Mod Request Replacing "yeti" with lumberjack?

[seven]

There are many negative opinions about the "yeti", "snow monkey", whatever you want to call the frostclaw. My opinion is also negative in that it just doesn't fit the game as we know it. The attack it has is ok, adds some danger. So, I was wondering how much work it would take to replace the frostclaw with a lumberjack with the same behavior.

I played around a little bit, replacing ZFrostClaw.prefab with the lumberjack. It works to a point. The lumberjack spawns in, does the digging action and throw to attack, but there is no boulder, no damage and about 6 null reference errors. This is beyond any modding I've done. So I thought I'd post my idea. Oh, and maybe instead of a boulder, maybe a large snowball would be more appropriate.

 

[Gouki]

Hi Seven

I really like a new enemy, after they eliminated certain zombies and haven't brought them back into the game.
A mod could be made, but it requires testing, and I'll let you know.
Do you have any images or logs of the errors the game displays with your modification?

Regards
Gouki

 

[seven]

I like new enemies also, as long as they fit in the game. I think the frostclaw would be fine in an overhaul mod that adds other more fantasy type enemies, but I and other don't think they really belong in a zombie game. It's possible to just switch frostclaws out entirely but then we lose the new attack behavior too. That's why I thought this might be a good mod.


You can duplicate the errors I got just by changing the frostclaw mesh line to
<property name="Mesh" value="@:Entities/Zombies/Lumberjack/ZLumberjack.prefab"/>

These are the only error messages that I see.

Ok, too many characters. There were 7 messages like this, not sure if they are all identical, but very similar.

NullReferenceException: Object reference not set to an instance of an object
at ItemActionVomit.GetActionEffectsValues (ItemActionData _actionData, UnityEngine.Vector3& _startPos, UnityEngine.Vector3& _direction) [0x000bc] in <c97b2cb3e84445e394436f40d1db3b23>:0
at ItemActionRanged.ExecuteAction (ItemActionData _actionData, System.Boolean _bReleased) [0x003fd] in <c97b2cb3e84445e394436f40d1db3b23>:0
at ItemActionVomit.ExecuteAction (ItemActionData _actionData, System.Boolean _bReleased) [0x00122] in <c97b2cb3e84445e394436f40d1db3b23>:0
at EntityAlive.UseHoldingItem (System.Int32 _actionIndex, System.Boolean _isReleased) [0x00097] in <c97b2cb3e84445e394436f40d1db3b23>:0
at EAIRangedAttackTarget.Update () [0x00104] in <c97b2cb3e84445e394436f40d1db3b23>:0
at EAITaskList.OnUpdateTasks () [0x0015e] in <c97b2cb3e84445e394436f40d1db3b23>:0
at EAIManager.Update () [0x00026] in <c97b2cb3e84445e394436f40d1db3b23>:0
at EntityAlive.updateTasks () [0x00083] in <c97b2cb3e84445e394436f40d1db3b23>:0
at EntityAlive.OnUpdateLive () [0x00146] in <c97b2cb3e84445e394436f40d1db3b23>:0
at EntityHuman.OnUpdateLive () [0x00000] in <c97b2cb3e84445e394436f40d1db3b23>:0
at EntityAlive.OnUpdateEntity () [0x00036] in <c97b2cb3e84445e394436f40d1db3b23>:0
at World.TickEntity (Entity e, System.Single _partialTicks) [0x00116] in <c97b2cb3e84445e394436f40d1db3b23>:0
at World.TickEntitiesSlice (System.Int32 count) [0x00037] in <c97b2cb3e84445e394436f40d1db3b23>:0
at World.TickEntitiesSlice () [0x00000] in <c97b2cb3e84445e394436f40d1db3b23>:0
at GameManager.UpdateTick () [0x00026] in <c97b2cb3e84445e394436f40d1db3b23>:0
at GameManager.gmUpdate () [0x004d4] in <c97b2cb3e84445e394436f40d1db3b23>:0
at GameManager.Update () [0x00000] in <c97b2cb3e84445e394436f40d1db3b23>:0

 

[zztong]

My opinion is also negative in that it just doesn't fit the game as we know it. The attack it has is ok, adds some danger. So, I was wondering how much work it would take to replace the frostclaw with a lumberjack with the same behavior.

