TRNG - Animation Command

• Create a new animation with Wad Merger
  
• Type an Animation command to set the keystroke to use and the correct position about when activate your custom animation in game.
  
• Add further NG AnimCommand in your custom animation to perform some special effects.

• When you want create an animation to interact with some item (moveables) it's better to use the new ENV_ITEM_TEST_POSITION condition linked with a TestPosition command, because the old env condition to detect the position of items don't allow to work on range of values but only to set a fixed distance with poor results.
  I let in NG_Center the old ENV_ITEM_EXTRA_ ... conditions only for backward compatibility but it's better don't use ever them.
  
  
• To discover the values to type in TestPosition command you should enable the full diagnostic with following commands in [Options] section:
  
  Diagnostic=          ENABLED
  LogItem=          FLI_SHOW_DIFFERENCES, IndexItemToLog
  
  The Diagnostic enable the showing of infos about lara on the screen, while the new command LogItem permits to have same information also for another item. You have to type the index of this item in LogItem (IndexItemToLog)
  The flag FLI_SHOW_DIFFERENCES is very useful for our job, because it shows the ideal data to use in TestPosition command.
  
  
• When you want create an animation to interact with a moveable, you should place this item in the level and type its index in LogItem command.
  Then, in game, you should try to reach the position where lara should be to start correctly your custom animation.
  Watching the Difference value on screen you'll get the ideal values to set in TestPosition, adding a couple of - / + values (the tollerance) to each of them, to create the tollerance range for each value.
  Well, in this operation it's necessary remember to place this item to get that, in wished position of lara, the item had original facing and lara was at left (in ngle view) of item, i.e. the DifZ should be negative or 0.
  An exception is when you want place lara on a side of item, in this case the ZDif could be also positive, just item had the original facing.
  There is this complication because the engine would like alwasys the disposition Lara.z < Item.z and Item.HOrient = 0
  
  If you require absolutely to have lara.z coordinate > Item.z you can read the difference value on screen inverting the sign.
  For example if you read ZDif = +400 you should use as ideal position ZDif = -400. In this case, if XDif is different than 0, you should invert also it: if XDif was -150 you should consider as ideal position XDif = +150.
  Rremark: This speech doesn’t regard the YDif value, because it’s always the value you read on screen.
  
  This expedient is necessaery only to detect the correct values to type in testPosition command, but when you created your TestPosition command, your TestPosition command will be able to handle correctly that item with any rotation you wish use in final level.
  
  
• Once you create your Animation and TestPosition command, it's advisable to test them in game with Animation command working in diagnostic mode.
  To do work in diagnostic mode an Animation command just you set as AnimIndex to perform (the first field of Animation command) a negative number.
  In this way no animation will be performed, of course, and you'll be able to verify if conditions and position you set in script.txt work fine.
  When the animation should be performed you see ont the screen a text like "Anim-1=YES" where that "-1" is the negative number you typed as AnimIndex.
  The reason to use this method, instead perfroming immediatly the real custom animation, is to verify in fast mode if animation could be performed in correct position and ONLY in correct position.
  If you use real animation you should everytime wait the end of custom animation and then to move back lara to previous position, while in diagnostic mode you can move lara around the critical zone to detect in precise way its zone.
  If in this check you find some bad distance, just you change the values in TestPosition command, build the script and then retry newly.
  

• Permit to Lara to have a wide zone to interact with some object (like the pushable), since also when lara is far from ideal position she will be able to interact with pushable object.
  
• To have the sureness that the custom animation will be started from a very precise (and always the same) ideal position, avoiding an incoherent movement between animation and object.

1. Build the level to have a tr4 file
   
2. Load this tr4 file with FexAnim
   
3. Select in left frame your object
   
4. Clik on item "Show [x]"
   
5. Now you should click on [Automatic Bound] button for each animation of your object. You can see in top left corner of FexAnim window the list of animations.
   
6. When you completed all animations, choose from menu "Save as ..." and choose newly the same .tr4 file
   
7. Now, to have your correct object in wad file, you should use wad merger to move the object from .tr4 file to .wad file
   

• A custom animation to show the new moves for Lara.
  
