deathspanker Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 (edited) Hello guys and I'm new into modding and using skyrim creation kit(this will be my first one). I'm currently doing a diploma for game design and I really need help regarding the modkit. I have to use the skyrim creation kit as a medium for the story I wrote and showcase my game designing skills (such as maps, gameplay, Here are some questions regarding the kit, please tell me if this is can be done and if possible please provide a tutorial to do it. - I want my hero to slowly change his appearance (from normal to pale evil skin - like he was poisoned) after acquiring a weapon/item.I- want to add a movie clip after the quest is completed, I want my mod to end with a cinematic.- I want to have a prologue at the start for the backstory, can I have like a special textbox so users are greeted by it when they start my mod? How do I even tackle this? Because I want a story driven mod.- I want to adjust the game difficulty at a certain level, when my character gets the item, he will be so powerful that he can on hit all the enemies. Can I adjust it? Or maybe I can set the item to give crazy stats.- Maps : I want to have a creepy/dark dungeon, how do I load one from the creation kit. If the kit doesnt have a default dungeon (i dont want to build one from scratch) can I download one from nexus and import it to the creation kit to add my touches.- Characters, how do I make them talk to each other? have some interaction. (most likely to be text dialog as I won't have time recording voice overs as I need to learn the kit) Basically here is the idea of my story : You as the character is given a morale choice, seek revenge to the people who killed your brothers or fulfill your destiny by retrieving the powerful item and with that you can maintain peace in the entire nation. So i will have 2 quest running at once, either find the item or take revenge. When the player takes revenge, it will be a challenging task as he will have to siege the enemy camp alone. Then the next one will be if the player wanted to be in the "good" side and find the item and maintain balance... but then that item will poison the player and unleash his inner/hidden dark side (lust for revenge)... with that he will have to go to the camp (a normal day, family/kids running around etc etc) and the player will kill them all thus becoming the bad guy. So I will probably need some tips on which scenery/maps to use for the camp and dungeon. Also some ideas on how to effective show my skills in designing and implementing my story with the creation kit. Please guys, help me out. This will be my first time touching the kit and im already pretty much intimidated by it. Also I wrote this all via my iPhone so if you need some clarification please just ask me (I'm currently on the bus heading home). TYVM for your time guys. I promise that I will make the best MMORPG ever once I have my own company. Edited September 13, 2012 by deathspanker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuska Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 (edited) If you've never touched the CK before, I'm going to warn you right away that you're in for a bumpy ride with a scope like that. Being a game school graduate (in art, granted, I'm writing this from my desk at an MMO game studio :) ), my first advice is you need to stick to a much more tight package you can be SURE to be able to complete in a polished state and then add frills and bells and whistles when you have a solidly working core. You need to count in time spent trial-and-erroring the CK side work and learning the extensive scripting a project of that gravity would require, in addition to writing, recording, processing and arranging voice acting (assuming you can find yourself actors). You want to make scripted events, but if you're unfamiliar with and intimidated with the capacities and limitations of the CK, you should be prepared to spend at least 3 or 4 weeks intensively learning the tools and best practices before even starting to make content. ESPECIALLY if your intention is to do all that by yourself. Depending on how much time you have available, I would suggest something closer to the following:-One interior dungeon with a simple associated story, possibly triggerable by an item found in the world-POSSIBLY a few different levels within the dungeon-Traps, triggerable items, doors, loot, all placed interestingly and some hidden doodads - use the game assets at your disposal creatively and efficiently-Decorations, plants, gatherables, atmospheric lighting-Enemies and a boss fight-Item that you pick up at the end of said boss fight to complete the quest Making even that kind of a mod takes a good chunk of time and effort, especially if it's built to live up to the standards of base game content. Your instructors aren't likely to care about how many cutscenes or interactive dialogues you can cram in. They're most likely more concerned about seeing that you can make a project estimate, put it together, make it engaging and playable and finish it on time. Don't even think about doing story bits more high-level than "recover ancient artifact" to keep yourself focused. As a game designer your focus should be making a fun play experience that's consistent, sensible and plays well. Edited September 13, 2012 by nuska Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deathspanker Posted September 13, 2012 Author Share Posted September 13, 2012 If you've never touched the CK before, I'm going to warn you right away that you're in for a bumpy ride with a scope like that. Being a game school graduate (in art, granted, I'm writing this from my desk at an MMO game studio :) ), my first advice is you need to stick to a much more tight package you can be SURE to be able to complete in a polished state and then add frills and bells and whistles when you have a solidly working core. You need to count in time spent trial-and-erroring the CK side work and learning the extensive scripting a project of that gravity would require, in addition to writing, recording, processing and arranging voice acting (assuming you can find yourself actors). You want to make scripted events, but if you're unfamiliar with and intimidated with the capacities and limitations of the CK, you should be prepared to spend at least 3 or 4 weeks intensively learning the tools and best practices before even starting to make content. ESPECIALLY if your intention is to do all that by yourself. Depending on how much time you have available, I would suggest something closer to the following:-One interior dungeon with a simple associated story, possibly triggerable by an item found in the world-POSSIBLY a few different levels within the dungeon-Traps, triggerable items, doors, loot, all placed interestingly and some hidden doodads - use the game assets at your disposal creatively and efficiently-Decorations, plants, gatherables, atmospheric lighting-Enemies and a boss fight-Item that you pick up at the end of said boss fight to complete the quest Making even that kind of a mod takes a good chunk of time and effort, especially if it's built to live up to the standards of base game content. Your instructors aren't likely to care about how many cutscenes or interactive dialogues you can cram in. They're most likely more concerned about seeing that you can make a project estimate, put it together, make it engaging and playable and finish it on time. Don't even think about doing story bits more high-level than "recover ancient artifact" to keep yourself focused. As a game designer your focus should be making a fun play experience that's consistent, sensible and plays well. Thanks for the tips man, I'm watching all the relevant tuts right now and if it gets out of hand, I might just download a premade dungeon and add my finishing touches. Also mate, if you used the kit, do you mind answering those questions I've asked. If they are possible and if you have time, can you also give a tut on how to do them? Because I want those elements highlighted on my mod. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nuska Posted September 13, 2012 Share Posted September 13, 2012 (edited) Nope, don't get a premade one - learn to build your own from the pieces provided, all the wall parts and floors in the CK objects. That's what you actually learn from, and that's the important stuff you need to know in order to later be able to construct bigger narratives and experiences. The groundwork is everything! Do study the existing dungeons and nudge them around to figure out how they were built, then use that knowledge to construct your own. That's the best kind of learning you can do. You're not studying to impress your instructors or peers, you're doing it to gain the building blocks to comfortably build your own stuff and eventually blow minds when you've matured and gained expertise. Seriously, showing you can take the provided bits and put them together into something functional is far more important than any fancy dialogue scene or epic story at this point in your studies. Those are what you can start thinking about once you've mastered the groundwork. You can start by going on the Creation Kit wiki at http://www.creationkit.com/ and looking up world editor tutorials on Youtube, just search for Creation kit. Dig around. There's a wealth of guides out there, and most of all, don't be afraid of the toolset. Mess around, see what happens from which thing and just reload if you screw something up. That's why you should not even start on anything substantial until you know the world editing tools from muscle memory. Make something REALLY simple like a small hut interior a few times, look at item data and see how stat modifications work, scrap it and then start making a dungeon. I personally haven't done world editing since a few years ago in Oblivion so I'm not a good source for it. I'm occupied making custom races which is a whole different part of Creation Kit sorcery. Be proactive, use google a lot and work your way up from the very basics. Edited September 13, 2012 by nuska Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts