Animation Error List for beginners

This is the place to discuss all issues relating to the manipulation of graphics/animations, sounds, music and cinematics within Diablo 2.

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I_only_pressed_Esc
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Animation Error List for beginners

Post by I_only_pressed_Esc » Wed May 19, 2004 10:19 pm

I thought I would post this as it should help beginners to find out where they are going wrong......... we all forget something now and again. Feel free to add to the list as I am making this from memory and there will no doubt be stuff I've forgot or got wrong slightly...............

[edit by joel :] I took the liberty to add some of my own[/edit by joel]

1. Invisible graphics - usually this will mean one of the following:
a. Wrong file names
b. Missing entries in animdata.d2
c. Wrong/missing entries in monstats2.txt
d. Missing COF files
e. Problem I had - Changed a monster to use the Bloodlord anims but would not show graphics until I moved the Bloodlord files into data\global\monsters folder ????
f. Wrong combination of Baseid, Hcidx etc in monstats.txt
g. Light radius shows and monster attacks invisible = wrong Basew in monstats2.txt
h. Original monster BaseW uses HTH in Monstats2.txt but new monster is using Bow for this. (for example only)

2. Some invisible graphics - one of the following:
a. Wrong monster AI being used in monstats.txt
b. Missing entry in monstats2.txt but will usually have an error message about NUM_INPUTS
c. Missing entry in animdata.d2
d. monstats2.txt entry have some mode not enabled (RN for example)
e. Monsters use a sequence from monseq.txt, but active frame is further than last animation frame (ex : a seq setting an action on frame 10 bugs a 5 frame long animation)


3. Flashing/flickering animation - one of the following:
a. Wrong frame counts in the COF files
b. Missing/blank frames in the animation
c. Wrong palette entry in one or more frames in the animation
d. Wrong framecoutn in animdata.d2

4. Black or coloured squares around the animation -
a. Wrong palette entry when converting the animation.

5. Self ressurecting monster - one of the following:
a. Wrong entry in the DT cof file (look for a 1 in the frame amount)
b. Possible wrong entry in the DT line in animdata.d2 like mentioned above (I haven't tested this yet so could be wrong)

6. Monster commits suicide -
a. Similar to self resurrecting as mentioned above, I think!!! can't remember how I fixed this, sorry.

7. Animation is slow - one of the following:
a. Wrong speed set in animdata.d2
b. Wrong velocity setting in monstats.txt

8. No casting of skill - one of the following:
a. Missing SC animation
b. Chosen monster AI doesn't have a cast entry
c. Missing entry in monstats.txt
d. Missing entry in monstats2.txt
e. Monsters use a sequence from monseq.txt, but active frame is further than last animation frame (ex : a seq setting an action on frame 10 bugs a 5 frame long animation)

9. Monster doesn't attack -
a. Missing A1/A2 animations
b. Wrong monster AI in monstats.xt

10. Monster doesn't move -
a. Wrong velocity setting in monstats.txt
b. Wrong monster AI in monstats.xt

11. Monster walks in the wrong direction ie: backwards -
a. Wrong directions in the animation
Last edited by I_only_pressed_Esc on Tue Oct 18, 2005 12:11 am, edited 5 times in total.
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Post by Phrozen Heart » Wed May 19, 2004 11:16 pm

Good idea, this one deserves a sticky :)
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Re: Animation Error List for beginners

Post by I_Burner » Sun May 30, 2004 7:15 am

This is a very good topic to have around. Here's a couple of notes and additions:
I_only_pressed_Esc";p="174180" wrote: 1. Invisible graphics - usually this will mean one of the following:
If you see a light radius and hear sounds, then chances are you are using a single part animation ("TR" only) and pointing to a line in monstats2 that list multiple parts.
A few other causes (when you don't have light and sound):
-"MonStatsEx" column in monstats.txt has invalid entry.
-you have an "hcidx" in monstats that is not sequential, or you repeated a value somewhere in the file.
6. Monster commits suicide -
a. Similar to self resurrecting as mentioned above, I think!!! can't remember how I fixed this, sorry.
I've had this happen with AI choices that don't match your monstats2 values (need to pick a new AI or match animation to the one you want).
8. No casting of skill - one of the following:
f. Setting a skill to use an animation mode it doesn't support. For example, trying to use A2 with Nest, which will usually only work with a sequence. Check skills.txt to see what modes a skill can be used with.

And one new error I dealt with early on:
9. Wrong monster spawns
a. Wrong entry in Levels.txt
b. Wrong token code entered in monstats.txt
c. Wrong hcidx entered in monstats.txt (often causes a skeleton to spawn for some odd reason).
d. Inserted or deleted a row in monstats.txt from anywhere but the end of the file. Can cause a monster that had previously occupied that slot to spawn instead, and shifts every monster below it to something else. Even if you fix all of the hcidx values. Even if you clear all your .BIN files. EVEN if you inserted or deleted from within rows you added yourself! Despite there being no further reference to the old monster, it still somehow spawns. Quite wacky.
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Re: Animation Error List for beginners

Post by Wopsh » Sat Jan 22, 2011 1:50 am

4. Black or coloured squares around the animation -
a. Wrong palette entry when converting the animation.
When you have an palette color set as transparency in a gif you want to convert.
I found out you must not have transparency when converting in CV52 (for units).

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Re: Animation Error List for beginners

Post by kpepp » Mon Apr 07, 2014 10:32 pm

Wopsh" wrote:
4. Black or coloured squares around the animation -
a. Wrong palette entry when converting the animation.
When you have an palette color set as transparency in a gif you want to convert.
I found out you must not have transparency when converting in CV52 (for units).

The following animations from Incandescence suffer from this problem
1) Overlord (colored squares around the animation)
2) Crypt Demon (some black squares around the animation)
3) Arachnid (some black squares around the animation)
4) Lazarus (black squares around the animation)

I am still new to creating custom animations from the scratch, however in CV5 all animations seem to be perfect. Can CV5 be used to correct these files? Is there any tutorial available?
BR

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