Why?

[nick the greek]

Hello there! I have been thinking of some things that happen here in emergency planet.

Textures

Some people start a mod project and they spend their time on making models with textures in SketchUp. As everybody here knows textures made in SketchUp can't be imported into the game. So these textures are useless.

Models

Some people start a mod by making some SketchUp models or taking some from Google Warehouse. These models will probably never get converted and will never get in-game. Some people tell others to make them a couple of models for their mods. Well OK this is acceptable only if you have made some models on your own but when you don't know how to make a model or you don't have a mod team please do not start a thousand projects. Giving people some pics is nothing in front of giving them a complete mods such as LA mod.

Scripting

When some people start a project they are saying there will be ten missions with terrorists and terrible disasters. Could you please stop telling us lies? Making missions like these needs tons of programming and mapping experience(and sometimes a better game). Making new features for EM4 is really hard to do. You will need programming experience and patience.

Mapping

A whole new map is not useful without new vehicles to play with. Spending your time on making a map for your mod while you don't have any models ready is not recommended. A new map is a really hard project so please start one when you have some versions of your mod released or when you have your new units ready.

Web sites

I see many people starting a mod and making a website in three or four languages without a reason. The time you spent on making these websites could be used for learning how to model or how to skin. You can make a topic here and then continue your process and please focus on making the mod and not these websites.

Real life

I accept that everyone here has a real life and there is no free time for making a mod. Please take a couple of minutes and post a reply telling people that the mod will be stopped until you get some free time.

These are my thoughts about what happens in Em Planet. No offense to anyone.

Thanks for your time.

Nick

[Grim_Wizard]

Soooo what you're telling all the people with dreams of making the next awesome mod is that don't do it becasue you're not good enough? I'm not taking offence but when Hoppah started the L.A. Mod do you really think he thought it would become one of the most played mods ever? While I agree that people new to modding think that the can use SketchUp and Google warehouse with it working yes there will be problems but that's why you should devote your time to help make a modding guide. (I'm working on a game guide that has all these pictures and is good) I really think you should revise your statment and start again becasue that may be a little to stop you don't know what you're doing to some of the newer modders.

[jab16]

Most people like me dont skin it because we know it wont go through from sketchup, I do it so people know what the model looks like

[Newfoundking]

Textures

Some people start a mod project and they spend their time on making models with textures in SketchUp. As everybody here knows textures made in SketchUp can't be imported into the game. So these textures are useless.

Yes this does consume time, but it does kinda give an idea of how it will look. It's completely up to the author how they want to do it.

Models

Some people start a mod by making some SketchUp models or taking some from Google Warehouse. These models will probably never get converted and will never get in-game. Some people tell others to make them a couple of models for their mods. Well OK this is acceptable only if you have made some models on your own but when you don't know how to make a model or you don't have a mod team please do not start a thousand projects. Giving people some pics is nothing in front of giving them a complete mods such as LA mod.

Sketch up models can be made to be put in game, but this may take a bit longer. Some people don't have the skills right off the bat to make full models, but when they make one in sketchup, import into Zmod, and then have to edit it more, it builds their skills.

Scripting

When some people start a project they are saying there will be ten missions with terrorists and terrible disasters. Could you please stop telling us lies? Making missions like these needs tons of programming and mapping experience(and sometimes a better game). Making new features for EM4 is really hard to do. You will need programming experience and patience.

You need to first lay off with the accusations. It's one thing to ask a question, or point out something, it's another thing to call someone a liar.. Not every mod comes out with missions right off the bat. The creator wishes to make these missions, and the mightn't be in version 1, or even until 1.3 or longer (depending on how big the updates are) before we see the first missions. Do you think Hoppah started out with all the knowledge he has now? No. He started off with a bit and he built on that.

Mapping

A whole new map is not useful without new vehicles to play with. Spending your time on making a map for your mod while you don't have any models ready is not recommended. A new map is a really hard project so please start one when you have some versions of your mod released or when you have your new units ready.

If there is a mod team, and there is 5 people on this team, and one of these people doesn't know how to model, or script and they are the UV mapper, then they can't do anything without the completed models.. They can start working on a map at that time. Yes I agree, you have to have your priorities straight, but if the team is still working on the mod, then it's okay to get a head start on the other things

Web sites

I see many people starting a mod and making a website in three or four languages without a reason. The time you spent on making these websites could be used for learning how to model or how to skin. You can make a topic here and then continue your process and please focus on making the mod and not these websites.

