Difference between revisions of "Add character to scene"

Latest revision as of 15:46, 13 January 2015

In this tutorial we will add a female alien character to the scene. We will let her walk by the cell once in a while.
If you try to talk with her, she gets angry and says you should be quiet.

Steps

1. Copy the files from the 'Tutorial resource pack' for this tutorial to the appropriate directories.
   We will describe these files here briefly:
   
   • /init/story/alien: This is the brain for the alien character. Just like the player each character has a brain.
   • /scenes/capture: These are the motion capture files used for the alien character.
   • /scenes/character6: These are the character and cloth meshes.
   • /scenes/charobj: These meshes are used for collision detection for characters in general.
   • /scenes/sounds: These files are the sound files used for the character.
   • /scene/textures: These files are the texture files used for the character.
2. Now we need a location that is the starting point for this character.
   Open the spaceship scene scene.ma and create a duplicate instance of the waypoint object.
   A duplicate instance copies only the instance of the object not the mesh itself. Name the copy waypoint2 and place it outside the cell like this:
   
3. Open the /init/story/alien/init.dat file.
   In the pose settings you see that the scene_id = SPACESHIP1 and waypoint = "waypoint2".
   The pose contains all pose settings for this character. The character is derived from the object CHAR_BASE, you can find more pose settings in the file:
   /init/std/base/char/char_base.dat. You see that the scene_id and waypoint are overridden.
4. Start the adbucted scene and if all went well, you should see an alien character outside your cell.
5. Now lets make her look at you and change her expression. Open the /init/story/alien/brain/dyn.dat file. This file contains the dynamic state for the brain.
   Here you can add brain state variables that can be changed during the game. They are automatically saved when you save the game.
   The variables main_focus_type and main_def_exp do not only contain a value but can also be used to set the actual focus and expression.
   Set main_focus_type = STARE and main_def_exp = A_BIT_ANGRY. This will make the character stare and you with an somewhat angry expression.
   Run XStoryPlayer and you should see that she follows you with an somewhat angry expression.
6. Now we want the alien character to keep walking around in the spaceship. Add two more waypoints to the scene like this:
   
   Name them waypoint3 and waypoint4. Set the starting waypoint in the pose settings of the alien to waypoint3.
   Now start XStoryPlayer again. Press F6 to go into free view mode. "Fly" around the wall and you should see the alien behind it now.
7. Now we will add some walking scripting. Walk planning is automatically calculated based on the the collision objects in the scene.
   In debug mode a file called coll.tga is created in the home directory of XStoryPlayer. It contains the path information.
   So we only have to redirect the character using the script and she walks by herself.
   Open the /init/story/alien/brain/run.dat file. It contains the code that is run for each brain.
   Replace the code with this:

   #include "init/std/base/char/brain/code/run.dat"
    
   //-------------------------------------------
    
   <*state_run>
    
   res = true;
    
   case (state.dyn.me.do.state)
   {
     [RUN0] state_run0();
   }
    
   </state_run>
    
    
   //-------------------------------------------
    
    
   <state_run0>
    
   case (state.dyn.me.do.state2)
   {
     [NONE]
     {
       // Set timer to 20 seconds
       do_set_timer(20);
    
       state.dyn.me.do.state2 = START;
     }
    
     [START]
     {
       // Wait for timer
       loc.ts = GetTs();  
       [loc.ts < state.dyn.me.do.ts] return;
    
       state.dyn.me.do.state2 = WALK1;
     }
    
     [WALK1]
     {
       // If busy with pose then wait
       [state.dyn.me.pose.result == NONE] return;
    
       // Walk towards waypoint4 and stand there
       // No need to end exactly on this waypoint	
       loc.state.pose_type = STAND;
       loc.state.waypoint  = "waypoint4";
       loc.state.exact     = 0;
       SetPose(loc.state);
    
       state.dyn.me.do.state2 = WALK2;
     }
    
     [WALK2]
     {
       // If busy with pose then wait
       [state.dyn.me.pose.result == NONE] return;
    
       // Walk towards waypoint3 and stand there
       // No need to end exactly on this waypoint	
       loc.state.pose_type = STAND;
       loc.state.waypoint  = "waypoint3";
       loc.state.exact     = 0;
       SetPose(loc.state);
    
       state.dyn.me.do.state2 = WALK1;
     }
   }
    
   </state_run0>

   This code will make the character walk between the two waypoints continuously.
   Start XStoryPlayer and after the player has gotten the feedback "Wait, I believe I hear someone coming...", you should see the alien girl walking by.

