If Stardock were a real company, a guy like me wouldn’t be allowed to put up dirty laundry like I’m about to put up.
For those of you who know me, I’m a bean counter. It’s probably why I love strategy games so much because tactics are for amateurs, logistics is for experts.
So one of my ongoing angst with the Elemental budget overall is just how large a percentage of the budget thus far has gone into “modder tools”.
Don’t get me wrong, I love modding. But in my day, modding meant opening up LUA or Python scripts or creating your own “stuff” using tools like After Effects or Maya or 3D Studio. THAT is modding.
Now, I have seen and known about the Workshop tools in Elemental for a long time. I’ve discussed them. The Map Editor I understand. Being able to make maps is important for modding. The tile designer is important too for people who want to create their own custom environments. However, the particle editor I didn’t “get” and I had, on more than one occasion, brought up the $$$ spent on building it.
Well, on Friday I finally got to see why it’s there and what it does. The internal build on Friday added in the spell effects (i.e. when you revive land or cast fireballs or whatever). I had assumed that each spell effect was being created in Maya and exported to be used. I was shocked to learn that no, all of the spell effects were made with the built in effect editor.
The spell that really shocked me was whirlwind. In the game, we’re in a battle and there’s lots of units fighting it out when they show me the Sovereign casting whirlwind on a group of units. A tornado shows up and wreaks havoc. My first inclination was “Great job! That looks great” and wondered what they used in Maya to do that. That’s when I learned that no, none of the spell effects were made in Maya. They were all done with the built in effects editor – in less than 5 minutes. That’s why it cost so much to make. It allows for crazy amounts of spells to be made and visually implemented by us and modders alike.
What’s really sad, and this is the really embarassing part, when I’ve demoed Elemental to the media and showed them the workshop, I didn’t show the effects editor because I didn’t think it was a big deal. Turns out, it’s a very big deal.
In another couple months, you guys will be able to play around with this too. I can only imagine the kinds of crazy stuff people will make and share with this.
Man this makes me want Beta 2 even more since you "SAID" we would be getting the in-house build
Awesome.
Not to be a killjoy, but I'm pretty sure Frogboy said in another post that we wouldn't be receiving modding tools in Beta 2.
Could we see some screenshots? maybe a spellbuilding walkthrough? (please?)
Youtube! Broadcast yourself!
Sounds like the particle editor is something special. Somethinga that Spore: GA and GalCiv2 could have used. Perhaps we'll see an expansion to GalCiv2 with it?
Nice. Even very basic mods shine when they've got good graphicsl changes to go with them. Will it be possible to get cloth-map level spells?
lol I'm not talking about the modding tools. I am talking about the spells.
My time Beta'ing 1z was mostly spent on tech trees, buildings, and cities. I for the most part ignored the spells because their really wasn't enough in there to work with. So I cannot wait to start tearing apart the spell system when we get something a bit more substantial.
Wise is that who recognizes his own ignorance.
I remember you sharing a video of the spell effect editor and then it seemed quite awesome. I'm going to suppose that you are so busy that cannot keep everything in mind. So... another demo video? Man, when was that press coverage?
I also second a youtube clip of this! Come on... ahhh....
wow, that's excellent. this psyched me up for the game even more. i have already paid for the game, and hearing about this stuff AFTER i have already bought it, makes everything seem like an extra added bonus .
I think your staff learned a valuable lesson, too.
When the boss complains about the budget, show him the shiny toys and he'll go away.
Customization of spells equals awesome.
"In my day...."
HA!
In how many forums can I now runabout and say, "SOLD!!!".
Also "Member No.629,654"... Does that make me old-school so I can say "In my day when I posted on the Stardock forums..." or is there a lower threshold?
I'm lovin' this like a fat lady loves chocolate...
WOOOOHOOOOOO!!!!! Now that sounds.....TOTALLY BAD ASS!!!!!
It's weird to see how even the head guy whose ultimate work this game is is able to not know the whole game (and the tools it uses) inside out. I would be embarrassed too. It's cool that you go as far as to let it out and give the particle editor its due credit. Sounds like a pretty massive thing with regards to modding, since custom spells would be extremely limited without one.
The tool doesn't look very impressive (to me anyway). That's why I kept pooping on it. The map editor and the tile editor "demo" a lot better whereas the effects editor just looked boring.
It's strange how something as simple as a particle effects editor can add so much. Good job
To make it more impressive, show them creating a spell than show the spell in-engine so we can see how powerful it is. Even if the tool doesn't look impressive, if the results are it will speak for itself.
PS- Any luck on getting us a model to look at? E:EE's modelers are itching to get to work.
Frogboy not sure if you and your team are as brilliant as I think you may all be or your'er just modest but non the less, may it be marketing or true love of what you do I am glad you have taken this undertaking "all in" it has been LONG OVERDUE. I believe that if what you are creating is that flexible and "fresh" as you say it is, asking for a bit more of an investment from us in order to insure the project does not get rushed and finds success; should not be out of the question (at least for me). Please do not run out of funding and rush it in the end just for the sake of doing so. Let us rally for the cause if this is the case I am sure there is more than me out there that believe in this project an important and long overdue game/platform for TBS gaming.
This is why if you ever want to learn what's going on, or get anything important done, you don't talk to the button-down shirt wearing folks in the office, but to the jeans-wearing folks who work on the 'front lines' and actually do the work
Never underestimate the power of a good tool in competent hands
+1
I hope to see it in action. The latest bug in Mount and Blade:Warband has got me not wanting to continue playing, so this game will have to fill in that time.
Did you leave out the frame-rate limiter in the cloth map? I seem to be getting overheating GPU errors an awful lot when I play the game.
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