GLADE Team Project: Dark Magic

[modman]

Download Dark Magic v. 10.8.23
GLest Association of Developement Enthusiasts | What is the  GLADE Team? | Dark Magic Wikia

This is the topic for all discussion of the GLADE team or of any discussion related to Dark Magic itself.  All work should be posted here, and all work can be kept track of here.

Greetings.  I have made several changes to the faction, enough (in my opinion) to warrant a new release.  This release is called Dark Magic v. 10-8-23, as apparently we are using the Linux system, which I had previously disliked, but now accept. 
The file is approximately 37 Megabytes compressed, and 55 Megabytes uncompressed.  It was previously approximately 78 Megabytes uncompressed, so I have clearly made your downloads easier.  Here is how I eliminated extra size:
1.   Huge Textures: Several units (Harpy, Shadow Walker, Blood Fountain, et cetera et alibi) have textures that are 512.  These are unnecessary, as glest renders them as if they were somewhere between 128 and 256.  I have marked down these textures to 256, and in the case of the shadow walker, 128.  Don’t complain.  You wouldn’t be able to tell the difference.  Taking it from 512 to 256 saves ¾ of a meg, and down to 128 saves an entire megabyte.
2.   Wasteful Textures: Some textures have vast quantities of blank space, which, if removed, could make the texture much smaller.  I have tried to do what I can, but I can’t fix them all. 
3.   Extra Models and Textures: Textures take up lots of space.  An unanimated, 500 poly building model will use up approximately 50 kilobytes.  A 512 texture uses up 1 meg.  So, when I came across extra, unused models or textures, I removed them and put them in a separate folder.  If anyone wants access to this folder, I can grant it to them.

Concept Art

Code: [Select]

[url=http://img134.imageshack.us/img134/8020/acolyte2.jpg]Acolyte[/url] | Alliyp |

Code: [Select]

[url=http://andreasrocha.deviantart.com/art/The-Devil-s-Fountain-82185538]Blood Fountain[/url] | Dark Elder |

Code: [Select]

[url=http://www.lifeinfozone.com/wp-content/uploads/2007/08/crystal-balls.jpg]Divination Crystal[/url] |

Code: [Select]

[url=http://img198.imageshack.us/img198/9295/malphas.png]Gargoyle[/url] | Harpy | Imp | Sheol Temple |

Code: [Select]

[url=http://mythicmktg.fileburst.com/war/us/home/images/armiesofWAR/darkelves/Sorceress/sorceress-look-01.jpg]Sorceress[/url] | [url=http://images.elfwood.com/art/g/u/gunilla/4_black_dragon.jpg]Wyvern[/url]
[URL=http://img513.imageshack.us/img513/9012/darkmagicv61.jpg][IMG]http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/8757/darkmagicv61smaller.jpg[/img][/URL]

Screenshots

Code: [Select]

[URL=http://img109.imageshack.us/i/screen83.png/]Alliyp Proj[/URL] | [URL=http://img40.imageshack.us/i/screen84c.png/]Alliyp Splash 1[/URL] | [URL=http://img40.imageshack.us/i/screen85f.png/]Alliyp Splash 2[/URL][/center] | [url=http://img185.imageshack.us/img185/876/bloodfountain.jpg]Blood Fountain Particles[/url] | [url=http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/6131/bloodfoutain2.jpg]More Blood Fountain Particles[/url] | [url=http://img375.imageshack.us/img375/4924/mainbuildingproducingac.jpg]Incantation Shrine and Shadow Walker[/url] | [url=http://img821.imageshack.us/img821/8755/shadesk.jpg]Shade Teamcolor Particles[/url] | [url=http://img708.imageshack.us/img708/3900/shadowwalkers.jpg]Shadow Walkers[/url] | [url=http://a.imageshack.us/img651/1929/oblivionportalparticles.jpg]Oblivion Portal Particles[/url] | [url=http://www.titusgames.de/tmp/dm.jpg]Titi's Particles[/url] | [url=http://www.titusgames.de/tmp/dm2.jpg]More Titi Particles[/url]
Video(s)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UXc4sxbpQMM
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OfDVELXE4Nc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VWzfoo3MkIc

