Importing assets

Capella

On HumbleBundle, there currently is an asset pack with loads of low poly 3D assets on sale. They officially support Unity and Unreal. I'm a complete noob when it comes to 3D models and the formats used to save them. Is it possible to import those assets to Godot? And is it possible to animate them in Godot (or in another free software and then import those animations ... again, 3D modelling and animation is totally new to me)? Synty, the company who sells them, claim they are ready to be animated with Mecanim (which is the Unity animation system, I think).

Tomcat

Capella On HumbleBundle, there currently is an asset pack with loads of low poly 3D assets on sale. <...> Is it possible to import those assets to Godot?

I would suggest practicing on free assets first and figure out what you really need.

Zini

The recommended format for importing 3D assets into Godot is glTF. There is also support for FBX, though it seems a bit more bothersome. If a FBX file causes problems one can often work around them by loading the file into Blender and export it as glTF.

As for animations there are two parts to it: rigging and animation. One can assume that the models you are talking about are rigged and that should work just fine (you can always adjust the rig in Blender if necessary). If the models have animations you should be able to play them in Godot just fine. If you need to add or modify animations you can do that in Blender.

So much for the theory. These are pretty complex file formats and the software that processes them is not bug-free (true for Godot, Blender and pretty much anything else). Therefore there is always a risk that you run into problems. This is not the norm. But it can happen. And it becomes more likely the more steps in the process there are.

Capella

Zini Thanks. Unfortunately, the Synty website is not very forthcoming with information on what filetype they are actually using. The only thing I could find was that they use Maya to make the models and that their packs are available in a Unity and an Unreal version. But nothing on the actual format of the individual models. So I'm at a bit of a loss here. Somewhere in their Q&A they state that the assets can be used with Godot, but that they give no support for it. I guess, the only way to find out is to actually get one of their asset packs and take it apart.

Capella

Tomcat
I have an idea for a game set in Ancient Rome (working title Ludus) and one of the asset packs in the HumbleBundle would be perfect for it, at least for prototyping it until I find someone who would be interested in making custom assets for it (or maybe I will get around to learning how to do that in the long run). That's what sparked my interest. Synty does offer a few free models on their website, so I guess I will just download one or two of those and experiment with them in Godot to see if I can import them alright. The bundle is going to be on offer for twenty days, so I have some time to make up my mind.

Currently I'm working on a pure 2D game that will keep me busy for another few months, but the Roman game is something I really would like to do in the future, so I'm already on the hunt for ideas and assets for it.

Tomcat

Capella I have an idea for a game set in Ancient Rome (working title Ludus) and one of the asset packs in the HumbleBundle would be perfect for it, at least for prototyping it

Well, for prototyping a game about Ancient Rome, you can use something like this:

What are your requirements for models?

Capella

Tomcat I honestly have no idea yet. I've never done a 3D game before (except for some small tutorial ones in Unreal Engine). Basically, I need some buildings, a little bit of environment and characters that can move through that scenery. In the long run I'll need good fighting animations for my gladiator characters (attacks with different weapons, defensive maneuvers, jumps, rolls etc.), But I haven't decided on anything yet. I might even choose to make it an isometric 2,5D game after all, because that's something I have more experience with.

Tomcat

Capella I might even choose to make it an isometric 2,5D game after all, because that's something I have more experience with.

That makes sense.

I need some building

Buildings can be made in Sweet Home 3D.

In the long run I'll need good fighting animations for my gladiator characters (attacks with different weapons, defensive maneuvers, jumps, rolls etc.)

Jumping and rolling is mostly in (bad) movies and games. In reality, in heavy armor you can't jump a lot.

Capella

Tomcat
Yeah, but we are talking gladiators in an arena here. They are (for exactly that reason) not very heavily armored. The goal is not necessarily to win the fight in the quickest, most efficient way, but to do so in the way that entertains the audience the most. You want the Ludus to grow and to get more spectators to come and visit the arena every week. Think "Gladiator" or "Spartacus, Blood and Sands" the video game. More like a Roman version of WWF wrestling (with weapons, though) than a depiction of actual warfare.

The way I imagine it at the moment, the player can choose one of several roles, and which role they choose heavily influences how the game is played. If you choose to play as the lanista, the owner of the Ludus, it is more of a building and management game. If you want to be a gladiator, your main game mechanic is fighting, etc. (there are a few other roles I have in mind). But no matter what path you choose, in the end, your goal is for the Ludus to thrive, to bring in more spectators week after week.

It's a huge project and I'm really not sure I can pull this off. It's definitely something that's going to take me years to develop. Once I get started for real, I'll make a project page and maybe a devlog for it. But at the moment I'm just brainstorming.

Tomcat

Capella Think "Gladiator" or "Spartacus, Blood and Sands" the video game.

Well, if it's inspired by a video game, then it's okay to jump and roll. 😆 "Author's vision." It's a question of the degree of realism. In reality, of course, acrobatic etudes in the presence of weapons in the hands are very difficult and the spectacularity was achieved by other means. ⚔️

The way I imagine it at the moment, the player can choose one of several roles, and which role they choose heavily influences how the game is played.
…
It's a huge project

You could start with simplification. Prototype each role separately as a small mini-game. Then combine them. That's roughly how I'm going to work with my project.