Author Topic: Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo  (Read 9707 times)

Jeff Anderson

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Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo
« on: October 17, 2015, 02:32:02 AM »
I've been toiling away at an extension the icon over the last three months or so that turns icon into the virtual role-playing game table top specifically for the champions fifth edition role-playing game.

 I've really really good  progress on an integration layer between icon, and an existing piece of software that helps simulate combat for the champions role-playing game known as the hero combat simulator.

If anyone is interested I'd love to give a demo to show to folks. I will be putting a video out there, but just testing to see what the interest is in this type of stuff.

When combining HCS with icon on my integration software I've matched put together a solution that provides the following features:

Advance crowd and character management.
- Rosters of characters can be loaded in the hero combat simulator, and corresponding model/costumes can then be manually/automatically spawned into icon. State is persisted to take into account positioning.
- characters can be configured with specific ability animations that will fire based on champion's events (E.g. character activation)that get fired by HCS
- movement of models / characters with animations based on configured movements (eg fly), as opposed to just the player, including the ability to move multiple characters at once, drag characters to each other, etc
- Full support for the champions combat lifecycle, when an attack or other ability happens in the hero combat simulator, the corresponding attack cycle is rendered in HCS. This includes the attacker firing power specific animations and FX/powers, the defender rendering a hit or miss animation, and then different animations firing based on whether the target was knocked down, knockback stunned, etc. I am also currently working on knockback coming out of the hero combat simulator actually sending the target in icon flying back in a predetermined direction and distance.
- Health and endurance bars are updated based on the target you select, with the correct stun and endurance being tracked for the corresponding character in hero combat simulator

The code is still shaky in some areas.

There are also a few key features I want to add, these include:
- enabling the ability to drive actions, attacks, etc directly from icon, with HCS becoming a background service. This would in effect make icon appear like a turn based version of COH, only using champions as the game engine
- better integration of distance and location, so things like range modifiers, movement limits, turn constraints, area effect radius, knocback distance are all automatically calculated
- better animation / ability library to make it easy to just map a power to an animation / fx set
- minion / mob control so that GMs can direct large crowds of minions using simple rules

If anyone is interested in trying to be a GM with this, or otherwise wants to hack around let me know, as I would like to get this into other people's hands.

DarkCurrent

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Re: Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo
« Reply #1 on: October 17, 2015, 03:26:45 AM »
Wow.  Do you have some videos of this to take a look at?  I've been using Icon to create scenes for screenshots, but it's been really tedious.  This sounds like it would have the type of control I need.  Are the animations you're referring to the actual power animations or emote-style facsimiles?

Jeff Anderson

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Re: Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo
« Reply #2 on: October 17, 2015, 03:41:47 PM »
I'll post up a video of the major features soon, it'll probably take me about a week as I just want to polish a few things.

Characters can be configured to fire either Movs, Powers FX, or spawning and PCs that look like powers (e.g. the fireball NPC)

DarkCurrent

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Re: Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo
« Reply #3 on: October 22, 2015, 11:26:17 AM »
Awesome. Looking forward to see your latest wizardry.

Jeff Anderson

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Re: Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo
« Reply #4 on: October 25, 2015, 06:45:22 PM »
Folks, 

A couplew of rough quick videos showing,

loading characters from HCS into COH
https://youtu.be/Ndx3-ZWTrMA

basic attack with health and endurance meters being updated, and knocback sending the target flying back the appropriate distance based on combat results
https://youtu.be/Uo0FdII_ncc

An attack that loads a FX based on the power used
https://youtu.be/7dfs8k3TwnI

Area Effect attacks with knockback
https://youtu.be/IFoPQVhNGqI
« Last Edit: October 25, 2015, 08:53:33 PM by Jeff Anderson »

DarkCurrent

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Re: Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo
« Reply #5 on: October 27, 2015, 02:48:28 AM »
I applaud you, sir.  I know it's rough around the edges, but you've achieved a major milestone imo.  We have here a facsimile combat system.

