It just hit me... I WANT TO PLAY.

[emu265]

Sitting here, messing with Codewalker's costume creator...  I really, really want to play.  Positron Task Force sounds like fun.  Gahhhhh why did this happen.  Champions is fun, but not enough, I refuse to keep eating salt when I want sugar. 

[Victoria Victrix]

I am so with you there.  That's why I am determined to try and learn demoediting.  It's not quite playing, but you can still be with your old friends when you are done.

[ThorsAssassin]

Couldn't agree with ya more Emu!

Like Mercedes, I try and fulfill that from demo editing, trying to figure out how to make em fight, using what I have to cruise the verse, though I also agree, nothing like getting in a group and running.

[johnrobey]

I was going to put this on a thread where the conversation had drifted over to Alt-itis/Alt-oholism.  Yesterday, I booted up Mids and designed my Storm/Water Blast Defender.   I didn't go so far as add slots and IO's, just picked powers.  While it will be a while (if ever) before I can create Bikini Babe I had fun toodling around with Mids.

Sympathies for all of us wanting to play City of Heroes. 

[cohRock]

... I booted up Mids and designed my Storm/Water Blast Defender ...

John, did you notice the awesome-most über combo of Freezing Rain + Whirlpool ?  You can have the pair by level 10!

[GoreckiMike]

My normal week would have been: Work building IT Solutions, Work on building an Ulcer. Then, on FRI evening thru SUN night, open a few choice Cigars and some Soda/NRG drinks...

Play COX!!!

After a full week of work, it just felt Plain Good to play with all of you.

[Kistulot]

While clearly demoediting is the best way to go to create new game content (in FMV form, as it were) I want to ask before I try to dive in... what, besides time sink and learning curve, are the limits of the system?

Clearly it wont be easy - not that such a thing ever stopped me before - but I'd like to know realistically what can't be done with it.

I want to play too, but I'd settle for seeing some of Argent Girl's ongoing adventures :)

[Arachnion]

While clearly demoediting is the best way to go to create new game content (in FMV form, as it were) I want to ask before I try to dive in... what, besides time sink and learning curve, are the limits of the system?

Clearly it wont be easy - not that such a thing ever stopped me before - but I'd like to know realistically what can't be done with it.

I want to play too, but I'd settle for seeing some of Argent Girl's ongoing adventures :)

Having characters move around by you coding it in is *very hard*.

Even for Leandro, and we all know about his skill with demos.

I am also unaware of if it's even possible to code in mobs and have a character attack them... a question for Codewalker, Leandro, or Samuraiko, surely.

Pretty sure you can't zone or change areas while in a demo, either.

Perhaps the biggest limitation, is that only what is written in the demofile that is playing, will occur. It starts and goes all the way through to the end of the file, where it will indeed finish if you don't loop, I believe. (the demo launcher by zloth I think? lets you loop infinitely, allowing you to zoom around the map with free cam if you want)

These are the only limits I can think of, off the top of my head.

[Kistulot]

Having characters move around by you coding it in is *very hard*.

Even for Leandro, and we all know about his skill with demos.

I am also unaware of if it's even possible to code in mobs and have a character attack them... a question for Codewalker, Leandro, or Samuraiko, surely.

Pretty sure you can't zone or change areas while in a demo, either.

Perhaps the biggest limitation, is that only what is written in the demofile that is playing, will occur. It starts and goes all the way through to the end of the file, where it will indeed finish if you don't loop, I believe. (the demo launcher by zloth I think? lets you loop infinitely, allowing you to zoom around the map with free cam if you want)

These are the only limits I can think of, off the top of my head.

Challenge: Accepted.

Of course the whole zoning thing can be done by making multiple demo records and recording them using FRAPS or another similar program...

That said, thank you for taking the time to reply! :)

[Arachnion]

No problem :)

[Codewalker]

I am also unaware of if it's even possible to code in mobs and have a character attack them... a question for Codewalker, Leandro, or Samuraiko, surely.

It's possible to synthesize the necessary events for power activation / hit.

It is by no means easy. It's something better left to a dedicated tool rather than trying to manage the complexity of it by hand.

If someone is working on such a "demo studio" tool, please contact me privately and I can supply details on how to access information that will be very useful, such as mapping of powers to MOVs, FX, and timing info. Programming experience with strong understanding of binary formats and data structures is a must if anyone is up to the challenge to undertake that.

