Gaia: Animals

[zoot]

Excuse me, but apart from that I'm still dubious about the webpage thing. When I download a webpage, am I technically the one who makes the copy ? My browser just sends a request to a web server, and the web server decides (or not) to send bits of the webpage over the network as a response. To me it looks like it is the server who makes the copy, not the client. Am I wrong ?

No, but I was talking about other copies that your computer make, such as those stored in the memory and cache. If your computer didn't copy the bits it receives from the server, the page would only be able to be presented for a split second on your screen (and properly incorrectly, since it wouldn't be able to parse it).

[Unarmed]

Let's try to turn this thread back into a animal thread, my bad!

I wanted to compliment that the elephants are done accurate. North African Elephants (for the Carthagians), and Indian elephants (for the Indians).

I hope it's not only a visual difference though. North African Elephants (could be cheaper but) weaker, and Indian elephants stronger (but more expensive).

I also saw something about Syrian elephants. Great attention to detail!

I saw in a thread of Rome 2 some did not care. But to me it's the same as historical accurate shields and units. While you can be very extreme in this, people would complain about Romans with medieval helmets, so why not make it as historical accurate as do-able/possible. The difference between African and Indian elephants are also notable.

I read about the Egyptians using Ethiopian elephants, these might have been Forest or Bush elephants. I see this was also in the description of this civ.

But yeah since there is no good agreement what these are you might as well stick to the North African ones.

[wraitii]

For the record, we have a crocodile model (from Historicity according to trac, no idea what that is). It needs both a texture and to be rigged/animated. I've given a shot at tweaking it slightly and rigging it, but the legs are giving me trouble.

I've also optimized the shark model and changed the rigging/animations, I'll commit that after A15. I've also added an entity for it (no attacks, but it will make them roam the map and flee if attacked which looks a lot nicer).

[feneur]

(from Historicity according to trac, no idea what that is)

Presumably http://www.wildfiregames.com/forum/index.php?showuser=494

[wraitii]

Likely, yes. Hadn't thought it might be a member, had figured some unfindable FOSS project .

[Mythos_Ruler]

Crocodiles (and Hippopotamuses) are a must-have for Egyptian and African maps. I wish we would have gotten those in for A15. Oh well, A16 it is!

[mimo]

For the record, we have a crocodile model (from Historicity according to trac, no idea what that is). It needs both a texture and to be rigged/animated. I've given a shot at tweaking it slightly and rigging it, but the legs are giving me trouble.

I've also optimized the shark model and changed the rigging/animations, I'll commit that after A15. I've also added an entity for it (no attacks, but it will make them roam the map and flee if attacked which looks a lot nicer).

there is also this one from micket (already textured)

http://www.wildfiregames.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=17399

[Micket]

Was it my model that caused problems to animate, or some older model (I didn't know there was one) ?

If it's my model, I could take a look at the legs to see if I can try to improve the topology.

[wraitii]

Hm, actually, it's the older model, I didn't notice your new one. I'll just switch model and have it use the armature I've done.

Shoulda checked that before, sorry.

[Argantonius]

Animal: Beaver

Location: Temperate Europe, North of Europe, near water. (Rhine marshlands biome)

Object: Beaver lodge

Location: Temperate Europe, North of Europe, near water. (Rhine marshlands biome)

Fun fact: In 0 AD's timeframe beavers lived also in Mediterranean Europe. The Romans said they were numerous in the Guadalquivir. So consider them not out of place in other maps with water.

I also saw pheasants for alpine and temperate.

Pheasants are not native to that area. Though it is a fact that the Romans brought them to Europe, and thanks to the Romans and 18th century hunters they now do live in all of Europe. Pheasants were bred by Romans for meat, so it's better to make them passive and have them in the mediterranean area.

The pheasant thing might be real nitpicking I guess and not many people would be bothered and so it could be ignored. But the wildebeest is something that I think does deserve to be changed.

I suggested the Capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus) or the Black Grouse (Tetrao tetrix) in Alpine and Temperate and the Great Bustard (Otis tarda) in Mediterranean and steppe maps. It doesn't live in India or Africa but there are other very similar bustards there. If it doesn't fly (he-he) peacocks and ostriches are suitable replacements in these places. The Ptarmigan was listed as part of Tundra but could also appear in Alpine.

[Phalanx]

Is there a place to find all the animals models/rigs? I might try my hand at making a few animations.