  
• Type an Animation script command, with further TestPosition command, to detetect when there are all conditions to perform our custom animation
  
  
• Create some NG AnimCommand to insert in our custom animation to perform some change in game: the actions performed by this NG AnimCommand will be the new skill for Lara
  

• Modify the mesh of BURNING_TORCH_ITEM to give the look of knife (or sword)
  
• Modify the hand mesh of TORCH_ANIM slot to give same look of above knife
  
• Create TestPosition and Animation command like in example of punching the baddy but in MultEnvCondition add also the condition ENV_HOLD_EXTRA_ITEM_IN_HANDS with (in extra field) the value HOLD_ANY_TORCH.
  In this way the animation will be started only if lara holds the torch/knife
  
• Create a custom animation where lara hits using the knife
  This animation should be placed in Slot 0 of default Lara and not in slot of TORCH_ANIM because these extra slots are not reachable by custom animation.
  
• In the Animation command, that you use to perform this animation, add to FAN flags also the flag FAN_SET_FREE_HANDS_TEMP.
  This flag is necessary to perform custom animations (full working) while lara is holding somewhat in her hands (weapons or torch)
  

• In a jump animation, Lara is not able to cling to climb walls or wall edges.
  This happens when you forgot to use in Animation command the FAN flag FAN_SET_FREE_HANDS or FAN_SET_FREE_HANDS_TEMP.
  You can solve the problem also typing an animcommand directly in your animation: the [Command3].
  The [Command3] is the animcommand to free the hands of lara.
  If lara holds somewhat, weapons or also a vehicle or a climb wall, an handhold on the edge ect., she is not able to cling to other surface.
  When you perfom a "free hands" command, you say to engine: "I know that lara a moment ago was climing/hanging a wall, but now, with this my animation, she has newly the free hands"
  This command don't remove really the hand's meshes, but simply it assigns to lara the skill to cling newly to somewhat.
  
  
• The custom animation starts but immediatly it has been interrupted by other default animation.
  This is the most command situation where the problem is own the state-id.
  You should try to type in State-Id field of Animation Editor, another state-id for your custom animation.
  You can try with state-id 69: full neutral.
  It doesn't disturb your custom animation, but neither it helps her in any way.
  To use this neutral state id you can also use simply the FAN flag named: FAN_SET_NEUTRAL_STATE_ID in Animation command.
  This method works for "static" animations, i.e. animations where lara move her arms or hands, but she reamins in same position of the level.
  When your animation moves lara, jumping, falling or running, this method cann't work fine, at least to use a (standard) SetPosition animCommand to perform the translation (moving of lara position) of Lara in the animation and at end force the new target coordinates with setposition command.
  If you need to have some help from State id procedures, you can use the state id 89.
  It performs some default computes to manage lara, set byself the "free hands" command, and change the camera mode to watch lara.
  
  Anoter chance is to use the state id 95 or 96, to have default collision and basic management but with very little bans.
  
  As last chance you could select an effective well-known state id, choosing it in according with your custom animation.
  For example if your animation perform a jump, you could use your custom animation only for begin of jump, while for jumping phase you could use a stateid specific for jumps, like:
  
  25 STATE_BACK_JUMP
  3 STATE_FORWARD_JUMP
  27 STATE_LEFT_JUMP
  28 STATE_UP_JUMP
  
  Ect.
  While if your animation is swimming underwater, you could try to set as state id a compatible state id, like:
  
  17 STATE_SWIM
  
  Use [Find] button in Reference panel to find fastly the wished state id. For example for state ids with jumps, you can perform a search with search mask "state jump", or read the State IDs List at bottom of this tutorial
  
  
• In a jump or falling animation, lara remain still in midair.
  Probably you need to set the FAN flag FAN_ENABLE_GRAVITY in Animation command, to enable the compute for gravity simulation and intertial horizzontal movement.
  If neither with this flag you solve the problem, then it's a state id issue, too.
  Try to use a state id about jump or falling.
  
  
• Lara performs correctly your custom animation, but at end, she comes back to starting position.
  You created an animation where Lara move herself in the space with translation but you forgot to add a SetPosition command to update her position in game.
  
  You can create a static animation, where lara move her legs but she is alwsys in same point of Animation Editor. Then you type a value in [Speed] field of Animation Editor, or you choose a state id for your animation where the engine will move lara for you.
  
  Differently, another method, it's when you move really the dummy of Lara in the animation editor, in this case you translated her position, and to have a correct execution in game, you have to type a standard animcommand for this animation: you type a (standard) SetPosition command, to move the position of lara from its starting position to final position.
  For example if lara in your animation move her for a single sector in forward direction, the setposition command should be:
  SetPosition [0] [0] [1024]
  And you should read above values in this way:
  At end of animation the origin of lara has to be changed from current position (because lara in the reality had not been moved during your animation but only her meshes had been) to a new position adding to her origin: +0 to X Pivot, +0 to Y pivot and +1024 (one sector forward) to Z pivot.
  I.e. the syntax is:
  
  Set Position [+x] [+y] [+z]
  
  Or, said in extended mode:
  
  Set Position [+Right/-Left displacemente] [-Up/+down displacement] [+Forward/-backward displacement]
  
  Give a look to standard animation 42 of lara. It's when she move up a block. You can see the to move up her [-768] (the negative Y move up), and move a bit forward her [128].
  