This is a bit direct don't you think? Once again, I know this whole is probably aimed at a few groups, but this one statement seems to be aimed directly at one group. Once again, if a team want to start on another thing early, and there is someone doing nothing at the time, then sure. After all, why not?

This is getting a little too personal, and some parts seem to be focused on some groups. Yes it's perfectly fine to say, shouldn't you be working on this, instead of starting a website, or you should start a few units before taking on a new map, because it's such a large project, and this isn't something you should try to take on first, start with the basics..

It's fine to give constructive criticism, but you HAVE to respect other members. Every single person here has agreed to. This means instead of saying, this is wrong, and you don't know what you are doing, try to help them, if you can't and you don't know how to, then don't try. Basically, just try to help and be nice about it, and make sure, if you make posts not to use any mod team names in it..

-NFK

[Ami89E1234]

yea. in fact, all of the scripting for the first versions of the EM3 LAMod wasnt even done by Hoppah... it was done by some Germans

[puppysboy222]

I pretty much agree with NFK

Hello there! I have been thinking of some things that happen here in emergency planet.

Textures

Some people start a mod project and they spend their time on making models with textures in SketchUp. As everybody here knows textures made in SketchUp can't be imported into the game. So these textures are useless.

Thats not COMPLETLY true. One of my models had been imported and the skins was there, still...

Models

Some people start a mod by making some SketchUp models or taking some from Google Warehouse. These models will probably never get converted and will never get in-game. Some people tell others to make them a couple of models for their mods. Well OK this is acceptable only if you have made some models on your own but when you don't know how to make a model or you don't have a mod team please do not start a thousand projects. Giving people some pics is nothing in front of giving them a complete mods such as LA mod.

Really? So now we have to listen to you?

Scripting

When some people start a project they are saying there will be ten missions with terrorists and terrible disasters. Could you please stop telling us lies? Making missions like these needs tons of programming and mapping experience(and sometimes a better game). Making new features for EM4 is really hard to do. You will need programming experience and patience.

Lies, eh? Well, sometimes new missions are added to a list, but won't be released in the first version because it takes long.

Mapping

A whole new map is not useful without new vehicles to play with. Spending your time on making a map for your mod while you don't have any models ready is not recommended. A new map is a really hard project so please start one when you have some versions of your mod released or when you have your new units ready.

You said the P word. Very polite!

These are my thoughts about what happens in Em Planet. No offense to anyone.

Thanks for your time.

Nick

Your welcome!

-Mad Dog

[nick the greek]

There is no offense to anyone in here. I respect all of you guys and for 1+ year you are my "friends". I just wanted to say some things about the whole situation. Yes some of them were pointed to some people but never said their names. If we were a huge modding group and everyone did something we would have many complete modifications ready. In real life I prefer to work alone but in modding a game more people make the job easier for each one and speed up the whole process. I have been trying to learn some things about modding for about one year and guess what: I started modeling it was too hard I started scripting it was boring and there was no time I started skinning I stopped because of a school project I had to do. I know that I am an idiot who says bull^^it but what if we made a huge modding group? Germans are working on their mods and they have big team so they are making them faster and easier. In this group some of us will not have advanced abilities some others will be experts. Working on a team will make rookies experts and experts even more better. This a huge suggestion and I ask everybody here if he wants to join a huge team.In this way we could finish Rose Ville mod Tokyo mod and every mod that stopped because there was no help. What do you think?

(I know my English s^^ks)

[Newfoundking]

Well combining all the mods into one team wouldn't be a good plan, in theory sure, but in application, there would be a lot of, "My mod needs to get done!" And then people wouldn't want to continue work after theirs was completed, leaving some people with the shaft. People will join to benefit themselves, then when they have received what they want, they don't have any reason to stay. It's human nature, why hang around doing something you don't need to, when you can find other things to do. I'm not saying everyone will do it, but a lot of people will do that.

If the Germans you are referring to are the NY Mod team, they only have 3 or 4 members on their team, plus 1 or 2 freelance modders that have helped them out with a couple things.. Basically you don't need a humongous team, each person with half decent skills, and you don't need a perfect team, you just need someone on your team that can do each job, might be 4 different people, but have them there, so that each job can be completed.