I've waffled back and forth on the Frostclaw and am currently feeling the same. I don't have any time in the next few days to make a mod, and I've not really messed with the entities configurations, but I did look at what it would take to get rid of the boulder attack and perhaps just the block damage when I had a moment this morning. I could see perhaps working on something like you mention above. I'll watch this space and see what happens. Then, if I get some time perhaps this weekend, maybe I'll do some work there.

Personally, I just don't think the Frostclaw fits the theme of the game.

Also, I don't mind a zombie doing block damage with a ranged damage, but the Frostclaw's block damage was getting to be too much to frequent outside of horde nights. They were starting to decimate the world around my base, and not just the snow blocks.

 

[seven]

I think it would be fairly easy to get rid of the boulder attack, just swap more of what makes it a frostclaw to that of the lumberjack, the handitem and all that. But I think it would be good to keep that part, make it different than the normal lumberjack. It does seem like the damage is a bit much.

I'm guessing it uses the same projectile idea as the cop, and other mods have zombies with ranged attacks based on that behavior. Maybe that would be some guidance. If you do work on a mod that would be great. It's possible someone already is though, there's already mods to replace the badge system.

 

[Gouki]

I did some testing by changing the HandItem. The lumberjack doesn't throw the rock, but it does a lot of damage when it hits you. It's a matter of changing the properties.
I assume the error you are getting is due to the animation linked to Frostclaw.
I'm looking forward to hearing what you and Zztong discover.

Regards
Gouki

 

[zztong]

I messed with it some. I think it is working. Basically, I use XPATH to replace the 5 Frostclaws (normal, feral, irradiated, charged, infernal) with the XML for a Lumberjack. One of those lumberjack configs (charged or infernal) was commented out, but I enabled it as far as the frostclaws go. I don't know why TFP had one lumberjack config disabled.

This is not a mod I want to maintain mostly because I don't regularly mess with zombie configs and don't know them very well.

I did sneak in a the frostclaw size (1.2 instead of 1) and frostclaw speeds, so they're not exactly like a lumberjack.

The images show a Lumberjack, Frostclaw, and both together.

A link to the ZIP file is here for those who want to perfect it and make it their own.

for Frostclaws - Google Drive

drive.google.com

 

[seven]

That would work for people that just want to replace the frostclaw with somewhat enhanced lumberjacks.

The ranged attacks do add a level of difficulty though that would be nice to keep. Another good change might be to make the frostclaw a little less common. Flying around looking for zombies showed how rare the real lumberjack is now. Probably 10x as many frostclaws. Way too many.

 

[osofaux]

Hi, first post, I came across this thread looking for some info on how to create another mod I'm working on, but it turns out I created something very similar to the OP's request without even realizing it.

Frostclaw Remover

The replacement Lumberjacks are just standard zombies without the ranged attack though. So I'll see what I can do there.

 

[seven]

That has a similar effect to zztong's mod above in that it removes the boulder toss also. I'd like a mod that kept that attack.

I can't figure out if there is a way to edit the title, if I could I'd change it to

"Replacing "yeti" with boulder tossing lumberjack?"​

 

[osofaux]

That has a similar effect to zztong's mod above in that it removes the boulder toss also. I'd like a mod that kept that attack.

I can't figure out if there is a way to edit the title, if I could I'd change it to

"Replacing "yeti" with boulder tossing lumberjack?"​

Understood. I have been playing with it a little more since posting, but the results are mixed. The boulder itself is not tied to any particular entity - I can make a cop 'spit' a boulder, as shown in the attached screenshot. (Found in items.xml as 'ammoProjectileZombieBoulder'.) The problem is that nothing I've tried will make it work with the appropriate animation, as the boulder and the Frostclaw prefab seemed linked there. (Though oddly, any entity can use the animation, it just won't instantiate the boulder.) I could probably make the lumberjack magically hurl rocks from its mouth too, but sadly, that isn't terribly great for immersion.

 

[seven]

Yes, I agree. Spitting boulders would not be very immersive.

I've never done any animation (at least not this kind) but I'm guessing maybe all the zombie prefabs could do the dig animation. Just like the dancing zombies, it's probably just one set of "animation instructions" that can apply to any prefab.

