Designer Mods

[Cyberlazy]

Hi, I am working on a C++ program that can import/export ESP's. Lots of fun I have figured out to do with it, like replacing 30,000 rocks in the game with random flora/plants that have been randomly resized up and down and added to the games LOD files.

 

Next im thinking of importing the world heightmap/texture data. Then I could say "Put one of (this list of) plants at random on 20% of all fertile dirt tiles"

 

I am also thinking of allowing external image import. Ie you could just draw a big blob over a town and use it to exclude plants from growing there.

 

It can also be used to remove items easily enough. Placed items (Too many tincans or stimpaks? No problem, ZAP), Encounters, LOD objects, etc.

 

Basicly, it can mass process an esp/esm.

 

I also thought, why stop at plants? A new non scripted IWS could be born, Just 'paint' where you want each creature to be spawned and thousands if not tens of thousands of spawn points could easily be added automaticly based on the map. Too much? Its an automatic program after all, the end user could reconfigure it and regenerate a different plugin with less monsters in less then a minute.

 

Don't like monsters in <X>? Just a few clicks with MS paint and click regenerate and they could all be gone.

 

DLC is easily supported, as are other worldspaces, Although it would work best if someone would bother to make a map to properly exclude monsters from towns and such.

 

Anyone else have any interesting thoughts on what I could do with this program? the basic abilities are that I can read/write records based on C++ code. I still can't merge plugins.. yet, and even if I can I doubt it will work with much more then simple plugins as I don't have time to write all the code needed to resolve all the formid renaming, But it would be able to do merging of multiple patchs into one file so load orders are not so cluttered and do altering of mods depending on user install options.

 

Oh and maps could be exported too. Ie make a map showing all supermutant spawn points as a basis for a new 'supermutant spawn' map.

 

right now I am just looking for ideas, encouragement and maybe someone willing to help draw various overlay maps.

Edited June 1, 2012 by Cyberlazy

[VileTouch]

awesome ideas :) how about extending it's compatibility to skyrim? they are not so different after all and the game sorely needs a way to merge plugins. specially in the area of vendors and dialogs

 

since you have access to the actual cells it can be used to "ground" all the static meshes in a cell. or generate navmeshes based on an overlay map..it would even locate and fix all the incorrect navmesh nodes that beth seems to be struggling with

 

keep up the good work! i'm already looking forward to try it :)

[Cyberlazy]

awesome ideas :) how about extending it's compatibility to skyrim? they are not so different after all and the game sorely needs a way to merge plugins. specially in the area of vendors and dialogs

 

since you have access to the actual cells it can be used to "ground" all the static meshes in a cell. or generate navmeshes based on an overlay map..it would even locate and fix all the incorrect navmesh nodes that beth seems to be struggling with

 

keep up the good work! i'm already looking forward to try it :)

 

To be honest, Have not yet played skyrim. Too busy moding FONV into the game it should be. Would be willing to work with someone on it however. I would love some awesome skyrim mods when I do go to play it.

 

Merging generic plugins is by far the most advanced functionality, every record to be merged must be fully understood and decoded and have formid's converted for master id offsets. Most likely for a long time my program will only have functionality to merge very simple mods, Leveled lists, form lists, misc items, etc.

 

I plan to use it to allow a custom plugin to be produced with basically any one of several dozen gameplay tweaks I have made, with the installer automatically selecting required patches to make different tweaks compatible and merging them, as well as any patches for other mods. Also allow configuration for previously unconfigurable things by altering the records.

 

That said, Im sure lots of mods out there actualy fall under my 'very simple mod' definition, or at the very least the patchs to lots of mods, those take up a signifigant portion of users load orders, Just DLC alone can be 4 patches. Makes it confusing to users too, trying to figure out what patches to install and what ones not to.

 

 

I don't see why grounding all objects is useful? Unless you mean the objects im adding. (What, you don't like flying wizards from morrowind dropping in on you?)

 

I have not really looked into navmeshes at all. I never play with a companion (too easy) and never really experienced any nav problems because of that.

Edited June 1, 2012 by Cyberlazy