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#369296 27/07/09 05:50 PM
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Xyks Offline OP
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hi,
i was just wondering if there is a moddingtool rlease planned. games like oblivion have proven that modding tools can keep rpgs alive fora really long time. im just curious...

Xyks #369310 27/07/09 06:02 PM
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that would be sweet although I'd rather have them work on patches or content updates instead.

v1ctor #369329 27/07/09 06:19 PM
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Last thing I heard about that, was they would not release any mod tools at launch, but maybe later. smile

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There will not be a mod kit at release but its not out of the picture.

Originally Posted by Lar_q
[color:#006600]Regarding mods - It's really a question of where we put our effort in. Right now it's in the game and not in providing a mod toolkit, though obviously we have a whole range of tools to make the game. It would take some effort to make them usable for the community, but if the opportunity would arise, it'd be something I'd very much like to do. I guess it'll really depend on how much demand there is for such a toolkit. I think it might be more sensible to link a mod toolkit with a multiplayer mode, than just release it for single player.[/color]


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I'd be very very interested in modding tools. For me, a game with proper editing tools becomes immediately worthwhile to buy because it means that IF the game has flaws, the right mods can smooth these over. Oblivion and Fallout 3 both benefit from this and it's a sad thing to see so many developers being ignorant to the advantages such tools bring.

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I'd even say that a good modding community is essential to some games. Take Gothic 3, Vampires the Masquerade or S.T.A.L.K.E.R for example.


v1ctor #370546 29/07/09 12:29 PM
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I really hope they wll release the tools when they find the time. i already got several mod ideas and the game engine offers modders a whole variety of different moddingoptions.
im praying to the divine for those tools;)

Xyks #372820 02/08/09 11:37 AM
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I'll quote myself:

Originally Posted by AlrikFassbauer
Mod tools aren't the only thing.

They also need to be accessible.

I'd really like to make some maps for Star Wars Battlefrontt I, but the modding tools package is the worst I have ever seen. It is clearly made for already experienced users, which greatly decreases the number of potential modders.

Of course one could say, the more complex the tools, the less inexperienced newbies will use them, which would - from that perspective on - lead to a better quality.

But in my opinion I doubt that this will be the case in all of the times.

Because great modding skills also need a lot of technological knowledge, and on the other hand I strongly suspect that a "techie" bears at the same time the needed storytelling skills, because storytelling skills are so much different from technology skills, that they are almost - imho - incompatible to one another.

Which makes me fear that people with great modding skills are able to create mods that are just great in a technological sense, but which are at the same totally lacking any storytelling qualities.

Of course, nowadays, storytelling quality might even not be wanted at all - especially by the Action-RPG generation, to which storytelling appears to be nothing but a hindrance, a distraction from gameplay. Blizzard's Action-RPGs, for example, have almost no story at all (and I mean the games, not any baclkground information presented in novels or so).

Following this thought, I even fear that the masses of people who believe that RPG = Action will bad-mouth pearls like PS:T, because of their great story-telling quality ! "Too much text", they will say, "it just distracts from playing !" Whereas "playing" would be = "hacking/slashing", in that perspective of an Action-RPG player.

Which leads - the more game companies - and especially developers - concentrate on the mass market for development costs revenue - to games with less and less actual stories/storytelling in them, which will be praised by the mass market who doesn't want "too much text" at all.

Times for lovers of stories look bad.

And Action-RPG lovers will surely say in an aggressive voice: "Go buy yourself a book ! If you want to have stories !
'Stories' are an abberant abomination nowadays ! They have nothing to do in RPGs at all !"



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I ought to link you to the lore section on WoW for some stories wink

Stories are not as out-of-place as you think, Alrik. Even in some games that don't seem to have much of a story, if you dig a little deeper you'll find something. Morrowind had a good story, The Witcher had a good story.

Of course, Diablo series doesn't have all that much story in it, but that's why I never really played it much. Most "Action-RPG" suffer from being a story too much actually - they really don't allow the player to play a different role, other than be the main character in the story - or even more than one character in the story (Demon Stone, for instance). I don't really consider those RPG's at all, more like Action-Adventure games. Be honest, How much different is gameplay in the RPG Demon Stone from the Action Adventure Legacy of Kain: Defiance? Legacy of Kain: Defiance, that game series had what was perhaps the best story ever for a PC game; and it's not even an RPG!

There are those that like the story in RPG's (us), there are those that like the hack-and-slash combat in RPG's (not us), there are those who like interesting quests and profound NPC's with intelligent dialogue (us) and there are those who like to skip dialogue and fireball every village in the game (not us). For a company to remain in existance, they have to have enough elements to please both groups, and it's a precarious balance. Some go too far one way (Diablo series) some go too far the other way (PS:T) and both have their hardcore fan base who will swear it's the best game ever. The truth is somewhere in the middle, and that's where a company should go with their game.

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I'm writing short fantasy stories myself, so I do make up my mind about that a little bit ...

But my overall impression is just that there is the focus on nothing but combat in Action-RPGs, and that Action-RPGs have an imho far too much overrated impact on the whole gaming industry - and that means : Everyone tries to be a little bit like that, everyone tries to do games like that.


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"Interplay.some zombiefied unlife thing going on there" - skavenhorde at RPGWatch
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If you're not interested in combat, why aren't you playing PnP RPGs only?


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