Unique model benefits

[Guest Acid One]

In my early post, "some more members...", i've discussed with you guys that the one model configuration with first person cam directly from the head of the model (by deadnail's comment), would bring more immersion in the game, but it also would bring some great features too:

1. New death scenes. Just imagine you laying on the ground, with the vision of your armor broken, chest ripped with all the blood and entrails visible, blood spraying out of your veins, as a pool of it begins to grow under your body, your head fall back on floor (the camera sees the ceiling, now) and all blurs and fade to black. (notice that would be all scripted and the scene should be cutted if the player pressed use or fire key.)
Or even you falling on your knees, seeing the ground and noticing that drops of blood come from you to the ground, and your body slowly falls into it and all is gone... i assume that is enough and your little dirty imagination can concept ideas even better that these two.

2.If paying attention, you would see from where came that weapon that you happen to select. Remember: in future, the tendency of weapons is to be lighter and small, and in case of BFG(insert number), or rocket launcher why not strap them behind you, like quake I?

3. Using one model and some decals in it, it would be more realist: the blood of your enemies would stain your clothes, weapons, just like it would do with in game objects and walls, or whatever. If set on fire, your clothes/armor would become black, etc.

4. When using some types of power-ups and/or armor, etc, the model skin would show the modifications. (Picking berserk, the veins of your arm would be pumped, your skin would be a little bit red, etc.)

5. In case of dismemberment, if doom3 have it, the model grid would be morphed, and so the skins of that part. (You could see your hand be severed by one demon's bite, and then, pick another weapon with other hand, or kick it to run for a medikit, or else, etc..)

These are only some ideas... if I stayed for 10 min. more i would had more... (whew)
Some of them are kind of distant, but some are applicable..
Some turn the game a bit more realist, but not taking it's identity.

Well, i guess that is enough for today. What do you guys think about it?
Shove feedback on me, people! >=D

(for errors or typos, i'm so sorry. english is not my native language...)

[Guest Xero]

That'd Be Pretty Kool But When You Go berserker The Player Model Should Have A Gun Happy Grin >:)

[Zaldron]

The idea of scrapping the "tiny little weapon model too much close to the camera viewpoint" for a full size character model is a very innovative and good idea. You stated in the old thread the problems to code this.

The problems (in my opinion) are this:

1. Need Skeletal animation. If you don´t do this, it will be impossible by frame animation (bah, too big for the RAM) to assemble all the animations. (reloading the shotgun and strafing right, and things like that)

2. The texture problems. You won´t get a "blurry" effect, cause you will only see the front side of your torso and hip, eliminating all back texture. That gives you some more surface to work. Legs & arms need full texture, obviously.

3. The bloody cloth & armor concept. Nothing really hard to code. I´m hoping that DooM 3 uses something like SoF´s GHOUL.
This can be used to aplly patches to the skin surface and emulate scratches, shots, burns. A deformation of the object for dismemberment isn´t necessary, only some color-key over the texture and some internal detail (like some chuncks of meat and a bone).

[Zaldron]

I forgot, iD will probably use detail texturing (alpha images that give a bumpy feeling over textures used on walls over SoF, Q3A, DX, UT). With this little help, you´ll be seeing the hair over your arms, the scratches in your armor, etc.

BTW, i´m neither from USA.

[deadnail]

Dammit, what did I do wrong?

Now then, the model should be designed in the fashion of Tomb Raider, Duke Nukem: TTK, and Heretic II. You character grabs the rungs of a ladder correctly, actually grabs switches to flip them, climbs ropes, does hand-over-hand over chasms, and several other actions. When strafing, you're running one direction while turned at the hips to face another (was done perfectly in Duke Nukem: ZH for N64).

Skeletal animation isn't enough... the skeleton needs to be designed so that unconnected 'bones' can perform their own actions. IE, recoil from a bullet in the left shoulder while firing the right handed pistol, all while using your legs to tread water. Half-Life's skeletal animation is good, but not this good.

As said before, the 'camera' should be placed directly between the eye textures in the skin, right in front of the mesh. Look at a deathmatch model in Half-Life or Q3A... see how they aim? It looks like most of the work is done already. 8)

Now then, onto body decals and damages. Duke Nukem Forever has the best use of this I've ever seen. There's damn near pinpoint decals for bullet wounds complete with exit wounds. Blood sprays from the impact will stain the armor. Armor will be scratched and dented where it's hit. SoF does have this to an extent, but it's not as complete. The bullet wounds are pinpoint, either, but there certainly are enough of them to do the trick!

Dismemberment should be automatic death. The shock alone is enough to kill you, let alone the bleeding. Most infantry men who get a limb blown off die, sad but true. They may lie on the ground screaming like hell for a while but due to the shock there's little else they can do except pray.

For weapon placement on the body if it's to appear realistic:
1. Chainsaw, strapped to left side at hips.
2. Pistol, either holster under left arm or on right hip.
3. Shotgun, sheath on back.
4. Chaingun, attached by crane under backpack.
5. Rocketlauncher, crudely hanging out of backpack.
6. Plasma Rifle, strapped to the left side of the backpack.
7. BFG, taking up the rest of the backpack.
Just don't ask about where the hell the ammo is, or how he draws it so fast. :) Yes, I know that Doom 3 will most likely not have a rocket launcher. This was merely an example based on the Doom arsenal.

When fully loaded up with all your equipment you should run slower. I know, I know, it would really screw with Deathmatch... make it single player only then. Hey! You should also sink rather slowly when just spawned due to your armor... but when fully loaded you should sink like a rock.

Take a little 5 pound weight and get in a deep pool. You'll drop like a ValueJet!

Maybe I'm trying to be too realistic for Doom. Hell, it's just an idea. Don't flame me.


Finally, don't worry about your English. Hell, use AltaVista translations to type it in your birth language then just hit a button to change it to ours.

So long as the word Eighspenkehferenshcutzukkle isn't mixed in somewhere instead of the word "foot" I can understand you. =)

Gee, I hope I didn't just say something offensive...

[Guest DoomManiac]

Xero said:

That'd Be Pretty Kool But When You Go berserker The Player Model Should Have A Gun Happy Grin >:)

I think this all sounds good. But if you want to see how models/people/creatures should move then play Unreal Tournament. Yeah it has the floating torso thing and doors open by themselves, but the movement is tight and I think that is the way Doom 3 should move. Just make the camera between the eyes, give the player a real body, and interact with the enviroment more.

[Jeremy]

The only way that would be enjoyable, is if you could switch inbetween "tombraider" view, and "DooM" view. I dont want to be staring at a guys ass, and not know where to go, cuz hes in the way!

[deadnail]

We're not talking about making Doom 3 3rd person. We still want the game to be 1st person, your view is right behind the gun.

What we're talking about is seeing your hands flip switches, seeing your hands climb ladders, aiming down and seeing your chest, legs, and feet... and strafing while looking right over your shoulder.

[Guest c-d-w]

so you can shoot yourself in the kneecaps? COOL!!

[deadnail]

When aiming down your character would automatically staunch his legs and aim between them, downwards, stopping at a certian angle like always. Otherwise, you could just aim down really fast and pistol-whip yourself in the crotch!

[Guest TossMonkey]

Hmmm There are some cool ideas here but what about mesh model morphing? or skeletal tags? the first one you could use to get dents in a bad guys or wounds. and with the second it would be easier to put weapons in hands. PLUS you can add extra spikes to imps and other baddies, or make them bigger or smaller to give some variety to characters!!. or some kind of pigment thing to give your character different color skin without different textures! like ingame randomization!!!