[Modding Help] Strange pause after animation

[Pr0eliator]

[Modding Help] Strange pause after animation

So I decided to swap backward dodge animation with this one: dialogue_man_geralt_sword_dodge_back_350
And everything would be perfect - it has no bugs connected with shape of groud, the anim is smooth per se, etc. but after the animation is done there is a 1-2 second pause what makes dodging very iritating.

I would like to make it as fluent as other vanilla animation.

I've already tried changing speed of the anim and messing with frames but it seems it doesn't work. For now I lost hope I can do it without help.

If someone, who has experience with fixing anims, is reading this, please, gimme any advice or suggestion

If you want to see what is the problem - put mentioned animation (in pc_gameplay) in place of CBehaviorGraphAnimationNode #9273 #9274 #9275
in index it is nr 9272 9273 9274
You can find mentioned anim in animations/man/dialogs/man_dialog_gameplay_recompress.w2anims

 

[dvirzigel1]

Add buffer files.
also this animation does have problems.

 

[Guest 3841499]

Adding buffer files is not going to do squat, the game will use them anyway, unless the file was renamed, thus requiring renaming of buffer files. You need to GENERATE new buffer files from the modded version of the w2anims file, but there is no way to do so with current tools.

Porting animations as DLC's often resolves problems, but can also cause new ones, just like with E3 Dodge System and Animations of Rivia.

 

[dvirzigel1]

If he wants to do what I did for E3 Moves which is to change the backdodge for the E3 one and make the duration of the E3 animation shorter (which solves the “delay”) he needs the buffer files.

 

[Ramon242]

Was curious so tried it out and looks like there is a delay. Just an idea: Edit the animation so it can be cancelled.

Ignore the markings in the pic (it's old):

https://i.imgur.com/s43x014.jpg

The "CSkeletalAnimationSetEntry" line above where the animation name is at, is what you'll change. You'll click on the "unknownBytes" and notice that you can import/export the data. In your case as you mentioned, the animation is in "animations/man/dialogs/man_dialog_gameplay_recompress.w2anims".

It's been a good while since I've done any modding at all but off the top of my head, there's two odd dodges that can be found in "man_geralt_sword.w2anims" that are cancellable. The name is "man_geralt_sword_dodge_left_350m_90deg" (and the right-dodge version). It's sort of half-circle movement dodge, but it can be cancelled. Just export its data (left or right version, doesn't matter), then import it into "dialogue_man_geralt_sword_dodge_back_350" animation. In theory, that could potentially make the animation cancellable so you won't have to sit through the delay. I've tried inserting that into some others and it worked fine, letting you cancel dodges with attacks or another dodge.

 

[Pr0eliator]

Add buffer files.
also this animation does have problems.

Ok, I tried it, but I think I am stupid and don't how to add them I mean - I put to my mod all man_dialogue_gameplay_recompress.w2anims.buffer - and nothing changed there is still a delay.

Was curious so tried it out and looks like there is a delay. Just an idea: Edit the animation so it can be cancelled.

Ignore the markings in the pic (it's old):

https://i.imgur.com/s43x014.jpg

The "CSkeletalAnimationSetEntry" line above where the animation name is at, is what you'll change. You'll click on the "unknownBytes" and notice that you can import/export the data. In your case as you mentioned, the animation is in "animations/man/dialogs/man_dialog_gameplay_recompress.w2anims".

It's been a good while since I've done any modding at all but off the top of my head, there's two odd dodges that can be found in "man_geralt_sword.w2anims" that are cancellable. The name is "man_geralt_sword_dodge_left_350m_90deg" (and the right-dodge version). It's sort of half-circle movement dodge, but it can be cancelled. Just export its data (left or right version, doesn't matter), then import it into "dialogue_man_geralt_sword_dodge_back_350" animation. In theory, that could potentially make the animation cancellable so you won't have to sit through the delay. I've tried inserting that into some others and it worked fine, letting you cancel dodges with attacks or another dodge.

