Making of a modder (part 1)

[TheTokenGeek]

In response to post #45559605.

Triaxx2 wrote: LouisAT444 on Youtube has some old but still excellent tutorials. They were made for the original Skyrim CK, but not so much has changed that it's unusuable on the new engines. Scripting probably doesn't work, but if you're building a dungeon, it's a good set of videos to watch.

Thank you for that, I've noted it down and will take a view.

[TheTokenGeek]

In response to post #45542395. #45550315, #45551255, #45553525, #45553535 are all replies on the same post.

BlindJudge wrote: Recently I posted an article on the site explaining my journey from complete modding virgin to modding beginner. It was a great experience as I navigated mods, tweaked different settings and waded through the various problems to get certain mods to work, which is where the communities knowledge really came in useful.

But now, I'm going to take it one step further; I'm going to go through the process of making a mod!

Naturally, I'll start small and not aim to code the next Enderal or single-handedly make a new land within Tamriel, but with the help of the vast interwebs and various community members, I am going to work through a list of mods that I would like to create and post the results here.

Hopefully, you'll join me on this journey.

So the rough idea is that I'm going to aim at a different mod and then document what I'm doing and how I'm doing it as a tutorial series. Yes it will be like the blind leading the blind, and no doubt I'll run into numerous issues, but we can learn together. As the week's progress I will release the mods (to critical acclaim!), and you can see what we've made and maybe even add it to your game to mock, criticise, explore and even kill.



The (very) rough plan is as follows:

A) NPC - We are going to create a character to roam the world aimlessly. The aim of this section will be to assist us in getting to grips with how to style, equip and place your character through the Creation Kit.

B) A follower - We'll create a character that you will be able to ask to join you on your quests and be your forever friend if you so allow them.
The aim of this is to create relationships between characters and ensure that they have a nice balance of skills and traits to assist you in your questing.

C) A dungeon/building* - Yep, it's going to be a medium size area complete with enemies, loot and areas to explore.
The aim of this section will be to create a space that you can explore within the game. It will probably be a large segment of the tutorials as I can't imagine this is going to be easy, it may involve planning out on paper first before taking it to the Creation Kit.
* Do you still call these dungeons if they are within Fallout? Maybe Vault would be better; I don't know, but you get the gist.

D) A quest - I have no idea what it's going to involve, but this is the overall final aim, and I hope that this is something we get around to creating.

If you have *ANY* suggestions on how to get started, where I should be looking for inspiration/tutorials/videos/wikis then please drop me an email at [email protected] with the subject [Mod Tutorial Help], and I'll take a look.

So, without further ado, I'm going to go and do a bit of research - wish me luck!

FenPhile wrote: Good Luck! I am very excited to follow along on your next adventure. Maybe I will play along at home! Where will you be posting the tutorial?

Rsmitty08 wrote: I too find this intriguing, and would like to follow any guides, if posted.

tajetaje wrote: Sounds very interesting.

tajetaje wrote: And to FenPhile: I would assume on the home page where this one is.

I will be posting them up on the site within the news section. Glad to have you joining in.

[Dividedbythe9s]

This is great! I started modding from just tweaking other mods to my liking, one Saturday I sat down and told myself "I'm not going to quit this time." Then I made my very first follower! Reading a guide was the first step!

[ShawnDriscoll]

This will get me to make a follower for the first time. Been wanting to try for awhile.

[pancakemix]

The Blind(Judge) leading the blind might be exactly what I've been looking for.

 

I've watched and read so many tutorials from pros and they all make the same mistake of zip-zooming from step to step, not giving the learner a chance to catch up or compartmentalize the new info. That or solving unintended issues off-screen when they could have been good learning experiences.

 

Also, I do believe "dungeon" is the appropriate catch-all term. Vault would be a weird replacement considering that not every "dungeon" takes place in a vault, and not every vault is a dungeon. (good luck telling that to the Enclave!)

