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  1. #21
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    Diabolos

  2. #22
    Old Merits
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    Asura
    WoW Realm
    Emerald Dream

    Is that "First Blood" sample from Perfect Dark Zero? For some reason it pulls on my nostalgia strings lol

  3. #23
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    Diabolos

    It's actually from Unreal Tournament 3, which is packaged with the Unreal Development Kit. As you could guess, I'm using a lot of the "base" code from UT3, and I'm pretty much just iterating from there, replacing or editing functions when necessary to get my idea across.

  4. #24

  5. #25
    RIDE ARMOR
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    Quetzalcoatl

    Cool project. I wanted to ask if you load any assets from FFXI when the game starts?

  6. #26
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    Diabolos

    Thanks for the comment!

    I'm unsure of exactly what you mean by assets. If you mean does my project pull information in real time from a FFXI installation, then no. It is a completely standalone piece of software that will run on a PC without FFXI installed.

    Otherwise, my project does utilize in-game assets (3D models) exported directly from an official FFXI installation using an old version of a program known as Folye's Model Viewer.

  7. #27
    RIDE ARMOR
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    Quetzalcoatl

    Yes, that is what I wanted to know. I was wondering how you would deal with trademarks etc. If you distribute ffxi content you might be liable for something. But if you would load data directly from the FFXI installation during run-time, then you would might be safer.

  8. #28
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    Honestly, I am fully expecting to be served with a C&D at some point. Though history would lead me to believe that this would not happen until much later into this project's development, assuming it got to a point where this game could theoretically impact revenue generated from the FFXI property (which was the case with the Chrono Trigger fan-remake). At my current rate of development, I'd expect this project to not reach that point for another 2-3 years. This logic comes from having studied Fair Use law in regards to this project in particular. I ran through the Fair Use checklist, and I was pretty much favored for Fair Use until I posted it on the internet and made it freely available.

    However, it should be taken into account that this game does not seek to remake or replace FFXI, nor does it seek to emulate it. Soldier will be more of an action game than an RPG, and it probably won't even be multiplayer. It will be quite a different experience from FFXI. Not to mention the title will be 100% free of charge.

    It should be noted that the project's README blatantly states that I am in no way affiliated with Square Enix, and in fact is written to retain their copyrights. I also collect ZERO revenue from any source related to this game. The software is free to download, there are no advertisements in the game or on my website, and I do not accept donations. In fact, I've actually spent quite a bit of my own cash to get this project up and running, most of that in the form of multiple FFXI subscriptions and other software/asset purchases.

    Square Enix would be well within their right to send me a C&D order, to which I would of course comply. At that point I'd go into overdrive searching for an artist to bring this game into an original IP, which is the ultimate goal anyway. When or if that day arrives, swapping out all the FFXI assets won't take very long, as it's essentially just a few 3D models, a couple images, and some audio.

    On a personal note, the entire purpose of this project is for my own personal education (learning to use Unreal), and to add something substantial to my portfolio while I'm still in school. While I'm pretty decent at writing code, I'm simply a terrible artist, and this leaves me with limited options when it comes to quality assets that I can use. I don't necessarily enjoy using copyrighted material in this manner, but it's really the simplest option for me right now. I don't have the cash to spend to hire an artist, nor do I have money to buy a ton of pre-made, royalty-free assets. So I'm doing what I can with what I have available to me.

    If you'd like to see more of my FFXI-related work, go check out this 2D fighting game I made last year!

    http://www.soverance.com/games/final...sy-xi-fighter/

  9. #29
    RIDE ARMOR
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    Quetzalcoatl

    Do you know if a C&D order can be disputed? For example, if SE is blatently sending them out to everyone hosting any kind of FFXI application. I think I remember Windower getting one, but those guys ignored it IIRC.

