You're starting a mod? READ THIS FIRST!

[Newfoundking]

Good day,

 

So you've decided you wanted to make a mod. That's a noble choice, you're going to experience a whole new world of being a content creator, and you'll learn more than you ever thought .But before you even think about starting, you need to make sure of a few things:

 

1. Do you have the skills to make a mod?

 

A lot of would-be modders decide that they want a mod, but have no real marketable skills. If you know how to do vehicle lights, and that's about the extent of a mod, you're not qualified to make a full mod. Assess your current skills, and go from there. The website has a tutorials section that explains all the basics, but if you don't know what you're doing, don't start with the big mod right away. Work on adding a vehicle to another mod, maybe editing what is in another mod. The basics are what you build on, but remember, someone who can model, is 1000x more useful than someone who can do lights, reskins and populate a map with decorations. The most basic things, like models and adding them to the game is much more useful than the finishing touches, like the light patterns.

 

If you don't have the skills, don't start a mod. Instead, start learning the skills to mod. You'll have a better outcome. 

 

2. Do you have the dedication to complete a full mod?

 

It's taxing, time consuming, and doesn't go away once you announce it, or even when you finish it. If you want to begin on this endeavor, make sure you can complete it. The best way? Get the skills required, before even starting. You'll regret it if you don't. 

 

3. XYZ member has created a mod, or appears to know what they're doing. They would be perfect on my team! Let's recruit them to do all the work!

 

No. Just no. No body will make your mod except you. If you don't have the skills, don't make a mod. People have an idea that all you need is the ability to lead to get your own mod, and most of the people that go in with this idea don't even have THAT ability. Don't even think about a team. If you and a friend or two don't have the skills already? You need to develop them before you start the mod. The experienced modders certainly will not even consider your mod something to help with until you have shown them there's something you've done and it's good. Even then, they'll approach you, not the other way around. 

 

4. Can someone give me a walkthrough or a tutorial on how to make this exact object? The general tutorial is no good. 

 

The thing is with modding, if someone else makes something for you, or tells you only how to make that thing, you're not going to learn. That's why we as a community often point out tutorials. 

 

 

 

If you heed these guidelines, you'll be a modder in no time. If you ignore them, you'll be in trouble. 

[Pottyscotty]

Thanks for posting this, slightly bugs me when someone posts "I'm going to start XYZ Mod" then 5 hours later the post has to be closed as they already quit. It can clot up the "Recent Topics" section and people may miss things that actually matter.

[Newfoundking]

It's not the open and shut mods I hate, but the open looking for people to create a mod for me. I must say, people are getting creative about hiding it, but it won't be happening any more

[serch248]

1.No

2.No

3.No

4.No

The only thing I know about mods is how to download and install them

[tot07]

I'm don't agree with this. I know just one thing : editing. However, I've started a crazy project. This is not the skills that are making a mod or a modder, this is only the desire to have a mod. So, if I just heard you, I'm suppose to be sit in my deck-chair, seeing the other modificatons. Your post is discouraging the futur modders, I think so. 

So for me, if I have to say something to somebody it's will be : go on your idea !

[Newfoundking]

I'm not saying don't mod. We have seen a rash of people wanting mods but not making anything, expecting with no skill, just a team of skilled to get a mod. If you want a mod, by all means, learn the skills and produce one. If you have none though, don't announce a plan to create a massive mod way beyond your skillset. The point of this is to be realistic

[MikeyPI]

I'm don't agree with this. I know just one thing : editing. However, I've started a crazy project. This is not the skills that are making a mod or a modder, this is only the desire to have a mod. So, if I just heard you, I'm suppose to be sit in my deck-chair, seeing the other modificatons. Your post is discouraging the futur modders, I think so. 

So for me, if I have to say something to somebody it's will be : go on your idea !

