Animation types for RTS models?

Valandar

Out of curiosity, what are the most common types of animations needed for RTS type models? These are the ones I could think of:

Combat units:
Idle, move, melee, ranged, die

Construction units:
Idle, move, build, die

Buildings:
Built, take partial damage, fall apart


Are there any others I should be thinking of?

rooster

possibly a repair for construction unit? maybe you could just use the build one mind

Valandar

I was thinking that each anim (other than move?) might have 2-3 variations on it as well, chosen at random when the animation begins. In the superhero RTS/RPG Freedom Force, for example, assigning animation Melee_a to an attack means it randomly chooses Melee_a, Melee_b, Melee_c, etcetera. So maybe 2-3 idle poses, 2-3 attack animation types, etcetera. And with a random 3-7 frame 'lead in' from idle to move would allow multiple units to not seem to be all in perfect synch, as well...

Yes, I'm pondering teaching myself coding, and using one of the free engines out there to create a simple RTS as a sort of 'proof of concept' type thing. Problem is, I'm self-taught in EVERYTHING, so I don't know everything the 'pros' do...

Eric Chadwick

Check out the editor for one of these games, usually there's an animation browser, lets you examine all the variations.

Valandar

Unfortunately, the only RTS I have is Dawn of War, and I can't figger out its editor.

Wells

can you blend animations?
can your units fire while moving?
is there a cover system in your game, ie: environmental effects? if so, can you fire when in them?
can builder units repair buildings or mech troops?
do any of the units have special attacks? throwing grenades, shooting cock lasers, ect?

it all depends on the specs of your RTS

Valandar

Hrms, gotcha.

Right now, as possible 'portfolio' pieces, I'm making units for a fictional RTS, one that doesn't exist but I wish did - a four way battle of Armageddon, with Heaven, Hell, 22nd century Humans, and "Things From Beyond" duking it out as the final battle. So to answer your questions:

Blend: Not sure... dunno if it would get so complex.
While moving: Some, yes. Others, like artillery, can't.
Cover: Hrms... probably simple LOS issues - you can either shoot, or not.
Builders: Most of the non-basic "Heaven" units can heal allied units (though not very much except specialized healers), ther are med units, and there are separate units for repair (though build units can repair at lower effectiveness).
Special attacks: I had assumed them in the 'ranged attack' anims. For example, a standard 22nd Century Basic Infantryman would have a gauss rifle (standard attack) and limited use of a grenade attack.

So the specs are currently notional, but what I would like to see in this fictional game. I'm giving myself a poly count budget of 1200 tris for the lowest level units (including equipment) up to 6000-8000 tris for the unique hero types. Textures are 256x for the lowest up to 2048x for the 'uniques'.

Joshua Stubbles

A lot of RTS games have a great deal of units on screen at a time. For that reason, a lot of them use quaternion animation of some sort. Basically model rotation on segmented meshes, instead of vertex blending and deformation. It renders faster, but is more troublesome for the artist.