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Modding and the Infinity Engine games (a survey)

JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,723
in General Discussion (Spoiler Warning!)
Significant people out here discuss mods, their quality, the content many projects add... we really like that kind of discussions and they are important in the context of Baldur's Gate and other IE mods.

Would you like to share your thoughts on the topic? Do you like mods? Do you write mods yourself? Or maybe there are some aspects of modding you do not really like?

If you want to share your opinion and have some time, please, fill this survey: link.

Comments

  • ArdanisArdanis Member Posts: 1,736
    I would add a checkbox for combat/AI enhancements in the type of mods question.
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,723
    Added, thanks!
  • kjeronkjeron Member Posts: 2,367
    Do we need to redo the survey then?
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,723
    kjeron said:

    Do we need to redo the survey then?

    No. Just comment here if you want to change your vote ;)
  • lroumenlroumen Member Posts: 2,508
    edited March 2017
    Done. Looking forward to the feedback of the survey.

    Modding tutorials are good to continue. I think the basic stuff is okay to find but the advanced things may be more hidden. Just a matter of selecting when to share what.
  • FlashburnFlashburn Member Posts: 1,847
    Sent in mine but didn't mark myself as a modder since I haven't released anything, its all tweaks for my own use.

    I should make an NWN-style tweak pack since I've already got Ice Storm and the Cure Wounds spell line working like they do in NWN...
  • Wise_GrimwaldWise_Grimwald Member Posts: 3,852
    I may eventually start modding. All I have done so far is beef up the thieves in Candlekeep to make them worth fighting. Their better weapons make the fights quite dangerous, but with the reward of getting +1 weapons. Since that was done with EE Keeper and not Weidu, I haven't shared it with anyone, and since anyone could do it, not really worth sharing even if I had used Weidu. Only worth sharing if I changed a lot more.
  • RavenslightRavenslight Member Posts: 1,609
    I am only just now seeing this post. The news that @LavaDelVortel will be doing a series of modding tutorials is wonderful! So where do I find this Wild Surge magazine?

    Admittedly, I have not had much coffee yet this morning, but I am not seeing a link to it.
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,723
    @Ravenslight

    You can find archive issues here - https://www.wildsurge.ca/archive, the modding tutorial starts in the 2nd issue and continues in the 3rd issue.

    There're forum threads for each issue:

    https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/63222/issue-1-of-a-community-made-magazine
    https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/63588/issue-2-of-the-wild-surge-this-issues-topic-dwarves
    https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/64171/issue-3-of-the-wild-surge-in-this-issue-dragonspears-birthday-and-endless-immortal-torment
  • RavenslightRavenslight Member Posts: 1,609
    Thank you! :)
  • PaulaMigratePaulaMigrate Member Posts: 1,201
    Nothing against tutorials to show some basic stuff and start you. The downside is that it produces patterns and stereotypes. Learning it the hard way has the advantage that you discover more things by yourself, get a feeling for what you do and finally get creative. In the end your mod becomes unique and contains interesting stuff no other has. I have studied hundreds of mods and have seen similar things done in a vast variety of ways. Some of them opened new ways for further development etc.
    You can learn some basic skills from teachers but the creative task is something different, otherwise you do paint-by-numbers and how-to-write-a-novel-in-five-easy-lessons.
  • jasteyjastey Member Posts: 2,671
    semiticgod said:

    If it weren't for WeiDu tutorials and copied code from other modders, I'd have never created a mod in the first place.

    This. :)

    And: I am thankful for all the IE editing tools (including weidu) developped by much smarter persons than me. I am thankful they are still updated and developped. Without the tools I wouldn't be successful in making working mods.
    And also, without tools like weidu the IE engine modding scene wouldn't be able to make compatible mods. I don't know much other games' modding scenes but I think the compatibility of so many mods in one game is the key element what makes the IE modding scene so special. So many mods created and they add up to a whole new world of game content. Not like some other games where every mod stands on its own and mods have to be packaged together to enable players to enjoy them in one game.
  • WarChiefZekeWarChiefZeke Member Posts: 2,651
    semiticgod said:

    If it weren't for WeiDu tutorials and copied code from other modders, I'd have never created a mod in the first place.

    Definitely true in my case as well.
  • lroumenlroumen Member Posts: 2,508
    It is good to know the basics though but whether you get it from going through others mods or reading a tutorial does not matter to me.
    The thing is that it is easier to use a tutorial if you want specific (bit general) things explained because you would need to guess which mod actually has the thing you are looking for.

    So I hope the tutorials get a bit more advanced at some point. :)
  • JuliusBorisovJuliusBorisov Member, Administrator, Moderator, Developer Posts: 22,723
    edited June 2017
    subtledoctor said:

    I actually didn't make much use of tutorials; I learned mostly by emulating and adapting code from others. That's why, when I've written tutorial-style posts, I try to include actual code for others to drop into their mod and adapt to their needs.

    What do you think of the Lava's tutorial in the community magazine (have a look at the latest issue, for example)?
  • PaulaMigratePaulaMigrate Member Posts: 1,201
    CamDawg said:

    PaulaMigrate said:

    Nothing against tutorials to show some basic stuff and start you. The downside is that it produces patterns and stereotypes. Learning it the hard way has the advantage that you discover more things by yourself, get a feeling for what you do and finally get creative. In the end your mod becomes unique and contains interesting stuff no other has. I have studied hundreds of mods and have seen similar things done in a vast variety of ways. Some of them opened new ways for further development etc.
    You can learn some basic skills from teachers but the creative task is something different, otherwise you do paint-by-numbers and how-to-write-a-novel-in-five-easy-lessons.

    While I agree this is valid for the creative side, I would disagree on the technical side--which is where most beginners struggle, and I think the focus of most tutorials. With code, there often is a 'best solution' (or best practices, at the least) that you'd be well served to follow.

    Or to put it another way, the best and worst written content mods will have very similar code running them.
    Things are never black or white. I never denied that tutorials are useful for some FAQ type of contents.
    As a constant player of mods I have seen the problem of many mods just getting stuck there, repeating patterns and often even copying bugs over and over again. What I see a lot are mods that get stuck with what was found and understood there. I think a mod should stem from some unique ideas which the author tries to bring to the game instead of this-is-what I learned-see-what-I-can-do-with-it. You first have an idea, a vision or whatever you call it and then you try to explore how it could be done. Too often you see it the other way round.
  • _Luke__Luke_ Member, Mobile Tester Posts: 1,535
    Please, make the iOS versions of your games moddable. We NEED this.......
  • GallowglassGallowglass Member Posts: 3,356
    Luke93 said:

    Please, make the iOS versions of your games moddable. We NEED this.......

    I'm not an iOS user, but (as I understand it) the problem is inherent to the way that iOS locks you out of so much file-access to your own device, not a problem with Beamdog's code. Thus this plea probably needs to be sent to Apple rather than Beamdog.
  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] Posts: 0
    edited June 2017
    The user and all related content has been deleted.
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