New to the EM world, would love to create some content!

[RookieCommander]

Hello everyone! RookieCommander here, a new guy to the world of Emergency. Just started playing around last week, actually. And I am *HOOKED!* Have any of you ever played SimCopter? When I was a kid, I absolutely loved that game. I spent hours flying around the city, rescuing everyone I could. The Emergency series is the closest thing to an official sequel that I could ever ask for--and in many ways, it's better! Instead of just flying around in a helicopter, I get to control a whole city's worth of emergency services! But, obviously, you all know why the game's awesome or you wouldn't be here!

 

Anyway, I would love to create some content...I've attached a file to my post with what I want to eventually do with EM2017--I've played a bit of EM4, and the LA mod absolutely makes it a 1000% better game, and it's still better than EM2017 as a whole, but, the graphics are a bit dated, and the fact that you can't issue commands while paused is a big downer for me.

 

Basically, I've got a ton of energy, loads of time, but I don't really know where to begin. I'm not a programmer by trade, I'm just a guy who loves video games and would absolutely *love* to make EM2017 into mine (and everybody else's) dream game--any way I could. This game is just begging to become a breakout hit, I can *feel* it.

Mod Checklist.rtf

[itchboy]

Unfortunately, modding isnt so active in Em5/20xx than it is in 4.

The 'main' powerhouse of modding is with ze Germans over here: www.emergency-forum.de , but they do not take too kindly to English speaking users for whatever reason.

There are a few mod projects on here though that seem to be gathering steam and are on their way to producing something.

[RookieCommander]

Wow! That is some FINE work! I keep scrolling, and I'm barely halfway through, and there's just more to see! And I mean, sure, it's a *huge* hill to climb. Obviously you and Hoppah had others working with you when you created the mods for Emergency 4, and if modding here is as dead as you say, I may not have that kind of help. But I am going to try my luck over at the German forums, maybe I'll get lucky! And, at the end of the day, what I'd really like to do, more than even adding a bunch of new functionality, is add new units. Whether it's American liveries or European ones, there are obviously lots more things I could add. Even if we're just going back to "standard" Emergency 4, there's the Mobile Hydrant Truck, a X-T Tank truck (the water cannon one), I want to add a firefighting helicopter, of course there's the SWAT van, a Water Cannon truck for police, a Paddywagon (high passenger cap for transporting lots of prisoners), and of course I'd like to split some unit abilities off from the main units--have a cop who's sole purpose is to intervene in hostage situations, for example, like the profiler in 4.

 

I *think* I can eventually muddle my way through scripting. It'd be a slow, cobbled-together thing, but at least I can interpret data when it's thrown up in my face and I can trace back through a C# or JSON script and figure out what goes where. With 3D models, I don't even know where to start. Obviously E4 had V3Os that could be opened in ZModeler3, but I'm having absolutely *no* luck with the .skeleton files in 5/20xx. Is there something I'm missing?

 

 

...You know, *is* there a script in EM4 that allows you to issue commands while paused? Or maybe makes the minimap a bit more legible? I keep flicking back and forth between than and EM 2017, and everything is just so much--slicker--for a lack of a better word in 2017, but obviously 4 has got the waaaay better gameplay...

[itchboy]

Cmd's while paused? Nope. Minimap? No as well. More nails in the coffin for the 10 year old rustic program so many of us mod. I wish they built it with more functionality than they did, but they prob werent thinking at all in 2005.

[RookieCommander]

Well, I can't exactly blame them. It *was* ten years ago, *and* this game's a niche of a niche. It's not quite an RTS, it's not exactly an RTT, and plus, most game marketers, at least in America, think that gamers will only play a game if it's got a lot of guns or military or shooters or swords in it Not that they're wrong--I've got Skyrim and Battlefield in my collection. But rescue games are so damn FUN! I've played SimCopter even now--when it's, what, 20 years old now? Twice as old as EM4...

 

EDIT: Maybe I'll go try my luck over at the German forum, see if they can help me out. But before I do--like I said, my main goal is adding/changing units. Is there a tutorial or guide or a good place to get started on that? I've seen some users manage to figure it out in EM5, and looking through the file structure, it doesn't seem like all that much has been *changed* from EM5, they just tacked on a couple of extra folders with content labeled "em2016" and "em2017", respectively.

[itchboy]

Ive been through Em1, 2 and 3 along with SimCopter, Streets of SimCity, and the first 4 Need For Speed games. Been around other simulation titles like SimCity, RCT, Car Tycoon, and so on. Those titles had their share of hit-or-miss, advantages and disadvantages. The rub with Em4 lies that their game had very little evolution moving from 3 to 4, and some of the positive aspects of Em3 were removed in 4, with bugs or defective functions added in their place.

[59955_1453496446]

10 hours ago, itchboy said:

Ive been through Em1, 2 and 3 along with SimCopter, Streets of SimCity, and the first 4 Need For Speed games. Been around other simulation titles like SimCity, RCT, Car Tycoon, and so on. Those titles had their share of hit-or-miss, advantages and disadvantages. The rub with Em4 lies that their game had very little evolution moving from 3 to 4, and some of the positive aspects of Em3 were removed in 4, with bugs or defective functions added in their place.

ive played 3 4 2012 2013