Berlin CMRT Map

[RockinHarry]

1 hour ago, NPye said:

HELP HELP HELP PLEASE

Can someone build The Brandenburg Gate, this is the best I can come up with, it's okish but how awesome would a real copy be??????

This is a blender version????

Think I´d construct it by use of right amount of seperate entities created in Blender then export put to some appropriate flavor object type. Also considering to place them so they fit properly to the 8x8m grids. This way it can serve both as kind of obstacle and maybe not getting too much in the way for path finding. Just an idea, but I´d tackle it this way if I´d required Blender skills.

[JM Stuff]

 

 

 

Textures are a little little too modern for ww2.

 

View in Blender (can be different in the game) !!

change a horse's ear here, a cornice there and we have a different beast.
Yes NPye will make the German Eagle on the top (joking) !

The model is free but I have to see and read in details, the conditions, 
If not sure, I will try to contact the owner to see what can I do and what not.

If I have the go,  I have to convert the png and  jpg in bmp, and try to export in mdr as a favour object, but I  guess, you cannot use it like a building (or I have to cut the part from windows and doors and you can I hope enter in, like a buildng but I guess only on the first floor, I dont know I never working with buildings for CM, but if this work, this will be my next goal, nothing is sure for the time, is only a big hope and lot of work, let you know !

JM
 

[RockinHarry]

26 minutes ago, Vacillator said:

@Falaise did a great job on the roads, perhaps a similar trick is possibe Steph?

here it is: https://www.thefewgoodmen.com/cm-mod-warehouse/combat-mission-battle-for-normandy/cmbn-scenery/cmbn-road-22-5/

And related BFC thread which is usefull for understanding placements: https://community.battlefront.com/topic/134423-what-i-hate-in-mission-combat-225-°-angle-road

IIRC there must be another one made by Juju and of cobblestone type. Could be I confuse with something else though.

Edit: Think I confused with this one that I like much as well. https://www.thefewgoodmen.com/cm-mod-warehouse/combat-mission-battle-for-normandy/cmbn-scenery/jujus-dutch-city-road-pavement-mod-by-juju/

Edited October 7, 2022 by RockinHarry
corrections and links added

[JM Stuff]

@RockinHarry sorry to disturb you but I take the oportunity to talk to you !

 

I was checking in the forum and the CMMODs who was making a change of animations in CM and I found you !

I was searching in the net, but dont find  one untill now.
I would like to trying to make some change but only for myself probably, I will not be good enough to share it...

Can you pls give me some advices and eventual the sofw to open this kind of files ?

I was trying to send you a pm but this doesn t work.

Thanks in advance  !

JM

[Vacillator]

10 minutes ago, RockinHarry said:

Think I confused with this one

Whatever works is good.  JuJu's work is amazing (his UI is something I would not play the game without, or if I did I would be oddly sad) but I haven't tried the road one one you link.

Edited October 7, 2022 by Vacillator

[RockinHarry]

6 minutes ago, Vacillator said:

Whatever works is good.  JuJu's work is amazing (his UI is something I would not play the game without, or if I did I would be oddly sad) but I haven't tried the road one one you link.

In fact Juju´s V6 UI was the first mod file I installed for all of my CM WW2 titles. Without it looks like.... CM Beta something.

Added related link to thread for those 22.5° roads: 

 

[RockinHarry]

26 minutes ago, JM Stuff said:

@RockinHarry sorry to disturb you but I take the oportunity to talk to you !

 

I was checking in the forum and the CMMODs who was making a change of animations in CM and I found you !

I was searching in the net, but dont find  one untill now.
I would like to trying to make some change but only for myself probably, I will not be good enough to share it...

Can you pls give me some advices and eventual the sofw to open this kind of files ?

I was trying to send you a pm but this doesn t work.

Thanks in advance  !

