[ANIMATION] Stone Gaze

[Terresquall]

EDIT 250210: I've tweaked the effects slightly. Now the effect has a constant stream of grey smoke coming out instead of periodically, and there is an additional effect played on all affected units when the spell first hits them.

Introduction

Stone Gaze's animation needs a change, because the current animation does not fit the skill at all. Below is a screenshot of the current animation:



Yellow does not represent a petrification effect well enough, if it even represents petrification at all. Moreover, the yellow effect does not last long enough. It only plays for about 2 seconds, leaving the affected units without any visible buff animation for the next 3 seconds (the skill lasts 5 seconds).

The same weird yellow animation (its barely visible in the picture above) also plays on the Medusa when she casts the skill, which similarly makes no sense (Medusa affects herself with the skill?).

The Proper Stone Gaze

This is what Stone Gaze should look like:





And this is what Medusa should look like casting it (its that yellow light coming from her head, in case you can't see what it is), and how the units that are affected the spell look like when they are first hit with the buff:



I've also attached a sound effect to Medusa to go with this flash on her head, though you can only hear it in the testmap.

The Specifics

To create the buff effects:

1) Play the "death" animation of Abilities\Weapons\AncientProtectorMissile\AncientP rotectorMissile.mdl on all affected units when the spell first takes effect. This gives a neat spray of rocks on the affected units and a fitting petrification sound effect.
2) Play the "death" animation of Abilities\Weapons\SteamMissile\SteamMissile.mdl (its a hidden engine model) on the "head", "chest", "origin" and "mount" of the affected units every 0.3 seconds until the Stone Gaze buff wears off. This gives the whiter smoke effect you see on the pictures above.
3) Play the "death" animation of Abilities\Spells\Human\FlakCannons\FlakTarget.mdl on the "origin" of the affected units every 0.3 seconds until the Stone Gaze buff wears off. This gives the greyer smoke effect you see on the pictures above.

To create the cast effect on Medusa:

1) Remove the current cast effect on Medusa.
2) Change her cast animation to "stand".
3) Play the "death" animations of Abilities\Weapons\SorceressMissile\SorceressMissil e.mdl and Abilities\\Weapons\\ProcMissile\\ProcMissile.mdl on Medusa's "head" the moment the spell takes effect.
4) Use Abilities\\Spells\\Human\\SpellSteal\\SpellStealMi ssile.wav at maximum volume and 1.2 pitch as an accompanying sound effect to the effect.

There is a testmap here if you want to check it out in live action.

Miscellaneous

Useful Code

Here's the function that I've created to attach the buff effects of the skill (it cannot be attached using conventional means in the World Editor because the animation wouldn't work properly that way).

function fif_AttachBuffEffect takes nothing returns nothing
    local timer t = GetExpiredTimer()
    local integer s = GetHandleId(t)
    local hashtable gc = udg_HashCache
    local unit u = LoadUnitHandle(gc,s,StringHash("u"))
    if GetUnitAbilityLevel(u,LoadInteger(gc,s,StringHash("abil"))) > 0 then
        call DestroyEffect(AddSpecialEffectTarget(LoadStr(gc,s,StringHash("e")),u,LoadStr(gc,s,StringHash("att"))))
      else
          call KillTimer(t)
          call FlushChildHashtable(gc,s)
    endif
    set t = null
    set gc = null
    set u = null
endfunction

// the function takes the unit to attach the buff to, the model of the buff, 
// the attachment point of the buff, how often the effect plays (in seconds)
// and what buff to check for before it ends (basically when the given buff
// wears off, the effect stops)

function AttachBuffEffect takes unit u, string effectPath, string attachmentJoint, real iterationTime, integer relatedBuff returns nothing
    local timer t = CreateTimer()
    local integer s = GetHandleId(t)
    local hashtable gc = udg_HashCache
    call SaveUnitHandle(gc,s,StringHash("u"),u)
    call SaveStr(gc,s,StringHash("e"),e)
    call SaveStr(gc,s,StringHash("att"),att)
    call SaveInteger(gc,s,StringHash("abil"),abil)
    call TimerStart(t,hz,true,function fif_AttachBuffEffect)
    set t = null
    set gc = null
endfunction

Buff Effects On Larger Targets

Note that there is a slight decrease in quailty of the buff effects on larger enemies, as the buff effect is composed of multiple special effects put together.



It still gets the idea across anyway, but just so it is known.

[L|Enzo]

Huge T-up from me..!! :')

[Zirath]

Hurray, more Terresquall cosmetic suggestions.

And as usual this is great.

[Bovver]

Nice one, t-up

[The Observer]

Can you make the affected enemy unit's color into grey(stone like color) that will slowly fade while the effect's duration decreases? Then add the smokey stuff?

[NoThlnG]

Effect is... too white? Looks more like metal to me than rock...

Huge T-Up though, especially the glowing medusa's eyes....

P.S : Your link to website doesn't work...

Cp6uja: Merged.

[Amethyste Enzo]

This is better than the current one.

[KenpachiSlardar]

Originally Posted by NoThlnG

Effect is... too white? Looks more like metal to me than rock...

Huge T-Up though, especially the glowing medusa's eyes....

P.S : Your link to website doesn't work...

you sure love to double post

anyway thumbs up man more "stony" themed

[NoThlnG]

Originally Posted by KenpachiSlardar

you sure love to double post

anyway thumbs up man more "stony" themed

Really, the first one says that you required to wait and when I posted second one, suddenly 2 post comes up...

[myntanis]

hell yes, love it

[Talor Karos]

Terresqual has arrived!! Whee... *jumps up and down in joy!*

Up up up...

[Nerevarie]

good

[StrudseN]

BIG T-UP!
Brilliant idea and work!

[virtviuz]

I support!!!

[uo111]

I like the current one better.

At least in the current one they actually look slowed.

In yours they just look like they chain smoke and accidentally caught themselves on fire at the same time.

The head animation is nice though.

[ZΣD]

Double t-up!

[Hero Hunter]

Amazing!

[Cp6uja]

Must have!

Huge T-Up from me!

[MurazorOFAngmar]

T-up this is one of the best suggestion's ive seen here. I always wondered why the hell she made it look like people we're getting hit with 'fairy fire'

[Necro]

Teresquall! Most awesome cosmetic suggester ever, I had a fanbar made for him on DA. T-up!