27 replies to this topic

[GeN1e]

Since we're already talking about building a mod team... Death Folder, I'm surely not trying to help with the scene making), but I'd say one thing - anything requires to be worked on. it doesn't really matter which way you'd go - through learning all the needed stuff and doing everything by youself or through assimiliting with the community.

Speaking of pinning, I'd pin the J. Sawyer's article as well.

[Jarno Mikkola]

And while you are building a mod team, it might be helpful for the writer and the coder to know what each can do, so the writer doesn't ask what the coder simply can not do. Perhaps most of this topics comments could be separated to a different topic... now that we have scared Narice Dei away already.

[SConrad]

Hm...commitment, offering help, friend-making, form a team...before it's even remotely possible to get one's ideas off the ground?

I didn't say that. I said that the likelyhood of success is significantly smaller--not that it was impossible.

Easy to say for the ones who have been through all that already. Sounds like a lot of long hard work, and something not everyone is able to do. I, for one, doubt I can. Which leaves me with little choice, sadly.

What can I say? Modding is hard work. The number one reason why modding projects are dropped are because of the modder not realizing how much effort it will take. It takes time to come up with an idea, write it, code it, test it and release it. Then, you might want to support it and release subsequent versions with added content and/or bugfixes. Like Rome, it can't be built in a day.

What I suggested about helping others before asking for help is because it will make it easier and increase the chance of the mod being completed. You'd get valuable modding experience by doing so, and you'd create relationships with other modders who would be more likely to assist you than if you're new to the community. It would also give you a better sense in knowing exactly what it is you're getting into.

But just because I think it's the best way to go about modding, it doesn't mean it's the only way. You're free to find your own way, and if it works and your mod gets released, great! My suggestions are just that--suggestions.

None of this means that you or anybody else should give up, though. This community is full of people who managed to release mods--both on their own and in teams--and if you think that we're any better or different than you, you probably don't know us very well. If we can do it, so can you--it's all about setting your mind to it.

[witya]

Well said. I'm a programmer irl. Sometimes the others provide me with code snippets and information about the project I work on, thus making progress faster and life easier. Not that I couldn't do it or get the necessary info... in time, but why should I walk the path when somebody else already knows it and can help me out? Working in teams is much much easier.

Edited by witya, 01 January 2009 - 02:15 PM.

[Thanatos.]

Just take my mod, Esiriak, for example. I have cruised around Mod Idea's throwing crazy random ideas at every new thread I see. SUre, not all of them popped in and helped out with Esiriak, but hell. Look how good he is doing now! And thats with just Jarno and I. (And coding snippets fro Icen ).

Seriously, my Esiriak idea was the first post ever made. Before making friends or anything. AND before I started my big idea vomit thingy. He has grown wings, I'm pretty sure.
Thats sheer living proof that there *is* a chance of getting a great mod off the ground without any sort of beforehand friendship with the rest of us forumites.

[Icendoan]

I would wait for a V1 before saying that...

Icen

[Thanatos.]

Silence

[berelinde]

What got me into modding was proofreading for the BG1 NPC Project. When I started, it wasn't traified yet, so I was looking at dialogue while it was in coded form. After a while of looking at it, I started thinking "I can do this." As it turned out, I was right, but it took a lot of time, and a lot of help from a lot of people. Most of those were folks I worked with on the BG1 NPC team. So yes, working as part of a team did get me started, but when the time came to code the mod, I asked for a lot of advice, but I did the actual coding myself... except for the combat scripting. I still can't do that to save my life.

That isn't a bad model to follow.