JM

Hey JM! You mean infantry animation files I guess? There must be some thread(s) dealing with them in some detail and maybe answering some your possible questions. It´s been some time since I last fiddled with them, so likely much of that escaped my memory. If you refer to BRZ format you can unbrz them like any other these type files. You can edit and publish to your liking as it´s all original BFC file content just (file) renamed. Maybe you find the original thread (I don´t have it in the bookmarks ATM) and do some discussions there then, so related info can be kept at a single place. Cheers

Edit: Most relatet stuff is scattered here: https://community.battlefront.com/search/?&q=infantry animation&quick=1&author=RockinHarry&search_and_or=or

and that beeing the main thread IIRC: https://community.battlefront.com/topic/120405-question-about-infantry-animation-files/

 

Edited October 7, 2022 by RockinHarry
search link added

[Vacillator]

Yeah, too right.  Steph's is a wonderful thing.  I meant that I hadn't tried the Dutch pavement mod .

[JM Stuff]

8 minutes ago, RockinHarry said:

Hey JM! You mean infantry animation files I guess? There must be some thread(s) dealing with them in some detail and maybe answering some your possible questions. It´s been some time since I last fiddled with them, so likely much of that escaped my memory. If you refer to BRZ format you can unbrz them like any other these type files. You can edit and publish to your liking as it´s all original BFC file content just (file) renamed. Maybe you find the original thread (I don´t have it in the bookmarks ATM) and do some discussions there then, so related info can be kept at a single place. Cheers

You mean infantry animation files I guess? Yes this one and I dont find a way to open it, many forums, talking about anim on blender or whatever, but not with the CM anim game extension, a little like mds files, so I stay in darkness for the time...

Anyway, thanks to your answer and the link.

JM 

Edited October 7, 2022 by JM Stuff

[RockinHarry]

1 minute ago, JM Stuff said:

You mean infantry animation files I guess? Yes this one and I dont find a way to open it, many forums, talking about anim on blender or whatever, but not with the CM anim game extension, a little like mds files, so I stay in darkness for the time...

Anyway, thanks to your answer.

JM 

aah... you mean opening the *.ani files for editing directly? No idea, sorry. Would be interesting adding or changing some animation sequences though.

[RockinHarry]

9 minutes ago, Vacillator said:

Yeah, too right.  Steph's is a wonderful thing.  I meant that I hadn't tried the Dutch pavement mod .

Okay! It looks quite good in the CMBN games but could possibly used or converted for different purpose in other CM games as well. But I like NPye´s Berlin version more since it´s more versatile.

[NPye]

Just to throw a spanner in the works, i'd love to update the UI for the briefings pages to something like this, is it possible???? Also a video at the start???? Would really be more immersive??

Edited October 7, 2022 by NPye

[NPye]

53 minutes ago, Vacillator said:

Whatever works is good.  JuJu's work is amazing (his UI is something I would not play the game without, or if I did I would be oddly sad) but I haven't tried the road one one you link.

Love his work also but the roads mod would not work in this Berlin mod, the roads are to slim and Berlin Center was very modern and by the looks of it the main streets had no cobble stones???? Looks great in Dutch cities though.

Edited October 7, 2022 by NPye

[JM Stuff]

9 minutes ago, RockinHarry said:

aah... you mean opening the *.ani files for editing directly? No idea, sorry. Would be interesting adding or changing some animation sequences though.

yes .ani refer on the net to mouse animations, like mds for cd dvd music and sofw like Alcohol Demon tools, or whatever...but there is another kind of ani and mds function that BF use for theirs files.

We have to wait probably 20 years more that somebody make a new script in Blender Phyton to have an addon for mds or ani files, like we have now with mdr files, that we never believe before, to have the possibilities to open it !

JM

[RockinHarry]

2 hours ago, NPye said:

Love his work also but the roads mod would not work in this Berlin mod, the roads are to slim and Berlin Center was very modern and by the looks of it the main streets had no cobble stones???? Looks great in Dutch cities though.

