3 replies to this topic

[TechN9ne]

I was just wondering I'v been modding for years on many differnt games and every game i have modded have had tools that someone has made in order to get into the game so you could mod it. Even on games that some said could'nt be modded but someone some how did manage to find a way to do it. Now I hear alot of people inclunding myself have been wanting to mod Kain's Wrath for along time now the only thing stoping us is EALA. They wont reless the mod tools to do so but to be truthful why do we need them to make and give us the tools when they have given us what we need already they gave us the tools for TW3. All that is needed is someone willing to tweak the first MOD SDK so it will mod Kain's Wrath and someone to make a tool to view the game files like the XCC Utilities did for the older C&C games. Now I would do it myself if I had the full knowledge on how to but i don't I'm just saying we have what is needed now all we need is someone or a group of us to tackle the job cause we modders are as smart as the people at EALA so why do we need them to do what we can do. We should be able to show them that we don't need to wait on them like a dog waiting for a bone to get done what needs to be done. Anyone else agree?

[Golan]

Well, first of, the current TW SDK cannot simply be reconfigured to run for KW - it is possible to insert some data this way, but nothing that would qualify as anything even remotely close to a mod.
KW is based on an ancient version of TW, long before mod support was added in 1.7. This means that in order for KW to properly process a mod created with the SDK, it'd need to be patched. So the KW executable would have to be modified, either permanently which EA would probably not approve or on a runtime basis, which is a hell lot of work (not that a direct patch would be easy either).
Also, the SDK needs to have access to a couple of files from the game it modifies, otherwise it can't properly patch the streams, or alternatively every mod would have to replace/duplicate all important data - neither solution seems feasible to me, seeing how difficult it is to even rip content from the game.

Second, take a look at the community. There's less than a hundred people active ATM and probably no more than 5 people who would remotely qualify for such a project. Now, look at how much time it took JonWil to make his tools - even if this could be pulled of, it would take months. Until then, KW is long since dead.

It's not about being smart enough to do it, it is about having the resources needed for such a task. If someone is able to make KW modable, he can just as well take a more feasible engine and tweak it to his needs.

€dit:
Not to say that I would feel utterly miserable if some was to make KW modable...

Edited by Golan, 23 March 2009 - 11:00 AM.

[TechN9ne]

Well yes I know it would alot of work and yes I know the modding community is losing people but thats because no one can mod Kain Wrath. But to be frank if people knew that a project was under way to make it possiable to mod Kains Wrath then maybe there might be more people getting involved and tring to help to make it possiable. Now myself i'v just started school to be a video game developer and it will take me along time to finish and have the knowledge to do what i'v sujusted but once i'v finish school i'd gladly tackle it all patching, reconfigering the sdk, and reprograming what need to be. But that will be awail before i can tackle that though and i don't care what EALA has to say about it I do what I want when I want. But I'm just saying if the knowledge is known how to do this why should we not try.

[Golan]

The mod community loosing people isn't the problem, it simply doesn't have enough people to begin with. If there were a KW SDK, who should use it? All of the currently existing TW TCs would qualify for some high quality seppuku if they were to try porting their mods to - none has the manpower needed to make a mentionable use of KW's resources. The partial conversions are already hard pressed to make content on par with the limited TW setting, now imagine they had to take three times as many factions and a completely new game mode into consideration...
Sure there were many people interested in starting modding with the KW SDK - but that was a year ago. Add in at least 6 months of development time for an SDK and you can be happy if those people remember that the game still exists.

Now see, I too would really like to see a KW SDK. However, it's not what this community needs. What is needed most are proper newbie tutorials and tools to get new people on the bandwagon and improved tools/documentation to allow editing some must-have elements (AI for crying out loud!) so that the people that are already here don't leave out of sheer frustration. Giving the community access to KW can be done after securing that there is a community in the first place.

You must gather your party before venturing forth!