  
• At end of your animation the position of Lara is correct but her facing is wrong
  This happen when your animation should translate the position of lara but also it tries to change her orientaton (facing). I.e. when she in animation rotate herself to look in other diredtion.
  In this case the problem is a missing of SetPosition command: it doesn't permit to change the facing of lara.
  For this reason I added a new flipeffect to change the facing of lara and you should add this ng animcommand to your custom animation.
  The flipeffect is:
  
  "AnimCommand. Turn (facing) current object of <&>degrees in (E)way"
  
  You set above flipeffect in Set Trigger window, and the click on [Export AnimCommand].
  Type the SetPosition values in your animation and save newly the wad.
  
  
• I typed the SetPosition for translation and another for turning of facing but yet somewhat doesn't work
  This situation could happen when lara was in hang position at start of your custom animation.
  For technical reason it's possible that the engine store yet the original position of lara (at start of your animation) and then, at end, it restores it newly.
  To solve this problem you should add another ng animcommand to your animation:
  
  "AnimCommand. Update also original Lara position. (after a SetPosition)"
  
  Export in it as AnimCommand, and type the data in your custom animation.
  
  
• All works fine except the starting or ending of animation where lara has a rough movement
  This happen when the starting or ending frame of your animation are not compatible with previous or following default animation of lara.
  
  To solve the problem you should try to reach this target in your animation:
  The first frame of your animarion should have lara in (almost) same position of last frame of previous animation, from what your animation will be started.
  The last frame of your animation should have lara in same position of first frame of next animation, that will be peformed at end of your custom animation and you type in NextAnim field of Animation Editor.
  
  You should open two instances of WadMerger/Animation editor program, and , while with first Animation editor you build your animation, with other Animation editor you should look the frame of some standard animation that will be used first or after your custom animation to normalize the start and final frame with it.
  
  
• My animation is performed only once while it should be performed continuosly or vice versa
  This problem regards the loop (or less) mode of your animation.
  Some animations have been created to work in loop mode, i.e. until player hits some key lara will perform continuosly that animation.
  For example the running animation is a looped mode animation.
  Differently other animation work in single-shot mode, like the animation to throw out a flare or to engages a switch.
  Technically the loop or singleshot mode are set from NextAnimation field in AnimationEditor (if nextanim is the same number of current animation it should be a looped animation), and from state id procedure that manages this animation.
  
  About state id it's important the value of NextStateId for lara.
  You cann't set the next state it in animation editor but you can change it dynamically using an exported flipeffect like:
  
  "Lara. (Animation) Force <&>StateID and (E)next StateID for Lara"
  
  or using some FAN flag in Animation script command to force a wished state id or next state id:
  
  FAN_SET_NEUTRAL_STATE_ID (if you don't want that engine disturbes your animation) But this regard the current state id and you can get same target type the wished value in StateId field in Animation Editor
  
  FAN_KEEP_NEXT_STATEID (if you want that your custom animation was performed only once and then lara comes back to her original animation and state id.)
  
  Remark: if you omit to use FAN_KEEP_NEXT_STATEID the next state id used by lara will be the same you placed in State-Id field of Animation editor for your custom animation.
  Differently, if you use FAN_KEEP_NEXT_STATEID flag, the next state id will be the same foreseen for animation played before starting your custom animation.
  
  If you use FAN_KEEP_NEXT_STATEID in a continuos animation (where NextAnim is the same of current animation) you should add also some Change State id value in your custom animation, using the animation editor.
  A "Change State Id" is a record with values like these:
  
  [StateId] [LowFrame] [HighFrame] [Next Anim] [NextFrame]
  
  The engine when it finds a "Change state id" record in your animation, it uses it in following way:
  
  * Check if the NextStateId of Lara is the same of [StateId] field of "Change State id" record
  * If it is the same, it checks if current frame number of current animation is enclosed in frame range [LowFrame] - [HighRange]
  *If the frame is in the range, the engine will perform the animation [Next Anim] of "Change State Id" record, and this nex anim animation will be started from [Next Frame] frame. Usually it should be 0 (the first frame) but it could be happen that the first frame is different and own to use a more alike frame from previous animation and this [Next Anim] animation.
  
