Hard Light Productions Forums
Modding, Mission Design, and Coding => The Modding Workshop => Topic started by: Hoho5000 on April 22, 2007, 11:29:40 pm
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The other day I was reading the Empire at War boards over at Filefront, and someone suggested that a Freespace 2 conversion be made for the game. I posted over there asking if anyone would be interested in doing something like, but I received no response.
I'm a big fan of both games, and decided to take on the project. I spent the weekend taking a crash course in 3ds Max and UV mapping the Perseus and Orion. The Perseus is almost done, but the Orion still has a lot of work left.
Anyways, I was just wondering if anyone here had 3ds Max, and would be interested in helping me convert and UV map some of the Freespace 2 Models. At the rate I'm going, it's going to take weeks before I'm finished, and getting the models done is only a fraction of the work I would have to do.
Update:
For those that are interested, I have a screen cap of what I've got so far. Obviously, the Orion isn't fully UV mapped yet, but it's almost done. And the picture's not the highest quality either. That was only to save space.
[attachment deleted by admin]
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Hroom...
http://hosted.filefront.com/jr2
- try that for max, there's a text file with registration instructions. -That's gmax, is that the same as 3ds max? I also have some other 3d stuff in there.
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That's not quite what I need. I already have 3ds Max, and all the models in .pof format.
What I want is help with converting the models from .pof to .max, and then UV mapping them. Like I said, I've already done the Perseus, and most of the Orion.
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Why do you need to UV Map the models? IIRC whenever I exported POF to COB, it kept the UVs.
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Yes, but unfortunately, the only .alo exporter (the Empire at War model format) is for 3ds Max. As of now, I haven't been able to find any .cob importers for Max.
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I think someone mentioned this before in another thread, but Lithunwrap can open .POFs and export to .3DS, you could use that :)
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Use *obj.
For some reason it works even better for MAX than it's own 3ds format.
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I'm at school right now, so I'll try it when I get home. If it works, it'll save me a lot of time with the fighters. The capital ships don't have a map though, so it really won't help me there.
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forgive me for asking, but what would the major differences be between all these Star Wars Conversions? We have the original SW conversion project hosted here, there's Imperial Alliance, and now an EAW version. It's starting to get a bit confusing.
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forgive me for asking, but what would the major differences be between all these Star Wars Conversions? We have the original SW conversion project hosted here, there's Imperial Alliance, and now an EAW version. It's starting to get a bit confusing.
The difference is this is a Freespace2 to Empires At War/Star Wars conversion, not a Star Wars to Freespace2 conversion :P
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oOOOOOOOOOooooohhhhhhh
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That's not quite what I need. I already have 3ds Max, and all the models in .pof format.
What I want is help with converting the models from .pof to .max, and then UV mapping them. Like I said, I've already done the Perseus, and most of the Orion.
UV Mapped 3D MAx models..
Well, you can try to contact some of hte ppl working on the Homeworld 2 FS convertion.
Find hte Homeworld 2 forums (Relics forums) - tehy got a large number of ships done.
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I got a question regarding the this idea. In EAW ship are breaking apart when special systems are taken down...will that also be a part of the mod? Would be cool when you could shoot down different systems on caps.
In general I like the idea.
Do you also got an idea for implementing beams and all the other weapons?
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Thanks for the model advice, I've been able to import the UV for the Perseus now, and will be able to do the other fighters much more quickly.
About the hardpoints, yes, they will be destroyable.
The beams could be an issue though, and I'm currently looking into that problem. I can make "beams" now just by setting the refire rate to 0, but they lack proper sound, and if something else gets targeted, lasers go flying in every direction.
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Doesn't the expansion have some beam effects?
Maby you could look at how hte tractor beam was done?
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Yes, there is the Death Star II superlaser, which I've been playing around with, and it works, except you have to target things manually as it is an ability, and you can only have one instance of it per ship. The same goes for those other abilities. I really wish they hadn't hardcoded the abilities into the .exe.
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While a Homeworld/O.R.B mod for FreeSpace 2 would be much better, I think. We never seen a FS2 ground battle.
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We never seen a FS2 ground battle.
Well there would be a lack of cannon reference material for vasudan infantry and "tanks" for all species but if you take the scenes from the FS1 hallfight vid and FS2 intro as reference you could surely create some terran and shivan infrantry...
