An alternative to new creature animations

[temnix]

There is an alternative to adding new creature animations - an easier one for which you don't need a full set of files, only motion and attack animations. When you need a creature or something creature-like to appear, attack and go away, you can give invisible minions items (rings) with in-built visual effects. The rings will be undroppable, of course, and the minion needs to be made immune to the Damage effect and have a few other precautions put on it, like Protection from creature type - EA - ANYONE, unless you want it to perform some actions on itself or see a local variable. In that case you limit the protection to EVILCUTOFF and GOODCUTOFF. The minion itself should probably be NEUTRAL, but you can also try GOODBUTBLUE, if you want it to benefit from Bless and things like that. In that case choose an appropriately tall animation for the minion instead of NULL_ANIMATION and add Remove animation and Remove feet circle; this is so that spell visuals play at the right height. It is also a good idea to put one of the immunity-giving rings on the minions' other hand, like RING99. This prevents untoward developments like getting confused or panicking.

The method works the best with ranged attackers. Now, let's suppose that you would like a swarm of archers to wander in and assault a target. The ingredients will be:

1) invisible minions summoned on the target;

2) Cast spell effects on the minions, the spell applying a Teleport field effect at some range that you find convenient. If you want the attackers to appear half a screen away, you need around 300;

3) Remove creature effects on the minions to keep things tidy. If a minion can't do its job for some reason or if it gets teleported into a corner behind a wall it can't get out of, let it fade away gracefully instead of playing god knows what on the spot. Include an increase in visual range to help it spot the summoner;

4) simple scripts for the minions, like Attack(LastSummonerOf). I would put OR(2) !See(LastSummonerOf) !HPGT(LastSummonerOf,0) - > DestroySelf() on top to cleanly remove minions who can't do the deed;

5) rings with Instant/While equipped Play visual effect. This visual effect will be a looping VVC animation for the motion of the creature - walking, flying and so on, oriented with Follow target. As the minion turns, so will your superimposed animation;

6) Ranged (preferably) ability for the item, this being a Weapon-class ability.  The ring, therefore, is also the minion's weapon. The reason this should be a Ranged ability is because then you can assign the weapon custom projectiles with graphics of your choice, shooting and flying at whatever height and angle your testing shows the most appropriate. Or you can use None for the projectile. With Melee abilities you are stuck with None;

7) Play visual effect, Self-targeted, among the effects of the Ranged ability. This animation is for firing the weapon. It will trigger as soon as the attack is made. Include suppression of the first animation. By fine-tuning the timing and weapon speed here and perhaps putting blanks in the first few frames of the projectile so that it becomes visible half a second later you can make the attack look smooth;

8 ) Options for leaving the scene, also among the effects. After the missile has been fired or the weapon swing made, you no longer need the minion - the attack will deliver its payload if the minion is gone, even carried by a slow-moving projectile. Thus, you can include a Remove creature effect, Self-targeted and delayed by a second. You may put some kind of flash there so that the attacker will disappear. But there is no rush. If your minion can make only one attack per round and you shifted to give it immunities to the two Haste opcodes and Modify number of attacks, just in case, you have a guaranteed full round until the next development. If you prefer, you can have the minion leave the scene just as he came right after making the attack. For this include Set local variable (309), Self-targeted, in the attack's effects, and put a condition on top of the creature script to EscapeAreaDestroy if that local variable is set to 1.

This arrangement is for minions who must come in and attack, which makes a grander impression. If you simply want them to appear around the target, face the creature, fire and disappear, you only need the attack animation. Just make it slow enough, and as the minion whirs about through the first frames of the directions, the starting motions, there will be a complete illusion of preparing to strike, until the minion completes the turning, faces the target, and the attack animation plays through.

In principle, an invisible minion is a real creature, so you don't even need to summon him on one specific enemy. You can just summon the minion where you like and have him attack Nearest([EVILCUTOFF]) or some such. But having a definite target like LastSummonerOf and a simple program will prevent a lot of running on the spot and other strangeness.