  10. #30
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    Quote Originally Posted by Madawc View Post
    Do you know if a C&D order can be disputed? For example, if SE is blatently sending them out to everyone hosting any kind of FFXI application. I think I remember Windower getting one, but those guys ignored it IIRC.
    There are tons of ways to legally disupte a C&D order. It'd simply be moot in my case, since the nature of my project makes it so obvious. With enough cash to hire a lawyer to hold the case up in court and extend the time between hearings, I could maybe use that time to build a case on Fair Use. But for me, that sounds like far more trouble than it's worth, and I couldn't pay for it even if I wanted to.

    I don't know how well ignoring it would go over. In the case of the Windower team receiving a C&D: as a hypothetical (but likely) scenario, I would imagine Square Enix being more willing to look the other way in their case, simply based on the numbers. If they shut the program down, the potential for subscription loss from Windower users could be substantial, impacting their monthly income. Add that monthly revenue loss over time, to the cost of going after Windower in court, and it likely made more financial sense to look the other way. That may be why the team still continues to develop the software today with no word from SE.

  11. #31
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    Diabolos

    On a different note, check out the progress I've made on Soldier.



    Yes, that is definitely Bahamut =P

    This level showcases some of my first attempts at custom rigging and animation... including the character pawn's run and idle animations, as well as the flapping of Bahamut's wings. They're pretty rough, but not too bad for a first attempt, right??

    Maybe more interesting, is that the level shown in the video is actually running in the Oculus-ready version of UDK, meaning you could theoretically play this with an Oculus Rift. However, I do not yet have my device, and therefore can't really test it.

  12. #32
    RIDE ARMOR
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    Quetzalcoatl

    Not bad, but you could get the animations from DATs

  13. #33
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    Quote Originally Posted by Madawc View Post
    Not bad, but you could get the animations from DATs
    If you know of a way to export animations from the DATs, then by all means, let me know. I'd much rather do that.

    However, due to the way in which those DATs were compressed, I believe it's next to impossible to extract that information in any type of editable format. They're read only. As far as I know, there are no available tools or software capable of exporting skeletal rig information, nor animation from those DAT files. At most, the only capability available is to get the 3D model itself into a super old version of a JP program known as Metasequoia, and then import that MQO file into a popular editing program, like 3DS Max. Unfortunately the model loses all of it's other information in the process, which includes texture information, skeletal structure, and animation. You get essentially nothing but a blank model using this method.

    I suppose it's possible that someone could write software to unpack those DAT files and therefore extract 3D models complete with skeletal rig information and animation... but it hasn't been done yet, and is beyond the scope of my ability.

  14. #34
    RIDE ARMOR
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    Quetzalcoatl

    You are in luck, because I am writing a new model viewer. I can extract anything you want from DATs.

  15. #35
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    Diabolos

    Oh man, you'll be my personal hero if that's true! How far along are you, and what kind of features have you decided to support with it?

  16. #36
    RIDE ARMOR
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    Quetzalcoatl

    I am currently implementing an Area viewer. I already have meshes, skeletons and animations in place. I also want to get started on effects, sounds and networking in the near future. For my GUI I am working on finding a way to avoid having to use lists for DATs when selecting equipment.




  17. #37
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    Diabolos

    looks like an interesting project, keep up the good work! let me know if I can be helpful or if you need help testing your software.

    Are you looking at adding functionality to export all of this stuff into popular file formats, like FBX? Or read them for the viewer only?

  18. #38
    RIDE ARMOR
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    Quetzalcoatl

    I gotta figure out how the FBX formats first, perhaps there is a library I can just dump my buffers into


  19. #39
    But I don't want my title changed
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    Fievel Mousekewitz
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    Excalibur

    That pic is rather terrifying.

  20. #40

    Very informative thread and also thank you Kohan for that post on educational resources.

    I have no concept of unreal/UDC but I'm an artist/writer and have been interested in learning game development, for a long time. Always wanted to put the things I draw and write into a game. My interest in learning how to write software came from pure frustration in not having Wacom update software for their older tablets for use in win 7 lol.

    I am wholly intimidated by it all and where to start but this thread is highly inspiring OP, so thank you.
    Good luck on your projects too!

    @Fievel yes it is terrifying.. especially since the grid style placement of the Galkas has me imagining it as a N Korean style military procession with extremely high, showgirl-kick marching.

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