[sanderd17]

Meshes, textures and animations can all be found in the art directory: http://trac.wildfiregames.com/browser/ps/trunk/binaries/data/mods/public/art

Note that our animation model uses a "skeleton" that requires certain names from your animation bones. It allows to reuse animations across different meshes.

 

Maybe it would be nice to animate the musk ox? As next to an ugly texture, it also has no animations so far: https://wildfiregames.com/forum/index.php?/topic/20583-musk-ox-model-texture-enhancement

[Lion.Kanzen]

This must be updated.

[Stan`]

@Lion It's up to date now.

[Stan`]

Updated first post.

[Stan`]

Updated first post

[Nescio]

It's great cattle has been added to the game. Now I'm hoping for more poultry:

• mallard (Anas platyrhynchos)
• greylag goose (Anser anser)
• mute swan (Cygnus olor)
• turkey (Meleagris gallopavo)
• helmeted guineafowl (Numida meleagris)
• Dalmatian pelican (Pelecanus crispus)
• common pheasant (Phasianus colchicus)
• greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)
• common ostrich (Struthio camelus)
• African sacred ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus)

[Stan`]

@Nescio, will add them, do you have specific names for the current list ? So that we do not have to look them up afterwards.

[Nescio]

The list in the first post you mean? Yeah, I could look them up.

Also, I believe lion, lioness, muskox, pig, and peafowl are already in game. Furthermore, flamingo and ostrich were already listed, and goose is now there three times.

[Stan`]

22 minutes ago, Nescio said:

The list in the first post you mean? Yeah, I could look them up.

Also, I believe lion, lioness, muskox, pig, and peafowl are already in game. Furthermore, flamingo and ostrich were already listed, and goose is now there three times.

• Lion and Lioness are not up to the game standard.
• Pig was reported to have unrealistic animations
• Muskox still needs animations
• Removed geese and peafowl
• Removed flamingo
• Removed ostrich

[wowgetoffyourcellphone]

30 minutes ago, Stan` said:

• Removed ostrich

Awwww, was looking forward to that one. Would have been unique (you often don't see them as part of the fauna set in games).

 

30 minutes ago, Stan` said:

• Pig was reported to have unrealistic animations

 

Animators need to understand that the feet don't go directly under the hips/shoulders. They angle inward toward the center of gravity. The pig and wildebeest look like they waddle because they don't follow this principle. Gotta look at reference images/videos. Can't just wing it. People intuitively know what pigs and cattle-like animals look like when they walk, so it stands out in the brain when they don't move right in the game. Hell, I used to be addicted to the Discovery Channel back in the day when they would run nature shows constantly. I may have seen more wildebeests in my life than cows!  

Edited May 14, 2019 by wowgetoffyourcellphone

[Nescio]

Here you go:

On 9/28/2003 at 11:41 AM, Acumen said:

In game, apparently unfinished:

• Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) - Thread Ticket - Polar Texture, Animations
• Dragon - Model, Textures, Animations
• Lion - Model, Textures, Animations
• Lioness - Model, Textures, Animations
• Muskox - Thread - Animations
• Pig - Thread - Animations
• Shark - Thread - Textures, Animations
• Tuna - Thread - Animations
• Walrus -  Model, Textures, Animations
• Wildebeest -  Model, Textures, Animations

Assigned: 

• Aurochs (Bos primigenius) - Thread Ticket - Assigned to @Alexandermb

Missing only animations

• Gorilla - Thread Ticket -  Animations
  • presumably western lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla)
• Indian Cobra (Naja naja) - Thread Ticket -  Animations
• Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius) - Thread Ticket -  Animations
• Chukar Partridge (Alectoris chukar) - Thread Ticket - Animations
• Cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus) - Thread - Animations
• Oryx - Thread -  Animations
  • Arabian Oryx (Oryx leucoryx): Arabian peninsula
  • Scimitar Oryx (Oryx dammah): North Africa
  • East African oryx (Oryx beisa): Horn of Africa
  • Gemsbok (Oryx gazella): South Africa
• Golden Eagle (Aquila chrysaetos) - Thread - Animations

Missing textures and animations

• Striped Hyena (Hyaena hyaena) - Thread - Texture, Animations
• Mandrill (Mandrillus sphinx) - Thread - Textures, Animations
• Indian Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros unicornis)- Thread Ticket - Reuse White Rhinoceros needs Textures, Model Tweak with 1 horn less.

