Chromegus

@Revan87: Yes, the camo has the same effect in Rezin's model regarding AI reaction. It seems that it isn't really a "stealth" function that is being used, I think it's more like a "hold fire" command that is given to enemy AI. The other bug you mention is a result of using transparent textures for the camo and having to use the setobjecttexture command. As far as I know, neither of these issues can be fixed completely. I'm glad you enjoyed the suit though :)

Just updated the first post (no screenshots this time around...sorry I had to run some other errands, I'll take some new screenshots as soon as I have the time). Any feedback will be appreciated.

Ok, so the non-optical camo Snake is ready. On the other hand, I'm having a few problems with the optical camo Snake (some of which I can overlook). The main problem is the same I had with the first Snake, where the headband, eyes, and other objects would appear in first person view when inside vehicles. I tried fixing it the same way as last time, and I checked the scripts to see if I had done something wrong. I came to the conclusion that the use of hidden selections was behind the problem (as well as the setobjecttexture command). So... I'm not sure how this can be fixed... Another problem is the slight change that the textures suffered after being converted to PAA files for the transparency effect. The changes can only be noticed when you are right next to Snake. I might not fix these as changing the textures will be time consuming. Besides, people can think of it as the cost of cheating in missions with the optical camo :) I could upload both versions now, but I think I should wait until someone with more experience with these type of things confirms whether the objects while in vehicles issue can be fixed or not. ---------- Post added at 08:35 PM ---------- Previous post was at 07:46 PM ---------- After some extensive research, I've found that there is no "perfect" fix for this problem when using setobjecttexture... I'll just have to delete faces that obstruct the view of players when inside vehicles. The other fix would be to use objects with transparent textures, but that won't work since any transparent texture makes it so that the player can see through doors and other solid objects of the vehicle. I know this because that's what the optical camo does when it is activated inside a vehicle. I'll fix the optical camo model and then release both versions of Snake tomorrow.

You are indeed correct. I found an alternative solution. My solution was to convert all the base jpg files I used for all the textures in the body to the tga format and add an alpha channel. Then, I converted all those tga's into .PAA files to conserve the transparency. It worked, but at a cost: the colors in some areas are displayed a bit differently compared to the original texture. I'm guessing PAC is a better format for solid objects since it conserves more colors during conversion, whereas PAA is more for special effects such as transparency at the cost of some colors. With your solution, would all the faces in an object have the alpha channel activated even if I used the transparent texture on a single face?

I just tested the new Snake with active camo. Unfortunately, the textures for the entire suit look blurry after applying the transparent texture in O2. I'm going to see if there is another way of enabling alpha channels on faces...

I tested all the transparent textures in O2 and Buldozer and they actually work there, but in the game they aren't displayed properly...could it be something wrong with the scripts I've been using? ---------- Post added at 02:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 02:03 PM ---------- Update: I finally figured it out! After digging up old threads I found out that faces must be alpha channel enabled so that they can show transparent textures in the game. This can be done by texturing the entire model with transparent textures in O2. The setobjecttexture command takes care of the rest as long as you have proper selections for each part of the body to be textured from normal to active camo. This means I will be releasing the suit shortly. Given the nature of the setobjecttexture command (apparently textures do not load properly in saved games and wound textures can no longer be implemented) I will be uploading a version with optical camo and another one without. If time allows, I'll be updating the first post today with new links :)

Ok, I'll PM you a link to the whole project in case there's something else causing the problem. I'll also include the transparent TGA in the zip file. ---------- Post added at 09:58 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:37 PM ---------- Nothing's working so far... I'll try again on my own for a bit before heading to bed. Otherwise, I'll try again tomorrow.

I'm having problems with using transparent textures for the optical camo. I made my own TGA files on GIMP with an alpha channel (I used PAATOOL to convert them to .PAA) and none of them worked. Then, I tried using the transparent .PAA files that came with Rezin's black op and the arachnida tank and neither of them worked :( All transparent textures show up as solid colors...