Yes, there is the Death Star II superlaser, which I've been playing around with, and it works, except you have to target things manually as it is an ability, and you can only have one instance of it per ship. The same goes for those other abilities. I really wish they hadn't hardcoded the abilities into the .exe.
there is that hero stardestroyer which has the ability to use something like a beam cannon which isn't as powerfull as DS2 laser you could use that too
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Yes, I was considering having some ground battles, but certainly not in the first release. And besides, I'm no modeler, and I don't really have the skills to do something like that.
As for the proton beam, that won't work. Abilities, unfortunuately, can only be modified to a certain extent, and you can't create new ones. The DSII super laser is fine in the fact that I can change it's color, the amount of damage it does, and it's sounds. The downside to using abilities, is that you can only have one instance of the same ability for each unit, and the DSII super laser won't fire automatically. Also, the star destroyer proton beam has to be placed on a bone with a certain name.
I'm going to look through all the existing code there is to see if I can find anything that I will be able to implement to get this working.
Looking through the xml tags, I think I might have found a way to do a charge up sound. I'll test it when I get home, but if works, I shouldn't have to worry about using abilities anymore.
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Shivans don't fight "ground battles."
A Shivan has never set foot on a planet as far as we know. They aren't interested in taking planets.
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Shivans don't fight "ground battles."
A Shivan has never set foot on a planet as far as we know. They aren't interested in taking planets.
Have you ever heard of FAN FICTION?And also its empire at war There Has To Be land battles.
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the only people who do want planets are those who created the shivans in order to do a "biological clean sweep" of the planets they wish to conquer. know any takeover-crazed zpecies?
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Yes, there is the Death Star II superlaser, which I've been playing around with, and it works, except you have to target things manually as it is an ability, and you can only have one instance of it per ship. The same goes for those other abilities. I really wish they hadn't hardcoded the abilities into the .exe.
Hmm, about that .exe... I know Halo & Halo CE can be modified to allow FOV changes & 3rd person view, as well as allowing admin rights on Internet games (provided you started the server). Basically, you just start up Halo3rdFOV.exe or ALLDEV.exe, and leave them running while you start the game up. Somehow they modify Halo. Would the same be possible here?
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Yes, it's possible, but unlikely, as I don't have the skills to do something like that, and few people do. I also think it's illegal to modify the .exe, but I could be wrong. I glanced through it with a hex editor, but I didn't really find much in the way of strings, except some error messages.
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Yes, it's possible, but unlikely, as I don't have the skills to do something like that, and few people do. I also think it's illegal to modify the .exe, but I could be wrong. I glanced through it with a hex editor, but I didn't really find much in the way of strings, except some error messages.
why whould that be ilegal? it is your computor you can do anything you want to its data (and code). now if you handed out that moded exe that would be a problem...
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I wasn't talking about modding the .exe file on the hard disk - the modifications to Halo were accomplished by having the MOD .exe running first, and then, leaving the MOD .exe running, launching Halo - I guess it modifies it in the memory. If you close Halo, close the MOD .exe, then restart Halo, everything is back to default. Look at the Halo CE link in my siggy and search for Shawn S / bitterbanana
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Actually, I believe the EULA says something about reverse-engineering game files, that includes modifiying EXEs AFAIK.
As for beam abilities, in EAW:FOC you can make them set them to "autocast" where when they're engaged, they'll automatically use their abilities, even the Death Star. IDK if the Death Star's autocast works all that well, though, as the ship needs to be in battle I think.
So, if that's the case, you could drastically reduce recharge time, and power, and make it a beam cannon! Also, could you make Piett buildable, and change his model/hardpoints to match a cruiser or something?
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Actually, I believe the EULA says something about reverse-engineering game files, that includes modifiying EXEs AFAIK.
Mmm, not sure if you'd have to reverse engineer it... that would entail decoding it back to programming language, right?
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yeah. decompiling. (what 56k users do to the freespace engine when they want new SEXPs)
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(what 56k users do to the freespace engine when they want new SEXPs)
That's a horrible idea. Decompiled code is very hard to read or edit correctly.
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(what 56k users do to the freespace engine when they want new SEXPs)
That's a horrible idea. Decompiled code is very hard to read or edit correctly.
Yeah, but I bet Taka can do it! ;)
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[takashi]i did, but i lost it a while ago.[/takashi]
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I laughed. :D
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Update:
I have most of the Terran fighters fully working in game. I just have to finish up with the engine glows, and weaponry. I'll get some pictures up tomorrow, but the fighters look good. As for a release, I'm planning to release this mod in 3 or so stages.