[rustydog10]

Almost all parts of mod creation are beyond my grasp as far as new assets are concerned, models and textures are best left to people with creative and artistic talent and scripts make my head hurt. :laugh: I can tell you xEdit will be your new best friend for fixing and tweaking things (that you may already know). When ever i download a mod i pop it open in xEdit to see if it conflicts badly with anything else or just to tweak damage and set weight values to 0 because inventory management sucks. :laugh: I'll keep an eye out for future articles and tutorials and good luck on your modding adventure

[Sunspot2]

In response to post #45542395. #45550315, #45551255, #45553525, #45553535, #45566680 are all replies on the same post.

BlindJudge wrote: Recently I posted an article on the site explaining my journey from complete modding virgin to modding beginner. It was a great experience as I navigated mods, tweaked different settings and waded through the various problems to get certain mods to work, which is where the communities knowledge really came in useful.

But now, I'm going to take it one step further; I'm going to go through the process of making a mod!

Naturally, I'll start small and not aim to code the next Enderal or single-handedly make a new land within Tamriel, but with the help of the vast interwebs and various community members, I am going to work through a list of mods that I would like to create and post the results here.

Hopefully, you'll join me on this journey.

So the rough idea is that I'm going to aim at a different mod and then document what I'm doing and how I'm doing it as a tutorial series. Yes it will be like the blind leading the blind, and no doubt I'll run into numerous issues, but we can learn together. As the week's progress I will release the mods (to critical acclaim!), and you can see what we've made and maybe even add it to your game to mock, criticise, explore and even kill.



The (very) rough plan is as follows:

A) NPC - We are going to create a character to roam the world aimlessly. The aim of this section will be to assist us in getting to grips with how to style, equip and place your character through the Creation Kit.

B) A follower - We'll create a character that you will be able to ask to join you on your quests and be your forever friend if you so allow them.
The aim of this is to create relationships between characters and ensure that they have a nice balance of skills and traits to assist you in your questing.

C) A dungeon/building* - Yep, it's going to be a medium size area complete with enemies, loot and areas to explore.
The aim of this section will be to create a space that you can explore within the game. It will probably be a large segment of the tutorials as I can't imagine this is going to be easy, it may involve planning out on paper first before taking it to the Creation Kit.
* Do you still call these dungeons if they are within Fallout? Maybe Vault would be better; I don't know, but you get the gist.

D) A quest - I have no idea what it's going to involve, but this is the overall final aim, and I hope that this is something we get around to creating.

If you have *ANY* suggestions on how to get started, where I should be looking for inspiration/tutorials/videos/wikis then please drop me an email at [email protected] with the subject [Mod Tutorial Help], and I'll take a look.

So, without further ado, I'm going to go and do a bit of research - wish me luck!

FenPhile wrote: Good Luck! I am very excited to follow along on your next adventure. Maybe I will play along at home! Where will you be posting the tutorial?

Rsmitty08 wrote: I too find this intriguing, and would like to follow any guides, if posted.

tajetaje wrote: Sounds very interesting.

tajetaje wrote: And to FenPhile: I would assume on the home page where this one is.

BlindJudge wrote: I will be posting them up on the site within the news section. Glad to have you joining in.

Wow, to embark this journey and publish results here is such a great idea. I'll follow this adventure and maybe get courage to learn how to make followers and quests.
Best of luck!

[BlueGunk]

BlindJudge you could not have timed this better! I'm about to retire and one of my intentions was to learn how to mod in these dark winter months.

 

I really look forward to learning lots of new things!

 

(Starting with how to place my comment in the correct position... durr)

Edited December 12, 2016 by BlueGunk

[Andyno]

Sorry for the stupid question, but what game are you're planning to mod? It's not very clear from your article, but I suppose it's Skyrim, or Fallout 4, because you mentioned Creation Kit, not GECK...

[snowblowme]

In response to post #45571720.

pancakemix wrote: The Blind(Judge) leading the blind might be exactly what I've been looking for.

I've watched and read so many tutorials from pros and they all make the same mistake of zip-zooming from step to step, not giving the learner a chance to catch up or compartmentalize the new info. That or solving unintended issues off-screen when they could have been good learning experiences.

Also, I do believe "dungeon" is the appropriate catch-all term. Vault would be a weird replacement considering that not every "dungeon" takes place in a vault, and not every vault is a dungeon. (good luck telling that to the Enclave!)

I would give kudos if i could. A++