Colored Rooms - Opening the Project to the Masses

[Vagrant0]

No doubt some of you are wondering what happened with the project. So here it is in a nutshell:

 

~ My computer has been getting slower and slower over the last few months, it's to the point where I can no longer reliably test any scripting or AI work. I plan to build a new computer in December, but do not know if I will continue working on the project.

 

~ Between college classes, life, and pursuit of work, I havn't had much time to mod anything in the last few months. Combined with the issues above, it has been a bit of a discouragement toward getting back into modding. I attempted to work back into things with an update to my Halloween mod, but even that kinda went nowhere fast with things as they are.

 

~ The project has hit a snag with how the game handles .esm based worldspaces. In order for a .esm based worldspace to work properly, it must exist within the 01 index due to how VWD objects are being handled. Although VWDs are generated from something outside the CS, and the VWD tag is a bit redundant for our uses, certain things, like trees, are VWD by default and cause the missing land issues. Without a program to automatically clear all VWD flags from a .esm file, the mod will always have this issue. Splitting the mod so that all the trees exist within a .esp is only an option as far as a non-developmental release is concerned, and even that had some other issues.

 

~ There has always been a problem maintaining any sort of team on the project, and although this was to be expected, it was clear that I could not both work on the mod and advertise for help. Combined with the constant instances of people joining the mod, getting assignments, and vanishing without a trace, this issue has been one of the main hindrances of the project, preventing significant work from being made.

 

 

The plan for the mod, as communicated to the project team a few months ago, was to open up the mod in hopes that making things public would allow interested persons to add to the mod without having to ask for permission or deal with any sort of membership requirements with the hope that they would attempt to maintain some of the look and feel of existing areas. Although it was planned to have a prologue mod made before the project became open, my computer issues have prevented most of this from being possible at this time.

 

What this means is that opening the project will go as planned, and is being announced now. All files related to the mod will be available for anyone to download and use for the purposes of expanding the project. Until a program which strips VWD flags from a .esm is made available two versions of the project will be used.

 

- The first version, the development version, will exist as only a .esm, and will have the 01 index requirements that the team has had to deal with all this time.

 

- The second version, the client version, will be intended primarily for the mod user, and be split between a .esm and a .esp to allow for use in any index spot.

 

Both versions of the .esm will have different names to avoid confusion. All work intended for inclusion would need to be based off the development version. As more work is done, it will be merged, and both versions will be updated.

 

My commitment to the project is to offer assistance and suggestions to anyone wanting to contribute to the project, and try to release regular updates of the mod when additions become available. I will no longer be directing all work on the project, so people will be free to add to whatever they wish. It is not certain that opening the project will necessarily improve anything, but it is the only option left other than abandoning the project and letting all the effort go to waste.

 

I have uploaded the client version to TESNexus so that people can see what is done and decide for themselves if it deserves their effort. The Development Version is only available from the project forums so that it is assured that people know where to go to talk about the things they want to contribute.

Client Version - TESNexus

Project Forums (read news post)

 

Full details of the project can be fount at the links above.

 

In closing, I would like to thank all who have helped work on the project over the years, and hope that I can count on their continued support.

[Zynoq]

So computer issues was the reason that you didn't show up as regular as you used to on the forums and such things? You where the only thing that kept the little team we ever had together, and when you didn't show up there I didn't see a point doing small work all by myself. Becuase when i first joined the team two years ago I wanted to take the little skills I had and make them count for something by being a part of something bigger. I don't think all this time is wasted, the project still has potential and I'm willing to try my best to make it continue the way it did ot even better. But i don't feel like doing it alone. Even if the mod never gets finished I still learnt alot and had a great time trying to make it.

 

I might give it a shot if I have time and if I feel like it could make a difference. I don't regret joining this team and working with you Vagrant0, so thank you for everything. I really hope that this mod will be realesed some day.

[Vagrant0]

My computer issues weren't the main reason for the month or two of relative silence, but were a main contributing factor. It's impossible to do any sort of work when scripts and AI are slow to react, and graphics programs just keep lagging up. Combined with everything else that's been happening, it's just been discouraging any sort of work.

 

Well, it is released now... Technically. It's just not done and still in need of many changes or improvements.

 

By opening the project like this, the size of the work people do doesn't matter. Every little bit helps. If all you want to do is put an NPC somewhere in world, or decorate an interior, that's plenty good. If you want to just create a shop to show off the items you made, make a town, make a quest, build a dungeon, or just fix one of those things you thing isn't done right, that's even better. Basically, whatever you can contribute is welcome so long as it doesn't stray too far from the idea or conflict too heavily. Small bits of work can really add up.

[Vagrant0]

Just announcing here that a small texture fix was added to the project forums. It's not required, but was one of the main things that bugged me with releasing the project in the state as it is. It works with both the client and the development version. You will however need to register to see the mod download section.

[Vagrant0]

I know it's only been about a week, but I was honestly hoping that atleast a few people could show an interest. Well, if the project doesn't go anywhere, and people are disappointed... This is exactly why.