Downloads

Code: [Select]

[url=http://www.filefront.com/15253691/Acolyte%20Dec%2030.zip]Acolyte Models[/url], [url=http://www.filefront.com/15253703/Alliyp%20Dec%2030.zip]Alliyp Models[/url], Alliyp Sounds

Code: [Select]

[url=http://www.filefront.com/15253531/Fountain%20Sounds.zip]Blood Fountain Sounds[/url], [url=http://www.filefront.com/15253425/blood_fountaine.zip/]Blood Fountain Models[/url], [url=http://www.filefront.com/15253767/Dark-Elder-Dec30.zip/]Dark Elder Models[/url], [url=http://www.filefront.com/15253779/Devil%20Machine%20Dec%2030.zip]Devil Machine Models[/url], [url=http://www.mediafire.com/file/flnb4zmzwmo/divination_crystal.7z]Textured & Animated Divination Crystal[/url], [url=http://www.mediafire.com/file/mwnzevywtjk/divination_crystal_1-3-10.7z]Newer Divination Crystal Idle[/url], [url=http://www.filefront.com/15253805/Earth%20Serpent%20Dec%2030.zip]Earth Serpent Models[/url], [url=http://www.filefront.com/15253827/Gods%20Bane%20Dec%2030.zip]Gods Bane Models[/url], [url=http://upload.ps/wl9afx3pzb7x/harpy.zip.htm]Harpy Models[/url], [url=http://www.filefront.com/15253887/ImpDec30.zip]Imp Models[/url], [url=http://www.mediafire.com/?mamyz4xytnn]Morlock Animations[/url][url=http://www.filefront.com/15253911/Oblivion%20Portal%20Dec30.zip]Oblivion Portal Models[/url], [url=http://www.mediafire.com/download.php?tlzwnw2etqq]Pain Tower Finished[/url], [url=http://www.filefront.com/15253925/Shadow%20Walker%20Dec30.zip]Shadow Walker Models[/url], [url=http://www.filefront.com/15253929/Sheol%20Temple%20Dec30.zip]Sheol Temple Models[/url], [url=http://www.filefront.com/15253961/Sorceress%20Dec30.zip]Sorceress Models[/url], [url=http://www.filefront.com/15253985/Sorcery%20Runes%20Dec30.zip]Sorcery Runes Models[/url], Production Sound

[assassin]

Does the GLADE team have a deadline?

[modman]

Deadlines are John.d.h's job...

[Fluffy203]

Look just give me something to work on i've done the wisdom tower and shadow walker i'll post the .obj's

[modman]

First, post the links to the files so that I can link to them here.  Then, I would suggest modeling the Harpy.  You know what a Harpy looks like right?  I know you cannot texture, right, so just animate it and it will be fine.  After the Harpy, could you model the Imp.  Do you know what the Imp is supposed to look like?  But first, upload those other files!

[Fluffy203]

Ok i'll do that then and here are the files

Code: [Select]

http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=fc3e352c0e1cc1cfd5a101cf914073b4ecd43e0d3c327f9e
Edit: I don't think you can have a harpy and an Imp it doesn't make sense so which do you want?

[Mark]

Here is an image of what the beast trap should look like.  (Note:  someone must first model the Balrog, wyvern and imp in order to do this.)



You can use this model as a way to start modeling.  It will have to be small enough to fit in 3-4 tiles.  The spikes are bloodied at the top, and the pole is rusty metal.  In the red circled corner would be a Balrog (which would be scaled down in polys to keep polys low,) chained to the pole, and in the opposite corner would be tied an imp, modified in the same fashion.  And to the yellow would be a wyvern, chained to the pole by its ankle, and trying to fly away (once again it is scaled down in polys).  The smaller spikes are where a “door” would be.