Agree, but usable elsewhere in other games beside CMBN-MG. But cobblestones yes, but more like the stock games ones.

[RockinHarry]

2 hours ago, JM Stuff said:

yes .ani refer on the net to mouse animations, like mds for cd dvd music and sofw like Alcohol Demon tools, or whatever...but there is another kind of ani and mds function that BF use for theirs files.

We have to wait probably 20 years more that somebody make a new script in Blender Phyton to have an addon for mds or ani files, like we have now with mdr files, that we never believe before, to have the possibilities to open it !

JM

yep, BFC seems using their own format or adapted to something not compatible with anything that could possibly load/import standard type *.ani

I´d never digged deeper into that since I´m completely noob for animation type stuff.

[JM Stuff]

33 minutes ago, RockinHarry said:

yep, BFC seems using their own format or adapted to something not compatible with anything that could possibly load/import standard type *.ani

I´d never digged deeper into that since I´m completely noob for animation type stuff.

I´d never digged deeper into that since I´m completely noob for animation type stuff. same to me this is why I would like to try animations and scripts and I am a little more further in knowledges but for scripts have to learn Python...

I made also some research with mds files, they were used for another old game "Wolfenstein Castel"...

JM

Edited October 8, 2022 by JM Stuff

[Lucky_Strike]

16 hours ago, RockinHarry said:

I imported couple of CM objects and played around with some the Meta data, tried figuring out what they all do in the actual game, but had very limited success. Too much trial and error and then just got a basic idea of what limited parts of the data (buried in Meta section of *.mdr files) might do.

16 hours ago, RockinHarry said:

think it´s based on this technique. Whether it´s worth all the efforts I don´t know. I doubt it´ll all function properly and likely has numerous impacts like FPS hit, AI path finding (at least for an objects X-Y-Z origin which is mostly NoGo for the AI within the 8x8m grid, unless tank maybe and flavor object type) and other odd things.

The .mdr metadata is a complete mystery to me. Some file types won't work if it's not exported with the file, others seem fine without it. I suspect a lot of it is related to generic stuff like lighting and surface etc, while there could be lots of specific stuff buried up in there to do with LOS, path finding etc. I've not seen any I'll effects by not exporting it with trees, but with vehicles it's a deal breaker.

Strangely I don't see an negative effect on fps of having lots of flavor objects. Put in lots of trees or buildings or units and fps can fall off a cliff. My thinking is that flavor objects are considered in a more simple generic way by the game engine, so their impact on CPU/GPU time is much less. I don't expect we'll be able to have any flavor object buildings that can be used for anything more than decoration, but it's definitely something I'd like to try anyway.

16 hours ago, RockinHarry said:

If someone decodes the META data block and adds an interface for changing data and then im- exporting the *.mdr files. It was @sbobovyc who did most (or all) the decoding and creating the Blender script files. No idea if he´s still active and around here.

Sadly I think he's directed his interests and skill elsewhere.

16 hours ago, RockinHarry said:

Breslau was surrounded at february 15th 1945, so it must be some time before that date. Hopefully she knows since she´s the last who could shed some light on this. I was very angry when one my uncles sold my grandpa´s military papers (and EK II) to a collector or something, not telling me of this intention beforehand.

Yes after the Soviet army surrounded Breslau the situation for civilians turned very bad very quickly; there were still a lot trapped there and they had to put up with the fighting for about a further three months before the festung surrendered; sadly many became casualties in that time.

Too bad about your Grandpa's militaria. I don't have anything of my own granddad's who was in the British merchant navy - he did both the Malta runs and the Arctic convoys, never, ever spoke about it.

[Lucky_Strike]

1 hour ago, RockinHarry said:

yep, BFC seems using their own format or adapted to something not compatible with anything that could possibly load/import standard type *.ani

I´d never digged deeper into that since I´m completely noob for animation type stuff.

 

4 hours ago, JM Stuff said:

yes .ani refer on the net to mouse animations, like mds for cd dvd music and sofw like Alcohol Demon tools, or whatever...but there is another kind of ani and mds function that BF use for theirs files.

