In Light of Recent Events

[bama1234]

I'd like re-tell (very briefly) the story of myself and this forum. I was young and naive when I joined at the end of 2008. At the time, I had just recently discovered Emergency 3 and 4, played the LA mod for both, and was itching for more. I was fixated on NYC at the time and disappointed to find that no NY mod yet existed (I think it's funny now that I was so let down, but today there are so many NYC mods I lost track of them). So, I took it upon myself to start my own. The only skill I had was Microsoft Paint. It took my a little while to figure out how to edit textures in the game and get them working correctly, but once I did, I was able to begin a private re-skin of the LA mod into NYC units.

 

This was my first work ever in EM4, done painstakingly in MS Paint:

 

 

From there, I did the fire engines:

 

 

And I wasn't quite satisfied. So I spent a few months learning how to model in Gmax (which I still use to this day), and after many failed attempts, came up with a new model for the fire engine: 

 

 

Not bad for a young modder, but not the best either. I learned quickly, because I had a solid background with computers, but that won't be the case for everyone. 

 

My NYC submod was never released. I asked Hoppah if I could release, he said not until I have more individual creations and contributions, and I respected that. By the time I had anything close to a solid submod, Dyson had started on his own, and it was superior. I moved on to other ideas. 

 

I slaved over tutorials, videos, reference pictures, and so forth - the best tool is practice. Trial and error. I remember messaging the moderators/experienced modders for help pretty often, and I'm sure I got on their nerves quite a bit. But now, I'm one of the people new modders come to for help, and that's a good feeling.

 

I used heavily from the LA mod and others. However I was careful not to release anything that the original creators didn't approve of. But nowadays I can create just about any model I need to make with relative ease (usually), although it's time consuming - if you look at the Montana Mod, you see a vast improvement in my model quality and overall design tastes from 2008 to now. But I'm still not quite where I want to be.

 

The points I want to make today are as follows: 

• Don't get discouraged. I started in 2008, was able to do some quality independent modeling work starting around 2010, and would say I didn't really get actually good until about 2013-2014. It will take much less time for some, and more for others. But if you really have your heart in this game and community, it will be worth the wait. 
• Don't be afraid to ask questions. Most of us are here to help and WANT to see new and exciting content being created. The more diverse and capable our community is, the better. 
• On the flip side, also don't be afraid to work by yourself and figure things out through trial-and-error. That feeling you get when you finally figure out a bug and see the finished product is unbelievably exciting. 
• And finally, please respect the moderators and mod creators. I did, and it got me a long way. I know it's much easier to grab from other mods and build your own using those pieces, and there's nothing wrong with that, as long as it stays private. KEEP TRACK of the creators of any content you use, in case you ever get permission to release it. A thorough and accurate credits list, along with permission, is really all we're asking for. 

I hope this has helped inspire some of you and quell any doubts you may have about how much we care for this community. New rules are always tough to get used to, and I definitely understand some of the frustration. From what I understand, though (and mods, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), most of the punishments came down on people being disrespectful and refusing to cooperate or negotiate. This is something that can be easily avoided, and I know if they come to me asking about any of my content I will be more than happy to work things out.

 

In summary - just remember that modding is really about fostering your creativity and bringing ideas to life, it takes some time and effort, and as long as you try to be respectful and be careful that you don't step on anybody's toes, you'll find yourself successful. 

 

Look at my old re-skins. Now look down at the banners in my signature. That's where time, a good heart, a good eye, some elbow grease, and respect will get you.

[C.F.D]

This is a great thread, Bama, i agree with everything you've said, better than what i could say !

[Handsup!]

Interesting to see your first work

[BeastyBill88]

you used paint? Holy crap! That's a skill in itself, paint is so basic lol.

But yeah you make some good points there bama, even if its just a reskin, you can move up to 3d modelling and scripting etc, it just takes time to learn these skills, you don't get handed them over night.

And it was nice to see your early work bama even now with all of these New York and LA mods it's a great effort!

