In addition, I think mods should list ALL parts of the game that are changed as well as the files. (ie tweaked hardpoints, new systems, better guns, different sounds, etc). It doesn't necessarily have to be a list for every little tiny change, but I don't like having to generally guess all the changes a modder may or may not have made in such a vast system.

The only specifics I say is necessary to list, if there are new ships, you should say where they are sold. And if a new system is added, please tell us where the jump to that system is located. (Or if you are crafty, a rumor in the bar is fine, but tell us you did that).

Spectre

Hi Spectre, I agree with your point, but the actual application of it is much more difficult, im working on a large mod at the minuet and if we listed every single variable we altered it would take days to check everything, but also i think readmes should be more detailed, but thats just my opinion.


Dan - Lead Developer
The New Order Mod
From Osiris' Elite Guard
Www.OsirisEliteGuard.Com

hey guys,

most mods ALREADY list everything they change to a certain extent - if you open the xml script most of them use.
i agree that the read me should be as much use as it can be giving people the chance to decide if they want it without having to just "suck it and see".

much as id love to see it no one can test how his mod is going to interact with every other mod out there. the new flmm goes some way towards helping in this respect however, and also solves the saved game problem.

as for the testing i dont think anyone intentionally releases a mod that is going to cause problems - but they are human just like everyone else. as far as im aware different hardware doesnt affect the use of the mods too much ( with the exeption of cpu speed and graphic handling ).when i released my first mod i had no idea of the poly counts effect on servers for example so its a bit of a beast.

i agree this is the best time to get used to good practices as were only at the beginning of the mod adventure with something new being discovered every day.

dr del

release the attack wombats horatio!!

Hello

I think you find most ship bugs happen because those BORROWING (i call it stealing) the ship are not as familar with the ship as the person who created it. If they actually asked for permission first they could also get some help getting the thing to work, but they dont ask, they dont give the original mod maker any credit at all. Aside from that ship mods as easy to make and thus should be naturally more stable. When you start editing anything else then things get complex very quickly.

It becomes a whole new ball game.

lol

giskard i feel your pain (he took mine too ) but at least he apologised and changed it so that everyone now gets credit for their work (im taking this on trust cos i aint downloaded the mod and dont play on mp much anyway).

i think things will quieten down eventually to the extent that there will be a core of modders producing the larger/better mods (like your own) and the rest of them will magically learn to use the forum search and actually read the damn tutorials (well a man can dream cant he?).

i think there should also be a standardisation in the naming conventions of servers so that everyone can tell what, if any, mod it supports.this would prevent things like the post i just read where the genius involved had just crashed 16 servers trying to find one he could play on with his mod active.

in neverwinter nights ( a game i thoroughly enjoyed modding and playing) there was a lovely column on the server list that showed this - what do you think are the chances of getting microshaft to implement something like this?

im not to bothered if d.a. ever provide thier own modding kit (having looked at the ship structures i think it would be complicated as all hell to use ) as i think the tools people are producing to mod on their own are far better than the ones bioware supplied with nwn. and they also benefit from the fact that as far as the community is concerned nothing is sacred - a feeling i doubt d.a. or microcruft will share.

dr del




so you want to DELiver the files to the back up server so........

Maverickdan, I didn't mean you should list every gun or hardpoint you modify. Rather you should tell us that you changed 7 gun specs added 2 and modified 3 hardpoints. If that is what you did.

That's not too much to ask. This is for the benefit of all modders as well as people who use them. Modders want people to use their mods. I am more inclined to try a mod if I know exactly the things that were changed. A mod that is an enigma to me will remain so, I'm not going to go through any effort only to find out a mod only increased shield and gun strength.

Spectre

I wouldnt tell where new jumpgates (depending), holes were, i mean what is the point in playing new systems if you have to be babied to each new one!?

Duriel, you can tell us what system the jump is in without being specific, can you not? Or if you are "crafty" as I said above, you can insert rumours into the game to describe where the jump is. Both would be valid in my mind.

Spectre