Bloody Business

[nasKo]

 

Last week we finally cracked our new method of handling the textures on the new 3D character models, allowing us to use various compositing techniques to provide diverse overlays onto players and zombies alike. The initial need for this came from issues we’ve had with the geometry of clothing poking out on occasion, particularly if we ever tried to layer clothing on top of each other. As such we needed support to allow clothing to be textures as well as 3D models.

 

 

(please note Survivor Spiffo is not canon and will be the restaurant chain in-game, it was used as a test though we’re sure plenty of t-shirt designs will appear in the workshop not long after it is released!)

 

The new system will allow for us to layer multiple items of clothing on top of each other, so the player is able to wear a t-shirt, with a sweater, and maybe a coat on top of that. This will allow us much more versatility when it comes not only to how characters and zombies look, but also to the stats of those clothing as it relates to heat and protection. Managing your heat in the game at the moment essentially boils down to taking off or putting on a sweater and it will be cool to make all this more interesting. Not only this, but it gives us the ability to combine as many textures as we like with which to do effects such as blood or dirt overlays. Here is a little video demonstrating some of the sexy gore coming to the world of PZ, with some bonus back-wear to boot!

 

 

Though please note we still have a fair amount of texture work to do to provide the variety we’re going for and this is just a taster.

Just a reminder to those out there with low spec PCs, we’ve put a huge amount of work into optimization and are very pleased with the results. While we can’t promise that those right at the bottom end will never hit any issues, we are confident that the new animation system using some crafty tricks is in many respects hugely more optimized than the existing 3D zombies in the game, and that should mostly if not completely offset the extra work the game is doing with the new animations and overlays.

Where Next

Now all the main technological hurdles are done with with the new animation and clothing system, the remaining work involves Binky and Martin doing some new texture versions of the clothing that you’ve already seen in previous videos, if they are clothing that can be worn under other clothing. As well as this more blood and grime overlays to allow us to completely make every zombie unique, with different visible body damage, missing limbs or whatever else, along with the much greater variety of clothing. Meanwhile, now we have the new 3D model and all the anims exported to work with it, we’ll be able to finish off the remaining stuff required to get the animation system out there for testing. A few bugs have been introduced since we added the new models and textures, so it’s not imminent but we feel we’re getting close.

 

Once animations are in the game, we will talk about where we’re going next. The animation and combat overhaul is the first (and vital) step in an internal 5 stage roadmap that covers future PZ version releases, and will finally tick off a number of the remaining things on our planned feature list. We’ve done a lot of planning as to the best way to get toward the feature(s) people are most eager for, and Martin is already working on some cool stuff for stage 2. Once the animation system goes out the door the rest of the team will join in full force and talk more about what it is and where it’s going, and we’re confident that it’ll make life much smoother for everyone.

 

This week’s featured image by Kuzmich off of Steam. The Centralized Block of Italicised Text would like to direct your attention to the PZ Wiki should you feel like editing or amending something, and the PZ Mailing List that can send blogs like this and patch notes direct to your mailbox. We also live on Twitter right here! Okay thanks bye!

[blackteapie]

Would anyone tell me the web address for the youtube video in the main post？

[cool daddy shark]

 

https://youtu.be/boIpk40xvVk

 

Damn this mondoid was as late as the non player- I mean half life something.

Edited June 28, 2016 by sharkstertheshark

[blackteapie]

9 minutes ago, sharkstertheshark said:

 

https://youtu.be/boIpk40xvVk

 

Damn this mondoid was as late as the non player- I mean half life something.

thanks

[Blasted_Taco]

I wonder if we will be able to clean the gore somehow, maybe some sort of shower or just water?

[Geras]

I hope for more diverse zombies body-size wise. Thin, overweight, fat, bodybuilder, tall, short. Same goes to player character. Underweight - thin model, Obese - fat model, Overweight - overweight model.

 

Or make models connected to zombie (character) weight, which would be randomly distributed from 50 to 150 kg on start and make the model reshape itself (sort of like creating a character in The Sims games). That would be more natural and would avoid situations like every thin zombie is exactly as thin as any other thin zombie etc.

Edited June 28, 2016 by Geras

[Keshash]

Spiffo t-shirt. Dressed to kill be killed. Now I don't know what will cost more in the apocalypse: dufflebag full of food or t-shirt with Spiffo.

 

The blood is awesome, though. Will it have any effect on character detection or it is purely cosmetic?

Edited June 28, 2016 by Keshash

[Zomboid]

Time to reconsider the ban on Hygiene! Not taking a shower or washing hands in the sink after a bloody zombie bath increases your risk of infection especially when you have cuts!

[guidje]

Wow!! This is looking incredible!! Really good!! Any estimatives about when the new animation system will be available in the IWBUMS branch?

[nasKo]

23 minutes ago, guidje said:

Wow!! This is looking incredible!! Really good!! Any estimatives about when the new animation system will be available in the IWBUMS branch?

We don't do "estimates"

[Jack Bower]

Needs a way to clean characters off.

[Dr_Cox1911]

Holy moly! This looks awesome! First thing that came to my mind: In MP with disabled names it could be really hard to notice a player at first glimpse, with all the blood blending in with the zeds could be viable.

[$SCREAMER$]

I've been a Project Zomboid fan since 2011, I'd watch you-tubers like Robbaz play with NPCs and i'd get really jealous because I didn't have a computer at that time. after waiting a while it was 2015 and FOR SURE I thought that NPCs were in the game, but then I was dissapointed, however i let it slide because I saw how much this game has grown as a whole. This game looks really good and I hope this "planned feature" will release soon so I will get to play it during summer break :P. If they do come out during summer, my friends would most likely assume that I have died because of no contact with human beings. Keep up the good work Indie Stone! If NPCs don't release soon (by soon I mean not after 5 years again) I WILL LITERALLY GO TO A COLLEGE TO LEARN HOW TO CODE, ANIMATE, AND MAKE GAMES SO I CAN JOIN YOUR TEAM

[Bughunter66]

Any information on whether we are getting door opening/closing animations? It's a bit weird having your character put their face in the door and it magically opens. It could also bring some new mechanics with sound, like opening a door quietly/slowly to reduce noise, and allowing you to peek through the small opening of the door if you only open it a little bit, so zombies inside won't be able to see you as easily.

[Kirrus]

9 hours ago, nasKo said:

We don't do "estimates"

He could try performing the secret handshake, speaking the secret password, knocking the secret code. 

 

It wouldn't help though. We *really* don't do estimates.

[Zorak]

Oh no ! Another vid. Each one of them makes me want to ask about ETA ! Its hard to play PZ with all that awesomeness around the corner.

[DramaSetter]

Wow,fucking awesome!I can't believe this!Can't wait the new animation update!