So I put CSkeletalAnimationSetEntry from man_geralt_sword_dodge_left_350m_90deg (tried also right) into CSkeletalAnimationSetEntry of new anim but now anim is broken and still there is a delay I doubt I did sth wrong but if you could - try changing it by yourself, maybe I am doing somewhere a mistake

 

[Guest 3841499]

Did you try DLC method? DLC is the only way w2anim mods have more or less succeeded without causing major issues. You can use the E3Dodge DLC I created for myself, based on another similar DLC release, but I corrected some parameters in reddlc file, renamed the file, included buffers, and used DLC16 (that has new dismemberment animations) as an example to follow (mostly for linking to w2ent files). You can find it here (vanilla roll version with script that also includes Better Combat Animations ) - https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Ot7moTRK_M6_xY_DYgjkl7Mmjsx-tn06/view?usp=sharing

Just FYI, when the same man_geralt_sword.w2anims file (renamed to dlcE3dodge in my DLC repack) was used in Mods folder, major animation issues occured in cut scenes and with horses. When used as DLC, those were resolved, but casing Yrden outside of combat does not work (animation is present, but Yrden marks do not appear). Yrden works fine during combat.

Are you trying to adjust ONLY w2anims file? E3 Dodge System works without the w2anims DLC portion and edits pc_gameplay.w2beh file. Also, removing DLC portion get's rid of the Yrden bug, but supposedly, the resulting animation is not as smooth.

 

[Ramon242]

So I put CSkeletalAnimationSetEntry from man_geralt_sword_dodge_left_350m_90deg (tried also right) into CSkeletalAnimationSetEntry of new anim but now anim is broken and still there is a delay I doubt I did sth wrong but if you could - try changing it by yourself, maybe I am doing somewhere a mistake

It's pretty simple to do so you might've did it right. Have you considered just using another dodge animation? It looks incredibly similar to some of the other unused ones and you won't have to deal with touching any w2anims files.

 

[dvirzigel1]

Have you considered just using another dodge animation?

Or E3 Moves mod

 

[Pr0eliator]

It's pretty simple to do so you might've did it right. Have you considered just using another dodge animation? It looks incredibly similar to some of the other unused ones and you won't have to deal with touching any w2anims files.

Oh no, don't even try changing my mind I know there is a lot of other anims. I even found all ice skating anims for Ciri which were anounced - interesting idea for mod. In fact I fell in love with that dodge - it is so dynamic and simply fits to the witcher. I decided to go deeper into modding because of that anim. So - first that dodge, later other ideas

Or E3 Moves mod

Yeah I ve already tried it but you added there too many anims and I have different idea for dodge system. Indeed what you did with back dodge is admirable but on the other hand it has some bugs. As I mentioned I am looking for way to make that anim work as good as others.

Lukas did a great job with edditing running animation. Does anybody know if I can find him on nexus? (As far as I remember he is banned on that forum)

 

[Guest 3841499]

If he wants to do what I did for E3 Moves which is to change the backdodge for the E3 one and make the duration of the E3 animation shorter (which solves the “delay”) he needs the buffer files.

Your misunderstood. Do you know how mesh buffers work? They are the active parts of meshes, which, when cooked, get compressed, and during that cooking process buffer files are created FOR THAT mesh. The same concept applies to animations. Thus, if you create a new mesh/animation or edit an existing mesh/animation, you need to generate buffer files for THAT new or edited mesh/animation. You wouldn't use the same buffers for a mesh that has Geralt's vanilla nose and for an edited mesh that has Geralt's new (whatever) nose. The same applies to animations. If w2anims file is edited and no buffers are included in the mod, the game will simply use existing vanilla buffers, same ones you suggest to include in the mod, thus it would make no difference and they would be the wrong buffers. We don't have the tools to generate buffers for new/edited w2anims files. That is why every single mod out there that uses edited w2anims file has major bugs with animations. They can be very random bugs too. For example, Brutal Blood mod temporarily included edited w2anims files that improved monster death animations at the cost of Novigrad doors being forever shut with no way to get into buildings. If possible, stick with w2beh files to avoid major animation bugs or, if possible, use script. Geralt's death animation was fixed purely with script.

 

[maxzorazon]

We don't have the tools to generate buffers for new/edited w2anims files.

Has there been any progress on this?