  If you set the FAN_KEEP_NEXT_STATEID and your custom animation start when lara was in StateId = 2 i.e. STATE_STOP, you should type your record using as [StateId] the value 2, because it will be "2" in NextStateId field of lara while your custom animation was performing, then you should set other value to call in correct frame [Low] - [High] a new animation [NextAnim] to start from [NextFrame] frame where lara moves from the current frame of your custom animation until to reach the to stop stand up position, typical of StateId= 2 STATE_STOP.
  You can add more "Change State id" record in your animation, to permits in different frame range or for different nextstateid values to pass to other default animations.
  

  StateId   ManagementProcedure        CollisionProcedure

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  0 ($00) : WALK                       COLLISION WALK

  1 ($01) : RUN                        COLLISION RUN

  2 ($02) : STOP                       COLLISION STOP

  3 ($03) : FORWARD JUMP               COLLISION FORWARD JUMP

  4 ($04) : NULL                       COLLISION FAST TURN

  5 ($05) : FAST BACK                  COLLISION FAST BACK

  6 ($06) : TURN RIGHT                 COLLISION TURN RIGHT

  7 ($07) : TURN LEFT                  COLLISION TURN LEFT

  8 ($08) : DEATH                      COLLISION DEATH

  9 ($09) : FAST FALL                  COLLISION FAST FALL

 10 ($0A) : HANG                       COLLISION HANG

 11 ($0B) : REACH                      COLLISION REACH

 12 ($0C) : SPLAT                      COLLISION SPLAT

 13 ($0D) : TREAD                      COLLISION TREAD

 14 ($0E) : NULL                       COLLISION FAST TURN

 15 ($0F) : COMPRESS                   COLLISION COMPRESS

 16 ($10) : BACK                       COLLISION BACK

 17 ($11) : SWIM                       COLLISION SWIM

 18 ($12) : GLIDE                      COLLISION GLIDE

 19 ($13) : NULL                       COLLISION NULL

 20 ($14) : FAST TURN                  COLLISION FAST TURN

 21 ($15) : STEP RIGHT                 COLLISION STEP RIGHT

 22 ($16) : STEP LEFT                  COLLISION STEP LEFT

 23 ($17) : NULL                       COLLISION ROLL2

 24 ($18) : SLIDE                      COLLISION SLIDE

 25 ($19) : BACK JUMP                  COLLISION BACK JUMP

 26 ($1A) : RIGHT JUMP                 COLLISION RIGHT JUMP

 27 ($1B) : LEFT JUMP                  COLLISION LEFT JUMP

 28 ($1C) : UP JUMP                    COLLISION UP JUMP

 29 ($1D) : FALL BACK                  COLLISION FALL BACK

 30 ($1E) : HANG LEFT                  COLLISION HANG LEFT

 31 ($1F) : HANG RIGHT                 COLLISION HANG RIGHT

 32 ($20) : SLIDE BACK                 COLLISION SLIDE BACK

 33 ($21) : SURF TREAD                 COLLISION SURF TREAD

 34 ($22) : SURF SWIM                  COLLISION SURF SWIM

 35 ($23) : DIVE                       COLLISION DIVE

 36 ($24) : PUSH BLOCK                 COLLISION NULL

 37 ($25) : PULL BLOCK                 COLLISION NULL

 38 ($26) : PUSH PULL READY            COLLISION NULL

 39 ($27) : PICK UP                    COLLISION NULL

 40 ($28) : SWITCH ON                  COLLISION NULL

 41 ($29) : SWITCH ON                  COLLISION NULL

 42 ($2A) : USE KEY                    COLLISION NULL

 43 ($2B) : USE PUZZLE                 COLLISION NULL

 44 ($2C) : UNDERWATER DEATH           COLLISION UNDERWATER DEATH

 45 ($2D) : NULL                       COLLISION ROLL

 46 ($2E) : SPECIAL                    NULL

 47 ($2F) : SURF BACK                  COLLISION SURF BACK

 48 ($30) : SURF LEFT                  COLLISION SURF LEFT

 49 ($31) : SURF RIGHT                 COLLISION SURF RIGHT

 50 ($32) : NULL                       NULL

 51 ($33) : NULL                       NULL