 
Animation Instructions:
For idle:  The Balrog looks back and forth, the imp tries to flap its wings, and the wyvern attempts to fly away.
For Producing Balrog: The balrog flexes and breaks its chains, and as the door’s spikes go into the ground, he walks out the door, and vanishes into team colored gyrating particles.
For producing Imp:  The imp flaps its wings once and the chains fall off him, and it runs out the door, with the spikes going into the ground and it vanishes into team colored gyrating particles.
For producing Wyvern: The wyvern snaps the chain and flies away, and it vanishes into team colored gyrating particles.

[modman]

OK harpies fly in the air, and the Imp is a ground unit.  Thus they are different, even though you might think they are the same.  So please model the Imp, unless you are unwilling.

I don't want to fight with you.  But it is my decision, confirmed by the czar, which units go in the factions, because I am the concept manager.

[John.d.h]

About the Beast Trap, how do you plan on fitting all those creatures in four tiles?  The Wyvern, if I recall correctly, is supposed to be bigger than Magic's Dragon, so it alone would take up more than that, and then add in the Balrog (which is a huge creature) and the Imp and there's simply not enough room.  Also, even with scaling down the polygons on all three creatures, it would still be a very high-poly model.  For example, the Archmage Tower has 528 faces and the Technodrome has 551, so any building for Dark Magic should certainly have fewer than 1000.  I think a better way of doing the walls would be to use planes and transparency, like the cage in the "hanged" tileset object.  That way, each wall only has to be a couple polygons and it can still be very complex.  That way we keep it at a reasonable polygon count while still looking good.  Inside the cage could be various things that would accumulate in a monster's lair, which wouldn't add a whole lot of polygons but would add a lot to the "feel" of the unit.  I don't know exactly what things that would include, maybe bones and stuff like that, but I'll leave that up to the concept/artistic people.

Animation Instructions:
For idle:  The Balrog looks back and forth, the imp tries to flap its wings, and the wyvern attempts to fly away.
For Producing Balrog: The balrog flexes and breaks its chains, and as the door’s spikes go into the ground, he walks out the door, and vanishes into team colored gyrating particles.
For producing Imp:  The imp flaps its wings once and the chains fall off him, and it runs out the door, with the spikes going into the ground and it vanishes into team colored gyrating particles.
For producing Wyvern: The wyvern snaps the chain and flies away, and it vanishes into team colored gyrating particles.

No offense, but I don't think you really get how animations work in Glest.  Each animation is very short (just a couple frames) and is repeated over and over while the unit is being produced.  To have one animation that runs the whole length of the unit production (especially for something that's going to take a really long time to produce, like a Wyvern or Balrog) would take a really long animation with a LOT of frames.  While a short animation of just a few frames could be played very slowly so that it would stretch out and last the whole time of the production, it would look so choppy and horrible, more like a slide show than an animation.  So what would actually be necessary is an animation with probably at least fifty frames (most likely many more), whereas most Glest animations are about nine frames each.  That would be a huge animation that would be very memory-intense, not to mention a hassle to make.

I think for the idle, the cage doesn't even need to be animated at all, but something as simple as a banner flapping or some kind of object swaying in the wind can be good, whatever fits the concept best.  Then for the "producing" animations, the creature being summoned can be shown in the cage doing... something, I'm not sure what yet.  Maybe struggling against some chains?  I'll leave that up to the concept/artistic people.  That way, only a maximum of one creature is shown at a time so we can keep the polygon count reasonably low while still looking good and not crowding so many things into so little space.

Alternatively (this is the idea I personally favor), we could make the Oblivion Portal into the unit recruitment building, since it's basically a portal to the netherworld where demons and monsters would come through, hence a great place for Balrogs, Imps, and Wyverns to be recruited.  Then we'd just need a concept for the research building.

OK harpies fly in the air, and the Imp is a ground unit.  Thus they are different, even though you might think they are the same.  So please model the Imp, unless you are unwilling.

I thought Hectate was in charge of the Imp, unless he's too busy with work.

Does the GLADE team have a deadline?

