Possible User Content (Dev Question)

[Kimono]

Hello there, I've been scooting around checking out movies of Alpha protocol and perusing the screenshots and I must say I'm extremely interested. The game looks right up my alley, but I spend 90% of my free time on the computer modding and tweaking and it truly is the deciding factor in me purchasing a game. I've read that this is based on the UE3 architecture which sounds great, I personally know that it's one of the easiest engines to modify yet I haven't seen a single game utilising the engine outside of UT3 of course that has released a decent tool suite. So after this long and convoluted babble I suppose the question I want to raise is, Do the developers of Alpha Protocol support modding? And if so will we see a release of any decent tools?

 

Thanks for your time.

[Pop]

Pretty sure Chris Avellone said that end-user engine tools are not something Obsidian had a good experience with, and that they wouldn't revisit the concept in future engines. So I wouldn't bet on there being modding tools. But modders typically find a way, always.

[Humodour]

Pretty sure Chris Avellone said that end-user engine tools are not something Obsidian had a good experience with, and that they wouldn't revisit the concept in future engines. So I wouldn't bet on there being modding tools. But modders typically find a way, always.

 

Yeah! There's a difference between having open, flexible file formats and standards and releasing actual modding tools!

 

At the very least Obsid can do the first. Please?

[Kimono]

It's true, we do always find a way however I myself am an artist not a coder. I understand that modding can have its darker sides but just take a look at Fallout 3, the only reason I'm still playing that after 6 hours is the ridiculous quantity of mods available. Some kind souls have even compiled some of my work for the engine. However until GECK was released (which doesn't even really do much mind you) the only means of getting assets ingame was by hex-coding tools for the latest elder scrolls game and that's been around for years. I suppose what i mean is I really would love to be able to mod this game at launch rather than wait for 6 months before a dodgy max exporter crops up on some chinese blog. I'm not referring to anything major, simply compiling some new weapons/editing characters

[Morgoth]

AP runs on the UE3, so it should be feasible to include the level editor at least.

[fastpunk]

AP runs on the UE3, so it should be feasible to include the level editor at least.

 

Well, using Kismet to create custom 'missions' (maybe even full blown campaigns?) would be beyond awesome. But to be perfectly honest, I really don't see the editor shipping with the game. Hope I'm wrong.

Edited February 5, 2009 by fastpunk

[Cl_Flushentityhero]

Well, it seems like the main problem with user content would be not creating the physical architecture of a level, but instead getting the conversations and other AP bells and whistles working.

 

The ability to have user-made campaigns and mods would rock my socks, but yeah, probably not going to happen.

[Foxhack]

Hey there,

I'm feeling somehow like the thread starter. I'm still interested in this matter. In particular I'd like some kind of answer from the devs themselves like yes, no or even "We can't tell you, yet.".

[Director]

Pretty sure Chris Avellone said that end-user engine tools are not something Obsidian had a good experience with, and that they wouldn't revisit the concept in future engines.

 

If a developer has already stated that it's not going to happen, what more do you want?

 

Other than them restating the above, I think your expecting too much.

Edited January 8, 2010 by Director

[Zoma]

While Avellone did say that in an interview, the subsequent interviews with other Obsidian devs. stated the contrary when a question was asked if Obsidian would be interested in making NWN3 (Mentioned they have learnt much with toolmaking in NWN2, toolset can be further improved on in further sequels blah blah).

[Pop]

Really though, with Alpha Protocol and the complexity of dialogue and all that stuff, why even let people attempt to put their own stuff in? Like maybe a Shifter mod would be cool but otherwise nay.

[Foxhack]

I can understand people would like to put together a whole new story in fact d'jinni from the witcher achieved exactly this purpose. not to be able to modify the game in every aspect until now but to put together a whole new story with the material which there is. My attempt though would be to bring in new items/weapons stuff like this since I'm pretty interested in modelling stuff. In witcher however there is only one available exporter which is for 3dsmax. I've been pretty disappointed about this fact. In fact I liked witcher a lot. But this was a real shame that a RPG of this extension and depth could not really be modified in this way without spending quite a bunch of money (no I refuse to download stuff like this illegally). And this was exactly the point maybe why I didn't play it again. Ergo on the other hand it would have been a great benefit if the game sooner or later gave the community some possibility to modify it and even if it is as late as Company of Heroes Object Manager/Editor.

Anyway I'm sorry I brought up a topic that's already been answered which I didn't know altough I was trying to find the answer somewhere in the web for quite a time.