-= Gametoast.com =-

(now to make you all disappointed in the topic after reading the title)

this topic is for remembering back when you started modding and some errors you had and maybe a few maps that didn't get far. also including how you have learned over your time modding and future plans would be nice to include.



When i first started modding a few years ago i think i read maybe 1 or 2 documents and i didn't even know of the exsistance of gametoast. i had actually worked on a few mods before that time but i never knew what to do when i had errors, i didn't even know of bferrorlogs at that time. i also didn't have the tools that i needed. i couldn't make skins, hex edit, make models, and i didn't have the knowledge of combo files, odf, and a few lua commands that i have now.

One mod that i actually did get finished was a weapons replacement mod called "mega weapons mod" (i wonder if mav still remembers it). the mod basically made all of the weapons insanely powerful with crazy amounts of push, a few crashes (ai crashed it and mines too in the early beta), and a bit of lag. i didn't even have particle editor to make effects for it so i just messed around with what i had. the mod itself was simply more of a learning experience than a mod.

i also tried a few times at making maps but i could never get past... anything really, i just recently started making maps but when i started i couldn't even figure out how to put objects on the map without it crashing ingame.

a few months before i last took a break from SWBF2 i had made a mod called "realistic weapons mod." that mod had taken me months of work on and off but it was awesome. eventually i changed almost every odf in the game that i could find. i had ecentially made my own game mode. the mod was online compatable in the sense that you could have the files for it inplace of the stock ones for hosting (dedicated esspecally). i added push to weapons, knockback for explosions if you weren't dead, tank explosions, and changed just about everything.

i learned alot from that mod, the most valueable one that i have taken note of was learning about combo files. before i started that mod i never looked in the combo files and if i accidentally clicked on one i would exit it after seeing lots of codes. after i had figured out the codes by taking hours looking over them over a week or 2 i then was making my own combo sets and even tried to have a cross between of 3 combos that could be used with secondary attacks (like an extremely advanced version of the combo system in dark times). it turns out that i never got it working but plan to figure out why in the future.

thats all i'll type for now, if you have questions ask, if not then post your own story.

When I started my modding career, my friend and I were biking through one of our neighborhood's parks, Pioneer Trails, and he insisted that I make a SWBF2 mod map of the location. We went to my house, got my digital camera, went back to the park and started taking reference pictures and deciding where certain command posts should be placed. Then I went back home and he went back home and I started searching on Google for how to make a SWBF2 mod map. It took a little while, but I eventually found this nifty place.

I registered an account and posted this thread, and then skelltor directed me to Fierfek's tutorial, which I then printed out, hole-punched, and put in a little binder to read on my way to Central Washington University to see some people perform at State.

After reading the tutorial, I decided to ignore Fierfek's rule of "never releas[ing] your first map"; I then started development on Pioneer Trails, making it as close to the real park as I possibly could, which, partially since I am a perfectionist, turned out to be really polished. During the development of the sides, I got the idea for ammo powers from recently having played Mass Effect 1 & 2, and then sprung up the idea for the Mass Effect Mod. After about a year and three months of development and polishing passed, I finished and released Pioneer Trails and took a little break for a couple of weeks and then came up for the idea of a map on the moon, which led to Luna, which led to the idea for the Sol Map Pack. Not too long after starting Luna, I decided to start the Mass Effect Mod, and here I am!

So what can one take from this? Sometimes it's best to take a long time developing and polishing your content; it's also best (IMO) and easiest (IMO) to have some sort of reference as to what one is developing, but to apply one's own style and theme to it and not steal those of others' works.

Well, I always wanted to find out how to make one of those fancy mods and maps, so I found the Modtools and was going to create a fantastic Islands map. I'm not exactly sure where the idea came from, but I had some plans for it.

Marth8880 wrote:After reading the tutorial, I decided to ignore Fierfek's rule of "never releas[ing] your first map"

Yes, same here. I wanted to get people to tell me what was good and bad about my work. The Islands map never made it to release, sadly. Everything was messed up; no terrain textures, so sky, but the layout was nice. There was a large island with a huge crater in the middle of it and a Yavin bridge across...

