The ai Frontier - My ups and downs

[ai]

I've added a few animations to the Nexus player model. Yes I've decided not to go with 'Ivan', but in fact, replace the current Nexus model once this is finished.
Of course any comments would be good regarding any errors or stuff you see.

Added animations:
jump
duck
shoot

Shoot is not finished as you can see. It may look ok (not super good) when you shoot slow projectiles, but when using the machinegun or other modes that goes quickly the animation does not fit.
So it will be tweaked or remade completely depending what can be done (if a second shoot animation can be added).

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNOt0fNrXAo

PS. Watch in HD to more clearly see the animations.

[Flying Steel]

Maybe I am too late, but the old Nexus model seemed to be too tall for its collision box, so that head shots ended up as misses. This isn't terrible, but it might be better to make Ivan here fit the hitbox better, for gameplay reasons (think camping rifle).

tZork has clarified for me that the hitbox is 69 quake units, which is exactly 69 inches or 5 foot 9 inches or for those like me who are modeling in the metric system, 1.725 meters. The crouching hitbox is 49 inches (1.225 meters). And both hitboxes are 32 inches (0.8 meters) wide and deep.

[nifrek]

Added animations:
jump
duck
shoot

Looks great! Finally a good jump animation, the current one just looks dumb. Any way to show us what it looks like from a side view while bunnyhopping? And indeed, would be great if you could keep that shoot animation for slower weapons like RL.

I think you should move the legs a bit in the "standing" pose (as in, move a leg forward and one backward), the player would look less stiff while in air (for example when you use the jumppad). I never quite understood why the models don't use the jump animation for that, and freeze at a frame when the legs are bent. I guess that would require coding.

[ai]

@Flying Steel:
This is actually the new Nexus model. The guy who did this model was called Ivan (didn't know his real name) so I called the model Ivan as well. However, he intended this model to replace the current Nexus model. And I've made sure that this model fits well withing the box, both standing and crouching, so no worries there. This guy can be head shot.

@Nifrek:
I agree with the stiffness in the air. However, this is nothing I can fix more than creating an animation while the model is in the air. But if you look closely even the current models are stiff in the air. Here's how it works:

When one player is falling a jump animation is played, as soon as that jump animation is finished the model becomes totally static (this is when I want the air animation to be played, and I've talked to the devs about this as well). If you make an action while in air and falling, like shoot or duck, as soon after that the jump animation is taking place again.
I.e. you're falling, you shoot once, immediately the jump animation is played once you stop shooting.
It's more apparent with these new models the faults of the animation system, the old models camouflaged this well, due to how the animations were made.

But keep in mind I'm trying to work out a solution for this with the devs. ^_^

PS. I'll see what I can do about the side view of the jump animation.
Note however: There also is an error with the bunnyhopping system. If you hold down space the first few (if you're lucky) jumps the animation will take place, but what's most likely to happen is that you get the same static model that you see in the video above.
I might take some time recoding all these errors in the system so that they are easily identified.

[Flying Steel]

I agree with the stiffness in the air. However, this is nothing I can fix more than creating an animation while the model is in the air. But if you look closely even the current models are stiff in the air.

I wouldn't dwell too much on this one thing, there's problems alot uglier than a lack of "falling" animations.

Like the fact that the legs suddenly stop moving while you are shooting so that you "skid" across the ground or how bunny hopping doesn't look like striding or anything remotely natural.

Or the lack of animation blending or the fact the character model never aims up or down regardless of what direction the player is looking or shooting in.

Until these four big problems are solved, a lack of a falling animation doesn't really stand out at all.

[nifrek]

But if you look closely even the current models are stiff in the air.

Right, yes it is definitely visible, I wasn't saying it was happening specifically to this player model, but wanted to point out an example in your video.

So basically you'd make a "in air" animation that would loop after the jump animation is done playing, until another animation is activated? I was about to suggest to make the jump animation stop midair so the legs would stay bent while in air (or rather make the jump animation very long after the legs are bent which would basically become the air/fall animation), but then that would probably look dumb when landing, heh. Then again, most animations already change very abruptly because of the lack blending.

Yeah, doesn't seem like there's an easy solution.

Anyway, looking forward to what you'll come up with. Good luck!

[KillaGrunt]

I suggest adding a gas mask or something of the sort to his face. Maybe covering half of his face and then have tubes coming from the mask part into his skull. Just a suggestion :3 Might make him look less like a monkey.

[ai]

I've made a few more animations, but instead of posting a video of it I will post a .pk3 for people to try them out themselves. This way you might notice stuff I haven't you just might find it easier to test them.

Note the strafe left animation is very experimental, I'm not even sure I will go with that and do something more along the lines that the current models have. This strafe animation just looks plain odd.
Any comments and feedback is appreciated.

Cheers dudes.

Link: http://ai.kurotorobert.com/nexuiz/model ... nim_b1.pk3

PS. Instructions on how to test is in the .pk3 file, open it with a zip application such as winRAR or similar.

EDIT:
Animation added in this version:

forward left
forward right
backwards
backwards left
backwards right
duck idle
shoot (remade)
strafe left (very early version)

[[-z-]]

can you make his taunt the same as your avatar?

[ai]

can you make his taunt the same as your avatar?

Rofl! That's hilarious, and something to be taken into consideration.