User:Scuzzbopper/Demo Editing

Pulling together some Demo Editing notes here.

Overview

Stuff.

Demo Code

Version

Does this even do anything?

Transparency (Stealth)

Most stealth/invisibility/transparency effects don't play back in demos. The few exceptions (like trainer War Witch and Numina) are built into the model and not something you can apply.

However, although the standard stealth powers don't work, this FX does:

OBJECTIVEOBJECTFX/GHOSTED.FX

This is the placeable mission objective effect (like for planting bombs) that make the objects transparent until you place them. I did a quick demo test as follows (splicing States onto the City Rep):

0 6 NEW "City Representative"

0 6 NPC Model_Statesman

0 6 POS 128.5 -768 -639.5

0 6 PYR 0 0 0

0 6 MOV ALTREADY_TRANS_XARMS

0 6 FX Maintained 7 OBJECTIVEOBJECTFX/GHOSTED.FX 0

The FX line is the only one I added (make sure it doesn't conflict with any other FX) and voila! Transparent Statesman.

Qualifiers:

• The transparency effect pulsates, so it's not a consistent steady level of transparency.
• The FX also includes the mission objective noise, so you might have to work with the audio.

Invasion Sky & War Walls

Normal sky: SKYFILE SKY 1 0 1.000000 Invasion sky: SKYFILE SKY 0 1 1.000000

That's using the first two fields (which is how it records during an actual invasion), which appear to be binary.

You can also play with the final number to tweak things, though I don't know how that functions. My best guess being that it's a saturation value of some sort -- the more you increase it, the more color starts washing out all detail, although interestingly it seems to predominate in the foreground, rather than the sky or distance. Possibly a depth of field value. Dunno.

Destructible Objects

Object-based NPCs that are classed as "destructible" have a variable appearance based on their hit points, sometimes as simple as destroyed/not-destroyed, sometimes with multiple different appearances including partly-damaged states.

To make these work in demos, you have to assign hit points to the models. If you don't do that, then the game assumes the hit points are zero and treats the model as "destroyed", which usually, but not always, means that it's just gone.

So when you're splicing these into the demo code, include hit points for them like so:

0 23 NPC v_destcldrn_cauldron

0 23 MOV READY

0 23 HP 150.00

0 23 HPMAX 150.00

Setting the HP equal to HPMAX will give you the default, undestroyed appearance, and hopefully that should make them appear for you. If you want to see if there are transitional appearances, you can try setting HP to half of HPMAX, and so forth. Not all have transitional appearances, but some do. The Clockwork Paladin construction comes to mind as an object with multiple different transitional appearances depending on HP. This is also how the Rikti A Bomb warning lights color is controlled.

Not all object models are destructible, but seeing "dest" anywhere in the object name is generally a guarantee that it is one of these. But there are also destructible models that don't have "dest" in the name. If in doubt, add HP & HPMAX (at 100% HP) to the model code.

Internal Links

Demo Recording

External Links

Guides

• Custom Demo Creation Guide (12/04/04) by MasterMarbles
• Demo File Format FAQ (07/07/04) by Zloth
• Storm Knight's Video Guide (08/07/04) by Storm_Knight
• Screenshot and Demo Guide v2 (12/09/04) by Zloth
• A Kitty's guide to making CoH movies! (12/21/04) by IttiBittiKitty
• Demo Editing and Videos - The end-to-end guide (07/20/05) by Majik
• Paris' Demo Guide (06/01/06) by Paris
• DEMO File Format: Addendum (character parts) (07/16/06) by Djeannie
• Toons on Film City Scoop article (02/08/08) by Dark_Respite
• Demo Edit Tutorial: Jumping on a moving truck (02/21/08) by Balshor

Tools & Applications

• CoH Demo Editor by Zloth
• CoH demo editor by Storm_Knight
• Balshor's Demo Editor by Balshor