One of the reasons we're starting off with a small project is to figure out how long it takes for the group to get things done.  As such, this is sort of a "test run" when it comes to time tables.  I think we can get everything done by the end of the month, and that would be really preferable since I'll be on an out-of-state trip from July 3rd to July 10th, but I don't really want to set a hard deadline just yet.

Starting now, I'm calling July 1st our "tentative deadline" for an unbalanced Dark Magic to be complete.

Then everybody who wants to give it a try can test out the faction while I'm in Colorado and the XML Manager can tweak the stats, and hopefully be finished when I get back, just in time for a complete and balanced Dark Magic to get into Glest Community Development Monthly issue 19.

[Fluffy203]

John dude i think i love you , look at the dedication put into that post 

[John.d.h]

John dude i think i love you , look at the dedication put into that post 

lol Thanks.  If you're still looking for something to do, the Harpy, Balrog, and the Blood Fountain need to be made.  A lot of others things do too, but we don't really seem to have a clear concept for them yet.

Some inspiration for the Balrog:

Code: [Select]

http://www.axiomfiles.com/Files/167856/balrog.jpghttp://blog.wieczorek.com.br/media/blogs/pessoal/balrog.jpg

Code: [Select]

http://www.wladca.mocny.com/prince/Balrog_Wallpaper.jpg
It's from Lord of the Rings, and Tolkien is unclear on whether or not the monster has wings, but I'm pretty sure we don't want it to be able to fly.

For the Harpy:

http://www.atlanticaonlinewiki.com/images/7/72/Harpy_Shaman.jpg
http://daveallsop.deviantart.com/art/Harpy-87055778

I'm not sure if we want her to have arms or not, so that's up to you until the Concept Manager says otherwise.

[Fluffy203]

Thank you dude i was about to mod that post and ask modman for a concept cause i didn't know how he wanted the harpy done i was about to do it WoW style

Edit:I'm going with the second concept art form of the harpy just letting you know

[John.d.h]

Thank you dude i was about to mod that post and ask modman for a concept cause i didn't know how he wanted the harpy done i was about to do it WoW style

Edit:I'm going with the second concept art form of the harpy just letting you know

Sounds good.  If you could go ahead and upload all the models you've finished into that same Mediafire folder you posted before, that would be good.  I just don't want you to randomly disappear without us being able to use your work.

[Fluffy203]

Yea i tend to disappear and it will always be in teh glade folder everything that i do for the team will be 

[John.d.h]

Modman, since you're the Concept Manager, it would be good if you could go ahead and try to get some more concepts for the remaining units so the modelers know what to do.  So far we still need them for the Sheol Temple, Sorcery Runes, Dark Elder, Alliyp, Devil Machine, and Sorceress (any more I'm missing?).

For the Blood Fountain, I found these two which looked pretty cool:

Code: [Select]

[url=http://andreasrocha.deviantart.com/art/The-Devil-s-Fountain-82185538]<first>[/url] <second>.  Personally I think the second one would look cool with one of the demons from the first one standing on the pedestal in the middle, but the concept can be pretty much whatever you want.

[Mark]

You're right, it will probably be too high poly.  But the spikes would only need to be about 5 polys each.  And the units would probably not fit into the cage.  I guess what i was thinking in my head was something that would be larger than 4 tiles.  if someone would actually implement some new feature that allows larger maps in the glest engine, it would be okay to have larger buildings.  And the animation would probably not be ok, but since i have just taken a break from other (more developed) games and thought that maybe we could do some things differently.  I do understand that animation is not supposed to have 50 frames, but i have never actually done animation .  Good decision to test the waters with the deadline.  we don't want people bored, example: fluffy 203, or people failing the deadlines.

[modman]

I think a better way of doing the walls would be to use planes and transparency, like the cage in the "hanged" tileset object.  That way, each wall only has to be a couple polygons and it can still be very complex.  That way we keep it at a reasonable polygon count while still looking good.  Inside the cage could be various things that would accumulate in a monster's lair, which wouldn't add a whole lot of polygons but would add a lot to the "feel" of the unit.  I don't know exactly what things that would include, maybe bones and stuff like that, but I'll leave that up to the concept/artistic people.