We have to wait probably 20 years more that somebody make a new script in Blender Phyton to have an addon for mds or ani files, like we have now with mdr files, that we never believe before, to have the possibilities to open it !

JM

I reckon they use standard software to make all their models and animations but then add a layer of encryption or compression. They started doing the CMx2 stuff about 15 years ago so it can't be too sophisticated. It's probably just an export plug-in or add-on to Blender or some other common 3D software. Bit like the brz compression that they use for packaging the textures. That's just a very simple zip compression, doesn't  saves much space, it's just useful for packing up a lot of very small files into a bigger one for delivery. Sadly I think we're going to be waiting a very long time, as you say JM, before we get into the pixeltruppen models and animations.

Edited October 8, 2022 by Lucky_Strike

[JM Stuff]

17 minutes ago, Lucky_Strike said:

 

I reckon they use standard software to make all their models and animations but then add a layer of encryption or compression. They started doing the CMx2 stuff about 15 years ago so it can't be too sophisticated. It's probably just an export plug-in or add-on to Blender or some other common 3D software. Bit like the brz compression that they use for packaging the textures. That's just a very simple zip compression, doesn't  saves much space, it's just useful for packing up a lot of very small files into a bigger one for delivery. Sadly I think we're going to be waiting a very long time, as you say JM, before we get into the pixeltruppen models and animations.

I found this, this is interresting on the beginnings but after is complicated to me if this can help somebody and let me know

Evental contacting the guy !!...

https://mino-git.github.io/rtcw-wet-blender-model-tools/publications/MDSFileFormat.html#MDSSurface

JM

Edited October 8, 2022 by JM Stuff

[Lucky_Strike]

17 minutes ago, JM Stuff said:

I found this, this is interresting on the beginnings but after is complicated to me if this can help somebody and let me know

Evental contacting the guy !!...

https://mino-git.github.io/rtcw-wet-blender-model-tools/publications/MDSFileFormat.html#MDSSurface

JM

That's interesting JM. He does seem to be talking about the same type of mds file, or certainly something very related, even seems to have some of the same nomenclature as our files and looks like he might be breaking down the metadata as well. Trouble is to my (very untrained) eye it's all just so much gobbledygook. Would take a lot of effort and knowledge of 3D/animation/coding to get into the CM mds files.

What we actually need is for @Battlefront.com to release an official version of their Blender (or whatever software) plug-in/add-on so we can have even more fun with their wonderful game  (that's my Oliver bowl by the way) ...

[JM Stuff]

7 minutes ago, Lucky_Strike said:

That's interesting JM. He does seem to be talking about the same type of mds file, or certainly something very related, even seems to have some of the same nomenclature as our files and looks like he might be breaking down the metadata as well. Trouble is to my (very untrained) eye it's all just so much gobbledygook. Would take a lot of effort and knowledge of 3D/animation/coding to get into the CM mds files.

What we actually need is for @Battlefront.com to release an official version of their Blender (or whatever software) plug-in/add-on so we can have even more fun with their wonderful game  (that's my Oliver bowl by the way) ...

You have some Knowledges Harry also and there are some guys that already make some scripts, so they can coding, like Butchi Artkin en Cie, when I see the lot of codes I would like really to understand more about, I guess Python or c+ or c++.... but not sure and this is why I dont know where I have to starting I think coding is the base to understand how its work !

A script of a new version of Blender will also very help us.

JM

Edited October 8, 2022 by JM Stuff

[RockinHarry]

7 hours ago, Lucky_Strike said:

The .mdr metadata is a complete mystery to me. Some file types won't work if it's not exported with the file, others seem fine without it. I suspect a lot of it is related to generic stuff like lighting and surface etc, while there could be lots of specific stuff buried up in there to do with LOS, path finding etc. I've not seen any I'll effects by not exporting it with trees, but with vehicles it's a deal breaker.

