I need Help, I have money, Please read (Advanced modders)

[TimeGlitch]

Ive toiled over this mod for what seems to be days, and I just cannot figure it out. Ill be as clear as I can be...

I am a machinima modder, and I have promised my fans something extraordinary that has never been done before in the Halo 2 engine. I want to make the lips of an elite move like they're talking. Sounds easy enough...

Wrong.

I started by searching around on methods of animation swapping, and found a few good tuts. Though...none worked.

I decided to branch off onto my own trip and begin searching for the correct animations. I tried Combat: Talk. Thats literally all I could find. The end result of making that trigger by pressing B was just a statuesque elite with nothing more than a mobile head. Admittedly funny, I tried once more inside a campaign map. All that got me was the Arbiter changed to an Honor Guard (?) and the same thing again.

Though using the Single Player Elite jmad files were interesting, they were far from what I needed. What I need is the correct IN GAME lip moving animation, and the way to insert it into Multiplayer so that when I press melee or grenade or shoot (Take your pick, I prefer melee), the elites lips move.

I am prepared to offer a reward. I have some leftover money on a VISA gift card that I got for xmas. I checked the balance, and theres 30 dollars left on it. The first person to give me a solution that works gets the money.

Thanks.

IMPORTANT EDITS:

you don't got to pay us, well... you don't got to pay me I can't really speak for the rest of halomods.
but do you just want the mouth to move like it is talking for the elite, or arbiter?

I want to replace the plasma rifle melee with the lip moving animation you'd see on your elite buddys in the single player campaign.

----------------

Ok, Ive conversed with a few of my fellows, and they think they have an altrinate solution if this one doesnt work. What I need to know now is how to import custom animations into Halo 2, and then replace the melee animation with it.

[MilyardoX2]

you don't got to pay us, well... you don't got to pay me I can't really speak for the rest of halomods.
but do you just want the mouth to move like it is talking for the elite, or arbiter?

[xzodia]

this sounds interesting, i bet turk could do it fairly easily but i'm gonna look into it anyway

[blackdiamond]

try the shotgun melee, i remember seeing the elite move his mouth wide open on some of those melee's.

[newbymodder]

can't u find the animations from the cut scenes? i mean the arbiter and half jaw talk in those scenes so surely the animation is there some where

[TimeGlitch]

Animations from cutscenes probably doesnt work considering its scripted. However, elites do talk in game, so there has to be an in game animation for the elites that makes their lips move. I dont know what it is, and thats why I require the assistance of a modder far more experienced than myself. If I had the file, I could probably inject it myself, but considering I can offer a reward, why not have them just do it all and show me later?

The reason Im offering money is because I need this soon, and I need people to look at this thread and actually try to do it. Im gonna keep hashing away at it, but I doubt I'll have any luck.

[TimeGlitch]

you don't got to pay us, well... you don't got to pay me I can't really speak for the rest of halomods.
but do you just want the mouth to move like it is talking for the elite, or arbiter?

I want to replace the plasma rifle melee with the lip moving animation you'd see on your elite buddys in the single player campaign.

Ill add this to the original post

can't u find the animations from the cut scenes? i mean the arbiter and half jaw talk in those scenes so surely the animation is there some where

So youd think X(

[Ultamis]

The dervish animation number 133 is mouth closed,Try making the unarmed/any crouch animation.Also,you can try making the idle animation the combat_talk one and make crouch the mouth_closed animation if the mouth_closed makes the rest of the body stand in that un-posed state.Il try it and take some screens.

[Agent ME]

You won't be able to do this through random jmad swapping.

To do this in a multiplayer level, you'd need to...

1. Add in an AI-controlled Elite.
2. Inject the audio of what you want him to say into the map, in the same format as the lines in SP - mono sound, not stereo, etc. Or, it might be possible just to make the elite say a sound that's already in the map, like one of the announcer voices, and when you film it, replace the audio with what you want, and edit the video so his lips/mandibles move more like he's saying his correct line, not "Kilimanjaro!".
3. Script the elite to spawn, do what you want, and say what you want. IE, run to a spot, stop, and say his line. The script command that makes them say their line will automatically make his lips/mandibles move with the audio.