That is a very good idea.  I like the idea of keeping the model lower poly and not having the individual units chained up to the trap.  The artists can definitely think of some good concepts for the Beast Trap, so we should be OK.

Modman, since you're the Concept Manager, it would be good if you could go ahead and try to get some more concepts for the remaining units so the modelers know what to do.  So far we still need them for the Sheol Temple, Sorcery Runes, Dark Elder, Alliyp, Devil Machine, and Sorceress (any more I'm missing?).

I will get on that concept art!  I will put the links to the concept art on the initial post of this topic.  I am pretty good at finding the concept art for the units.  I will set Wednesday as my deadline.

[-Archmage-]

i see there's a lot going on

as for the music position, i'd like to keep my position
and ardor is welcome to assist me

and ardor, currently there is no need for music

[modman]

Actually, I would encourage Ardor to make music because an origanal composition will be much better than anything pieced together with smaller soundtracks.

[-Archmage-]

i'm not holding him back
he's free to help on whatever he wants

[modman]

Yes, please don't.  Anyways, artists, I have a concept art part on the initial post of this topic.  Any questions should be asked on this topic, too.

[modman]

Oh, I finally found the picture of the Alliyp I was looking for.  It turns out that it was actually spelled "Allip".  I like this unit because it looks like a good blend of both a mage (which it morphed from; the Dark Elder is a type of mage) and a spirit.  But just because it is from D&D, does that mean we cannot use it in Glest?  I think it should be fine as long as we use our own model.  Oh, and should I change the spelling of the unit because I spelled it wrong?

[John.d.h]

The idea of a magical shadow ghost monster really isn't anything new, so I don't see any problem with using it.  I wouldn't worry too much about naming right now, but if you don't want to use the Alliyp/Allip name (I personally don't really care if you do or not), then there are plenty of other possibilities, like shade, wraith, shadow, specter, phantom... you get the idea.

Oh, and good job getting the concepts.  The Sheol Temple #2 and the Sorceress look especially "Dark Magic".

[modman]

I will keep the names all the same for now, to avoid confusion.  Then, after the modeling is done, we can change the names, because name changing is really easy.

[John.d.h]

Okay, so we are just shy of two weeks away from the tentative deadline and we've got models for about five units, I think.  We still need a bunch more!  So far, the current progress looks something like this:

Dark Mage - modeled, textured
Oblivion Portal - modeled, animated
Pain Tower - modeled
Shadow Walker - modeled
Wyvern - modeled (WIP?)

That means (to the best of my knowledge) we still need models for the Acolyte, Earth Serpent, God's Bane, Sheol Temple, Beast Trap, Sorcery Runes, Blood Fountain, Sorceress, Morlock, Harpy, Imp, Balrog, Dark Elder, Alliyp, and Devil Machine, as well as textures for every model except for the Dark Mage and animations for everything except for the Oblivion Portal.  That's 15 models to be made, 19 to be textured, and 19 to be animated.  Since the animations for the Beast Trap are pretty ambitious and might take a while, it would be good to get those started soon, but first we need textured models for the Balrog and Imp in order to do those animations, so those should be our priority.

Everyone who can model, volunteer for a unit when you get the chance.  I'd like to get this under way as soon as possible since the models need to be done before textures and animations.

Modman, if you could get concepts for the remaining units, that would be helpful.

MadElf, we need a lot of textures, so the sooner you get started, the better.  The Oblivion Portal shouldn't be too hard to do, so you can get started on that. 

Code: [Select]

[url=http://files.filefront.com/portal+actionblend/;13900368;/fileinfo.html]You can download it from here.[/url] I thinking a dark rocky texture would be good, like those Dark Elf buildings, and the floating spinning things are supposed to be energy particles.  Other than that, use your imagination.

Wciow, how's that Wyvern coming along?  I think we can use the Grag you modeled, and just change its weapon to a club and retexture it to make a Morlock.

I would finish handing out assignments, but I have to go, so I'll finish when I get back!  Basically, if you see something that needs done, feel free to do it.