Interview with Josh Sawyer PCWorld Update 69: Modding

[Semper]

 

Occlusion and height map are basicly the same. And as such, can be created automaticly via the appropriate modeller plugin.

Collision maps as binary images can easily be hand-painted over the rendered background image. So I guess a tool for that could be useful, but isn't really required.

Light sources and dynamic lighting, of course, would need a proper tool to be placed. But so would all other things that fill the map with life: NPCs, monsters, destructable objects, etc.

This is where a tool is needed. But it's very likely that these tools exist and are obsidian's home-made creations, since unity doesn't explicitly provide commercial editors for things like that.

 

you don't need a special plugin to get the needed render outputs. every renderer included in your 3d app of choice is able to create them.

those collision objects and walkmeshes need to be created in 3d. they're basically placed on top of the isometric flat texture which is your underlying map. unity supports custom meshes as those objects, and i bet that they're just imported fbx files.

i doubt that obsidian created their own stand alone toolset to create poe. unity is basically a toolset in its own right. if at all they have to create such a tool just for the community - or they could go the mmx route were unity pro is needed to create content.

[Osvir]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak52BLOFyuo#t=93 to about the 2:00 minute mark shows a purple layer which I think is a vector walk "mesh"?

If that's the case, making a "map" could be as simple as:
1. Find a top-down isometric jpg on the internet (or paint one yourself)
2. Throw it into Unity
3. Add walk paths
4. Add props/triggers etc. etc.
5. Finalize and publish

I doubt (100%) I'd be able to make anything as beautiful as the creative folks over at Obsidian, but if it'd be possible to do something similar to the 5-step above I could contribute with some simple custom map additions :D

[Luridis]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak52BLOFyuo#t=93 to about the 2:00 minute mark shows a purple layer which I think is a vector walk "mesh"?

 

If that's the case, making a "map" could be as simple as:

1. Find a top-down isometric jpg on the internet (or paint one yourself)

2. Throw it into Unity

3. Add walk paths

4. Add props/triggers etc. etc.

5. Finalize and publish

 

I doubt (100%) I'd be able to make anything as beautiful as the creative folks over at Obsidian, but if it'd be possible to do something similar to the 5-step above I could contribute with some simple custom map additions :D

 

If you ask me... Lights will be the most difficult thing to get "right" in mods. Personally, I notice incorrect reflections, shadows and emissive light before anything else.

[Silent Winter]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak52BLOFyuo#t=93 to about the 2:00 minute mark shows a purple layer which I think is a vector walk "mesh"?

 

If that's the case, making a "map" could be as simple as:

1. Find a top-down isometric jpg on the internet (or paint one yourself)

2. Throw it into Unity

3. Add walk paths

4. Add props/triggers etc. etc.

5. Finalize and publish

 

I doubt (100%) I'd be able to make anything as beautiful as the creative folks over at Obsidian, but if it'd be possible to do something similar to the 5-step above I could contribute with some simple custom map additions :D

That would work if there's no chance of your characters walking behind anything (houses, trees etc) - if there is, you'd need the z-depth occlusion map at least)

[Osvir]

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak52BLOFyuo#t=93 to about the 2:00 minute mark shows a purple layer which I think is a vector walk "mesh"?

 

If that's the case, making a "map" could be as simple as:

1. Find a top-down isometric jpg on the internet (or paint one yourself)

2. Throw it into Unity

3. Add walk paths

4. Add props/triggers etc. etc.

5. Finalize and publish

 

I doubt (100%) I'd be able to make anything as beautiful as the creative folks over at Obsidian, but if it'd be possible to do something similar to the 5-step above I could contribute with some simple custom map additions :D

That would work if there's no chance of your characters walking behind anything (houses, trees etc) - if there is, you'd need the z-depth occlusion map at least)

True, unless some sort of layered cut+paste+transparency solution is possible?

[Zwiebelchen]

 

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ak52BLOFyuo#t=93 to about the 2:00 minute mark shows a purple layer which I think is a vector walk "mesh"?

 

If that's the case, making a "map" could be as simple as:

1. Find a top-down isometric jpg on the internet (or paint one yourself)

2. Throw it into Unity

3. Add walk paths

4. Add props/triggers etc. etc.

5. Finalize and publish

 

I doubt (100%) I'd be able to make anything as beautiful as the creative folks over at Obsidian, but if it'd be possible to do something similar to the 5-step above I could contribute with some simple custom map additions :D

That would work if there's no chance of your characters walking behind anything (houses, trees etc) - if there is, you'd need the z-depth occlusion map at least)

True, unless some sort of layered cut+paste+transparency solution is possible?

 

 

For occlusion, that would be sufficient in simple cases. However, you are still missing a normal map, so any light sources in your area will look terrible.

 

Just to get things straight here for people that are not experienced with texture maps:

This does not work like in IE games anymore. There *is* dynamic lighting and 3-dimensionality through normal and occlusion maps. Hand-painting those only works for very simple structures like the inside of a building.

 

It's much easier to derive those maps from a 3D model.

[fetfreak]

When it comes to Baldur's Gate mods, what I like the most were the additional npcs.

I personally don't have much interest in new maps and areas, but custom, fully written npcs would be awesome, if modding allows it.

[Osvir]

@fetfreak: I imagine the different parts of modding, in terms of difficulty, looks something like this:

Easy:
- NPC's (Clone an already existant NPC and mess around with all the values, name, stats, equipment etc. etc.) statwise only
- Items (Weapons, trinkets, equipment etc. etc.) statwise only
- Quests
- Dialogue

Medium:

- Triggers (I could put this in "Easy" as it is something I know how to use and I know the function of them, I just always have trouble with it)
- Scripts

Hard:
- Textures

Harder:
- Models

Hardest:
- Areas

Of course, someone who is great at modeling might find it really easy to model stuff, and thinks scripting or even narrative stuff like coming up with a good quest is hard.

[fetfreak]

Well hopefully fans will band together and make it all possible. I would love it if PoE gets a tenth of modding attention of Skyrim.
 

[Silent Winter]

Of course, someone who is great at modeling might find it really easy to model stuff, and thinks scripting or even narrative stuff like coming up with a good quest is hard.

Yeah - I'd put textures as harder than modelling (and UV-mapping the model as harder than that - but that's just down to my own level of experience).

[Nyhilla]

Hi there, I'm a bit late on this one but, as I don't have the heart to lecture all posts : do someone know if modding could eventually be compatible to "create" or, "modify" classes ? (I'd like to create classes like I did in BG or NW2). The fact is that spell effect often requires a lot of work, and I don't know if I'll be able to handle Unity.

[Semper]

right now nobody knows what will be possible, not even obsidian. it all depends on their file documentation and how they structure unity, e.g. which files will be outsourced and easily modifiable.

[Zwiebelchen]

 

Of course, someone who is great at modeling might find it really easy to model stuff, and thinks scripting or even narrative stuff like coming up with a good quest is hard.

Yeah - I'd put textures as harder than modelling (and UV-mapping the model as harder than that - but that's just down to my own level of experience).

 

 

It's always depending on how much experience you have with what. I personally don't find UV-mapping specifically harder than modelling or texturing. It all depends on what you are used to do. With good tutorials and some artistic skill, everything is possible within reason.

Edited June 20, 2014 by Zwiebelchen