Strangely I don't see an negative effect on fps of having lots of flavor objects. Put in lots of trees or buildings or units and fps can fall off a cliff. My thinking is that flavor objects are considered in a more simple generic way by the game engine, so their impact on CPU/GPU time is much less. I don't expect we'll be able to have any flavor object buildings that can be used for anything more than decoration, but it's definitely something I'd like to try anyway.

Sadly I think he's directed his interests and skill elsewhere.

Yes after the Soviet army surrounded Breslau the situation for civilians turned very bad very quickly; there were still a lot trapped there and they had to put up with the fighting for about a further three months before the festung surrendered; sadly many became casualties in that time.

Too bad about your Grandpa's militaria. I don't have anything of my own granddad's who was in the British merchant navy - he did both the Malta runs and the Arctic convoys, never, ever spoke about it.

I think if there´s META data that got to be used by the AI in some way (passively or actively) then it´s essential and shouldn´t be left out or messed with. At least not til somebody got a full understanding of it which is unlikely and risky. I personally wouldn´t game play with any such objects that are not proven working right according to BFC design and game engine. For same reason I´d never try any the mods that replace one vehicle model with another just foor looks. It´s the things beeing hardcoded in game engine and database which at last is what lets them behave as one expects. Flavor objects is bits of different. Think the categories is hard coded as well. Makes a difference if a replacement model is put into junk or rocks category i.e Some are "obstacle" (the objects XYZ origin snapping to a node on the 8x8m grid) to just infantry movement, while others are to vehicles as well and then comes those that do block vehicle movement entirely, or just just certain types (trucks vs AFV) or slow down movement then removing the "obstacle" flavor object from the map. That´s from my memory so should be taken with a grain of salt or is bits of oversimplification. So putting (new) flavor objects to the right "category" is what makes them somewhat useful in the game. Otherwise these are just effectless eye candy, which off course is still nice to have. Same for cover and concealment values of these objects. I think they´re hardcoded with their categories as well. So before creating new Blender stuff and just dumping it into one category aimlessly, I´d make my mind about that beforehand. All IMO.

Think it´s those flavors that qualify for shader and shadowing doing the FPS drop. Likely as well hardcoded with the category, but could be there´s related data buried in the *.mdr as well. Haven´t had it all figured out yet and as said I stopped my experiments about 2 years ago already. Too time consuming with the trial and error method.

Yes it´s sad if there´s nothing left of those materials that bits of tell of our relatives now historic moments. Think there´re many WW2 veteans who´d liked to tell about their experiences, but got suppressed by relatives and the post war societies maybe. But the many veteran associations tell their own story. Think if one had that many principally traumatic moments, many like to tell about them, preferably with other veterans. I myself was never in any military organisation, nor held a functioning firearm in hands. The many rusted battlefield relics I found can´t be counted.

Edited October 8, 2022 by RockinHarry

[Lucky_Strike]

17 hours ago, RockinHarry said:

Same for cover and concealment values of these objects. I think they´re hardcoded with their categories as well. So before creating new Blender stuff and just dumping it into one category aimlessly, I´d make my mind about that beforehand. All IMO.

This is also very true of much of the foliage - trees, bushes and bocage - they all have hard-coded values that can't be affected by the visuals. I tried making a very wide tree to see what effect it had on cover and concealment as well as LOS and movement, the answer was none of course. If we go ahead with a building as flavour objects it will really just be eye candy.

17 hours ago, RockinHarry said:

Too time consuming with the trial and error method.

'Fo sure!

17 hours ago, RockinHarry said:

Think if one had that many principally traumatic moments, many like to tell about them, preferably with other veterans.

The only other people that really understand ...

 

[Lucky_Strike]

23 hours ago, JM Stuff said:

A script of a new version of Blender will also very help us.

Certainly would, but it is possible to work in newer versions of Blender then append the objects in a file using the older version that we're limited to.