I'm going to rant a bit, please excuse me for my obsession with the game.
The models in the above screenshots are indeed the original lizard people/Melokaan/Bedokaan/etc. As of now, I have
some files from an earlier build, and since the lizard people were changed really late in the development this build has the model. (Please don't ask me where did I get these files, or what files exactly do I have. I will release everything interesting eventually, anyway).
This model is in fact the only model that was cut from the game altogether. It was featured on the official site, and the ending slides for the Bedokaan were rendered using this model. Although, at the late point in the development (at some point after March) they made a new model for the lizard people, and changed the Waromon's portrait as well, so it'd suit the new model.
The original model actually had a few problems, that's why I didn't release it immediately. The walking animation had a minor glitch in the game--the shadow spot was switching places at some frames. I figured that some x and y's were wrong. And indeed I was right. Movement values were going back and forth, but positioning was compensating it, so the animation was fluid to an observer, but was wrong in actuality. I went through x and y's and figured the pattern of the glitch. Turns out, something went wrong with the program they used to generate x and y's, so some values were shifted by a certain number. With this knowledge, I've finally fixed the animation.
A bit more on the animations. Just like the final one this model has animations for fighting with a sword, a bow and a staff, but there are some other differences. It has animations for being stunned, a gory death (decapitation in this case) and a lower attack with a bow. The final model doesn't have such animations, although it has animations for walking with a sword, a bow, and a staff. Such animations occur extremely rare in the game, so the developers didn't render them for most monsters/unique NPCs. Probably the only way to see an NPC in such animation is to exhaust an NPC in combat. Moreover, if such animations are not present the engine will use the normal walking animation for them. Anyway, in order for this beta model to properly overwrite the final one I've just copied the normal walking animation for these extra animations.
(I explain it in details, just so you won't ask me why there are dupes).
Considering the artistic value of the model itself, I think it's pretty original. These lizard people look much more wild to me. Even a bit sly, perhaps. And (arguably) fit the Arcanum setting better than the colorful ones in the final version.
Well, this sums up it all, I guess. For now, the model (+ portrait) is released as a separate patch, you can just put the .dat file into your Arcanum folder and you will have the original lizard people. However, I may add this to the Extra Pack in the future.
I can't claim any credit for this masterpiece of Leonard Boyarsky, othen than the fact that it took me time (and luck) to procure it, and then fix the walking animation as well.
P.S. As it was said, it may be a good idea to use it as a separate monster race in mods (I hope we'll have a decent
stand alone module in the future), as well. Number of slots for critters is hardcoded, so you may rename the model and put it in the unused slot #29, for example. Be sure to give me a credit for finding and fixing the model, though.
Enjoy!
http://rapidshare.de/files/39904879/Liz ... l.zip.html
(I'd like this to be hosted at T-A as well, so it doesn't get lost)