I Remember when i started modding half my life ago, i was over-excited and didnt understand anything.... but after i found out how to unpack the Jedi example file, i learnt from there, starting off by editing the jedi's weapons.

i havent really released any mods, i released one hex edit that was a direct follow from Cade Allos Hex editing guide, and later my first real mode, which was really just a pair of custom sides, one of them made at the beginning of the year, that i originally made for DarthDaddy's Capital Down 4-map (the imperial side) and later i made the rebels side, originally for The Conversion Pack's Naboo map, and then decided to clash them together Into one.

(i Just found my mod again - We play Battlefront at school in the breaks now, my Fellow students LOVES playing lan between classes. the sides i made were really really unbalanced for bots, and some of them very overpowered, but they are ended up being tons of fun playing with a couple friends.)

before i released the mod, i had made tons of sides, one extra recognizeable, a Side consisting of Samurai Imperials fighting melee-using rebels. (never released) i made the sides for Vyse's Hyrule map, playing them a lot with my younger brother Yukimura, spending hours upon hours, days after days, over and over again.

now that i think back at it, i really wish i had the sides, but my PC broke, and.... yeah. I Had skinned every single unit, set up custom animation sets for the melee ones, and pretty much perfectionized them for the map. If i remember correctly, Unit one had a Long Katana and a wooden shield. he could block. Unit two had a crossbow, using ewok spears as arrows, and he had a medkit.

unit three was a ninja, using a back-handed Wakizashi (Short Katana) And Had a One-slash attack combo, usually killing the unit hit in that one blow. he could jump amazingly high, would take no fall damage, and was perfect for assassinating targets. the other side were zombies with axes. When i found out about Gametoast, i spent a couple months browsing throuhg the -released Mods and maps-section and the released assets-section, putting every single working one into a huge compilation of assets, in order.

I Still have that compilation, it is on another pc than my current one, and the only reason i cant release it is that i never was able to find out who made what >_< But it was to huge amounts of help, having just about Every single one of the balanced, useful, cool assets ever released (items that can be put in sides, and a few prop packs as well.)

i spent a couple days on sorting every single asset out, so in the end i had about 14 categories, my favourites being models, animations, addons (character addons, like backpacks and visors, etc) and weapons. Sadly, two years ago, i was allowed to get Halo 3. At first, i didnt like it at all, because there were so many kids around 9-10 being sexist towards me, but after a while i got really attached to the game, and nearly completely stopped modding.

then... i got my new PC for christmas. we formatted the old one, after i picked out the things i wanted to keep. i saved them onto an external hard drive, thinking i'd keep them safe there. i didnt. my dad needed it, and took it to his workplace, forgetting it there, and since then it has been gone, he couldnt find it back. The very same day as i got the bad news, i found out - My PC hates the mod tools. Nothing worked like it should. that was when i first stopped, then it was just recently i announced im out.... and right after i did, i gave it another try >_< So...

Yeah :3 I Got a bit carried away by the memories, sorry :3

Loooong posts..
I think I started as all modders: too many ideas, too little time or experience. When I joined GT I had my own small modding website (which is offline now) and wanted help with moddeling: this became my favourite thing with help to AceMastermind and FragMe!

The rest is all BF0, and at last, I returned somehow and I'm finally releasing and doing some assets and a map (or two, who knows)
Battlefront Zero should have been more polished. But when you work SO hard on SO much content it's SO hard to pick out the most important things. The more you add, the more bugs you'll get, or the more work you do.
The least favourite but most important thing, and not only for modding, in my opinion: PLANNING (making a scedule)

And now, I'm bored by BF2, not by mods, but after playing them once I'm bored again.

Sorry GT for being so egoistic so many times when you asked for assets or things to be released. I waited to long, kept to much for myself to keep it 'exclusive', and in the end, that's where it became GOOD, and not PERFECT

Edit: And to add to that: I got most satisfaction from my name in some creditslists, things where I contributed too and became or were very big, like the Convo Pack, the KotOR-convo addon and the X-Box mod.
I hope you'll all use the assets I've released throughout the years