 

[osofaux]

I believe you are right about the animation. I think the issue is that the boulder itself doesn't generate alongside the animation unless the entity uses the Frostclaw prefab. (If my guess is correct, anyway.) I'm now able to get the cop to use the animation (minus the boulder) and the boulder appears and gets thrown after the animation is completed (aka animation plays, then cop spits the rock) with no console errors. I believe the console errors happen when a zombie throws an 'air boulder' when the non-frostclaw entity is assigned to use 'Boulder' as its 'RightHandJointName' setting - the program expects a boulder to exist at that point, but it's nowhere to be found. If the zombie 'spits' the boulder (because its 'RightHandJointName' is set to the only other option - 'Jaw') it kind of 'solves' that problem.

I think the key to the whole thing is finding a way to have any zombie pick up the rock along with the animation, but I don't really feel any closer to that at this point. I'll definitely continue to think on it though. If there's a way to do this, I'd like to find it. I feel kind of invested now.

 

[zztong]

That has a similar effect to zztong's mod above in that it removes the boulder toss also. I'd like a mod that kept that attack.

I didn't want to keep the boulder toss. The Frostclaw has a "hand" weapon that includes the boulder as an attack. Perhaps you could put the Frostclaw's weapon your Lumberjack variant? I've no idea if that's what it takes or if there would be an animation to go with the Lumberjack.

 

[seven]

Yep, understood. A lot of comments I've seen people just want to get rid of the frostclaw entirely, disliking the entity itself, and the rather large ranged damage it can cause, so it's certainly something some people want.

The first thing I tried was just changing the mesh so it would have had the same hand weapon but it didn't work, so it's more than just that. As I mentioned though I have no experience with this level of modding so no clue if it's missing animations or something else. Perhaps it's not a straightforward task. A lot of the mods that add ranged attacks to zombies, or NPCs with guns, just use the vomit out of the mouth method of the cop and vulture.

 

[zztong]

Yep, understood. A lot of comments I've seen people just want to get rid of the frostclaw entirely, disliking the entity itself, and the rather large ranged damage it can cause, so it's certainly something some people want.

The first thing I tried was just changing the mesh so it would have had the same hand weapon but it didn't work, so it's more than just that. As I mentioned though I have no experience with this level of modding so no clue if it's missing animations or something else. Perhaps it's not a straightforward task. A lot of the mods that add ranged attacks to zombies, or NPCs with guns, just use the vomit out of the mouth method of the cop and vulture.

Well stick with it and you'll become the expert.

 

[Gouki]

My experience with Unity is zero, so I'm leaving it.
That's why I released my mod, which only reduces block damage and also reduces explosion damage.

Regards
Gouki

 

[osofaux]

I think I've managed to get this almost working, more or less. Not perfect, but functional. Frostclaws are removed and reintroduced as extensions of lumberjacks that now use the former's rock throwing settings. The snow 'kill zombies' biome quest is updated appropriately and the localization.txt gives it new text to reflect the changes. The only problem left is that the boulder is still not seen when they pick it up and raise it above their heads. Once they throw it though, it appears to leave their hands and work as it should. So, almost there, and perhaps someone with more expertise than me might be able to take it the rest of the way. Hope this helps.

 

[seven]

Yes, I think that's the closest so far. Except for that one part it looks good. If you're far enough away you don't even notice. I have no experience with unity either so, yeah, we need a unity guy I guess.

I do think it would be better to leave the original lumberjacks in the game though. Extend the frostclaws from original lumberjacks, and then change their handitem and jointname. Otherwise we'd get boulder tossing lumberjacks as POI spawns, and relatively low level too. That might be a bit much. As far as I know, frostclaws only appear as snow wilderness spawns or horde night. I've only seem them in POIs when they come in from outside. Modifying after extending would mean the challenge wouldn't need to be altered either. It might be a little confusing when only some of the "lumberjacks" count, but in my game, frostclaws outnumber lumberjacks by a lot.

 

[seven]

I reworked the above to keep the original lumberjacks in the game. It works well in the small amount of testing I've done. I'll now add it to my actual playthrough and see how it goes Except for that missing boulder bit, I think it's fairly complete. Changes to challenges shouldn't be necessary since vanilla entity names are still used, but the Localization should probably be redone to note that the challenge requires killing special lumberjacks or something. I haven't really thought about that part too much.