@Cuv Looks very interesting, many thanks! Is there also such a Tutorial on making an NPC? I'd think that it shouldn't be that hard but the guide I found somewhere a few years ago made my head explode.
I am all for it if they wish to make such a 'toolset'. All the tools to make mods already exist and are functional (so long as the devs do not change the file headers and chitin.key format)
I would recommend the following into a consolidated program: - All the BAM editing ability of DLTCEP - A level editor based upon IETME by Theo@TeamBG. I can try contacting him for the source code, although it probably wouldnt be that difficult for an experienced programmer to replicate. - File Browser based upon Infinity Explorer - File Editor based upon Near Infinity. Haven't seen Jon around for a long time, but his source code is available on his website. http://www.idi.ntnu.no/~joh/ni/
Also, in order to package mods for easy installation, there is WeiDU. But it really depends on the type of sharing that the developers intend. If it will be a gog or steam or beamdog download/upload, then they will need their own method of mod distribution. Modders can convert and upload their mods to the client for everyone to download I suppose. But IF you do it that way, let the mod creators retain shared rights to their own works, unlike clients I wont name. But certainly if modders upload a mod to the community, then beamdog would gain rights to said content or they wouldnt be able to distribute it. With that said, modders better be darn sure that the content they upload is their OWN work!!!! Most modders dont mind use of their content WITH permission and credit given, so make sure you get permission beforehand if you intend to include something that you dont have the rights to distribute yourself.
Here is a list of other third party little programs I would also suggest including:
ACM2Wav.exe - used for playing and extracting game sounds with the acm format of the wav Snd2ACM.exe - converts sounds to a format that the game can use WAV2WAVC.exe - another conversion program to convert wav to wavc which the game can use BAMResizer.exe - commandline program that resizes BAM graphics files WinBiff.exe - TeamBG program that unpacks Biff's, either all files or single files tispack.exe - converts a TIS to a TIZ with user specified compression tisunpack.exe - unpacks compressed TIZ to a TIS. Used for file distribution
Once that is decided, then a wiki could be created where tutorials can be posted and updated. You have permission to use all of mine with credit. I would also suggest a 'link' section where all the modding sites can be linked. Each site has its' own following and depend on their own clientele to maintain them... you dont want to make them angry:) Some modding groups/sites may not want their content 'consolidated', so ask please.
I apologize for the long post, everyone knows me as long-winded. These are just my suggestions to get us back on track.
Without going into specific aspects of module/ level design i can safely say that the aurora toolset is still the best design tool for rpgs outthere. It´s simple to use, very stable and used for the creation of thousands modules already. Not to forget how easy and fast it is to get custom content implemented and tested. So anything similar to this masterpiece is a win;)
Strictly speaken i mean how it handles every element like conversations, item, npc/monster, script etc. creation. And areadesign is just wonderfull (w/o shadows)!!!
oh and one specific request about the creature animations. It´s not possible for me right now to figure out the whole animation system. It seems random. Take the hobgoblin MHOBG1 from BG1 as an example. He starts with walking, then he ends up dead, then pause/ idle then dead again. Then it jumps to MHOBG1E where the first animations are not used or do nothing! Again he walks and disapears... I mean you know;)
Creating the new creature + their animations is already a lot of work and time can be spent on better things as to fight with the mentioned way above.
The problem is that a level editor cant work like that at all. You will not be able to drag and drop objects. There aren't any objects to drop, nor are there walls or trees to place. All level bitmap artwork will have to be done outside of any toolset and imported into it to build it into a tileset (TIS). Containers are just drawn polygons. The interface would be nice though. As for making 'creatures', the same applies. All new creatures will have to be either hand drawn or built in max or zbrush and movies taken of the animations. Then those animations would need to be converted into BAM files. Terribly tedious process, trust me... I know.
But as for building a distributable module... that is doable if you have the tools and the assets to bring into it.
I feared that somehow cuv! My main problem is how time consuming the implementation process is after the initial design part is done + the trial and error so to say and i believe your words on that. But im positive anyway and willing to share my experience.
... All level bitmap artwork will have to be done outside of any toolset and imported into it to build it into a tileset (TIS).... As for making 'creatures', the same applies. All new creatures will have to be either hand drawn or built in max or zbrush and movies taken of the animations.
And that is exactly why I think, that the current approach is not suitable for a BG-toolset. There are people capable to do this, but the average user is not. I agree that something like the aurora toolset or even an aurora overhaul might be the best choice. Isometric view is nothing but a certain camera position. And I'm sure that you are able to create beautiful BG-esque landscapes with 3D-drag-and-drop elements.
So my best suggestion is to create such a toolset, and publish it with a BG3 module (and later grace us with additional "premium modules". Basically the NWN business model.
What would be nice is some sort of tool that allows the importing of 3D models, and do the rendering, height, light, and search maps in several easy moves. There could also be a library of 3D models.
At the minimum, it should be possible to create wilderness areas with speed and efficiency, where maybe 30 types of trees, and other types of landscape objects are used. Just look at the wilderness areas of Baldur's Gate 1, and count how many types of landscape objects are used. Not too many, but the areas look extremely nice.
@Galactygon Heya btw:) Well, I suppose that is doable perhaps. You could basically have a program that layers images onto some generic starter backdrops. There was some talk years ago about someone who was archiving any and all area 'objects' as PSD docs... but I dont remember who that was.
Also, even if you could merge the layers with the program, how would you achieve proper shadows and lighting? Suppose it would still be doable with something like a simple 3d program that could be used with a camera pointing in the proper iso view and lights actually 'baked', then the program takes a snapshot of it and you move right along. Its an idea anyway, the hardest part of level making is the artwork. I wouldnt expect the levels to look primo good, but you could always go back over it and do the detail work by hand later. It would at least get modders going.
