADD a new character...there is no mechanism I know of by which you could get the game's engine to recognize an additional character.

As you will also see in looking around the Graphics and Animation forum, one COULD create entirely new animations. But because of the thousands of animations that would be required...all the different armors, weapons, angles, movements, etc., I cannot see it being worth anyone's time. Unless you can get together your own little development team of top-notch animation folks.

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- JEFF
"A hero is no braver than anyone else. He is only brave five minutes longer."
For my latest mod (for LoD/expansion), download at http://www.fileplanet.com/dl/dl.asp?/planetdiablo/phrozenkeep/mods/sic_beta.zip - Or for old stuff (for classic D2), visit my orignal mod site at www.planetdiablo.com/sanctuary

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sozotrunks
Moderator

Posts: 539
From: Someplace, You don't, Live
Registered: Feb 2001

posted 03 December 2001 14:13     Click Here to See the Profile for sozotrunks   Click Here to Email sozotrunks        Reply w/Quote   Visit sozotrunks's Homepage!
Wouldn't you have to break the models up yourself into rarm, larm, rshoulder, lshoulder torso and legs? And what would you do about stuff, like where the warrior holds his helmet? Is that even possible?

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"I'd love to stay and help...only I'm not going to."
Bluntness is key, use it wisely

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jbouley
Forum Admin.

Posts: 4907
From: Portland, Maine, USA
Registered: Jan 2001

posted 03 December 2001 15:27     Click Here to See the Profile for jbouley   Click Here to Email jbouley        Reply w/Quote   Visit jbouley's Homepage!
From what I've been hearing around the graphics and animation forum, it seems possible...just painful beyond human endurance.

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- JEFF
"A hero is no braver than anyone else. He is only brave five minutes longer."
For my latest mod (for LoD/expansion), download at http://www.fileplanet.com/dl/dl.asp?/planetdiablo/phrozenkeep/mods/sic_beta.zip - Or for old stuff (for classic D2), visit my orignal mod site at www.planetdiablo.com/sanctuary

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Prophet
Serf

Posts: 3
From: Newcastle, Ontario, Canada
Registered: Dec 2001

posted 04 December 2001 20:01     Click Here to See the Profile for Prophet   Click Here to Email Prophet        Reply w/Quote   
Hey thanks for the replies!

I was thinking about it and I wouldn't require changing the in-game models ( although that would be cool ). And if I did change them it would probably require rendering my new models at the 16? different character views, with every possible type of armour on. Once you have a 3D model to work with its easy to render different angles. Walk cycles, run cycles, attack and defense animations etc. I don't think you would have to have every single different weapon/armour/etc in the game, just its class. You know, great helms all look the same. Small shields and bucklers look the same. The only difference is say a socketed version may change colour slightly, and I think a global tinting of the model can be done at a later date ( rather than rendering the model with every colour ).
So I would have to create and render the model with each class of item. How many different ones are there? I don't know off the top of my head, but its easily figured out. Creating models in 3D is not a problem, and is very quick.

Prophet

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Myokai
Honorary Warlord

Posts: 298
From: Entsteig, Sanctuary
Registered: Oct 2001

posted 05 December 2001 04:39     Click Here to See the Profile for Myokai   Click Here to Email Myokai        Reply w/Quote   
Good luck! I certainly hope you can do it...

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54x
Moderator

Posts: 3080
From: Wellington, New Zealand
Registered: Apr 2001

posted 13 December 2001 03:32     Click Here to See the Profile for 54x   Click Here to Email 54x        Reply w/Quote   Visit 54x's Homepage!
This makes me so glad that all future Blizzard games skip this problem by being in 3D...

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54x.
"My computer has wheels on giant stilts that allow me to drive it over all the other, slower computers."
"For great bandwidth!"
http://www.planetdiablo.com/newdawn/
New Dawn Forum

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Forsaken
Honorary Warlord

Posts: 397
From: Dutch guy in France
Registered: Sep 2001

posted 13 December 2001 05:45     Click Here to See the Profile for Forsaken   Click Here to Email Forsaken        Reply w/Quote   
Ah, just imagine being able to simply replace nice, square, 16/32bit bitmaps and then putting all the textures back into a (what else) .mpq file.

Nah, too easy, where's the fun in that ;-)

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So much bandwidth, so little time

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