You've started a project and I'd presume you're going to try to move forth on your own with it, not expect everyone else to make it happen for you.  That is the difference between what is covered in this topic and what you're speaking about.  This is targeted to people who believe that their idea is just so fantastic that nobody else has possibly thought of it, thus just announcing the idea and the fact they're willing to "lead" others to making it happen is sufficient enough.  That particular mentality is what this topic is intended to cover, not the people who have an idea they want to see developed and intend to put in the effort themselves to try to make it happen on their own.  Many people see so many modders around and figure they can just outsource and get those people to do the work for them instead of actually starting out on their own learning what they can.  In general it occurs quite frequently and this topic was intended to guide those type of users into attempting to learn to do things on their own before they even try to get other's assistance in making it happen.

 

The key point in this topic is that nobody will create a mod for someone else. The skilled modders have their own ideas that they want to implement in their own works, to believe that an idea by someone else without any progression from that individual is sufficient to get the other people on board to do the work for them is simply a misconception.  We're trying to encourage members who want to make a mod to go about it in their own way with their own skills, developing those skills rather than figuring others will make their idea happen for them.

[tot07]

Oh ok I didn't see the things this way, for sure, it's no cool from a creator to let another one make every work for him...

[PaganiZonda760]

I don´t know how others feel after reading but that clear message really hit me in the face. Thats good. I realized that i just tried to copie things to do something, never did anything myself other then skinning/ lighting. That is a shame.

I changed some basic things in my mod

1. I will make a complete new map, no other maps copied from another submod halfway working.

2. Learning all the needed skills myself - already started!

3. Don´t let others do any of the work - its my part.

 

Thank you guys so much for clearing my eyes to see how bad the reality was.

[BeastyBill88]

This is why the mod edits I have done (London, Montana, etc) are marked as PRIVATE. Because they're the same as the original mods, just with a few minor changes and new skins, lights, map objects etc. Plus I work full time on shift patterns, so I'm not able to work on them all the time. Also I go through stages where I will play EM4 all the time and tinker with mods etc and then other times where I just can't be bothered touching it with a 10ft barge pole lol.

[bossman]

All unfinished mods should be Removed from this site.  If there is a mod on here that has NOT been updated in a while, They should be removed.   The moderator should  go through and see which mods are dead.  

[Newfoundking]

The problem with that is there's that many threads, we'd have a full days work at least. We are all unpaid and have real lives to attend to, so unfinished mods are closed as we are made aware, but we don't remove content that doesn't violate

[MikeyPI]

Gladly compensate us at our normal hourly wages (respectively) and we will certainly start on that process

[nickbuchanan911]

how do you put a poll on your mod forum?

[randomperson139]

Edit the first post of the topic, open the 'full editor' and in the top right corner, you should see an option that says 'manage poll'.

[nickbuchanan911]

Edit the first post of the topic, open the 'full editor' and in the top right corner, you should see an option that says 'manage poll'.

thank you

[guave06]

1.No

2.No

3.No

4.No

The only thing I know about mods is how to download and install them

 

 

yep thats basically me. I just started learning I really want to create content and contribute to the community.

[Guest]

yep thats basically me. I just started learning I really want to create content and contribute to the community.

1.No

2.No

3.No

4.No

The only thing I know about mods is how to download and install them

Yep same case here.

What I can suggest to you and others is that if you keep a mod private, you can steal whoever's work you want without permission. Now I don't mean that in a bad way but what I do mean is that for private mods (or private edits) you can just take somebody else's mod and slowly learn how to do things through tutorials.

I currently try to edit small aspects of vehicle traits through the editor following tutorials to make small differences to gameplay.

I also do re-skins. To do this you can simply open up the picture of the vehicle in the mod (in programfilesx87/sixteentons,em4,mods,ModName,models,vehicles,FolderName,PictureName) and use any photo editor (many are free) and make small edits to the vehicles appearance. In fact if you like the BMW 5 in the Welfordshire Mod and not in the London Mod (no offence, just an example), when you open the both up you'll realise they use the same base model (they look identical except the police markings), so you can copy the Welfordshire one and paste it over the top of the London one and the Welfordshire one will show up in London Mod.

[Newfoundking]

While yes, private edits are pretty much exempt from permission, if you showcase it, you MUST have the credits where it is due, and you cannot distribute at all with it