Update: I just finished fixing the hair issue: Snake will now have a few strands of hair over the headband. I've also worked on making the arms smaller/more realistic and making the suit tighter near the wrists, which is tricky because I have to make sure that the arms fit the hand animations. I'm not sure about adding more detail to the chest area or to the arms since 1) the chest area doesn't seem to have much muscle definition in the first couple MGS games where the original sneak suit is represented (it's mostly texturing work) and 2) I'm already adding kneepads and elbowpads as new objects to the model, which will in itself give the arms and legs more detail. Also, adding too much detail will only delay the release (remember that I can't work on this stuff everyday) and possibly force me to lose interest in the project... so I really have to aim for balance. Later on, if someone really wants more detail in the suit he or she can make the necessary modifications, as I have decided that this next release will be my final release of the sneak suit. I've been messing around with O2 and I can't get the elbow pads right. Also, in spite of having tweaked the wrist area for a good hour, I wasn't able to give the end of the forearm exactly the same circumference as the wrist (meaning that the suit still looks a bit loose near the hands, just not as much as before). For most positions, the suit looks as tight as possible. I think I will just add the active camo and release it as it is. Besides, both problems are minor and all other problems seem to have been fixed. I just really want to enjoy it already (yeah, I know I'm being lazy :P). I used the setobjecttexture command in a SQS file to change the textures of the entire model to a single texture (which is the optical camo texture) along with an action class in the config file to turn it on and off. The way Rezin used active camo on his soldier was by having hidden selections that did not match the geometry of the soldier (so when the camo was on, the soldier became bulkier), so what I did is I used Snake's actual geometry as the hidden stealth selection so that the camo does not change Snake's shape. The problem is that while the camo is off, the stealth selection is suppossed to be invisible (or at least Rezin made it that way in his addon). I'm trying to figure out a way to have the stealth selection display the original textures instead of being invisible when the camo is off. One way I guess it could work is by defining individual, hidden selections for the arms, legs, head, etc. and assigning their original textures. If this doesn't work, I might have to create a simplified (and slightly larger) geometry of the main model and set it as the hidden selection just like Rezin did on his addon. Or is there another way of using setobjecttexture to change textures and then having them revert back to the original textures? I'll try to study other addons with stealth (the arachnida tank/mech) and see if I can come up with something... It works! However, there's a catch: the default wound system no longer works when using the setobjecttexture command... I could delete the wound textures from the pbo (which could reduce the size of the file) or find another way of displaying the wound textures... any suggestions? Oh, and remember how rezin's model wouldn't use the optical camo in 1st person? Well, that was easilly fixed by adding hidden selections to the view pilot LOD :)

Yeah, that's pretty much it (plus some defined actions to turn it on & off). So I guess it's ok then. I was able to fix the headband issue and the ears issue today (and a minor problem with the neck showing up through the vest when sprinting). I'll be working on the hair mesh tomorrow. I decided it will be a separate object that is attached to the main head model (like the headband) to make texturing a bit easier. I also plan to add separate objects for the kneepads and elbowpads so that they don't strech when moving.

I seem to have lost the documentation for Rezin's optical camo black op (I don't even know if it came with any). I don't want to break any rules by using his optical camo without permission (I'm not sure if he allows people to use his work in other addons). Is there any way to contact Rezin? Would it be ok to use his camo technique?

I wasn't able to work on the update last weekend because I was busy with other stuff. I'll get to work on it throughout this week though :)

I read the posts above and I think that Snake deserves an improved version, so I will be working on an update. I'm not sure how long this will take, as it will be depending on the amount of issues that come up during testing and the time I have available to work on it. @Rellikki: Thank you for the feedback! The hair issue is what bothers me the most (the other three issues can be solved by tweaking the model and the textures a bit). When I saw reference pictures of Snake, I knew that I would have to change head model so that he could look authentic. Now that I'm a little bit more comfortable with O2 I think I could remodel the head to give Snake a proper hairstyle. @Salvatore_Lee: You are right, his shoulders are too bulky compared to other units (and compared to the actual Snake in MGS). I'll see what I can do about it. @BronzeEagle: Yeah, I think the model overall needs some more detail in the highest LOD. Most of the issues to be fixed are aesthetic, but I also want to give active camo to snake on the update since snake uses active camo in the MGS series. Also, active camo might make solo missions a little bit more feasible. If any other issues come up, please let me know so that I can add them to my to-do list for the next release.

@BronzeEagle: That's an awesome screenshot! @Revan87: Thanks for the feedback. The addon was released yesterday (see first post). @bielow: Nope, I can't find your message in my inbox, but thanks for the compliment :)

I just updated the first post. I have a quick question: Does anyone know some good screencasting/screencapturing software? I wanted to upload a video of Snake to Youtube so that people could see him in action (with the MGS Theme and everything) but I haven't found software that doesn't lag on me.