Modding thread

[Craftsman]

Sure no problem. Hmm. KOTOR 2 will be big. Bets are Jade Empire will get lost in the annals of RGP gaming, fable, which at E3 i thought looked ugly, might be minor distraction. Lets hope KOTOR2 can live up to expectations.

[Gorth]

If we're allowed to release the model file format after KotOR2 is out, I'll be happy to help if I can.  It's way too early for me to ask about it now though.

 

-Akari

 

and

[lordcecil]

By post I meant forum. =P More specific to the matter, I meant all my thoughts, ideas, and suggestions would be right. I can barely pass English, so feel free to pick through my posts for grammatical errors and such. I'll give you credit, that was a rather amusing slip - it happens at this time of night.

[T7nowhere]

Those with the necessary skills will eventually get the data formats right and develop tools for it. Might take a while though.

First off we may never figure out the model format in time for anything we make to be available durring the life of the game!

I can understand not wanting a bunch of broken mods, don't download them(or an even better idea, research the mod)! I'm not a programer, the idea that I'd have to reverse engineer a file format and create a exporter just to share my ideas, just so you don't download a few bad mods (which you may do anyway)is ridiculous!

You don't want any mods? Go waste some money on an xbox! Stop trying to make modding harder for the rest of us!

I believe we have a different model format than KotOR1 had, so I can't help you with that.

 

If we're allowed to release the model file format after KotOR2 is out, I'll be happy to help if I can. It's way too early for me to ask about it now though.

 

-Akari

That is the most encouranging thing I have read.

 

I have noticed that the models Look like they have more life. I saw in the E3 footage the robes swayd as the npc walked. It seems Like a small detail But I like it.

[Gorth]

By post I meant forum. =P More specific to the matter, I meant all my thoughts, ideas, and suggestions would be right. I can barely pass English, so feel free to pick through my posts for grammatical errors and such. I'll give you credit, that was a rather amusing slip - it happens at this time of night.

:D

 

I've made my share of funny slips too. English is my third language, after Danish and German

[Darque]

I've made my share of funny slips too. English is my third language, after Danish and German

Wow

[lordcecil]

By post I meant forum. =P More specific to the matter, I meant all my thoughts, ideas, and suggestions would be right. I can barely pass English, so feel free to pick through my posts for grammatical errors and such. I'll give you credit, that was a rather amusing slip - it happens at this time of night.

:D

 

I've made my share of funny slips too. English is my third language, after Danish and German

What do you call someone who knows three languages? Trilingual

What do you call someone who knows two languages? Bilingual

What do you call someone who knows one language? American !

 

I'm that last one, looks like I don't get an excuse. Was wondering why there was so much board activity at this time of night, now I know. Wish I had a valid excuse for making silly mistakes, but I'm afraid I do not.

 

On the positive side, I'm playing through KOTOR again and half about a half page of suggestions already. Expect another post on why I'm right in a couple of days.

[Bantha Fodder]

They better add a Construction Set or I'll be super angry. I did some modding for KOTOR it took FOREVER to get it right because the GFF editor uses a series of digits to set the Items values.

 

A Constuction Set like the one for Morrowind would be superb!!!!!!!!!!

[sniggy]

I really don't like you people...

we know

[nightcleaver]

Mod tools let my previously stated 'easy mods' be, well, quite simply, absolute cake to make. (I rhymed, teehee !) Are those mods? Yes. Can they be done without mod tools? Not without great difficulty. With dev given tools can they be done easily? Absolutely.

 

Those are modifications to the game that further enhance my gameplay. Your basic argument against mod tools seems to be that mods aren't up to the same caliber as the original game? No s*** sherlock, they aren't getting paid salary to do such things.

 

We can all agree mod tools > no mod tools, even if the only thing useful to come out of it is pretty new lightsaber colors correct? Good, now lock this thread and lets be done with it.

 

You don't seem to understand something - I'm right, every post I ever make on this post will be right. Its not an opinion thing, its a me being right and anyone who disagrees being wrong thing. Any questions?

You're arguing against a generic argument, kid, and not against what I'm saying. I largely agree with you, believe it or not. Read over my post, like over the specifics. I say what I mean, because I don't like to fool around with random, useless semantics alot.

 

 

 

 

"I'll never understand why people make topics like this, especially when it has been stated a couple of times by the Devs that there are no plans for any modding tools."

 

I made the topic to have a discussion. I wanted to know if anoyone else felt the same way I did about the idea. I didn't say anywhere, and I didn't MEAN to imply anywhere that I thought this was going to happen.

 

"Non-crappy easy to do mods: new light saber colors, extra items, new armor, enhanced graphics, more monsters, different monsters, new force powers, balanced force powers (should, heaven forbid, they not be perfect).

 

Mods don't have to be 10 hour long epic conquests bud. A group could get together and basically create a dungeon romp with all new enemies and items and I would be perfectly happen. It wouldn't even require dialogue !!

