27 replies to this topic

[Narice Dei]

What i would LOVE to see is a really hot mod with a fantastic sense of humor that has the same basic idea of the Kelsey mod. I wanna be able to talk to him when i want to, i want him to have lots of banter, and i want him to be drop dead gorgeous. Call me shallow, lol that's just how i roll. If i could get a hang of coding, i would make a kick-keister one myself but i can't So, i'll just wait for someone who's willing to work with me and help me along the coding part... I'm good for ideas but not so good at creating my vision. Anybody wanna help me achieve my dream? We could work together to create something that's never been done before! Mind melding is an art that i'm willing to embrace...

Edited by leahnkain, 27 December 2008 - 02:38 AM.

[vilkacis]

Two points.

1: What the hell is up with that font? It's seriously annoying to read.

2: This.

[Irbis]

ummm i am not a bull (lol i am Cat O.o ) but yeeeaah RED font... hurts eyes and makes people go agro.

[Jenne]

I have just one, tiny piece of advice. If you want to make a NPC, he'll maybe need some other character features than being drop dead gorgeous. You know, there are a lot of gorgeous mods out there.

[Narice Dei]

I know there's more to it than that i wasn't saying that's all i wanted what i was trying to do is ask someone to help me create one. I've seen the guides but i would just love to have someone to help me create an NPC because i don't know if i could really make him/her reach their potential on my own. There's a lot of great mods on this site and i was just wondering if anybody would combine forces with me. I didn't mean to irritate anybody (sorry about the font i was really tired and bored) and i'm sorry about that.

[Jarno Mikkola]

Do you have any resources to contribute to the mod already, or is this all in your head still... example dialogs, nothing fancy is needed, just a hint might do...
Description of his/her class, name, picture ...

PS: You can edit the first post, to remove the huge font, but keep the color, I like it.

[Icendoan]

Yeah, more of what this NPC is actually like, what the mod has in it, and seriously, READ the guide posted, as it has everything written out quite plainly for everything save the advanced stuff (quests and the like).

If you are looking for someone to work with you, you have to:

a) Use the Classifieds forum, as you don't seem to be abandoning this idea for us, but it is vague enough!

b) Try to make it nice and approachable to read, losing the font was a VERY good idea, but paragraphing it out might be better as well.

c) Try to learn, instead of getting others to help you, although we will. NPCs (particularly ones with as many banters) are difficult to write, as well as time consuming (See Aklon if you don't believe me!) , and a lot of people have their own projects to work on. If you try coding it, and end up with a "Aaargh! MOAR ERRORS!!!!" thread, we will come and help you.

d) Give us far more information. I am happy to code dialogue right here, right now, or via PM if you don't want it to be that open. I do however, need the dialogue. I want to know what this character is like, every little detail and quirk, so I know I can write/modify dialogues to better suit the character. See: Esiriak, for the open coding approach.

Icen

[Thanatos.]

Your enthusiasm is lovely, but I would have to agree with Icen. Just throw us some examples of who and what you want your Mod to become! heres a tiny sample format:


Name:
Age:
Race:
Subrace (Vamp, Lycan, etc):
Class:
Alignment:
Gender:
Personality:
History // Bio:
Proficiencies:

Misc
Spells (if Any):
Example Dialog:
Portrait:
Voice (If Any):
Other:
__________

Try to fill all that in, then show us what you want to create

[SConrad]

I disagree with the previous poster--I think ambition is good, as long as you don't go completely overboard with your ideas. And it's great to see that you want to create a mod.

However, it's going to be very difficult for you to get anyone to help you with creating this mod without giving out more information about your character. People are busy as it is, and it's difficult to get excited or motivated enough to do something when you know almost nothing about it.

See, the problem with mod ideas is that everybody have them, yet very few are actually able to transform the idea into a real mod. Assembling modding teams is even more difficult, because the people who would be able to help are all working on their own mods.

The first piece of advice I give to people new to the modding scene is to stop asking for help and start offering it. If you want help from an established modder, give it to him/her first. If you do them a favor, they're infinitely more likely to do you one back.

Many of the modders with a proven track record, including myself, started out this way. Yeah, I had an idea, like everybody else, but I realized that nobody of the active modders at that point would drop what they were doing to help me--because really, why would they? I was new to the community, and there was no assurances that me or my idea would still be around a week later. So I joined a modding team, and immediately started forging relationships. Some of them have moved on from modding, but others I still collaborate with today. After I helped them, they were more than happy to help me as they found that we worked well together and that I was the real deal.

