sprite editing, adding new attack modes, sounds

[Corpse]

1- Was wondering if there is a utility (other than JS sprite creator) that lets you add new sequence lists and animation lists?
Have been playing around with Redviewer49_3_1 but that function does not appear to be usable yet.

Reason I ask is because I have been trying to add new attacks to the behemoth and the tankbot, also I have been trying to fix the armoured mutant sprite which is missing the sound from its heavy weapon single mode attack, and would like to add new attacks on most character sprites to enable burst and full-auto mode on pistols, give a third fire mode to smgs and rifles, etc.

2- How do you assign sound effects (walk, run, attack) to a new critter?
I noticed the cyborg general has its own sound effects set; while its attacks seem to work properly it seems to default to the normal (humanoid) set for walk, run and breathe.
If I change its race from Unique Humanoid to something else like unique other, or one of the vehicle races, its walk, run and breathe sounds dissapear altogether but its attack sounds still work.

Is there a way to assign a specific sound effect set to a new critter or is this data hardcoded?

Thanks in advance!

 

[requiem_for_a_starfury]

1 Sorry those are the only two utilities that can even open compressed sprites that I know of.

2 The cyborg's attack sounds are linked to his weapon. I think the other sounds are hardcoded to armour type first, then race and finally gender.

 

[Corpse]

Thanks for getting back to me requiem, looks like I'll have to give JS sprite creator a go, just need to get my xp machine working again.

Damn shame the sounds are hardcoded, have been trying to work around making alternative sprites of the behemoth with its attack changed to another attack mode; while it works if I replace the original sprite, if I change the sprite name I can't even get the attack sounds to work.
It works ok with turrets however, I edited all the turret sprites changing their attack modes, added them as new sprites and they work fine; now I have six different variants of the pop up turrets and three of the dual gun and minigun turrets all mounting different weapons and with their own unique sound effect.

 

[requiem_for_a_starfury]

Yeah race and animations are hardcoded, you can give weapons custom sounds but melee attacks for critters and robots are superseded by the racial sound set.

Do your edited turrets still produce this error in the bos log?

C:\preuni\dev\bos\game\entity\entity.cpp(1311): warning: Actor: Turret: The sprite selected for Turret is not set by race:

I'd love to fix that.

 

[Corpse]

Yes, they produce that error on the log.

Tried giving turrets single and burst modes to see if that would allow the weapon to override the default racial sound; didn't work the way I wanted but it works, at least gives me two extra modes to play around with, just had to add sounds for single and burst to the turret sound set.

I've tested all the attack modes and they all work with the exception of melee attacks (swing, slash, thrust) which do not produce a sound effect even if I add one to the racial set.

 

[jarekfall]

You can create new item types and new weapon modes, it means you can also add new sounds for the attack modes and for the weapons, also add new item type - dependent, attack sequences to actor sprites which will be connected with the new item type and its new attack mode. Weapon and shot sounds are race independent.
Microfote's editor doesn't allow adding new item types and new attack modes, but you can use BoSEE.

For example, you want to create new weapon of type XX and add two new attack modes: AAA, BBB. The names XX, AAA, BBB can be of any type.

I)
Let us start from adding new sequences to an actor sprite:
This is the syntax of a sequence name: Posture + Action + Item_type + Attack_mode
Open a sprite in the Sprite Creator and add new test sequences:
StandAttackXXAAA
StandAttackXXBBB
add some frames to the sequences and don't forget to add the "Sound" action in the frame editor, which will allow to hear the shot sound. Also add the action: "Fire" or "Hit".

II)
Now edit the entity of a weapon in the Microforte's editor and add two new attack modes.
Next edit this entity in BoSEE and modify these new attack modes, but first:
Select the field named Weapon and set fields:
- Sound Type to SS
- Item Type to XX
Don't modify the field named Weapon Item Type.
Now edit the first new attack mode and set field:
- Animation Name to AAA
Edit the second attack mode and set field:
- Animation Name to BBB
and save the file.
Note: BoSEE won't display the Animation Name field in two cases:
1. If you use original weapon entity file and haven't modified the Animation Name field in the Microforte's editor;
2. If you use original entity file and have set the Animation Name field to the name: "Single".
You just have to modify this field in Microforte's editor and set its value to other than "Single", then this option will be available for modification in BoSEE. It's because original entity files don't have this field named: Animation Name, this field is rather unnamed.

III)
Now add new sounds for the new item of type XX and new attack animations which have names: AAA, BBB:
Reloading sound: SSReload.wav
Out of ammo sound: SSoutofammo.wav
Shot sound for the mode AAA: SSAAA1.wav and SSAAA2.wav
Shot sound for the mode BBB: SSBBB1.wav and SSBBB2.wav

Don't forget to connect a sprite with an entity. The names XX, SS, AAA, BBB can be of any type.

The cyborg's attack sounds are linked to his weapon. I think the other sounds are hardcoded to armour type first, then race and finally gender.

Unfortunately sound file names for every race are hardcoded, so you can't add new sounds to existing races, also adding new races won't work from the same reason. But, if somebody remember there is a race UniqueOther, which seems to not have hardcoded sounds, but it's inversely. For example: CyborgGeneral, MDC (Mega Cockroach), BrainJar have the same race, UniqueOther but different sounds, because UniqueOther race sounds depend on sprite file name. When the game recognizes a sprite name it uses a hardcoded table of allowed sound file names for each sprite. For example, CyborgGeneral has sound file names with a prefix CyborgGen and a several action names added to this prefix. But BrainJar with prefix Brain has only a few action names in its table, for example: sounds BrainHit.wav, BrainWalk.wav and BrainRun.wav don't work. So we can only modify sounds of existing races and the sound file names are hardcoded in the bos.exe.