Guild of Writers

Okay, reading in another thread, about animated linking panels again, animated with the linking panel with the book gui up.

Okay, I was just messing around, looking at the Myst V python, and Uru's python, D'Lanor told me it's a good way to learn Python and Plasma, just cruising through.

I thought about how I'd tried this a few months ago to no avail, but then I also admitted that I may have done something wrong. Since everyone was convinced you can't do this with Uru, I gave up.

But I decided to try again tonight, as my luck has been on a roll today with many things Age Creation related.

Okay, here is what I did:

In the Myst V xLinkingBookDefs.py python file you have this:

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from Plasma import *
BookStart1 = '<font size=10>'
LinkStart = '<img src="'
TransLinkStart = '<img opacity=0.7 src="'
kFirstLinkPanelID = 100
LinkEnd = ('*1#0.hsm" align=center link=%d blend=alpha>' % kFirstLinkPanelID)
LinkEndPage = '*1#0.hsm" align=center link=%d blend=alpha>'
LinkEndNoLink = '*1#0.hsm" align=center blend=alpha>'
PageStart = '<pb>'
MovieLinkStart = '<movie src="avi\\'
MovieLinkEnd = ('.bik" align=center link=%d resize=yes>' % kFirstLinkPanelID)
xAgeLinkingBooks = {'Siralehn': (1.0,
              1.0,
              ((((BookStart1 + PageStart) + LinkStart) + 'xLinkPanelNexusDefault') + LinkEnd),),
 'DireboThgr': (1.0,
                1.0,
                (((((BookStart1 + PageStart) + MovieLinkStart) + 'direboWithAlpha') + MovieLinkEnd) + '<img src="xLinkingBookIslandSchematic01*1#0.hsm" pos=128,256 blend=alpha resize="no">'),),
 'DireboTdlm': (1.0,
                1.0,
                (((((BookStart1 + PageStart) + MovieLinkStart) + 'direboWithAlpha') + MovieLinkEnd) + '<img src="xLinkingBookIslandSchematic02*1#0.hsm" pos=128,256 blend=alpha resize="no">'),),


The key here is that MovieLinkStart and MovieLinkEnd are defined up top in the python script. I snatched those 2 lines:

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MovieLinkStart = '<movie src="avi\\'
MovieLinkEnd = ('.bik" align=center link=%d resize=yes>' % kFirstLinkPanelID)

Now I just copied this to my PageDefs file for my Nexus (Andy's Nexus Age), and went down and modified the Page Def for Direbo. Linked in, nothing happend. I mean I could not even click on the book. Puzzled about that, I went and looked at the log, and saw where the error was:

"kFirstLinkPanelID" was not defined. So I removed that, and now the two lines read like this:

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MovieLinkStart = '<movie src="avi\\'
MovieLinkEnd = '.bik" align=center link=%d resize=yes>'

And that did it! I linked in and clicked on Direbo's linking book. It popped up, WITH AN ANIMATED LINKING PANEL!!!

Okay, there were a few more things, let me explain:

Not only do you need to add those 2 lines to your PageDefs.py file, but you need to go down and edit your BookPages part too. Here is what I put:

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 'Direbopg': ((((PageStart + MovieLinkStart) + 'direboWithAlpha') + MovieLinkEnd) + AlignCenter),


Now, the "direboWithAlpha" is actually a bik movie from the Myst V game folder. The first two lines that you add to define MovieLinkStart, it's telling you to put it in the avi folder. Uru has an avi folder. So I copied that bik file there (I have a bik player and when you double click on it, the movie is stretched just like the linking panel images are when making the ready for the Linking book).

Anyways, that did it! It worked!

Please someone else try this and verify this. There's other bik movies from Myst V that I think they are using for the linking panels on the books, but while they are laying there. It's late so I'm off to bed.

Wow!

I'm a little tired right now, so I'm not gonna test it out tonight. But this is great news for those who miss the animated linking panels. I personally don't miss the animated linking panels all that much. Only because I enjoy Uru more than the other games (though I love the other games as well) Uru's been my favorite, and I just took, as an IC explanation, that Uru is the real deal. Its how it actually works, while the Myst games were an artistic license done by Cyan from Cathrine's Journals. So stuff in Myst and the others don't jive up with Uru (like the linking panels) because of that artistic license.

I never missed the animated linking panels in Uru, but having them back will be a joy to some so I congratulate you on this achievement.

It works perfectly by following your instructions, Andy. Kudos for your simple and elegant solution.
When I first read your post, I smirked knowingly and thought "Ha! Andy is a noob, if "kFirstLinkPanelID" was not defined he should have copied the line "kFirstLinkPanelID = 100" instead of deleting the reference. Any programmer knows that!".

I did that and it failed miserably.

Which proves that noobs stand a better chance than programmers at hacking Uru. You succeeded because you didn't know it wasn't supposed to be done that way. Please keep doing that.

Hey, this could means that it is also be fairly easy to finally implement (moving) linking images in the relto bookshelf

I knew you were gonna pounce on it.

Thanks!

I think....

I'll stick to Uru in that case. I don't think this would apply to say......a Nuclear reactor? heheheheh.

Very awesome. I have no idea what any of the code means, but if it produces moving link images, it's awesome.

It's just Python scripting that you add to D'Lanor's template for Linking books and Journals. Specificaly to the PageDefs template.

Good news is you don't have to figure out how to put a .bik movie file into blender...!

Bad news is, you'll have to learn how to make .bik movies for your Ages....that are stretched out.......and have an alpha channel.....

But I've got some ideas for a tutorial about that.

Hey I just realized.....this month makes it 1 year I've been doing Age Creation. Guess I need to throw a party or something.

That's great Andy. I appreciate the effort which you are doing.

Now I'm trying to figure out the best way to go about making the bik video.....I mean let's face it, if you want it for your Age, or even for Uru Ages, you'll need to make them, since they don't exist, except for Myst V Ages.

I was thinking for something that's smooth looking, to put in a animated camera in your Age (of course this leaves out Cyan's Ages) and a trigger region.

Get a video capture program running, like Fraps or something. Then load up Uru and linkin to your Age. Step over to the trigger region, enabling video capture just before you do, and let it go.

Then the video will need to be not only converted, but resized and a alpha channel in it, just like the still image linking panels we use are stretched and have that transparent background.

I've got RAD Video Tools from Bink and Smacker, but have not really messed with it. I know it will convert your video file to a .bik video file, but I don't know about the size and alpha channel yet.

Now for Uru Ages....hrmmm.....maybe go in with Fly mode? I've always thought that looked kinda jerky though. I'll have to try it and see I think.

Once I figure some of these things out, I'll write up what I did and post it.

Ah, for me, animated Linking panels are it. Uru is the black sheep. A still image is so static, where an animated panel, well it's so dynamic and alive. I always loved linking in all the Myst Games, you'd click on the book, and see that animated panel, even if the camera wasn't panning around, but instead you saw things MOVING in the panel...that' just be...too kick butt!!!
Then you touch it to link, and you had the full screen movie flyby. That ALWAYS gave me a rush!

I really missed that when Uru came out. It felt like: "What? Link? Okay, hey ho hum, no big deal, black screen, weird sound, there! You linked. Now get outta here, you're bothering me."