I have this idea, a mind-blowingly time-consuming, difficult, possibly deadly, idea that won't work (would take simply too long) if i'm doing it on my own. Its to make a game, based off of the SWBF series, but since the zero engine/swbf source code (except lvl file assets) is not availabe at all, i plan on using the free/Open Source PixelLight Engine as it seems like a good engine and similar to SWBF's zero in terms of appearance (except higher-resolution and with physics engine).

I would need the modders on different aspects of the game.

-Modeling/texturing/Animating/physics (converting and upgrading SWBF models if possible)
-Characters/VEhicles/Weapons
-Maps
-Sound
-Programming (ie scripting/ai/physics)

Objectives for the game
class based with limited customization of each class
Space-2-Ground Maps
partially open-source (meaning modding is supported, but not completley redesigning the game for release and releasing the game for free, i'm not interested in making money off this)
more to think about...

People who'd be willing to help so far
me
bamdur

This is also up on SWBFgamers
PixelLightEngine http://www.pixellight.org/site/

Who would want to help me with this idea? (need fairly experienced modders/programmers)

I'm not suggesting this as an insult or put-down, and you seem far more planned out that the author of the topic, you might try reading THIS.

Here's one of the reasons that thread was locked:

Maveritchell wrote:1) You're making a request. Plain and simple. You haven't said that you've personally got anything to contribute other than a name.

While you do seem familiar with the engines at hand, people would be far more willing to help if you had some stuff made already.

Still, best of luck to you!

jdee/barc wrote:i'm not interested in making money off this

Well good, because if you did you would be running into huge legal issues. Matter of fact, I think you will still run into legal issues.


Well, I might be interested in getting Frayed Wires behind this if we had the time and this wasn't illegal. The issue is I don't think you know how hard this would be. You would need people with the skill level of Tean and Zerted just to get this off the ground, and I have no one that good on my team.

No offense, long story short: This is not possible. Modding is only a step toward game programming. Its great to put on a resume that you are skilled in level design, modeling, or some coding. However, you still need some sort of official education in game development.

And legally, unless its a new name(nothing star wars related), new models, new textures, new premise: Its illegal.


Edit: Ninja'd by CressAlbane.

Regards to the title: I don't think this is a "modding project."

CressAlbane wrote:Regards to the title: I don't think this is a "modding project."

Oh, yeah I thought about that too.




A mod is a modification of an existing game.

This is not a modding project, this is a new game.

1. title changed

2. I read this unfortunate person's topic and decided to go with the advice of maveritchell: Start small (because i'm going to try this idea regardless of how its not possible, and see how far i can go with it)

3. So I'll start with downloading the PixelLight Engine and testing it's capabilities, just fooling around with it.

Could one of you guys explain how this could become a legal issue by using Star Wars as a theme? There's a Star Wars Source Engine-based Mod in development as well that doesn't seem to have been in any legal problems.

i think wulfman means that legally lucasarts/films owns all the designs/concepts and could anytime forbid you to use them if they feel like it. i think they did this with the "a clone apart" sometime.
there are however countless starwars themed mods (in work) for other games like cod4, crysis, ut etc. so i wouldnt worry too much about it.

you can also get legal problems (more likely) if you take assets from starwars gams and use them in your mod becqause their use is normally limited to the engine they were created for. i think this was what the hl2 mod had problems with.

besides these two things i dont know with what else you could get in trouble...

DarthD.U.C.K. wrote:you can also get legal problems (more likely) if you take assets from starwars games and use them in your mod because their use is normally limited to the engine they were created for. i think this was what the hl2 mod had problems with.

This is what I meant. I guess if its new models it can be Star Wars without legal troubles, I didn't think about that much. But the point still stands.

This video can't get much more appropriate:

... yeah ...i think i'll stick to having a life instead of a lifeless career of video games 24/7...

after seeing this video, and people's advice, i think this idea is waaaaay too much (including the potential legal problems for me to be going anywhere with it. (i'm only 14, like that other guy who had a similar idea)

this topic can be disposed of if necessary.

Oh wow. I have never seen that video before. That was great Tean!

THEWULFMAN wrote:Edit: Ninja'd by CressAlbane.

Aren't you always Ninja'd?

Anyway, I'd love to help if it weren't illegal and if something had already been done. And if I had more free time.

jdee/barc wrote:... yeah ...i think i'll stick to having a life instead of a lifeless career of video games 24/7...

after seeing this video, and people's advice, i think this idea is waaaaay too much (including the potential legal problems for me to be going anywhere with it. (i'm only 14, like that other guy who had a similar idea)

this topic can be disposed of if necessary.

what i'm saying here is that the idea is more then too much for a kid to handle, so i've decided that i'm not going through with it.

OHMYGOSH my only wish is that I could add that awesome video to my favorite list more than once.

jady/bark wrote: Who would want to help me with this idea? (need fairly experienced modders/programmers)

I find this to be one of the main problems with all of these projects that people try to start. They all call for experienced modders/programmers to help them. The problem is that any fairly experienced modders/programmers have their own ideas that they follow. There aren't many fairly experienced modders/programmers who go browsing forums saying "I wonder if any inexperienced kids have a great idea and need help on it!" Nope, it really doesn't happen. I'm not calling you stupid for your ideas. If anything the fact that you recognized your situation and didn't just go "you people are just judging me" shows that you at least have a good amount of common sense.

EDIT: Everything that you put in the game objectives list are all possible via swbf2, no reason to make a whole new game when you can just make a mod.

Everything that you put in the game objectives list are all possible via swbf2, no reason to make a whole new game when you can just make a mod.

Indeed. And people work on these things all the time.

Eaol wrote:

Everything that you put in the game objectives list are all possible via swbf2, no reason to make a whole new game when you can just make a mod.

Indeed. And people work on these things all the time.

that is very true, and now that you said that, and now that i know that, i think i'll think of a mod for swbf2.

that video is awesome, thanks for posting it!
its suprising that about half of the responses is "hes right!" and the other is "screw that guy!".
i didnt expect so many resonable comments

Teancum wrote:This video can't get much more appropriate:

Everytime someone in the lab says they have an "idea" we always refer them back to that video. It's a great reality check, but if you're a real bot #2 and/or haven't done QA, you'll pretty much ignore it anyway.

The Nasal Abyss wrote:Oh wow. I have never seen that video before. That was great Tean!

Yeah, I find it hilarious as I've been modding games for 10+ years and have seen people have the same ambitions over and over. Heck, everyone does it. I did in the early days when I was modding the original Jedi Knight game. I ended up making a fairly large-scale mod called Rogue Squadron CTF:

http://web.archive.org/web/199909010504 ... com/rogue/

Before people dive into a new engine I'd recommend they head up a large-scale mod and have a very marketable skill such as programming, animation, or modeling and texturing. Having that background gives you something to show your potential recruits and motivates them.

I want to get into the video game industry someday!

*watches video*


...

I want to be a cashier at McDonald's!