Skills needed to make quality mods

[dmtzcain]

Hi, my name is David, I’ve been a fan of PC games and their mods for a long time, always consuming fan content for every game that allows them (and some which don’t); and now I want to give the community back.

 

My plan is to learn the necessary skills to develop quality mods for Skyrim. I’m willing to take diplomas or classes to learn and also, to meet people who may help with the development (I’m aware I won’t be able to do everything myself).

My question is:

 

What set of skills do you think are needed to succeed in making good mods for Skyrim?

 

P.D. I'm good at art and made some mods before, I just want to get better.

[Deleted472477User]

Learning Blender would be very helpful, if you don't know it already. If you do know it, get to know it even better.

 

Texturing skills! Knowing how to do this for yourself will open up a lot for you.

 

if you plan to do quest mods, learn some story telling skills. It's a big help.

 

Play other western RPGs, if you don't already. Read fantasy. Reading and playing what's already out there helps build your imagination.

 

Study what's already in the game, and mod to suit, if you plan to do houses and other buildings. don't be too afraid to do your own thing, but decide if you want to be lore friendly, or not.

 

Never be afraid to ask for help or ask questions. if someone tells you "Lawl ur a toal noob!1111!!" for this, that's thair issue, not yours. No such thing as stupid questions.

 

You might already know all of this, but it's the best my brain can offer right now :)

[antonkr]

First thing that is necessary with just about all modding is Construction set. it is very easy to learn and learning and asking questions about is easily done. Just ask someone who has made some mods or just go on the chat! If your question isn't answered just post! Never be afraid to ask questions. None of the modders automatically got good. All of them had to go out and LEARN.

[dmtzcain]

Very useful replays, thanx.

I'll focus on Blender and guess i'll ask for help with scripts. Never thought to improve storytelling, thanks for the tip.

 

Guess i'll be posting more specific questions on this forums. =)

[Iv000]

I recommend learning Blender by yourself, but that's hard, and if you can't then use this tutorial:

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Blender_3D:_Noob_to_Pro

 

The construction set is easy, you can learn that in a few hours.

You'll need help with the scripts, you can learn a lot by opening a few in the construction set, and reading through them/editing them and see what each command does.

 

Textures are also important as said by nyxalinth, recommended programs are either Photoshop CS3 or higher, or GIMP.

Drawing skills will help you doing textures a lot.

 

Good luck.

[huntsman2310a]

Blender is a great tool for making your own models, it does take a while to get into it, but once you have the basics down, the rest is a breeze.

[Mansh00ter]

Also if you are serious about one day creating top-notch textures with a LOT of detail, I recommend Z-Brush, or a similar poly-painting program. I say "one day" because if you haven't had any experience in 3D modelling and texturing, expect at least 6 months of "dabbling" before you get at least a bit effective at getting stuff out of your imagination and onto the computer screen when it comes to 3D art.

 

You mention your forte is art - I don't know what your exact level of experience is, so I'll just mention topics you might find useful for searching out tutorials and such:

 

Modelling:

"Box Modelling" method - this is great for beginners in 3D modelling, as its easiest to learn and simplest to control

"Strip Modelling" method - this one is also great for creating game assets, it's a bit harder to master than box modelling, but not by much, and in my opinion it's much more flexible

 

Of course, as you gain skills, you'll use whatever fits best for the job at hand. But these two techniques are a good way to get into 3D modelling for games.

 

Texturing

"UV Mapping" - this is a must to master for quality texture work. Being able to make great textures in Photoshop won't do you any good if you can't make equally great UV layouts to maximize texture space, prevent/hide seams, recycle textures, avoid lighting artifacts etc.

"Polypainting" - a VERY useful and time-saving approach to making great textures. You need specialized programs for that though.

 

Hope you find this useful!

[Vagrant0]

Most important skill? Patience and a willingness to learn new things even when you have to beat your head against the wall for weeks figuring it out.

 

With modding, most of the things you want to do often don't come with a tutorial, so you are often sitting there learning from trial and lots of error.

[mdale13]

It depends what sort of mods you want to make. I am new to the whole modding community, but not new to the actual creation of game art assets. I received a degree in game art last spring and have worked at a couple studios doing freelance work. Ive been taught by real world working artists from studios like Sony Santa Monica, Blizzard, Id and Rockstar. I feel like the word 'modding' its thrown around a little too much on here. Essentially what you are asking is how to get better at game-art creation. To say that you dont get better at "modding" by watching tutorials/reading guides online is simply untrue. Learning from those that are better than you is the only way to obtain any real skill in game asset creation. Simply relying on what you are able to figure out and teach yourself will ultimately limit your skills.

 

To touch on a few points made so far. Zbrush CAN be used for polypainting, but it offers far less control and a more limited tool selection than Photoshop. It is mainly used for its intended purpose, which is high-poly sculpting, which is then baked into a normal map. Check out www.zbrushcentral.com for more info and some great examples of what Zbrush can do in the hands of a skilled artist.

 

As I mentioned, Photoshop is the single most important program used on the texturing side of game-art. It is the industry standard, used across the board at all game studios, and is the program I use more than any other in my own work.

 

if it is game art/asset creation you want to learn, I suggest checking out popular game art forums such as; polycount.com, game-artists.net and gameartisans.com for lots of great game-art examples and useful tutorials. Getting your self some good video or written tutorials on the basics of polygon modeling for a 3D program of your choice ( I use Maya and 3DsMax, but those are both professional grade programs, Blender isnt bad for being free). Learning how to properly utilize your polygons and create effective UV layouts is an important foundation for any aspiring game artist/"modder".

 

There is a lot more advice I can give, feel free to shoot me a PM on here or any of the aforementioned game-art forums (same username on all, mdale13) and Id be glad to help in any way!

 

Good luck on your quest!

[wierdestkidyoullevermeet]

ok i wont tell you my life story like some people tend to do

 

I am just in the same boat, but it isn't the first time i've been trying to get into development of mods or games. By far the biggest hurdle to get over is the programming/scripting you need to learn.

 

If you can't do that, you can't do anything. Learn that first.

 

 

Personally if anyone is willing to suggest something for me as well that'd be great, i'd like to get a jump start on learning to code stuff for skyrim