Priceless scales designs + some jewelry for dragons

[Tilithia]

Um I hope this is appropriate category. This is more request than suggestion.
Dragons could use visible armor and some accessories like bipeds have fashion vendors scattered around the cities.
I made some quick designs but I cant do digital art nor I even have program to do such (open unroll flatten models and paint on them). If anyone wants to embark on that mission that would be of benefit to community.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bx...UFZRmpPYkktSUk

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bx...GZBZENOMHZudmc

Sorry for bright picture. Scroll on them to zoom in/out. Feel free to use/modify/expand idea.


Some notes about armor and fashion vendor:
-tiny dots are not bolts but tiny gems
-delicate chains are flowing and light
-bold necklace is sturdy and stiff looking (chest slot)
-dragon fashion vendor would offer formulas to buy to craft those items (head chains-head slot,ankles and wrists-foreleg and hindleg slot)
-fashion pieces offer no stats
-if a vendor and visible scales ever make it in, have an option for players to: Display own armor, Display other players armor.
-bold necklace would use metal bar+essence orb+cut gem; delicate chains (head) would use gold bar; delicate chains (foreleg and hindleg) would use gold bar+cut gem (ruby,emerald,sapphire,diamond,amethyst).

[ArchDemon]

Um I hope this is appropriate category. This is more request than suggestion.
Dragons could use visible armor and some accessories like bipeds have fashion vendors scattered around the cities.
I made some quick designs but I cant do digital art nor I even have program to do such (open unroll flatten models and paint on them). If anyone wants to embark on that mission that would be of benefit to community.

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bx...UFZRmpPYkktSUk

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0Bx...GZBZENOMHZudmc

Sorry for bright picture. Scroll on them to zoom in/out. Feel free to use/modify/expand idea.


Some notes about armor and fashion vendor:
-tiny dots are not bolts but tiny gems
-delicate chains are flowing and light
-bold necklace is sturdy and stiff looking (chest slot)
-dragon fashion vendor would offer formulas to buy to craft those items (head chains-head slot,ankles and wrists-foreleg and hindleg slot)
-fashion pieces offer no stats
-if a vendor and visible scales ever make it in, have an option for players to: Display own armor, Display other players armor.
-bold necklace would use metal bar+essence orb+cut gem; delicate chains (head) would use gold bar; delicate chains (foreleg and hindleg) would use gold bar+cut gem (ruby,emerald,sapphire,diamond,amethyst).

I like it alot would really show how powerful dragons are and feel like costomibles make dragons have there own gear in apperences too I Support this! I really would like to see this. as a model someday too! instead of a texture xD but yeah i support this!

[meepsa]

this has been asked time and time again (a quick search on the forums will give you plenty results) and the answer is simple and has been said each time:

No can do.

The UVmap (the way the texture is unwrapped) of the dragons, allong with their current resolution (which I think is 512x512) simply make it impossible for any details to be put on, many people have tried it over time actually, the only slightly decent one being the one in Blue Hasia's Armor mod...(which if I'm not mistaken was done by Shian?) the body itself is also very stretchy in some animations (particulary the neck, chest and crotch area) which would cause these "visible armor scales" to stretch allong with them...quite nasty.

Also, redoing the UVmap would pretty much be a no-go too, if I'm not mistaken the current system would not like it very much, and it would also require the re-doing of every, single, texture (which is 14 counting the ones available to just the players, though some of those are only darker/lighter variants of eachother)

I was working on the fur mod, but I have simply given up on it due to the UVmap being absolutely horrible on the legs (particulary the front, the hind are nasty but not too bad)

[Tilithia]

Of course I had no idea on that. :/ I can see now why this hasn't been done for so many years. Thanks for letting me know.

[hallucin8]

Don't let the nail in the coffin get you down, Salwirk. It's a good suggestion of course, which is why it has been suggested before Once in a blue-moon they manage to rip off the nails and implement something crazy, but unfortunately on this occasion it would require a miracle. Other than that, I believe there are a few people who have tried, but the visual mapping just skews the images horrifically.

[Tilithia]

Its discussed in PMs, we didn't give up yet

[ArchDemon]

Don't let the nail in the coffin get you down, Salwirk. It's a good suggestion of course, which is why it has been suggested before Once in a blue-moon they manage to rip off the nails and implement something crazy, but unfortunately on this occasion it would require a miracle. Other than that, I believe there are a few people who have tried, but the visual mapping just skews the images horrifically.

you could do it how Sunscopes do it then.. Real simple.

[hallucin8]

you could do it how Sunscopes do it then.. Real simple.

You'll have to educate me on how that works, but I thought they just add a light source. I've seen the screenshots though, where draggies have some nifty "suits" and stuff, so I think I understand what you're saying. But again, getting it right to show well detailed overlaid armor pieces is, from what I've heard, impossible. The images you create to mimic the armor get warped and stretched onto the character's body, so you'd somehow have to reverse engineer the warping.

[Racktor]

you could do it how Sunscopes do it then.. Real simple.

As Meeps said..

