The XML1 --> XML2 project

[nodoubt_jr]

id be happy to help out in anyway, i haven't really figured out how to convert a level properly, but i can help in other ways.  So far the XML1 Danger Room missions and its maps are done, I've just need to redo the map packages and finish up the npcs needed.  I'm currently finishing up the Brotherhood Edition, after thats done i can concentrate more on this.

[Teancum]

I can cover the levels, that's no big issue.  Since you seem to know more about what values fit best for XML2 characters I'd really appreciate it if you go back through and tweak what I have.  Blob for instance is really powerful if I recall (playing on lvl 99 right now). I need to recolor 3 FX for Act 0, then I'll upload what I have.  It's "playable" through HAARP 2, though in a debug-sort of mode.

[Norrin Radd]

The scripting for the tank part was modified (if you're using what i originally uploaded). You may be better off starting with the scripts from the original game. I got the tank to work but i noticed in MUA i had to move the camera closer to where the tank came out or else it wouldnt show up (this was also true for later tanks). You'll need to include the motionpaths appropriately also if you want to make the tanks move.

[Teancum]

Cleaned up a few little things last night.  Fixed the steam FX and a few missing convo HUDs for baddies in Act 1.  I couldn't find a comparable effect to replace lavaburst.xmlb (the lava shots shown in the first few seconds of this video) so that'll have to be a scratch rebuild.  I've got Jubilee and Magma in as playables thanks to the catalog and will be dropping in Beast, Emma, Psylocke and Spidey to round out the defaults for now.

[Teancum]

Installed a number of other characters last night so we can have a working list to go from.  I'm not saying this should be the final list or anything, but I took the same concept as XML2 and MUA, adding 1-2 bonus characters to the game.

The list as it stands now:
The original 14
1) Beast
2) Colossus
3) Cyclops
4) Emma Frost
5) Gambit
6) Iceman
7) Jean Grey
8) Jubilee
9) Magma
10) Nightcrawler
11) Psylocke
12) Rogue
13) Storm
14) Wolverine

Additional X-Men/mutants
**15) Angel
**16) Bishop
**17) Sunfire
**18) Polaris

Bonus characters (a la Iron Man/Deadpool in XML2, or Nick Fury in MUA)
**19) Captain America
**20) Spider-Man

I would have done more, but we're prepping to move into a house.  That being said, the rest of this week will be busy, so I may/may not get much done.




I have a priority list in my head, and truthfully I think it will be hard to stick to it, but worth it.  In essence it entails (in order of priority):

1--Focusing on making the game a playable "alpha".  The means if there's a piddly little bug or something that's not simple to fix it can wait.  We just want to be able to get through.
2--Sound updates, side missions and character fixes
3--Scripting updates for more difficult things and workarounds (like how we'll handle Alison at the mansion)
4--Menu UI updates (color/layout) and loading/concept screens
5--MP Danger Room
6--Misc fixes like floating objects (playing through the console version vs PC version and fixing what doesn't match)


...obviously it's more complex than that, but in my experience working on a lot of large-scale projects if you knock out the biggest task the others always get done, but if you do it the other way around you're far less likely to complete the project.  That being said I actually feel really good about it -- considering Norrin's tools and research the work to get a level to alpha actually goes pretty quick.

[nodoubt_jr]

this all sounds good and i do plan on getting into this after I'm done with my current project, the only thing i would say is for the bonus non X-Men characters i would use Ms Marvel, she has had a lot of interactions with the X-Men (sorta like Deadpool).

[Teancum]

Works for me

[Teancum]

Updates -- thoughts and things I'm working on

--I'm coding in a new game var, "beat_game".  It'll affect quite a few things, such as Act 0.  If beat_game is true you'll eventually (I haven't coded this) be able to start with four characters and a change-team xtraction point will be in the first section.  This will also affect certain conversations, and will disable the mansion tour entirely if its set to true.

--As Norrin pointed out a long time ago, the only way to get Jean to follow you on the tour is to set combat ON.  That being said, all breakable/hurtable items will now be unbreakable.  So you can claw and attack all you want, but it won't hurt anyone/anything

--The mansion will run differently.  Alison will now be an NPC that follows the player, and if you choose to do the tour Jean/Prof X will also follow you.  This allows for 4 players in the mansion, and makes scripting easier.  For Magma-based mansion conversations the team leader (_HERO_1_) will "intruduce" Magma via one text-only line, then Magma will hold the original convo.