I haven't ever done this myself, as any AI mod I've ever tried to make freezes on start up (wtf?) and I just haven't done much modding lately.

[blackdiamond]

try the shotgun melee, i remember seeing the elite move his mouth wide open on some of those melee's.

[TimeGlitch]

You won't be able to do this through random jmad swapping.

To do this in a multiplayer level, you'd need to...

1. Add in an AI-controlled Elite.
2. Inject the audio of what you want him to say into the map, in the same format as the lines in SP - mono sound, not stereo, etc. Or, it might be possible just to make the elite say a sound that's already in the map, like one of the announcer voices, and when you film it, replace the audio with what you want, and edit the video so his lips/mandibles move more like he's saying his correct line, not "Kilimanjaro!".
3. Script the elite to spawn, do what you want, and say what you want. IE, run to a spot, stop, and say his line. The script command that makes them say their line will automatically make his lips/mandibles move with the audio.

I haven't ever done this myself, as any AI mod I've ever tried to make freezes on start up (wtf?) and I just haven't done much modding lately.

I would do this, but I require complete control over the biped. Thats why i want the animation on a playable elite character.

[TimeGlitch]

Ok ive tried more things, and its not that I cannot import animations properly, its that I havent found the right one. Combat_Talk just doesnt work.

[MilyardoX2]

Ok ive tried more things, and its not that I cannot import animations properly, its that I havent found the right one. Combat_Talk just doesnt work.

Yeah I tried combat_talk a couple of hours ago then got side tracked, BTW what map would you like it on?

[Agent ME]

I would do this, but I require complete control over the biped. Thats why i want the animation on a playable elite character.

What exactly do you need to do with the biped? It is possible to easily script the biped to move/run, jump, crouch, and attack, while saying the line. Plus, you could just make the AI look like one of the players, and film the scenes with the player. And when he needs to say something, move him aside and have the AI say the line, and film that.

[Sgt.Peppers]

Just wait for Turk to come in here, he'll get it.

[TimeGlitch]

I would do this, but I require complete control over the biped. Thats why i want the animation on a playable elite character.

What exactly do you need to do with the biped? It is possible to easily script the biped to move/run, jump, crouch, and attack, while saying the line. Plus, you could just make the AI look like one of the players, and film the scenes with the player. And when he needs to say something, move him aside and have the AI say the line, and film that.

Well for one I dont know how to script AI's. 2: I need the elites to look a certain way, and I need there to be multiple permutations. It would be much easier if i could just press a button and have the mandibles move. And if i continued along your path, I would be scripting out my whole movie...And that would take way...way..WAY more time than I have.

Heres what I DID get from your post that might be able to help. If there is a script somewhere that triggers an animation for mandible movement, then we could find the script and use it. Perhaps if we hooked up the actual player with a minimal AI, and instead of meleeing, the script would get the mandibles to move instead.

Would that work?

EDIT:

Ok ive tried more things, and its not that I cannot import animations properly, its that I havent found the right one. Combat_Talk just doesnt work.

Yeah I tried combat_talk a couple of hours ago then got side tracked, BTW what map would you like it on?

Id need the mod to be capable of being on any map.

EDIT:
K, something else I found out. I was messing around and shooting my elite when all of a sudden, lo and behold, his lips move and he makes a growling sound. Im like...WTF? So i do it for another few minutes (invincible), and he does it again. So Im thinking...Its already in there. He already does it. We just have to figure out a way to trigger it.

EDIT:
Ok, Ive conversed with a few of my fellows, and they think they have an altrinate solution if this one doesnt work. What I need to know now is how to import custom animations into Halo 2, and then replace the melee animation with it.

I joined all your posts for you. Next time try not to post more than once in a row, use the edit button
~ -DeToX-