HECU Zombie Creation

General Development Black Mesa
#61

Yeah, I’m seeing that now. Joint Ops is possible because of the character_manifest. But that only contains generic human NPC’s (scientists, security, soldiers). From my understanding, it exists to choose randomised character models and loadouts for non-scripted characters from a series of presets defined in the file, as well as to set the permanent appearance for scripted characters.

Anyway, the point is the monsters don’t have anything like that, thus there is no file containing character generation data, thus it’s probably not possible to set multiple models or skins for them. That’s unfortunate, seems the only way to get our hands on a Zombie Soldier is to edit the source code and maps, or hope the team has had a change of heart somewhere between pre-release and steam release.

#62

The character manifest works for monsters, you just have to create entries in it yourself. It works for expressions too, for instance I created an entry for the vortigaunts to give them all sneers:

	npc_alien_slave
	{
		flex_data
		{
                        center_lid_raiser 1.0
                        dilator 1.0
                        right_upper_raiser 1.0
                        left_upper_raiser 1.0
		}
		bodygroup_data
		{
		}
		skin 0
	}

It works for both npc classes and npcs with specific targetnames. So I should think it’d be easy to do something similar for the zombies, you’d just need to make an entry for them so the ones with the targetname “zombie_grunt” swap to “zombie_grunt.mdl” or whatever. Then all you’d have to do is edit the maps so the zombies you want to be soldiers have that targetname.

#63

alright, then someone make a model and get it in the game
maybe there’s already a decent one on fpsbanana or something? i never go to those places

if it’s that easy, there’s a decent chance a decent model could be included in the official release

does that mean the same could be done for enemy models from OBM for instance? That would be pretty sweet. Although I guess it requires decompiling the maps to place the NPCs.

#64

So, it would be possible to make an alternate model for the npc_zombie_security, then just have it randomly load one. Interesting. The only problem with that is that Zombie Guards show up in areas before the HECU arrive, or areas where the HECU have not been. I may be wrong again, but I think you actually do need to edit maps to make certain entities appear the same way every time rather than be randomised.

Example, the generic HECU Soldier is random, but the HECU’s that capture you are always the same guys. The Generic HECU soldier probably doesn’t have a specific name, while the ambush grunts do have a name and thus can be customised under that name, so they will always be the same. You might need to decompile maps to ‘name’ zombie guards so you can add those names in the manifest and have them appear as guards and not soldiers (and vice versa if you so choose).

Somebody correct me if I’m wrong.

#65

That sounds right to me. Would be pretty cool. I guess the model would need the same animations as the zombie guard?

I suppose it wouldn’t be that hard to modify the zombie guard to look like a zombie soldier, like someone tried out earlier in the thread?
I wish I knew how to model.

#66

I considered attempting to retexture it, but I have nowhere near the required skill to do that. The textures don’t match the Marine texture design, so I can’t do it without it looking extremely sloppy.

#67

I am sure that If you re-compile a model with the right information (2 skins) you can give it a skin choice in hammer say skin 0 or skin 1.

So in this case security guard Zombie would be 0 (default)
Hecu Zombie would be 1 (selectable)

There are models like this and you can see this in model viewer but not sure about how to do that

#68

That’s limited to textures. There can’t be two separate models.

#69

Actually separate models is how Joint Ops works, and Pettiffog says that you can put non-human enemies into the character_manifest and it will work, soo.

If you’re doubting me about the models, here’s a model not from Joint Ops, not from Black Mesa at all, spawned as a regular HECU Marine:

All I did to get that (aside from adding the files) was add this line to the character_manifest under npc_human_grunt:

npc_human_grunt { flex_data { brow_h 1.0 neck_size 0.75 } bodygroup_data { head 0 gloves 0 holster 1 packs_chest 1 packs_hips 1 packs_thigh 1 } model "models/hgrunt/hgrunt1.mdl" skin 0,1 }

Basically if you have an npc listed in the character_manifest twice, each linked to a different model, then it will choose a model randomly the next time that npc appears.

#70

Oh. Well shit.
Though I was referring to the skin-families thing he was talking about.

#71

isn’t there a good zombie based on the BM soldiers somewhere on the internet? surely there must be

#72

there’s a really sloppy Zombine replacer version of that particular HECU that used to float around gmod.org about 4 years ago

#73

Hmm, with further testing it seems like it works for some NPCs and not others. Vorts, agrunts and even the garg’s model can be replaced, but for things like zombies and controllers it doesn’t seem to have an effect. I’m not sure why this is?

#74

probably to mess with our hopes and dreams

#75

^ sounds about right

#76

Maybe because the vorts and agrunts have flex datas while zombies do not.

#77

Yeah, just tried to set the zombine as the security model in the character_manifest, didn’t work, game just spawns regular security zombies.

#78

That’s what I thought at first, but gargs and human assassins don’t have flex data either and they work.

#79

What are the npcs that you can change with character_manifest exactly? Can you show a list?

EDIT: Garg’s has a flex data. It’s only blink. Same with the bullsquid.
Agrunts I guess because a new variant of it will appear on xen. The agrunt_02 model (the one with its armor undeveloped and exposed spine) may be the variant of agrunt from the breakable eggs in the xen factory/mines.

#80

Ah, you’re right. The assassin still doesn’t, though.

Of the ones I tested, NPCs that work:

npc_alien_slave
npc_alien_grunt
npc_gargantua
npc_human_assassin

NPCs that don’t work:

npc_zombie_scientist
npc_zombie_security
npc_headcrab
npc_alien_controller
npc_pigeon
npc_abrams
npc_bullsquid
npc_houndeye

Founded in 2004, Leakfree.org became one of the first online communities dedicated to Valve’s Source engine development. It is more famously known for the formation of Black Mesa: Source under the 'Leakfree Modification Team' handle in September 2004.