Is your programming ready for some additional testing?  Not sure it's easy for a novice like me to fire it up on my computer, but if so, I'd give it a whirl.  This has a ton of promise for a project I'm working on... screen capturing combat action scenes.  I've been hacking together images from the costume creator and /MOV commands using photoshop.  But with this, I could theoretically put all my players in the scene and have actual power animations / effects fire.

Or am I just dreaming?

Jeff Anderson

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Re: Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo
« Reply #6 on: October 27, 2015, 04:25:29 AM »
Sir that is exactly what you could do.

I think you could get it going, let me write up a quick set of install instructions and pass it over to you, there is a defect I have to fix to get this working on another person's PC, but after that it sdhould be good to go!

DarkCurrent

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Re: Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo
« Reply #7 on: October 27, 2015, 11:30:40 PM »
Sir that is exactly what you could do.

I think you could get it going, let me write up a quick set of install instructions and pass it over to you, there is a defect I have to fix to get this working on another person's PC, but after that it sdhould be good to go!

Excellent.  Take your time fixing whatever you need.  I have plenty of things to do in the meantime.

Noyjitat

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Re: Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo
« Reply #8 on: November 06, 2015, 03:11:25 AM »
Been so busy lately I still haven't gotten around to trying this out.

Jeff Anderson

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Re: Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo
« Reply #9 on: November 07, 2015, 03:39:28 AM »
No worries,

I have a by update pending and have not had s chance to get t out, crazy busy. I may hire some developers to crank this out, as I really want to see it start making some traction.

Jeff Anderson

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Re: Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo
« Reply #10 on: November 12, 2015, 04:30:57 AM »
Just a quick update, I should have a solid release ready by the end of weekend or so. Lots of cool functionality that really enhamces the use of icon for RPG / tabletop purposes on the way.

Jeff Anderson

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Re: Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo
« Reply #11 on: December 02, 2015, 03:26:34 AM »
OK, this is taking longer than expected but once I iron out the bugs Ill have a gui based application that lets you
- associate custom abilities to characters
- fire a sequence of configurable movs , FXs, Sounds, and even other referenced abilties (ie you can reuse template abilities and next them in)
- associate multiple toons with a character, and fire custom animations when you switch costumes
- associate a character with a crowd, and store locations and spawn a crowd to saved locations
- move characters using powers movements, ie click on a character model, specify a movement mode and move the character
- move all members of crowd at the same time
- simulate attack sequences, knockback and all

I know I keep promising but this release will be epic, and its almost there...

Noyjitat

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Re: Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo
« Reply #12 on: December 06, 2015, 04:47:18 AM »
Sounds great and looking forward to it.

Jeff Anderson

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Re: Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo
« Reply #13 on: January 16, 2016, 04:02:24 AM »
Ok, finally I have an update, with most of the features mentioned previously working well, at least on my box :)

You can find it here.
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ma3x5i0rkvlujsa/AAB4no0H1xSPhQqX35r9iEXJa?dl=0

If anyone wants to play test, ill be happy to walk them through installing and using it. Ill learn a bunch by watching others use it, and am happy to support as I would love to see others have as much fun with it as I have had with it. There will be bugs, but largely stuff works.

I will be recording and uploading videos on how to install and use over the coming days and weeks.

Jeff Anderson

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Re: Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo
« Reply #14 on: January 17, 2016, 09:42:42 PM »
first install video here..


https://youtu.be/E95ReCoNMEM

DarkCurrent

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Re: Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo
« Reply #15 on: January 20, 2016, 12:29:44 AM »
Video is missing.  Says it's too long.

Jeff Anderson

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Re: Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo
« Reply #16 on: January 20, 2016, 04:20:46 AM »
Fixed :)

DarkCurrent

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Re: Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo
« Reply #17 on: January 20, 2016, 12:09:50 PM »
Says it's private!   :gonk:

Jeff Anderson

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Re: Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo
« Reply #18 on: January 21, 2016, 02:47:33 AM »
Just checked, it is public, please check again  :o

Felderburg

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Re: Hero virtual RPG desktop update and vetting interest for a demo
« Reply #19 on: February 13, 2016, 11:05:57 PM »
This is super cool looking, based on the video. Now... how do we turn it into actual in game combat? :p
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