The UVmap (the way the texture is unwrapped) of the dragons, allong with their current resolution (which I think is 512x512) simply make it impossible for any details to be put on, many people have tried it over time actually, the only slightly decent one being the one in Blue Hasia's Armor mod...(which if I'm not mistaken was done by Shian?) the body itself is also very stretchy in some animations (particulary the neck, chest and crotch area) which would cause these "visible armor scales" to stretch allong with them...quite nasty.

Also, redoing the UVmap would pretty much be a no-go too, if I'm not mistaken the current system would not like it very much, and it would also require the re-doing of every, single, texture (which is 14 counting the ones available to just the players, though some of those are only darker/lighter variants of eachother)

I was working on the fur mod, but I have simply given up on it due to the UVmap being absolutely horrible on the legs (particulary the front, the hind are nasty but not too bad)

Emphasis is mine.

Sunscope mod manages to sort of work with the uv map but that doesn't solve the stretching and it covers nowhere near the entire body needed to show scales iirc

Edit: Hallucin, you can also make it so that sunscopes apply a texture upon use, similar to how a stance can apply a texture on you, too. It's how my war paint and underwing mods work, if you're familiar with those; both sunscopes and stances have visual effects triggered by their def files, which can be modified to apply a texture instead of their effect.

It's hard to explain and I just made the two mods mentioned by looking at other def files of the game,but that's roughly how it works.

[ArchDemon]

As Meeps said..


Emphasis is mine.

Sunscope mod manages to sort of work with the uv map but that doesn't solve the stretching and it covers nowhere near the entire body needed to show scales iirc

Edit: Hallucin, you can also make it so that sunscopes apply a texture upon use, similar to how a stance can apply a texture on you, too. It's how my war paint and underwing mods work, if you're familiar with those; both sunscopes and stances have visual effects triggered by their def files, which can be modified to apply a texture instead of their effect.

It's hard to explain and I just made the two mods mentioned by looking at other def files of the game,but that's roughly how it works.

Anyway if the devs make models of the stuff when you equip the scales sure. i dont mind it.. since were nude like 24-7 some nice armor would be nice xD

[meepsa]

Anyway if the devs make models of the stuff when you equip the scales sure. i dont mind it.. since were nude like 24-7 some nice armor would be nice xD

I would link a post that Solitaire made concerning how annoyingly hard that is in the current state, but it's 1AM and I honestly can't be bothered, so here's the short answer:

also no can do.

[Racktor]

I would link a post that Solitaire made concerning how annoyingly hard that is in the current state, but it's 1AM and I honestly can't be bothered, so here's the short answer:

also no can do.

Here you go:

What Racktor said is pretty much correct. Take for instance, I wanted to make a spade/spike/blade/whatever model and attach it to the tails. There is nothing back there to attach it to though it might attach to a joint. I never went to the point where I would try. But, there is a problem with that. There are only 3 bones (4 joints) in the tail and the mesh does not quite move the same way that the bones do. If you see it in Maya, the bones actually slip outside of the mesh when the tail is bent. (see below) A spade, if attached, would slide around as the tail swings back and forth. It might be possible to retrofit a locator back in there but since all of the animations are made without having a locator in them, it probably won't move along with the existing animation.




The biped models on the other hand, have lots of locators in them (the asterisk like crosses) as you can see from the screenshot below. (which includes joint names).



As for increasing the geometry in the models, that is very possible. Just need to make new models and bind them to the same skeletons that are in use now. It would work perfectly fine and keep all of the existing animations. However, bipeds use a lot of models and it would take a lot of work to remake all of them. But certain models could be identified as giving the biggest bang for the buck.

Quite honestly, though. With the amount of work that would be required to go through the raw assets, identify the models and textures then remake them, I think you would be further ahead to just go ahead and make "Istaria 2" using current technologies and techniques. I would love to see something like that.

[ArchDemon]

I would link a post that Solitaire made concerning how annoyingly hard that is in the current state, but it's 1AM and I honestly can't be bothered, so here's the short answer:

also no can do.

until the devs get a new engine *toothie grin*

[Kida]

until the devs get a new engine *toothie grin*

No. A "new engine" doesn't make miracles happen. They would have to "hire" new artists who have the time, skill, programs, and knowledge to fix the old assets, etc etc. I wouldn't count on it.

[meepsa]

No. A "new engine" doesn't make miracles happen. They would have to "hire" new artists who have the time, skill, programs, and knowledge to fix the old assets, etc etc. I wouldn't count on it.

^THIS, stop acting like a new engine will somehow fix things (which is a mentality I've seen going around too much), the models, compared to current day standard, well, they're a whole heap of nasty, and are likely going to have to be completely redone to begin with once they start implementing the new engine. This will take quite long considering how large the team currently is, including volunteers. (fun fact; it would most likely be faster to completely redo the models from scratch rather than actually fix the current ones)

I'm not saying it won't be a possibility with the new engine, I'm saying it will take long and something like visible scales would most likely be somewhere...waaaaaay back on the log of things to do, seeing as there is so much more that NEEDS to be done first.

The only thing a new engine opens up for istaria, is more possibilities, but nothing is guaranteed.