1st Stage: Beta 1
All fighters and bombers in game and working. All 3 factions playable. A few maps to play around on, with the Star Wars starbases kept (maybe), just so you can build the units.
2nd Stage: Beta 2
Larger ships in game. Starbases removed, and replaced with ships, which you can use to "purchase" more ships.
I'm not planning to use starbases, except for maybe the Terrans, as they already have one, unless someone wants to model one for the Vasudans and Shivans (which I doubt). Also, more maps will be included, along with some unit voices. I was also thinking for gathering money, that instead of mining facilities or starbases, you'd have to capture supply depots.
3rd Stage: Version 1
Basically everything above with addition to any bugfixes, more maps, and unit sounds. Possibly a galactic conquest mode with all planet surfaces inaccessable.
The reason I'm doing only the fighters first, is because figuring out how to make beam weapons is turning out to be a nightmare. Hopefully, I'll get it working before it slows down production too much. In addition to the beam cannons, flak could be an issue as well. In fact, bombs could be an issue. It might not be possible to destroy projectiles with other projectiles, and that could seriously upset the balance of the game.
As well, For those of you who haven't seen my other post in the voice acting forums, which doesn't seem to be getting much attention, I need some voice actors for the units. You can sign up to do any ship you want providing it's not the Orion, the Deimos, or a Shivan vessel.
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The Shivans have the Arachnas station and the Vasudans have the Karnak. You could just use those. The Karnak also has an internal tunnel so you can fly in and blow it up from the inside out. :)
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The Shivans have the Arachnas station
that is a inferno invention... (one you really don't have to like)
but why no giving the shivans a knossos as station? (these were build by the ancients I know; but since the shivans are so subspace-phile (= "loving subspace") it would be logical choice)
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Here's the latest update. What you see in the picture are all the fighters I have in the game. Many are still lacking engine glows, and some don't have the right ones yet, but as you can see, there is still a lot of work to do. Of course, a little help would speed this project up quite a bit. If you have 3DS Max 6-8 and would like to help, let me know (just in case there's anyone out there). It's really not that complicated to convert the models, or do some XML coding for that matter.
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Nice!
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Sorry for bumping this thread...
But i have this game and i love it. I've always wanted a freespace version. Where can i download, and do i need the expansion pack?
Also, is galactic conquest playable for any map? Thats one of the only reasons i play EAW
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Ummm... for someodd reason the attachments have been deleted by an admin.... umm... why? :nervous:
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Yeah...we want pics!
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Attachments only last a certain period of time before they get axed. It's standard across the board - nobody's targetting you specifically, don't worry :)
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What about the mod! is it out yet?
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I cant wait for this mod... it'll be the best thing since Media VP's and Sliced bread.
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Status?
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He's dead Jim! :blah:
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:wtf: Who's Jim?
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I think he is refering to Star Treks "James T. Kirk" also known as Jim.
McKoy was saying this every two episodes or so beside the "I am a Doctor not a ......."
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(http://www.geocities.com/mn_ice_warrior/hes_dead_jim.gif)
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No need to worry, I'm not dead. I've put the project on hold until I can see if it can be done in Universe at War: Earth Assualt. I've played the beta, and I'm fairly certain it can be done. There are certainly beam type weapons in that game, plus aircraft. All that would need to be done would be to make the landscape look like space. I've deleted the beta :sigh:, so I can't exactly look at the code anymore, but I'll be getting it very soon.
To me, there's not much point in developing it for EAW if beam weapons won't work. They play a huge part in the game. If I can't pull it off in UAW, I don't think it will happen.
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Has anyone every tried to make a Nexus FS mod? It got beams and ballistics and missiles and greate graphics IMO
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I'd never heard of it before. It looks interesting, but what's up with some of the prices? $100, $50? The list price is $40, but people are selling used copies for more than that. There were only 2 copies on Ebay. It seems like a hard to come by game.
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Ebay in germany has some at 15€ but I doubt that will work for you. Its hard to get and I have also searched a long time for my copy.
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I'd never heard of it before. It looks interesting, but what's up with some of the prices? $100, $50? The list price is $40, but people are selling used copies for more than that. There were only 2 copies on Ebay. It seems like a hard to come by game.