[Dyson]

I remember us back in those days, the submod days. I think back then we were all pretty crappy at mods (besides like LA and German) but we all pushed each other forward, heck I know you so generously allowed me to use that FDNY rig back in 2010, we've all come so far. It just pains me that we were so lucky to be given such a wide birth to make mistakes and start off that way. The players late to the game starting up now never had a chance. With such good mods already out and so many it can seem daunting and with so many people slating mods that begin as reskins, I know I'd never made it out of the starting block.

 

Overall I think times have just changed and the community spirit is broken, no-one seems to care about the mods of the future, only about the mods on the horizon, but lately that seems less and less. I'm happy to see so much activity in UK modding, that's an area that has been needing a facelift for some time.

[Newfoundking]

I'm glad to see someone like this trying to come at this from the same side that the majority of people have been, but have been shot down. You're very well spoken, and I agree with BMA, it doesn't hurt you to have a list of people to thank for your work, but it really helps the mod creators want to continue pushing things forward. Feeling thanked and respected is really all any of the free-to-play mod makers want

[Sawdbuster]

back in 2010, we've all come so far.

 

Jesus, that was 5 years ago?? I actually just pulled your modified LA snow map version of the submod off of my family's old desktop and put it on my new laptop. I remember that was always my favorite map to play on. 

 

As for this topic. You all see me come back around every few months and pop into "Modding Related Support" with a dozen questions. I recently realized my setbacks on my old computer were because I never installed the fix for windows 7. I just bought 911:FR on steam, ($5, making all my irl friends buy it), and am getting back into modding. I have a couple of projects in my que now, and I'm just trying to get as well rounded as possible. 

 

But I get it. I personally like using MS Paint for skins because then I can edit them so easily. I love seeing my own creations in game. But after coming home from work, going for a run, trying to have a social life irl, it's difficult for me to just sit in and buckle down at my computer for hours on end. Maybe not even finishing one skin in one night. I don't model. I'm slowly, like snail slowly, am reading code and trying to figure some of the basics out. I hate lights. And I hate file managing. So I get it, it's easy to take this already out of this world modification of some sort and just adjust it to fit your fancy rather than starting from the ground up. I get it's a pain in the ass and nobody wants to do it.

 

And I hate that. I hate seeing all these damn topics in the Mod section and see a new American city and click to see it's just another submod off of the LA mod, with the NYC mod's units and Nnico's Crown Victorias. It gets old real fast. I genuinely have more fun playing my random units mod more than LA mod, because I have just the lights and siren script and that's it. The game play is the original, it's difficult and that original freeplay map is honestly a breath of fresh air after years of the LA mod's map. I get it, it's easy and it's still pretty rewarding to create your own submod. But it's not fair to the original creators if you just do that, release it, and suddenly call that whole thing your own. 

 

One of my favorite things about modding is the readme. I love it when I finish a car or something and I get to go into notepad and write down what comprised what. I love putting things together and I love to see my name on the skin, lights, and hopefully sometime in the future, the models. I always ask for permission even if the readme says I'm free to use it, because I want the original creators to see where there models are going. It's a great feeling for them to see their work in use. 

 

So, like Bama said, take the time to create your own stuff. It's a great feeling looking a folder knowing you put everything in there together and knowing you didn't just add a few things to an already existing one. Ask permission to use things. It's just the right thing to do. Plus, how do you think the creator will feel when they get a PM saying "hey, your stuff is great, can i please use it?" it'll make them feel accomplished, as they should feel. 

[guave06]

thank you so much for your words of encouragement.

 

I've been a lurker for years here, watching people make new mods, anticipating their release, playing with them. and now I've finally decided I'd like to get involved. The problem is I have absolutely no experience in any sort of modding, no coding. no modeling or skinning, no MS paint, but I've taken it upon myself to learn, and hopefully join some sort of team doing support work in order to get experience, before launching my own ambitious mod. I'm just a poor college student who needs a creatve hobby when I'm not studying or out doing sports, but I have no idea where to begin. I've downloaded Gimp on the recommendation of someone else but I'd be lying if I knew how to use it. How do I get started?