How to add a new animation to classic BG2

[Roberciiik]

Hi,

I'm trying to add a new animation to oBG2/BGT mod. But game crashes with CTD. For example: let's consider Belhifet animation. In the WeiDU code, I copied MBE1*.BAM files and MBE1.2da to the override directory as well I extended ANIMATE.IDS with 0xE256 BELHIFET. Then I change my CRE Animation to 0xE256. What have I missed?

I can see in the Region of Terror or Drizzt Saga that they are using IC_UMBERHULK_ELDER animation slot (0xE0D0). I read somewhere that animations slots are limited in the old engine. Also, it is my first experience with animations, so could you explain this behavior to me?

Thanks

[Guest Graion@Work]

Unless you rely on the latest ToBExAL, you can't use custom filenames for your animations. All the animation slots unused in the classic game has hardcoded filenames (with differently functioning slots having partial or full filename overlaps even), which are often involve ASCII-8 characters leading to all kind of issues with character encoding and such. This is also why Infinity Animations was considered the central repository for new animations - IA maintaining the slot and filename list worked, because utilizing the new slots were complicated on their own anyway so that everyone could attempt them prety much.

If you rely on ToBExAL, that allows using a similar code and setup akin to how FIND_FREE_ANIM_SLOTS and the EE INIs work, but I think the EEs are still friendlier on that front. The next version of IA will backport all the EE animations to classic as well, but dunno it's state currently, especially considering all these ToBExAL advancements.

You should read everything from http://www.shsforums.net/topic/60391-so-the-infinity-animation-update/?p=612450 onwards IMO, that's where the ToBExAl animation breakthroughs were discussed and developed. It basically includes all the details for this.

[lynx]

Yes, they were hardcoded in the originals. InfinityAnimations used engine hacks to add new ones, you can look at that. It would be easiest to base your mod on it, even if you just repurpose one of its slots.

[skellytz]

If this is your first experience with animations, I'd suggest waiting for the next version of Infinity Animations and/or our new solution to dynamic animation slot allocation. It'll make the whole process much easier and save you a lot of headaches.

We want to give Gwendolyne plenty of time to get involved in the latest developments. It goes without saying the catching-up time frame has been extended because of the crises. We'll get it done, eventually, but we need to stay respectful.

[Roberciiik]

Thanks for your suggestions. For new animations, it should be included in Infinity Animations - got it.

But to be clear. Why Belhiet is installed that way on vanilla engine (= overriding Uber Hulk Elder anim). In IWD his anim files are MBE1, so are you saying it is disabled to use this name on other games? Is it not hardcoded for oBG2? Somehow, MUBM (Umber hulk slot) is available? 

 

[skellytz]

Infinity Animations was released in 2010 and patched new animation offsets into the game executable. Before that some older mods claimed offsets that already existed in the exe but weren't used as an available game resource.