5 Major Tips for People New to Modding

[helljumper51]

Ok, so if you have ventured through these forums you know that there are about 10 posts per every real mod post that goes kind of like this:

"Hey guys I have this awesome Idea but I dont know how to mod. I need a team of great modders to make it happen. I can provide the pictures and direct the mod but I can't do much else."

So if you have made a post like this, listen up. Most modders want to work n their own work and dont like people telling them how to make a mod. In my own personal opinion, I have been on a few teams where I volunteered my services and most of the time the person incharge could not mod or knew very little. this was fine because I joined the team to help him out. Well they all ended with me leaving becuase I was being told how to do everything and If I would spend a day or two on a model or s cript they would come back later and say, well I want to change the idea of the mod, or well O decided not to put that unit in here. This gets VERY frustraining and is the main reaon why people who do have a good amount of skill like Hoppah, Dyson, Raf, Cosreski, Newfundking, Xplorer, Mikey Pi, etc work on their own mods or in teams with each other. So if you have an Idea which you want to see turned into a reality, dont rely on others, but rely on yourself! I am going to provide a few basic tips to get you started.

1. Know what it takes to make a mod!

Alot of new members dont really know how much work a mod entails. My biggest recommendation is to start off with a submod like lights or vehicle placement and turn it into a major mod. Thats what the manhattan mod started out as and look at it now! So kind of work is required for a full mod vs a submod?

Submod: Any alteration that makes the game different. These include Lights, reskinning, vehicle placement, Map changes, and a few others I am forgetting. But basically this si where all people new to the modding world should start. Lights and map changes will help you get used to the editor and reskinning and vehicle changes will help with models and scripts.

Mod: MAJOR changes. I am talking about doing everything from scratch. Map, buildings, vehicles, units, scripts, etc. Basically if a mod is using mostly other people's units and scripts, people will get upset and pretty much ruin what your trying to do. Dont be surprised how a few negative comments will kill a mod.

2. Only make your idea public unitl you know you will finish.

I am very guilty of this myself. If you are ging to make a mod or submod only go public with it if you know your going to finish. Alot of mods die halfway through due to various reasons, but the biggest is someone taking off more than they can chew. My recommendation is to only make a post in here when you have something to show or even better, when you are close to beta or have a beta release.

3. Have a plan of attack

Sit down and think this mod out. a good rule of thumb is if you dont have atleast 2 paragraphs worth of material then you dont really have all the details fleshed out. I sit down with a pen and paper and write out details from station layout to what certain scripts will do to even making a sketch of a map. Get all the details and keep adding when you get another idea! Make it unique. Try to stay away from major cities. NY is being slowly stabbed to death with mods coming out for it.

4. Use your rescources

There are alot of tutorials on here to utilize. everything from modeling, to lights, to doing map work. just look around. One thing I hate to see if the same question being asked over and over when there is a tutorial right on the site for it. So before you make a post to ask about it, check the forums, or else you get so much hate.

5. And finally keep at it

You will hit alot of hurdles. Alot. but just keep working through them. It took me 5 years to get where I am now and alot of mistakes and failed attempts. But use it all as a learning experience. Look at some mods out there and see how thier scripts and maps work. Make tweaks and test them out. its the only way to learn. It will take time, long nights, and you will go backwards at times. But you will get through it if you are persistant. And good luck!

Resources to utilize:

Rut's Tuts(map work and alpha files): http://forum.emergency-planet.com/index.php?/topic/15908-rettungstiers-modding-tutorials/page__hl__%2Bpath+%2Btutorial

Site tutorials: http://forum.emergency-planet.com/index.php?/tutorials/category/1-english/

LA Mod alteration Tuts: http://forum.emergency-planet.com/index.php?/forum/82-alterations/

If you want to add anything or ask questions please feel free.

[stevenew95]

This should be pinned. I know how it feels too and i was in the beginning one of those people. I would love to learn how to script VERY well. Right now im trying to do models but its not working. I wish people would make videos because it woild be so much easier. As for now im doing lights for peoples mods. Im really good at that because ive had the most experience with it. I know a lot of people just expect everyone to help and a lot dont. I hope a lot of people that want to mad read this first. Also i hope they look at the tutorials.

[Freelancer]

Agreed it should be pinned it would help a lot of new people here

@Steve "Right now im trying to do models but its not working" what seems to be your problem with modelling?

send me a PM I may be able to help

[Dyson]

Pretty honored to be named after hoppah, haha, good 'speech' too, a lot of people should read, it should be in the ToS or something, although I've never actually read it myself

x

[stevenew95]

Honestly, i just cant get any of it. I read hoppahs tut on how to do it with zmodeler but the pictured wouldnt load he posted. I guess the link was broken. To be honest i just need to start from the beginning again. Like i said maybe some videos would be a lot of help but as for now i know not really anyone would want to do that

[helljumper51]

I am in the process of maybe, and this is a big maybe, working on a EM4 podcast. Where myself and hopefully some others from em4 would go over tutorials, help hints, and current projects going on in the forums. So hopefully stay tuned for a message about that.