New Server/Game being created for simplclient

[OrisonSeven]

I just wanted to introduce my self to the community openzone users.

A group of us have decided to undertake a project to redesign eqemu pushing the limits of what the game engine was/is capable of. Our goal is to make everything from the ground up while still sticking to the concept of eqemu.

We have some concept renders of terrain (being very high polycount). Keep in mind that this is in the very early stages(no structures or objects have been added).

Our group that we have assembled have a combined knowledge of 3ds max, maya, adobe suite, and other similar software.

Any input on our work will be apreciated.


We have been looking at the current character models created for simpleclient, and would like to know if we could get the models/meshes for our own game. We would like to modify them increasing there detail textures and model. Any changes we do, we will be happy to redistribute to everyone.

Here are some samples of our work:

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u156/Artifact181/Eq_Remake_Project/StartingZone_01.jpg

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u156/Artifact181/Eq_Remake_Project/StartingZone_02.jpg

http://i167.photobucket.com/albums/u156/Artifact181/Eq_Remake_Project/StartingZone_03.jpg

Thanks goes out to eqemu, and Windchaser/all involved for creation of openzone, simpleclient, and everything needed to bring such an amazing game back.

OrisonSeven

[bristle]

thanks for the screen shots. i think there is lots of room for moving away from the traditional EQ.

i am approaching from a different point of view -- grid and hpergrid of opensim (second life - like) but i want to somehow hook into the eqemu servers.

[OrisonSeven]

thanks for the reply. I like the work you have on your page. Our group actually just started on this project as an undertaking to get some more groundwork for our final goal which is to create a game completely from the ground up. Our current situation limits us because we dont have coders capable of what our vision is.

As for the eq feel... we tried to keep the poly count low... tho our final product is still distant.

If you are looking for modeling work/texturing work to be done, I can relay it to the others as they are always after a challenge. We are more then happy to help out people who if we can (this applies to all, we are willing to consider requests: models, textures, animations, and whatever really).

As we continue developing this first peak into our world we are developing, we will continue to update.


OrisonSeven

[Yeormom]

Best wishes to you and your team. Always nice to see something out of the ordinary!

[Windcatcher]

The mob-model meshes for SimpleClient are all included with OpenZone, in the /library/creatures subfolder. I built them in Anim8or, and they are .an8 files. You can get Anim8or for free from http://www.anim8or.com/, and hopefully with that you can export the meshes to other formats.

[OrisonSeven]

Thanks windcatcher, hopefully our work will progress steadily.

Let me know if you are looking for any models or textures in particular as we are more than happy to give back to the community.

[bristle]

its the first time i started on wordpress and have been fiddling for a while yet. i think i got now with wordpress is the front end and forum is the back end.

as for the hypergrid, it is starting to be done and i hope it will be fine. i dont work on the project itself. as you know, eqemu has a different model with 5 or more zones. its really good at standalone and grid.

with the hypergrid is a combination of standalone and grids. it simple in theory at least. with the simpleclient you can have whatever you want but it cannot be hook with anything else. hypergrids can hook but the results is a mess. well right now it is.

[bristle]

now for the issue: 3D objects. and no matter what is available, someone has something different in mind. fortunately, nowadays you can do with morphs and adjustments. i looked at anim8or and it seems interesting -- i hope to get a chance to try it out soon.

i think the first is to have a object, like a npc that breathes and can add gestures. then morphs of the npc. and so on. i like to use blender or like-blender but just for the objects. sort of make an npc, have to wear some stuff, morph it, change to values.

so create some object in XYZ software, move it to the tool, and use it to create some more interesting stuff.

point is, simpleclient could use it, and maybe hippo (sl client clone) could use it too.

[OrisonSeven]

As the project we are undertaking grow larger, the end result will be much clearer. I still do not know the limitations of simpleclient or the emulator for that matter.

What we want to do is push the limits as much as possible, and ultimately end up with something that looks nothing like eq, but has the eq feel and draw to it.

The hard part for our group is he coding. We have some ideas that frankly, i do not know if they are possible without creating a layered grid(a base grid with different variants of the same zone depending on season).

We have alot ahead of us, but do feel that the outcome should be a world that people will want to experience and hopefully look at and say, "was this really once eq......"

[OrisonSeven]

We some updated images. Work on trees has progressed drastically, though so has the poly count.

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii230/Icedfate/Render1.jpg

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii230/Icedfate/Render2.jpg

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii230/Icedfate/Render3.jpg

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii230/Icedfate/Render4.jpg

This is intended as the starting zone for the game... for the "good" races. Another area is being worked on for the "evil" races. The races as of now are still being worked on, as well as ideas for class spells and other things.