So if you think that there are lots of great mods around, chances are at least one or two of them are still in progress. And if they are, they might be looking for help. Even if they don't explicitly say so anywhere, it might ben an idea to send them a PM. I've never been known to turn anyone down without serious consideration for any of my projects, and I know many other modders feel the same way. If you want to write, they might ask you for some samples, and the same goes for other types of duties.

And who knows, maybe you'll achieve something amazing together?

(On a side note, maybe I should write a pinned topic in this forum expanding on what I've said in this post.)

[Icendoan]

Pinned topic? Definitely.

I second everything SConrad has to say, but there are other ways to start.

Just learn to code on your own, by reading tutorials.

Also, instead of asking "Can someone make this mod for me?", ask "How would I make this mod?", and learn as you make your mod. People around here are unwilling to get caught up in another mod, but they will always offer advice, tips and even short tutorials on things.

Myself, I am addicted to dropping by and posting code snippets.

Icen

[GeN1e]

I think what SC and Icen have said could be minimized to "if you want something done then you need to work on it", since the initial wording seems to suggest (to me at least) "is there anyone who'd it for me?"

Ideas are never in a short supply, and whoever's head they're in thinks them to be OMG. But usually it's only them, others need to be convinced that those ideas are in fact OMG. So, the fear "they will steal my stuff because it's so cool" is baseless nearly everytime, because everyone esle thinks the same about their own.

Tips for modmaking

[Thanatos.]

I think they are saying "Scratch a Modders back and s/he'll scratch yours."

[leahnkain]

I agree with Seb, it isn?t about kissing up to other modders but rather building a reputation. By showing others what you can do it will help them feel confidence when you ask for their help. Too many people have great ideas then disappear. A lot of people would feel it is a waste of time to start a new project if it will soon be abandoned. That is why by showing the community what you can do and people learning who you are it will help them feel confident to help you with your mod and ideas. I strongly disagree with the statement ?you scratch my back and I will scratch yours.? If you look you will see many people helping modders who have no connection to the mod that they are helping. I have given original maps, original soundsets and original portraits to various modders, many whom I hardly know. If you really want to start your idea now, my advice is to make an outline of the character and start writing. After you get a fair deal done then show some samples and I am sure people will help.

[SConrad]

I think they are saying "Scratch a Modders back and s/he'll scratch yours."

No. Most definitely not. It's about building relationships and--as leahnkain said--a reputation. When you make friends and prove yourself to be reliable and (for an extended period of time) an active member of the community, you're going to have a much easier time getting other modders interested in your idea(s). (All of this, of course, was much easier when we had an IRC channel. )

I'm generally not a big fan of the one-man-show, which is essentially what's suggested when people say "learn to do it by yourself." The success rate of people who come out of nowhere and decide to "do it all" is substantially lower than the teams that consists modders with experience. And, well, experience... your newfound friends would already have it, and you'd gain it from working with them--you'd get hands-on experience with the mod-making process before you tackle your own idea.

Bandwagon-projects, which is what I call projects featuring a number of people with limited-to-no modding experience who decide to jump on the bandwagon together at the same time, also have a low success rate.

On a personal level, I'd also argue that the overall quality of the mod is substantially lower with the one-man-show, too. Very few modders through the history of IE modding has been known to master all aspects of mod-making, so it's generally a safer bet to let the writer do the writing and the coder do the coding. That's traditionally how IE mod projects used to be like, too--it's only in the past couple of years that we've seen this new trend of "do-it-alls."

I still think the best way of accomplishing your mod idea is to have a team, and to have that team include people who've been around the block, know the pitfalls and have learned from past mistakes. But in order to do that, you need to have patience and show committment to the community. It's hard work, yeah, but it pays off and you can make friends for life doing it.

[leahnkain]

(On a side note, maybe I should write a pinned topic in this forum expanding on what I've said in this post.)

I would happily contribute my experience of modding to this topic if you decide to make it a pinned topic. I too started by helping other teams. I agree it is the best way to start off. I also agree a one man team is near impossible.

[theacefes]

I started by having a positive outlook, reading a lot, and asking lots of questions. I think it's done well for me.

[Choo Choo]

Death Folder, I don't think they're saying it's not even remotely possible - it just gets easier that way!