Question about Random Face Animations...

I have a simple question. Is there a way to make a Marine or anyone for that matter to make different facial expressions? Like when a Marine gets shot, they make a face of pain, and when a plasma grenade, they make a surprised look? This would be good for Campaigns and Machinima

Halo 2 uses an "emotions" animation, it's just an overlay animation with different facial expression which the engine interpolates between in game. Halo 1 has a slot for the emotions animation, but I haven't tested if it's actually a used function in the retail build of the game. Even so, the halo 1 bipeds don't have enough facial bones to make any sort of complex facial animations.

So.. thats a no right?

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Originally Posted by RobertGraham

So.. thats a no right?

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That's a maybe.

I know emotions are used in cutscenes; look at Cortana and Keyes in the opening cinematics. However, like Choking said, the stock bipeds don't have their faces rigged for facial animations past the mouth moving. Moreover, I never actually looked into this kind of thing, so I don't know if it's possible to tie an emotion to an action or whatever.

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Originally Posted by p0lar_bear

I know emotions are used in cutscenes; look at Cortana and Keyes in the opening cinematics. However, like Choking said, the stock bipeds don't have their faces rigged for facial animations past the mouth moving. Moreover, I never actually looked into this kind of thing, so I don't know if it's possible to tie an emotion to an action or whatever.

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Those particular emotions are part of the actual cutscene animation, they aren't dynamic, which is what he's asking for. I'd imagine the emotions animation has a hard coded order, since it's an overlay animation. For example: frame 0 = default, frame 1 = smile animation, frame 2 = frown animation, and so on. The engine would probably match these animations to specific actions/events just as it does with dialog. I can't figure out the order for halo 1 tags if it's even used, since I haven't seen any bipeds that use it.

This would be nice for machinima, because I would also like to add voice for things like if a team mate shoots his partner, the AI will say "What the hell is wrong with you?!" like when you kill another marine, and he will make an Angry/Questionable face. Though, I need voices, lol.

This is relevant to my interests.

If nobody else has it figured out already, I will be experimenting with this at some point for BCE. Hopefully we'll add a facial expressions notch to our collective community belt soon. :)

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Originally Posted by Choking Victim

Those particular emotions are part of the actual cutscene animation, they aren't dynamic, which is what he's asking for. I'd imagine the emotions animation has a hard coded order, since it's an overlay animation. For example: frame 0 = default, frame 1 = smile animation, frame 2 = frown animation, and so on. The engine would probably match these animations to specific actions/events just as it does with dialog. I can't figure out the order for halo 1 tags if it's even used, since I haven't seen any bipeds that use it.

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There's two script functions I noticed a while ago:

(unit_set_emotion <unit> <short>)

and

(unit_set_emotion_animation <unit> <string>)

So the sequence I don't think is hardcoded; you could have one unit have indifferent, happy, angry set to frames 0 1 and 2, and on another one you could mix it up, though that would be a bad idea.

If it is in cut scenes I am use it is porssible. We can do more or less everything else bungie did in Halo CE.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by p0lar_bear

There's two script functions I noticed a while ago:

(unit_set_emotion <unit> <short>)

and

(unit_set_emotion_animation <unit> <string>)

So the sequence I don't think is hardcoded; you could have one unit have indifferent, happy, angry set to frames 0 1 and 2, and on another one you could mix it up, though that would be a bad idea.

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Bipolar Bipeds, lol