Scripting animations

Ok, scripting effects is easy enough, what about animations? Does anyone know how to script so an NPC performs an animation?

Example 1: When Lila does her spell at the end of DH I would have liked her to drop the cauldron and then bend over it like she is using it (the 'pick lock animation' would have been ideal) to do her witchy magic.

Example 2: Have Murraya and Paida prone on the bed when u enter, then they can get up if necessary (as it says in the dialogue).

Example 3: My tenants in Sunom's upstairs were meant to dance, a la the goblin rave near Thrommel's room (whole damn point of that quest!)

Example 4: Liv added a thing so that if u recruited Furnok, and he had made enough money and left the party to retire, (he retires to the Welcome Wench for those who don't know, poor tragic fool ) you could go back to him and get him to crack Lareth's diary lock/trap for you. Again, the theiving skills animation would look good there.

Example 5: Ah heck there are countless moments where it would be nice to add animations! (About 5 for the Snake Pit come straight to mind - mea culpa!)

Anyone got any ideas?

 

Tried to do some scripting command searching, but found nothing that could do what you want, Ted... I'm not saying it's impossible, but I can't think of a command that could play an animation for an NPC... Even after looking at the dump of commands available for objects and within the 'game' Python object.

Do we have an instance of playing an animation from a script in the game itself? If someone can give me a hint where this could be happening, I could look in more detail. First I thought at looking in spells, but it seems that spell scripts don't really play the animation, they just assign particle effects and apply spell effects, and that's about it.

- Agetian

 

Well thanks for looking, but nothing comes to my mind either. If anyone does think of anything, please mention it!

Edit: Who said mindless spamming is, well, mindless? Was just copping a theological mouthful from Lord Plothos and realised I may have already answered this question.

The protos.tab includes properties for items such as 'use wand animation' (they're flags, actually). So perhaps to add an animation u simply create an obj in the PCs (or NPCs) inventory with a 'san_equip' (or whatever) script that will immediately cause the player to perform that animation to 'use' the item, then u destroy the item.

How many animations are there? 3? 5? 20? Couldn't be more than 20, so its just an extra 20 items in some obscure part of the protos.tab that people can call on any time they like

O and now I think of it, Liv already did it (of course ) Remember the jerking around animation when NPCs are trying to break free? I think that (and the subsequent effect) was caused by her manufacturing a potion on the spot and getting them to 'drink' it.

Keeping this in mind: The following flags may or may not be useful (untested for the moment):

ocf2_auto_animates
ocf2_using_boomerang
ocf_moving_silently
ocf_sleeping
oif_use_is_throw
oif_use_wand_anim

 

Good idea! It's always good to make workarounds in ToEE when there is no direct implementation of a thing (that's why I love ToEE engine as well - it has a lot of versatility, at least as far as the scripting workarounds go )

At least they seem to be generic ToEE flags (and not Arcanum leftovers). Of course, they may be broken or unfinished, but who knows? (I never played with these flags myself).

- Agetian