OrisonSeven

-A goal is in mind, tho still far from view-

[bristle]

well i hope to get grid going soon. then i will look at simpleclient stuff. i am particular interest in how the client and server communicate with each other. in theory, everything that the server and client can do, another client can do.

in reality, i have no idea of how it will go.

[GeorgeS]

I am the creator of the static models for simple client, and you can DL my models (.zip) for use in your project. If you use these, put WC and my name in the credit list, but you can of course modify them as necessary.

I sent you am pm with the links to these


http://wizardportal.dyndns.org/eqemu/oz/work_to_date.html
http://wizardportal.dyndns.org/eqemu/oz/work_to_date2.html

GeorgeS

[bristle]

ok i can see them now -- well i will when i use an X or LWO format.

[OrisonSeven]

So i figured id add a few character model designs we just started. Was gonna use the ones built in, but decided once again to see what the program can handle. These will be textured and also fine tuned alot before even being considered close to what we are intending.

1 question about the animations of the models. Can the animation length for combat be complex and more like a set of animations. And can could a few seperate animations be linked together with a code for randomization to allow for a more "entertaining" combat.

I remember the original eq, and the models standing still and either swinging 1 arm and parying with a shield; alternating left then right arm swing, though it was just basic 1 chop 2 chop; and the two handed center chop.

We want to make combat more like actual swordplay, and are intending to use our motion capture system along with actual people (martial artists, and sword fighting specialists) to get acurate combat flow and animations.

Ideally we want to make it so while in combat, you never see your character do the traditional "arm-up-chop-down-repeat". For the monk/hand-to-hand combat, we want there to be more intense reactions and so on. if the client however cant be set to randomize the choice of animations to link together, then we may just set a 15 second "clip" of combat that would loop but would at least act more realistic and less mechanical and artificial.

Character Model
Pre-Smoothing
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii230/Icedfate/Char1LowPoly-NoSmooth.jpg

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii230/Icedfate/Char1HeadLowPoly-NoSmooth.jpg

Smoothed
http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii230/Icedfate/Char1LowPoly-Smoothed.jpg

http://i265.photobucket.com/albums/ii230/Icedfate/Char1HeadLowPoly-Smoothed.jpg

[Windcatcher]

The live client can't handle that type of dynamic animation scheme. It looks up animations by name, where the name means something specific. If you look at the models that come with OpenZone you can see what they are, since my models have to adhere to the same scheme to be able to work with the live client. So for instance, if the client is looking for the "kicking" combat animation, it would always look for the animation named "C01". I believe that it will fall back to a default animation if one can't be found (I think the default combat animation is C05, for instance). You can add more animations (for instance I've added a T10 to some player models), but the live client would never use them. Anything beyond the normal scheme would have to be for use by another client. For a few weeks I've been trying to design in my head a way for cloaks to be visible when worn, for instance, and have the player animations support them, but if I implement it only SimpleClient would be able to use it (and to not put too fine a point on it, I would have to make sure to not export the cloak meshes when exporting for the live client).

[OrisonSeven]

I see. Ok, thanks. My intentions are to work with simpleclient. I am also curious about animated objects, for instance flags, or movient terrain, along with an idea that we have for using the elevator system to make platforms that move up and down as well as across say... a huge chasm, and it moves horizontally.

As for capes, if you need some rendered capes in any polycount, let me know. Ive been working with an idea for having them be integrated with the walking animation, therefore, if say you have armor on, the armor mesh would hae the cape integrated (i.e. even if you dont have a cape, the armor would have one) though this would mean if i understand correctly, that all say plate armor for human males would have the cape as the mesh file is chosen by race gender and type, and is not a seperate mesh overlaid. Seeing as this is true, one could infrance that there could be two different "plate" meshes by negating the chain or leather. Though this would remove the mesh for those classes who wear that armor, it would make the idea for haveing a mesh for plate with cape, and one without plausable.

As for the animations, couldnt We just replace the file with say a 15 second combat animation, and still modify the ones that are there. Also, can animations be attached to weapons, not interms of particles though this would a very nice idea (other posts say this isnt possible as of now), but as far as say, having a sword with a blade that was animated to rotate, or maybe 3 small fireballs orbit the weapon (attached to it such that if the character swings, the objects would follow the rules just like being attached and stationary).

Thanks

[Richardo]

If you want a cape, just add the cape and rig it to your modified skeleton. After you're done, make the default cape texture 100% transparent (0 Opacity) and when you want it to appear with the proper texture, change the texture to a non-transparent material.

Voila!