8. Now give some feedback when you see the girl. Add this code to the player run.dat file:

   [START3]
   {
    [state.dyn.me.avatar.id == ALIEN &
     state.dyn.me.avatar.range <= 6]
    {
      feedback.s = "An alien girl?? Why is she looking so angry...";
    
      state.dyn.me.do.state2 = SEEN_ALIEN;
    }
   }

   Now after you see the alien girl you get this feedback.

9. We want the alien girl to say something when you talk to her. The ref.dat file for the alien character can be used for this. Open it and change the ref.state.run0 code to this:

   run0
   {
     hello.greet =      
     {
       talk.s = "Be quiet prisoner!";
     }
    
     get.get   = hello.greet;
     if.get    = hello.greet;
     when.get  = hello.greet;
     where.get = hello.greet;
     why.get   = hello.greet;
     set.get   = hello.greet;
     info.get  = hello.greet;
     word.get  = hello.greet;
   }

   When the character is in the RUN0 state it will receive talk events. We can use the ref.state.run0 code variables to react on these talk events.
   Using the above code we basically react to any talk event and let the alien reply that you should be quiet.
   Start the story and say something to the alien when she walks by. She should respond like programmed.

10. Now we want her to come to you when you talk to her. Before we can do that first edit the collider objects a bit.
    We want the girl not to collide with the outer cell colliders only the player. Change the scene.ini file likt this:

    rb "collShape1"
    {
      physics
      {
        elem[0] {mesh = "collShape1";}
        elem[1] {mesh = "collShape2";}
        elem[2] {mesh = "collShape3"; coll_type = NONE; coll = MASK_VIEWER;}
        elem[3] {mesh = "collShape4"; coll_type = NONE; coll = MASK_VIEWER;}
      }
    }

    Rerun the filemaker. coll_type = NONE ensures the collider is not used in the path planner for the character.
    coll = VIEWER ensures the character does not collide with the collider only the player.

11. Now change the character ref.state.run0 code to this:

    run0
    {
      hello.greet =      
      {
        // Run to cell when you talk to her
        loc.state.pose_type = STAND;
        loc.state.waypoint  = "waypoint2";
        loc.state.speed     = 2;
        loc.state.exact     = 0;
        SetPose(loc.state);
     
        // Store old state
        state.dyn.me.do.prev_state = state.dyn.me.do.state2;
     
        state.dyn.me.do.state2 = WALK_CELL;
      }
     
      get.get   = hello.greet;
      if.get    = hello.greet;
      when.get  = hello.greet;
      where.get = hello.greet;
      why.get   = hello.greet;
      set.get   = hello.greet;
      info.get  = hello.greet;
      word.get  = hello.greet;
    }

    Also edit the alien character run.dat file and add:
    

    [WALK_CELL]
    {
      [state.dyn.me.pose.result == NONE] return;
     
      talk.s = "Be quiet human!";
     
      // Proceed with old state
      [state.dyn.me.do.prev_state == WALK1]   
        state.dyn.me.do.state2 = WALK2;
      else
        state.dyn.me.do.state2 = WALK1;
    }

    So when you talk to her she goes into the WALK_CELL state and when she arrives at your cell she says "Be quiet human".
    After that she proceeds with her route.
    

    Test the newly added scripts now.
12. That was a pretty long tutorial. The story is starting to take shape.
    Before we proceed with the rest of the story it would be nice to change the cloth of the alien a bit.
    Continue with the next tutorial 'Creating cloth'.