Missing models, textures and animations

• Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus) - Ticket - Model, Textures, Animations
• Parrot - Thread - Model, Textures, Animations [no idea which one, hundreds of species]
• Ibex - Thread - Model, Textures, Animations [several species, see https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibex ]
• Gull - Model, Textures, Animations [no idea which one]
• Vulture - Model, Textures, Animations [no idea which one]
• Leopard (Panthera pardus) - Model, Textures,  Animations
• Seal - Model, Textures, Animations [no idea which one]
• Reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) - Model, Textures, Animations
• Rat - Model, Textures, Animations
  • Black Rat (Rattus rattus)
  • Brown Rat (Rattus norvegicus)
• Rock Ptarmingan (Lagopus muta) - Model Textures, Animations
• Egret - Model, Textures, Animations [no idea which one]
• Porpoise - Model, Textures, Animations [no idea which one]
• Tortoise - Model, Textures, Animations [no idea which one]
• Turtle - Model, Textures, Animations [no idea which one]
• Water Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) -  Model, Textures, Animations
• Bison (Bison bison) -  Model, Textures, Animations
• Wisent (Bison bonasus)-  Model, Textures, Animations
• Hamadryas Baboon (Papio hamadryas) - Model, Textures, Animations
• Albatros - Model, Textures, Animations [no idea which one] [also unsure why we would want this]
• Rhesus Macaque (Macaca mulatta)- Model, Textures, Animations
• Eurasian Otter (Lutra lutra) - Model, Textures, Animations
• Brown Hare (Lepus europaeus) - Model, Textures, Animations
• Mallard (Anas platyrhynchos) - Model, Textures, Animations
• Greylag Goose (Anser anser) - Model, Textures, Animations
• Mute Swan (Cygnus olor) - Model, Textures, Animations
• Turkey (Meleagris gallopavo) - Model, Textures, Animations
• Helmeted Guineafowl (Numida meleagris) - Model, Textures, Animations
• Dalmatian Pelican (Pelecanus crispus) - Model, Textures, Animations
• Common Pheasant (Phasianus colchicus) - Model, Textures, Animations
• Greater Flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus) - Model, Textures, Animations
• Common Ostrich (Struthio camelus) - Model, Textures, Animations
• African Sacred Ibis (Threskiornis aethiopicus) - Model, Textures, Animations

 

[Stan`]

20 minutes ago, wowgetoffyourcellphone said:

Awwww, was looking forward to that one. Would have been unique (you often don't see them as part of the fauna set in games).

 

Only the duplicate There is still Nescio's

21 minutes ago, wowgetoffyourcellphone said:

Animators need to understand that the feet don't go directly under the hips/shoulders. They angle inward toward the center of gravity. The pig and wildebeest look like they waddle because they don't follow this principle. Gotta look at reference images/videos. Can't just wing it. People intuitively know what pigs and cattle-like animals look like when they walk, so it stands out in the brain when they don't move right in the game. Hell, I used to be addicted to the Discovery Channel back in the day when they would run nature shows constantly. I may have seen more wildebeests in my life than cows!  

I just reused the boar animations So it makes sense.

8 minutes ago, Nescio said:

Here you go:

Thanks a lot !

 

[Stan`]

Updated. This way the students from the graphics school will have more choice  

[Nescio]

2 hours ago, Stan` said:

Well the only "purpose" I can see is the animals' relative autonomy. But yeah, as long as they are yours and not Gaia's I don't see the point either. Here is what the "somewhat" outdated design document say about animals :

• Entities Nature Fauna
• Entities Nature Fauna Herd
• Entities Nature Fauna Hunt
• Entities Nature Fauna Cosmetic

According to these, It would make sense to be able to capture animals and order them to get into the corral. See also #1907

(Side note: @Nescio they give a bit more information about the animals than the animal thread, maybe you can guess the missing specific names from there ?)

Thank you for the links, but no, there is not enough information there either. There are hundreds of turtle and tortoise species; so it's simply a matter which one(s) the artist decides to create; the specific name can be easily looked up then.

Having said that, I think there should be a separate list for flying birds (e.g. hawk), as opposed to edible birds (e.g. chicken, peacock).

The former inherit from `template_bird.xml`, are purely cosmetic, can't be selected or killed, and their templates do not have an <Identity> component, so they don't actually need icons and generic or specific names. Probably albatross, eagle, gull, hawk, parrot, and vulture.

The latter inherit from `template_unit_fauna.xml`, have footprint, health, identity, etc. and are a source of food (meat).

PS I see you've listed a hen and rooster. What's wrong with the current chicken?