It's much harder now to start a mod because you are scraping at the bottom now, with most of the good modders and skilled scripters busy with other projects or life. Starting a mod is not an easy task, and unless you can find a skilled team, it may not be completed. You can have a million people on your team, but unless you have a modeller or a scripter, your mod will not make it very far.

[nick the greek]

Long time ago shortly after I joined your community I made a topic called Greek mod. I never made a Greek mod because I couldn't do modding and even if I could I would not make a Greek mod. Finding information about our units is extremely hard and there aren't any people who like Greek units(because most of them never seen any of them ) Making a basic mod needs a modeler, a skinner and a file manager. Scripter is needed for new features and etc. Making models with Zmodeler is harder than making models with other programs. If somebody wants to skin he needs some models to work on. So if there is no modeler a basic mod can't even start. It would be very good if sixteen tons provided us with simple applications for making mods. It would be much better if they made a whole new game but they released a DS game instead of working on something new. They may be working secretly on Em5 and if this dream come true I will be the first who is going to buy this game. If we could pay some extra money to provide us with modding programs it would be great!

If there was a huge team making mods members should accept the rules and continue working on mods after the release of their mod. Of course people would be able to leave the group. They got a life a job or a girlfriend. There is one modding group and I think it's called emergency:first responders. I can't remember any detailed information about them but I think that they are a group making some modifications. They have completed one and they continue...

[Newfoundking]

Yeah they have a group, but as it's been seen not everyone is participating anymore... I don't know if life got in the way, or people got what they wanted and they were no longer really interested in hanging around... Large groups will have a lot of problems too, like if there is 5 mods, who decides who works on what and when?

[nick the greek]

They could vote for which mod will be started first second etc. There should be only one mod being made at a specific period and then when it's finished with the first version let some people updating it and tell the others to work on the next mod. In this way released mods will be updated and new mods will come.

[Newfoundking]

Well I have to ask you, if you had a mod idea for your hometown, and you were a part of that group, and say there was 7 mods in total, and yours was chosen last, would you really want to wait a year, or maybe 2 or even more to have your mod STARTED?

It'd be a great idea if modding was an easier process, or even if they said, let's make a bunch of american mods.. We have 3 scripters, so that means with version 1, we will have each scripter make one new command, and have it included in all the mods, as well as the option of including each new command made into the mod leader's mod. Also they could each make it a point to make sure all commands are shared, and that one missions gets 10 missions in one version while the rest don't get more than 2 or 3.

Also if it was all from the same country, then more than likely the units would be similar, and could be reskinned, lightbars could be changed, and minor things could be editted. That way you can keep mods progressing, while making sure it's not just one getting all the focus while the others remain with just a to do list... It would be a busy project to get started with, but once it got started it would be easier to maintain..

However, this would be hard, because you would need a good few skilled people, and you wouldn't be able to have people in that don't like each other, and can work with each other without problem. Realistically, mass mod teams made will not be able to create many functioning mods, unless the staff become PAID staff that can give up their jobs and commit this to their job, giving them a reason to not leave.

I suppose though there is the chance of finding a skilled team that can work together making mods, and functioning well as a team.

[nick the greek]

If modders helped each other many things would be boosted up and this game would be the most interesting game to play with mods. LA mod has achieved some great scripting goals and made the game more realistic. NY mod adds many new things that make the game even more realistic. Winterberg mod is very realistic but extremely buggy. Wuppertal mod is absolutely realistic but I think it will have a lot of bugs. While the guys from the NY mod made some new functions(tiller) Hoppah and his team made some too(chase command, tiller). I think that these guys are co-operating and help each other secretly. It is really good to see people helping each other and not fighting each other and if they continue like that their mods will be even better than great. Making a mod team is easy but maintain this team is extremely hard. If you manage to have a team ready to "fight" then your team should focus on only one mod and if they want they can try to help other people. Starting two or three mods at the same time would slow down your process and if you don't have a functioning team it might stop your project from being done. I hope some guys from sixteen tons are reading this topic and I also hope that they will suggest in their development team to make modding easier. Em 5 must be a great and revolutionary game with functions that even the best companies would be jealous of and a bust be a game that gamers will love (and if they do, other companies will start making similar games)