The camera for an isometric view in 3dsmax needs to be at x=60 y=0 z=45. Or thats what i use at the moment. Only thing that needs a bit of testing is the FOV for renderoutput. By this weekend i have some results to show off btw.
p.s. and sorry for being not ontopic but i dont know where else to post p.s2. and speaking about a 3dmodel library. I already started to create prefabs/ objects for my later in mind builded tilesets...
To show you that I´m not just talking here a shot of my latest work. A 3d tileset (wip) for nwn that feature a complete cave / small underdark scenerio. The tiles will be rendered specifically for the infinity area design process as well as whole layouts can be done with much more details and ligthing vfx!
I had more thoughts on the idea. While it wouldn't be easy, it should be viable, and dangit, an average Joe who knows NOTHING about programming should be able to have the capacity to make crazy good adventures.
But this request seems to be dead. When the devs use some community tool which is available for us too so why develope something someone had hoped for...
What would be nice is some sort of tool that allows the importing of 3D models, and do the rendering, height, light, and search maps in several easy moves.
I've offered--more than once--to give out the WeiNGINE technique to generate wallgroup polygon data automatically from black-and-white silhouette renders (which are dead-easy for area modelers to generate), but nobody has ever taken me up on it. Bioware drove interns insane having them click convex polygons for months on end. I don't know why this continues to be a thing people do, but there you have it...
Those are gorgeous stuff babaYaga and Cuv. I especially like the reimagined Port City and Durlag's Tower...I wish they'd use those instead. But then again, it would be another contract issue, now wouldn't it? Sucks!
@fredamora thanks and the good thing is, most of my work can be used for the infinity games too because everything was done in 3dsmax anyway and only imported into aurora. They need some tweaking and rescaling for sure but the content is there already. It remains to be seen how easy or difficult it is to create a little adventure that is available trough BGEE.
Comments
Love your work.. :O)
Looks very interesting, many thanks!
Is there also such a Tutorial on making an NPC? I'd think that it shouldn't be that hard but the guide I found somewhere a few years ago made my head explode.
I would recommend the following into a consolidated program:
- All the BAM editing ability of DLTCEP
- A level editor based upon IETME by Theo@TeamBG. I can try contacting him for the source code, although it probably wouldnt be that difficult for an experienced programmer to replicate.
- File Browser based upon Infinity Explorer
- File Editor based upon Near Infinity. Haven't seen Jon around for a long time, but his source code is available on his website. http://www.idi.ntnu.no/~joh/ni/
Also, in order to package mods for easy installation, there is WeiDU. But it really depends on the type of sharing that the developers intend. If it will be a gog or steam or beamdog download/upload, then they will need their own method of mod distribution. Modders can convert and upload their mods to the client for everyone to download I suppose. But IF you do it that way, let the mod creators retain shared rights to their own works, unlike clients I wont name. But certainly if modders upload a mod to the community, then beamdog would gain rights to said content or they wouldnt be able to distribute it. With that said, modders better be darn sure that the content they upload is their OWN work!!!! Most modders dont mind use of their content WITH permission and credit given, so make sure you get permission beforehand if you intend to include something that you dont have the rights to distribute yourself.
Here is a list of other third party little programs I would also suggest including:
ACM2Wav.exe - used for playing and extracting game sounds with the acm format of the wav
Snd2ACM.exe - converts sounds to a format that the game can use
WAV2WAVC.exe - another conversion program to convert wav to wavc which the game can use
BAMResizer.exe - commandline program that resizes BAM graphics files
WinBiff.exe - TeamBG program that unpacks Biff's, either all files or single files
tispack.exe - converts a TIS to a TIZ with user specified compression
tisunpack.exe - unpacks compressed TIZ to a TIS. Used for file distribution
Once that is decided, then a wiki could be created where tutorials can be posted and updated. You have permission to use all of mine with credit. I would also suggest a 'link' section where all the modding sites can be linked. Each site has its' own following and depend on their own clientele to maintain them... you dont want to make them angry:) Some modding groups/sites may not want their content 'consolidated', so ask please.
I apologize for the long post, everyone knows me as long-winded. These are just my suggestions to get us back on track.
Strictly speaken i mean how it handles every element like conversations, item, npc/monster, script etc. creation. And areadesign is just wonderfull (w/o shadows)!!!
Creating the new creature + their animations is already a lot of work and time can be spent on better things as to fight with the mentioned way above.
But as for building a distributable module... that is doable if you have the tools and the assets to bring into it.
I agree that something like the aurora toolset or even an aurora overhaul might be the best choice.
Isometric view is nothing but a certain camera position. And I'm sure that you are able to create beautiful BG-esque landscapes with 3D-drag-and-drop elements.
So my best suggestion is to create such a toolset, and publish it with a BG3 module (and later grace us with additional "premium modules". Basically the NWN business model.
At the minimum, it should be possible to create wilderness areas with speed and efficiency, where maybe 30 types of trees, and other types of landscape objects are used. Just look at the wilderness areas of Baldur's Gate 1, and count how many types of landscape objects are used. Not too many, but the areas look extremely nice.
-Galactygon
Also, even if you could merge the layers with the program, how would you achieve proper shadows and lighting? Suppose it would still be doable with something like a simple 3d program that could be used with a camera pointing in the proper iso view and lights actually 'baked', then the program takes a snapshot of it and you move right along. Its an idea anyway, the hardest part of level making is the artwork. I wouldnt expect the levels to look primo good, but you could always go back over it and do the detail work by hand later. It would at least get modders going.
p.s. and sorry for being not ontopic but i dont know where else to post
p.s2. and speaking about a 3dmodel library. I already started to create prefabs/ objects for my later in mind builded tilesets...
and