Modding

[Co0n]

What do you think, will there be the possibility to mod the game?

IMHO mods made BG an incredibly intense and huge game, it would be a shame to miss this.

[Semper]

modding will be possible. the release of a toolset or similar editors is something obsidian looks into. what they definitely promised are localization tools and extensive documentation of the used file-format. further info can be found in update #16.

[Kore]

Obsidian would be missing a trick if they didn't make the mod tools simple enough for a modding noob to pick up and become comfortable enough with the basics to create a basic mod within an afternoon.

[Co0n]

Sounds good

[Tale]

Looking at Shadowrun Returns, I'm now worried about how PE will do their modding. The thing I realized here is that SRR looks to be using real-time 3D, tilesets, placeables, that kind of thing.

 

PE is using pre-rendered backgrounds. So at best we're going to need custom art assets to introduce any new areas, but more likely than not we'll all just repurpose old areas. I guess that's not a death sentence, it's just not something that crossed my mind before.

[Lephys]

^ Good point, Tale. That does make things interesting, heh. Guess all modders will have to study perspective texture use.

 

Although... since the camera angle is fixed, you could essentially "paint together" terrain and assets and such. It'd basically work the same as 3D stuff, only you'll have to set collision zones and such separately, instead of them being built-in to the objects you're placing.

 

*shrug*

 

Still an interesting difference.

Edited July 25, 2013 by Lephys

[BeerBelly]

I have always loved the idea of being able to mod a game.
But of all the mod-able games I have played, I have yet to jump in !
Maybe PE will be my first?

[Mr. Magniloquent]

I once got fairly involved in modding a persistent world named Montlethia for NWN1. The ease of use of the Aurora toolset and the massive wealth of user generated haks and models made it both accessible and a joy. Then, I was a capable programmer and a teenager with lots of time, so perhaps my perception was skewed. I am looking forward to seeing what the community produces for Shadowrun, despite having yet to purchase or play it. Unfortunately, it is more than likely that I won't have the time or inclination to take up modding for several decades.

[Semper]

Although... since the camera angle is fixed, you could essentially "paint together" terrain and assets and such. It'd basically work the same as 3D stuff, only you'll have to set collision zones and such separately, instead of them being built-in to the objects you're placing.

 

i don't think that it would be that easy. for the infinity engine it was enough to just paint the areas and use a variety of color filters (lighting, collision, etc). PE uses different render outputs to determine such things, possibly a z-depth for lighting and real 3d collision boxes, walkmeshes and so on. if you want to create custom areas you have to build and render those within a 3d application. at least with the use of blender there's a powerful and free option available.

Edited July 26, 2013 by Semper

[Kore]

 

Although... since the camera angle is fixed, you could essentially "paint together" terrain and assets and such. It'd basically work the same as 3D stuff, only you'll have to set collision zones and such separately, instead of them being built-in to the objects you're placing.

 

i don't think that it would be that easy. for the infinity engine it was enough to just paint the areas and use a variety of color filters (lighting, collision, etc). PE uses different render outputs to determine such things, possibly a z-depth for lighting and real 3d collision boxes, walkmeshes and so on. if you want to create custom areas you have to build and render those within a 3d application. at least with the use of blender there's a powerful and free option available.

 

 

That's a very good point. It does seem reasonable to my laymans perspective for Obsidian to produce a tileset of shape and textures though. Sure it's potentially not perfect, but it's better than nothing. 

 

Even if that isn't possible, judging by the number of recruitable characters available in the vanilla game, simple mods should easy to jump into as a complete noob so that characters can be created. They're going to the first mods I look for.

[Lephys]

i don't think that it would be that easy. for the infinity engine it was enough to just paint the areas and use a variety of color filters (lighting, collision, etc). PE uses different render outputs to determine such things, possibly a z-depth for lighting and real 3d collision boxes, walkmeshes and so on. if you want to create custom areas you have to build and render those within a 3d application. at least with the use of blender there's a powerful and free option available.

As Kore said, I was merely referring to the potential of Obsidian providing an "editor" toolset, with the premade terrain bits and such that they used. Basically, the same type of editor we find in oodles of games. If you wanted to make custom terrain and objects and such, then obviously you'd have to make it all yourself, and it would be much more extensive. But, it's possible it wouldn't be too difficult to simply provide a default toolset that includes all the existing bits and pieces Obsidian has already put into the game.

 

Whether they do that is a different story, and is dependent on a lot of other factors, beyond how easy it is to provide such a toolset for this faux-3D style.

[Carlo]

The most detailed modding topic is here: http://forums.obsidian.net/topic/59988-modding/

 

This is not going to be Neverwinter Nights or Shadowrun Returns in terms of ease of modding, but I'm hoping a reasonably user-friendly editor will be released.

[JFSOCC]

I can haz a Garden of Eden Creation Kit plox.

[Orogun01]

Be better if they just let us use Unity itself.

[Co0n]

I designed areas (mainly dungeons) for Baldurs Gate Mods in PS. Thats a very simple task if you have some general knowledge.

What bothers me is the dynamic stuff going on in there. Thats nothign you could easily solve in PS :-/

So I really hope the devs will give us the required tools to get started soon after release!