 52 ($34) : SWAN DIVE                  COLLISION SWAN DIVE

 53 ($35) : FAST DIVE                  COLLISION FAST DIVE

 54 ($36) : NULL                       COLLISION NULL

 55 ($37) : WATER OUT                  COLLISION NULL

 56 ($38) : CLIMB START_AND_STANDING   COLLISION CLIMB START AND STANDING

 57 ($39) : CLIMB UP                   COLLISION CLIMB UP

 58 ($3A) : CLIMB LEFT                 COLLISION CLIMB LEFT

 59 ($3B) : CLIMB END                  NULL

 60 ($3C) : CLIMB RIGHT                COLLISION CLIMB RIGHT

 61 ($3D) : CLIMB DOWN                 COLLISION CLIMB DOWN

 62 ($3E) : NULL                       NULL

 63 ($3F) : NULL                       NULL

 64 ($40) : NULL                       NULL

 65 ($41) : WADE                       COLLISION WADE

 66 ($42) : WATER ROLL                 COLLISION WATER ROLL

 67 ($43) : PICK UP FLARE              COLLISION NULL

 68 ($44) : NULL                       NULL

 69 ($45) : NULL                       NULL

 70 ($46) : DEATH SLIDE                NULL

 71 ($47) : DUCK                       COLLISION DUCK

 72 ($48) : DUCK                       COLLISION DUCK

 73 ($49) : DASH                       COLLISION DASH

 74 ($4A) : DASH DIVE                  COLLISION DASH DIVE

 75 ($4B) : MONKEY_STILL_OR_HANG_SWING COLLISION MONKEY_STILL_OR_HANG_SWING

 76 ($4C) : MONKEY SWING               COLLISION MONKEY SWING

 77 ($4D) : MONKEY LEFT                COLLISION MONKEY LEFT

 78 ($4E) : MONKEY RIGHT               COLLISION MONKEY RIGHT

 79 ($4F) : MONKEY 180                 COLLISION MONKEY 180

 80 ($50) : ON ALL FOURS STANDING      COLLISION ON ALL FOURS STANDING

 81 ($51) : ON ALL FOURS FORWARD       COLLISION ON ALL FOURS FORWARD

 82 ($52) : HANG TURN LEFT             COLLISION HANG TURN LEFT RIGHT

 83 ($53) : HANG TURN RIGHT            COLLISION HANG TURN LEFT RIGHT

 84 ($54) : ON ALL FOURS TURN LEFT     COLLISION ON ALL FOURS TURN LEFT RIGHT

 85 ($55) : ON ALL FOURS TURN RIGHT    COLLISION ON ALL FOURS TURN LEFT RIGHT

 86 ($56) : ON ALL FOURS BACK          COLLISION ON ALL FOURS TURN LEFT RIGHT BACK

 87 ($57) : NULL                       NULL

 88 ($58) : NULL                       COLLISION ON ALL FOURS TURN LEFT RIGHT TO HANG

 89 ($59) : CONTROLLED                 LARA DEFAULT COL

 90 ($5A) : ROPE LEFT                  NULL

 91 ($5B) : ROPE RIGHT                 NULL

 92 ($5C) : CONTROLLED                 LARA DEFAULT COL

 93 ($5D) : CONTROLLED                 NULL

 94 ($5E) : CONTROLLED                 NULL

 95 ($5F) : CONTROLLED LET             COLLISION TURN SWITCH

 96 ($60) : CONTROLLED LET             NULL

 97 ($61) : CONTROLLED                 NULL

 98 ($62) : PICK UP                    COLLISION NULL

 99 ($63) : NULL                       COLLISION POLE STATIC

100 ($64) : NULL                       COLLISION POLE UP

101 ($65) : NULL                       COLLISION POLE DOWN

102 ($66) : POLE LEFT                  NULL

103 ($67) : POLE RIGHT                 NULL

104 ($68) : PULLEY                     LARA DEFAULT COL

105 ($69) : DUCK LEFT                  COLLISION DUCK LEFT RIGHT

106 ($6A) : DUCK RIGHT                 COLLISION DUCK LEFT RIGHT

107 ($6B) : EXTERNAL CORNER LEFT       LARA DEFAULT COL

108 ($6C) : EXTERNAL CORNER RIGHT      LARA DEFAULT COL

109 ($6D) : INTERNAL CORNER LEFT       LARA DEFAULT COL

110 ($6E) : INTERNAL CORNER RIGHT      LARA DEFAULT COL

111 ($6F) : ROPE                       COLLISION ROPE

112 ($70) : ROPE CLIMB UP              NULL

113 ($71) : ROPE CLIMB DOWN            NULL

114 ($72) : ROPE                       COLLISION ROPE FORWARD

115 ($73) : ROPE                       COLLISION ROPE FORWARD

116 ($74) : NULL                       NULL

117 ($75) : CONTROLLED                 NULL

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