Moving "heads" in Think Tank

[LKN-351]

I really don't think this would take much work... just some 'trickery' on the back end.

 

So talking to someone about the Think Tank head and I got to thinking about how much cooler it'd be if the "head" that was inside of it animated. I was standing idle in-game and thinking about that and watching my character move his head around but imagining that it was the eyeball.

I havent checked to see how far above the standard head the "heads" in think tank are positioned but in theory you could attach the TT head to the geo for the normal head while leaving the base of TT how it is. As it is in the game right now it looks like the standard head is still there since the Cyborg Aura and the Halo aura animate seperately from the TT so it must attach to a skeletal point, the head model's just not visible.

Honestly, I'd try this out but I think it would require a few teaks to the costume creator to do it so I'm out of luck on my own testing.

 

The idle animations and as far as im aware the fight stances would still keep the TT head inside the glass but it would move around.

The only things I could think of causing some issues would be clipping with the skull and its options, and seperating the .geo for the for the wired brain. If it isn't too bad to seperate that into two .geos and then slightly extending the hoses it could just as well be animated with them.

Hell this same thing may even work with the 'Floating Heads' option.

 

I hope this make sense, it was part of an ongoing stream of thought... I just had to get it out there lol

[LKN-351]

Since I had absolutely zero traction with this, I'd like to revisit this post with some visualizations of what's already going on in the game. I don't know if there was actually no interest or if I just couldn't organize my thoughts well enough to transfer them into a post that made sense to anyone but me. I also found some more information that leads me to believe it really wouldn't take a whole lot of development time.

 

This isn't photoshop or image editing or texture editing, these are costumes I created in NPC mode in Titan Icon and then copied the costume files into the folder for HC and then screenshotted.

 

There is a way to make the head invisible. It's still there, you just can't see it which is how you end up with something like this working

Spoiler

 

In that pic, the head is still there... you just can't see it. I think that's how they went about making the Think Tank in the first place. They took the TT base and brain and attached it to the 'skeleton' of the shoulders.

"Should I just take you at your word that the head is still there?! Who are you and wheres some proof??"

Proof: (unfortunately I don't know how to make a video of this)

Spoiler

 

The Eye aura in that image is still attached to the head 'skeleton' and moves around just as the head would if you could see it, you can also see whats left of the neck moving around with the head as well.

Heres the costume files I used for both of those pictures:

TT nothing.costume

TT aura.costume

They'll show errors in the CC, but you can view the file in HC where you would load costumes. Look at the eye aura and the neck, the head movement is still there just invisible.

 

Heres something else I figured out that backs my theory that this wouldn't take too much effort.

The brain itself, whether with eyes or not, is a seperate piece from the base.

Spoiler

 

For an animated brain to work, the only mod to the existing part would be to extend those hoses... and in all actuality if you've really payed attention to how it currently is, the spine already needs extended cause you can see inside of it due to the fact there wasn't an end cap on the GEO.

Heres the costume file for that image: TT no base.costume

 

"But but but but that pic is only of an eye aura and not with the brain, I'm still not a believer!"

...Au contraire...

Spoiler

 

Thats where the eye aura attaches to the OG head, and if you load up those two costume files you can again see them moving independently.

TT brain aura.costume

TT no base 2.costume

Again, the head is there and the aura is attached to it and if the brain were also attached to it as well as the cables extended the brain would animate with the OG head.

Hell, I think the brain could be made to be a seperate head without the Tank and base if it where aligned with the standard eyeline and also animate properly... although I don't think it would work with the animations for the Beast Stance.

 

On a related side note, these are available options in Titan Icon that'd be cool to have and are already technically in the CC

Spoiler

 

It looks like the live devs toyed with having the Bubble helmet globe as an option... or just no globe at all. I can think of a few people that would be into that.

TT no globe.costume

^^ that one doesnt show a costume error but if you load it into the CC it puts the globe back in place

TT round globe.costume

 

 

[FDR's Think Tank]

Gotta say, "No Dome" on the brain is really skeeving me out. I feel like, at the very least, it would need some sort of infrastructure between it and the body to fill it out and not look purely obnoxious. It's one thing to be gross, and that's cool. But breaking immersion with a brain propped up by floppy tubing? It's visually infuriating.

 

And I LOVE the Think Tank stuff. I'd love that bubble dome as an option for sure.

 

A turning/naturally moving head would be pretty cool to have.

 

I am curious, is it possible to have certain elements slowly spinning instead of being attached to the invisible head axis? I'm not thinking of something dynamic or jiggleboned... but more just... like being able to have the head object contained by the Dome to spin in place at a gentle pace. (This might require removing visual attachment for certain elements, like the brain tubes)

[LKN-351]

33 minutes ago, FDR's Think Tank said:

But breaking immersion with a brain propped up by floppy tubing? It's visually infuriating.

 

If you're talking about the brain with no base idea, then if the spinal column was extended down just a bit as well as the whole brain being moved down then the spine would be attached in the neck.

35 minutes ago, FDR's Think Tank said:

I am curious, is it possible to have certain elements slowly spinning instead of being attached to the invisible head axis? I'm not thinking of something dynamic or jiggleboned... but more just... like being able to have the head object contained by the Dome to spin in place at a gentle pace. (This might require removing visual attachment for certain elements, like the brain tubes)

 

I can't imagine what you mean really but I'll take a stab... HC added a sphere and a single eyeball in there, are you talking like having one of those spinning around like a gear?

[FDR's Think Tank]

3 minutes ago, LKN-351 said:

 

If you're talking about the brain with no base idea, then if the spinal column was extended down just a bit as well as the whole brain being moved down then the spine would be attached in the neck.

 

I can't imagine what you mean really but I'll take a stab... HC added a sphere and a single eyeball in there, are you talking like having one of those spinning around like a gear?

 

 

I feel like an exposed brain needs more support when not suspended in fluid/hover energy. It's a top heavy thing! I am surprised we haven't gotten a Cyberbrain yet too.

 

And as far as the eye... basically yes. I was thinking it would be spinning Horizontally (Clockwise/Counter Clockwise) and getting a 360 degree view of things. Of course, other objects could spin, like suspended skulls and such. Just floating in the liquid, freed from rational static! We have that spinning key winder, after all.

[LKN-351]

I'd guess the spinning idea is possible, but thats beyond my knowledge. I do think the eyeballs and skulls and whatnot that HC added could have the same sort of thing applied to have them animate like I'm suggesting for the brain.

 

About the brain suspension though, that's down to the amgination of the player I'd say. If its a mental/magic powered toon those powers could keep it suspended, or a tech/gadget toon they could use an artificial gravity generator or hardlight. People are creative and this is a Superbeing game lol