[Teancum]

And it ends as quickly as it began.  I'm stopping all updates on my side of this project.  Every time I fix something another thing totally unrelated breaks.  Considering I just wanted to be able to add a few characters to XML1 Xbox I'll just straight out code them in standard xml and wash my hands of this.  I'll still upload what I have but now it's only playable to the Blob fight due to the fact that the game can't find Blob (even though all references are correct)

[nodoubt_jr]

i had a similar issue when trying to convert the Shiar MUA levels back to XML2, as soon as i fixed something (activation of doors), something else went wrong (animation wouldn't play), and as soon as i fixed that something else would go wrong (Deathbird would not spawn, so no battle took place, eventhough before everything in that level worked find and i had not changed anything there).  So i just gave up since something always went wrong, lol.  Thats why i hate levels.

[Dark_Mark]

And it ends as quickly as it began.  I'm stopping all updates on my side of this project.

That's a shame really. I was hoping to play this one day

[Teancum]

Neither engine can handle what XML1 is -- XML2 has issues with crap disappearing, and MUA just is so vastly different that the game acts differently.

[Norrin Radd]

It's possible to convert it to MUA, you just need to make some compromises. By replacing the mansion parts with just subbasement levels and living with stationary tanks that don't shoot, the rest is pretty much convertable. You need to save the game, exit and restart it when models start disappearing, but that only happens after about 5 levels.

[Teancum]

*sigh*  I hate when I can't put a project down.   I ended up going back through it again and finally got Blob to reappear, so I have it working until HAARP 2 again.  I also decided to try and "trim the fat" if you will from levels so that we wouldn't have object issues.  By removing the tour entirely from the mansion (as well as some unnecessary objects like papers and a few plants) I was able to get the whole mansion to load all objects without issues on a straight play-through.  However, if you played through to HAARP then loaded a game just before you enter the mansion 2-3 objects will be missing in the mansion.  Not bad considering...

To further trim the fat I'm going to overhaul the menu system to the XML1 menus.  I had really hoped to wait on that since completing levels is more important, but moving to the XML1 menus means dropping the amount of menu objects in memory to about 1/2, saving us memory.

I'm not sure if there's a bulk chunk of memory for everything loaded in the game, or if it's specific to each type of object, such as models, effects, text, etc.  Either way the more we can trim that's unnecessary the better.  Excess sounds, strings, animations, models, etc -- whatever is not used by XML1 PC needs to go to make room.

So long story short I was a bit too hasty yesterday.  But now this is just going to become a side project.  That way I'm not pushing myself too hard and frustrating things.  I'll still be uploading the source files (so anyone who's interested can join in on the fun), but not until I get HAARP 2 completely done and make it so you can get to HAARP 3.  Right now the mod is a 100% stand-alone game, so you don't need XML1 PS2 nor XML2/MUA PC.  I figure if we're worried about copyright I can always script CD checks into the installer once we have a full game.



------MOD-SPECIFIC UPDATES/THOUGHTS------
*Let's do flashbacks as Danger Room "discs" - this makes them uber-easy to script and force specific characters while not slowing gameplay.  Once you finish a flashback conversation the conversation will trigger a "disc unlock" similar to when you pick up a danger room disc in XML2.  This also makes it so that someone can play the flashback repeatedly if they want to.

*I'm going to change the way you unlock Cyclops.  Once you beat Mystique and progress to the next level, playable Cyc will be standing there instead of AI Cyc.  The conversation will start, then you'll get a notification that he's "unlocked" (technically he always was).  That way we're trimming the scripting and shortening the chance for a spare Cyc running around, which has happened before.

*All Xtraction Points will be removed from Act 0.  I've added a Save Game menu item to the pause menu, so you'll always be able to save your game.  This makes it so that nobody can change characters from Wolvy/Cyc, but they're always able to save the game.

*As I said before we're gonna need to trim the fat.  For now I'm going through level engbs and remove anything that's unneeded, then go back through that level's pkgb and remove those entries as well.

@ nodoubt_jr or matt710 -- what are the chances of getting a some quality Dazzler/Banshee mods for XML2?  From what I played I wasn't all that impressed with Ramen's.  They might be great additions to the game.

[Dark_Mark]

*sigh*  I hate when I can't put a project down.   I ended up going back through it again and finally got Blob to reappear, so I have it working until HAARP 2 again. 

 

I also decided to try and "trim the fat" if you will from levels so that we wouldn't have object issues.  By removing the tour entirely from the mansion (as well as some unnecessary objects like papers and a few plants) I was able to get the whole mansion to load all objects without issues on a straight play-through. 

From my MUA experience, there seems to be a per-level memory limit unrelated to the type of loaded objects. This means that removing an unused script makes more room for a new conversation and vice-versa.