 

Its safe to say that mod tools > no mod tools

 

Cecil hath spoken, conclusion reached, THREAD FINISHED"

 

 

Mod tools don't add anything useful to the game is the meat of the argument I'm making.

 

"I made all my mods by myself. Sorry about ruining the game for you with my unpolished, juvenile mods... "

 

I was talking about NWN mods. I never said anything about KOTOR mods being crappy. I misread the above quote to say crappy instead of non-crappy. Keep doing what you're doing, I appreciate it.

To clarify further: I was talking about the story and character interaction when I said unpolished and such. I never said anything about content, except to mention tilesets FOR NWN. I don't know of any tilesets for KOTOR, thus I wasn't talking about KOTOR modders.

 

I'm seeing what arguments I can get out of people, and if I can get people to really listen to me. So far, I haven't felt even faintly angry, and only slightly annoyed... so.... that was basically my intention for this. After all, isn't that basically what everyone's doing right now?

 

Another note to the quote (rhymed back at ya!!!) at the first of this post. What I'm saying is this: it's kind of like the darkside. On the early part of the learning curve, things are made way easier, but perfections are actually much more difficult to make by virtue of the engine making it simple for any old joe schmoe to do what they want. The tile system fundamentally sucks. Without it, it would be pretty difficult to make any bad mods, but also difficult for any mods to exist at all. And yes, I know exactly what you'll argue to that last part, but I don't care. My opinion (of which is stated before) still stands.

 

And no, the fact that they aren't paid salary to do such things isn't why it's crappy. It's crappy because they don't do the right things. And regardless of if they have as much incentive to make things perfect, the quality is still not up to snuff with the professionals, REGARDLESS OF THE REASONS.

 

So no, you're not "right", though you do have a well-supported opinion. I'm never going to change mine, though, because I fundamentally don't like the user made mods that anyone can slop together in a few seconds. You do, and that's fine. I don't really mean that they shouldn't make modding tools even if given the chance, I just mean that I don't like the idea, unlike the vast majority of people. Again, I started this thread for discussion. Thank you for participating.

[tk102]

I hate the idea of developers spending time to make the game more moddable....First of all, it takes up DEV time -

 

The devs have their own set of tools and some informal documentation at the least of how to use them. We're not asking anyone to try to bend over backwards to make the game moddable. Just maybe some of the tools that the devs used themselves.

 

Actually, like T7Nowhere mentioned -- if nothing else -- just a simple freaking .mdl compiler/decompiler. Throw us a bone, documentation, something.

We'll make the rest of the tools ourselves if we have to -- and we have.

[nightcleaver]

That's not a toolset, thats not making the game fundamentally more moddable. Case closed.

[Jaesun]

They better add a Construction Set or I'll be super angry. I did some modding for KOTOR it took FOREVER to get it right because the GFF editor uses a series of digits to set the Items values.

 

A Constuction Set like the one for Morrowind would be superb!!!!!!!!!!

Write to Lucas Arts and ask them to add this to KotOR II.

[Bantha Fodder]

They better add a Construction Set or I'll be super angry. I did some modding for KOTOR it took FOREVER to get it right because the GFF editor uses a series of digits to set the Items values.

 

A Constuction Set like the one for Morrowind would be superb!!!!!!!!!!

Write to Lucas Arts and ask them to add this to KotOR II.

Er... I might do that.....

[jaberwocki]

unless fan made mods can be distributed to xboxers it will never be mod friendly. That said why waste time and money making the tools so that half the people with kotor can make and use mods?

[T7nowhere]

unless fan made mods can be distributed to xboxers it will never be mod friendly. That said why waste time and money making the tools so that half the people with kotor can make and use mods?

There are a few people working on making mods for the Xbox version and have been have abit of success. Hell apparently save games are transferable between the pc and xbox. SO it looks like there is no reason why the xbox version can't be as moddable.

 

That's not a toolset, thats not making the game fundamentally more moddable. Case closed.

 

The point is That the developers don't have to waste time makeing user friendly tools. We can make do and have. All we ask is for a little help from the developers instead of haveing to struggle at reverse enginering the game just so we can make some mods to add content and life to a game we like.

 

anyway...

[Darth333]

The point is That the developers don't have to waste time makeing user friendly tools. We can make do and have. All we ask is for a little help from the developers instead of haveing to struggle at reverse enginering the game just so we can make some mods to add content and life to a game we like.

 

anyway...

I second that T7. Modding also adds to the lifespan of a game. Just look at NWN community...

 

And no, the fact that they aren't paid salary to do such things isn't why it's crappy. It's crappy because they don't do the right things. And regardless of if they have as much incentive to make things perfect, the quality is still not up to snuff with the professionals, REGARDLESS OF THE REASONS.

 

Mods are not necessarily always made with public release in mind. The modding activity in itself is part of the fun. In my opinion, modding is much more fun and stimulating than just playing the game.