Icewind Dale: ToEE - Total Conversion

Discussion in 'Icewind Dale Total Conversion' started by Allyx, May 7, 2016.

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  1. Gaear

    Gaear Bastard Maestro Administrator

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    No - it'll just distort the images and keep the 'pitch' problem. (Trust me, I've been around this from all angles.) The only way this could be corrected is to get your hands on the 3D project files they used to create the maps and change the angle. (I have the actual figures that ToEE uses somewhere but I don't know them offhand.) Basically the issue is that the maps and all the elements they represent in the quasi-3D domain need to be rotated about 10 degrees toward the viewer to match ToEE.

    Unfortunately as was learned with the BG EE projects, those files don't even exist anymore.

    IMO the new map idea is a non-starter. Take the KotB lesson learned for that - it can be done but it'd take a phenomenal effort and longterm commitment from probably more than one artist. IMO that leaves simply using the originals and accepting the limitations, but that inherently means the project would start out as a 'B level' thing from the get-go. But there's no other practical alternative.
     
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  2. Sitra Achara

    Sitra Achara Senior Member

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    I can propose an alternative to altering the maps...

    upload_2016-5-8_19-29-38.png
     
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  3. Zoltec

    Zoltec Pгōdigium

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    Cool Sitra! Can you make that an option?
     
  4. Sitra Achara

    Sitra Achara Senior Member

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    I think so.

    Though to be fair there's still the issue of the mismatch between WorldEd and the modified ToEE. That would affect placement of clipping geometry/light sources, and also the underlying tile grid, which would be distorted compared to WorldEd (i.e. the WorldEd blocker/visibility painted tiles would be mismatched). So there's more to it than just tweaking the ToEE camera/transformations. Might require patching WorldEd ("WorldEd+"), or adding the necessary editing features to ToEE (which I want to do anyway because I hate WorldEd and I'd need it for doing the IWD2 TC, and it'd also speed up the mapmaking process since you can get immediate feedback on the result, create new brushes/tools, etc.). Either way I reckon it's not a real obstacle, but some foundations still have to be laid first.
     
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  5. XVicious

    XVicious Established Member

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    does the maps from

    the pool of radiance game

    have the same camera angles and perpectives and scale?

    maybe could use
    pool of radiance.

    [​IMG]
     
  6. Allyx

    Allyx Master Crafter Global Moderator Supporter

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    So we can remake Gauntlet, but Baldur's Gate is going to need edits to World Ed first? Oh well, there is still the possibility that maps from another game could be used to make a new module, but they too would have to conform to ToEE's specific isometric view to look right.
     
    Last edited: Oct 21, 2019
  7. Gaear

    Gaear Bastard Maestro Administrator

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    They would, and it just seems like going way out of your way to do something that simply wouldn't translate the way the maps that were actually made for the game would no matter how you slice it, at the expense of accepting B-level to start.

    To be clear, my suggestion is to just use the IE maps, avoid increasing your work load by at least 50% (and the attendant loss of likelihood that the project would be completed), and accept the inherent limitations. But it's best to know exactly what you're getting into and the standard that can be achieved ahead of time.
     
  8. Allyx

    Allyx Master Crafter Global Moderator Supporter

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    I've not painted sectors on map files in World Ed before, could we not sector the maps with World Builder instead and achieve a workable result?
     
  9. Sitra Achara

    Sitra Achara Senior Member

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    Haha, yes, why not. Totally forgot about that interop mode (likely because I've never really used WB for mapmaking :p).

    I'll try to have the viewport angle exported to a config file this weekend so you can start. On that note, what IS the camera angle of the IE? Got nothing much better than hearsay from google... I'll try to ask someone from the EE team.

    https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/41683/camera-angle-in-infinity-engine-games
    http://www.teambg.org/tutorials/index3ff53ff5.html?page=opentut&tutID=19
     
  10. Shiningted

    Shiningted I want my goat back Administrator

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    WorldEd is much easier for sectoring than WorldBuilder, one of the few areas that it is better (I think WorldBuilder is the superior tool overall myself).

    Btw Allyx, if you are serious about doing this, I can sector some of the maps. I am loathe to commit to anything that involves brainwork when I have KotB to worry about, but menial grunt work like sectoring or converting dlg files would be right up my alley :)
     
  11. Allyx

    Allyx Master Crafter Global Moderator Supporter

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    I'm hoping that the majority of the work involved will be grunt work, the data for the module is all there, it just needs translating into a format ToEE understands.

    I am wondering if adding a lot more game.area [#] numbers is possible now as I recall we hit that limit with just a few (3?) added areas, as the BG world map has about 5 or 6 times as many as ToEE has. We could just use doors for map transitions, but that would eliminate random encounters while travelling.
     
  12. Allyx

    Allyx Master Crafter Global Moderator Supporter

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    While I think of it, map numbers too could use an increase if possible, Verbobonc has a few maps with multiple shops on as that limit was also reached, and the tutorial is a couple of maps short too.
     
  13. Shiningted

    Shiningted I want my goat back Administrator

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    I'll leave all that to you :p Just let me know what you need. I don't have any IE tools or BG installed atm so if you can find their equivalent of whatever they use for maps (or download some high quality ones from a BG modding site), send the jpgs (or whatever) over and I'll sector 'em. Split 'em for free, too.

    Something else to think about - cooperative combat. One of my favourite bits of BG was the fact that when the various assassins in each new locale tried to do you in, any nearby Flaming fist warrior would join in on your side.
     
  14. Allyx

    Allyx Master Crafter Global Moderator Supporter

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    Importing videos from BG might prove problematic, BG seems to use a .wbm file format exclusive to the IE games, I've searched but couldn't find a video converter program for that extension type. I'll ask on beamdogs forum later if they have made one.
     
  15. Sitra Achara

    Sitra Achara Senior Member

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    Shouldn't be too hard to add new areas. Hopefully same for map numbers, but I'll have to check.
     
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