I would just post the information, but it's something that if I did, I would probably spend so much time answering questions about how it works that I'd never get anything else done.

[Arachnion]

Curse of being a genius, eh?

Being asked questions, needed to explain things..  ;)

[corvus1970]

Codewalker is like Reed Richards, smart and in-demand. However I don't think he has to worry about a nutsy European dictator with an old, old grudge.

Although I now have an image of Doctor Doom, fists balled as he screams "CODEWALKEEEERRRRRRRRRR!" to the sky :)

[Golden Girl]

Codewalker is like Reed Richards, smart and in-demand. However I don't think he has to worry about a nutsy European dictator with an old, old grudge.

Just a crazed Korean one :P

[Leandro]

Having characters move around by you coding it in is *very hard*.

Even for Leandro, and we all know about his skill with demos.

It helps that I'm not writing democode itself. For years (since Donuts) I've been using a script that takes an absolute timeline (so I don't need to mess with delay numbers for timing) and keyframes for movement (so I just give a start/end location, and the script interpolates it). It's the same script Angelus Animi has been using. It's not easy to learn, though, and I've been thinking of rewriting it to be more user friendly.

Running/walking through a flat surface? Piece of cake, it just takes two lines on my script:

10   CuppaJo   2606 64.2 131   2500 64.2 131   PLAYER_WALK_FORWARD
70   CuppaJo   2576 64.2 131

That moves CuppaJo from one coordinate to another, while walking, from second 1 of the demo to second 7 of the demo. Super easy.

Now, making a character move on uneven terrain, like stairs? Harder. This is my script for Lord Recluse moving towards the bottom of the stairs on Atlas Park, pausing, waving hi, and going up the stairs:

0   Signature_Lord_Recluse   205 0,3 -110   -325 0,3 -110   PLAYER_WALK_FORWARD
50   Signature_Lord_Recluse   180 0,3 -110   171 0,3 -110   IDLE_WALK_POST
60   Signature_Lord_Recluse      171 0,3 -120   EMOTE_HI
61   Signature_Lord_Recluse      171 0,3 -115
120   Signature_Lord_Recluse   180 0,3 -110   171 0,3 -110   PLAYER_WALK_FORWARD
150   Signature_Lord_Recluse   175 0,3 -127   175 0,3 -200
170   Signature_Lord_Recluse   175 5,3 -137,2   175 5,3 -637

Coming up with those numbers took a good 30 minutes. It wasn't entirely horrible, but it was quite a bit of work. I wouldn't call it *very hard*. Just sort of tedious.

[Dollmistress]

 :o :o Golden Girl! :o :o

Let our battle of nonsense...RESUME!!!  8)

Sometimes
A new instance
It's electronic music
It's
It's
Wow
It's everything

Giving it
player player player
Never never
player player player
Never gonna stop the player
Til the sun goes comes burning down
Oh yeah right

Giving it
player player player
Never never
player player player
Never gonna stop the player
Til the sun goes comes burning down
Oh yeah right

The roughest and the toughest makin' K in the house!

[Standyby for the trances]

...development of origins about getting back down again
talked about how in the hostage developments
getting some that people that'd
actually suffered stress
we have a really good legal position
known as the forth
every jump that I've ever done
in twen'y years
earlier I had a pretty good...

[emu265]

My goodness, I'll have to work on this demo business over semester break (luckily I have six weeks).  Also, I noticed Codewalker used Codewalker magic to 'unlock' the wholly incomplete Psionic Melee.  Sad it never came to fruition, even the body animations look fantastic.

[A Cyclops named Steve]

Sitting here, messing with Codewalker's costume creator...  I really, really want to play.  Positron Task Force sounds like fun.  Gahhhhh why did this happen.  Champions is fun, but not enough, I refuse to keep eating salt when I want sugar.

Brute lfItrials(esp UG)  :'(

[johnrobey]

John, did you notice the awesome-most über combo of Freezing Rain + Whirlpool ?  You can have the pair by level 10!

Yeah, it looked like there would be a lot of nice synergy between those 2 sets.   :)

[Tahquitz]

Challenge: Accepted.

Of course the whole zoning thing can be done by making multiple demo records and recording them using FRAPS or another similar program...

That said, thank you for taking the time to reply! :)

Well, if you need demorecords of city zones, they can be had.