Check the prices on FreeSpace 2 XD
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You can download it for free :ick:
Make the mod for EaW, not UaW. EaW is setup for space etc :D
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Well, I know that, but that game has no beam weapons, and there's nothing I can do to simulate them decently.
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I've seen mods that added beam weapons, and there is a weapon for the Imperial Star Destroyers have a beam cannon special weapon (for captain piett), so you could use its coding with a new texture :p
SAU mod would be a good mod to look at how they did it ;7
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Trust me, I already tried Piett's beam weapon. The problem is, that's an ability, which can't be edited, and you can only have one per ship. After looking at some of the UAW code though, I think it's safe to assume that I'll be able to get things working. As far as I can tell, the system is pretty much the same, save for some added features. I'll see what I can do this afternoon to try and get some models ingame, assuming my alo's from EAW will work with the new engine.
Edit: I've done some messing around, but I don't think I'll be able to do anything until they release the mod tools :(.
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How long could that take, cause i /realy/ want to play such a mod....
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could you possibly somehow do a massive overhaul of Lord of the Rings BFME2? Particularly the War of the Ring game?
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How long could that take, cause i /realy/ want to play such a mod....
I've seen it said about 3 months, but I don't know for certain. I can work on converting the models though, so they're ready to go when that happens.
could you possibly somehow do a massive overhaul of Lord of the Rings BFME2? Particularly the War of the Ring game?
Umm, I'm not exactly sure how I would do that, seeing as it really isn't that type of game. Besides that, I don't own it and never will.
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Sorry... must've missed that
If i could make a suggestion of games to mod from, theres an game by Digital Reality called "
Haegemonia - Legions of Iron"
Im not much of a modder, but i perhaps it can help later or something.
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Wow, another interesting game that I didn't know existed.
Anyways, looking through the code, and yes it is of Universe at War, I found this:
<Star_Wars_Crawl_Start_Fadeout_Frame>800</Star_Wars_Crawl_Start_Fadeout_Frame>
<!-- We now have special fleet slots in the GUI that represent special actions for a fleet to take when
they arrive at a planet. Most of those special actions are tied to special abilities (Raid is the only
action that is not). This is the list of special abilities that will cause the corresponding special
action slot to be displayed on the zoomed out galactic GUI when dragging a fleet. -->
<Activated_Slice_Ability_Names> Tani_Slicer,R2D2_Slicer</Activated_Slice_Ability_Names>
<Activated_Sabotage_Ability_Names> Mara_Jade_Sabotage, Kyle_Katarn_Sabotage </Activated_Sabotage_Ability_Names>
<Activated_Neutralize_Hero_Ability_Names> Boba_Fett_Neutralize_Hero, Bounty_Hunter_Neutralize_Hero </Activated_Neutralize_Hero_Ability_Names>
<Activated_Siphon_Credits_Ability_Names> Han_Solo_Siphon_Credits, Smuggler_Siphon_Credits </Activated_Siphon_Credits_Ability_Names>
<Activated_System_Spy_Ability_Names> Probe_Droid_System_Spy </Activated_System_Spy_Ability_Names>
<Activated_Destroy_Planet_Ability_Names> Death_Star_Planet_Destruction </Activated_Destroy_Planet_Ability_Names>
<Use_Reinforcement_Points>True</Use_Reinforcement_Points>
Odd :wtf:, they didn't even bother taking out things that weren't used? They also still use "credits" in the code instead of whatever resources are used in game. What's better, all the references to space combat seem to be intact, which leads me to believe, assuming all that stuff still works, that I'll be able to get the "space mode" working without many problems. Hopefully.
Edit:
Good News! I guess old models work. Apparently the code that allowed modified xml files to be run was accidentally disabled before release, so I had to build the files into a new .meg file. It works, and so apparently, do the old models. I can keep myself busy now, but it is tedious rebuilding the .meg files every time I want to test something. Anyways, here's proof.
Oh, and if anyone wants to help out, let me know.
[attachment deleted by admin]
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I haven't made much more progress as that will happen over winter break, but I have made some renders, and set up a Moddb profile. It can be found here: http://www.moddb.com/mods/10359/universe-at-war-freespace (http://www.moddb.com/mods/10359/universe-at-war-freespace)
For now, I'll work on getting the models converted to .alo format. I think once I finish up with the terran fighters and bombers, I'll start trying to see what I can do about coding the models in. However, I don't think I'll make much progress with that until the mod tools are released (hopefully) soon.