Un-titled mod from Lloyd Hawthorne (betta-games wales); Neolithic Ice-Age resource management god-game using weather indirectly for controlling animals for units (think sabertooth and mammoths)

[Th3JoK3r]

Hi, i'm studying Computer Games Design; i've just finished my second year and planning concepts for the pre-production for a game i wish to make within the year, if all artwork, research and a good design document is reached by september I will be on target for the release by the middle of the next year.
So anyway. I am posting on here to look for dedicated total war modders who will be able to help me out with some artwork for the concept work and probably make it into the overall theme of the game. By the way, I am a designer but my knowledge of drawing on say Paint Shop Pro or Photoshop is limited and the quality i am looking for is of a higher standard than my own. So you will be mainly working my drawings into works of art. Which will also end up in the games UI and load elements. Here's a quick elevator pitch for the game; A Neolithic resource management god-game using the weather to direct animals and using them as the primary units. Also based in the era after the ice-age and before the rise of the human race.
Anyways to wrap up if you want to contact me you can at Lloyd.Hawthorne@hotmail.com
I will supply you with the concept document for you to read over and see if you are willing to help me in this project. It's a really interesting idea and I think if executed properly will be quite successfull so if you want to be a part just let me know.

Could you get in contact if your in any way interested or can do these;
Concept Art Work
Basic C++/C#
or Basic A.I. skills
Others include; Modelling, Texturing

I have already got people working on the development side so the most important aspects needed will be the artists.


I need to keep bumping this incase it gets lost in all the stuff..

Here is a link to the blog for the game it is coming along at the moment and i'm currently doing moodboards for the game which will help serve the artistry and overall theme. Don't forget people you don't have to be a modder to get into making a game. I welcome testers and all sorts to join in..

This project is being developed by Betta-games Wales.

http://lloydhawthorne.blogspot.com/

[Lord Willy]

Wow , a Revulotionary Idea!
I Hope that someone With skills on what you need can help you

+ rep for encouragment

[Th3JoK3r]

Thank you for your support, here's to hoping someone comes along with photoshop skills atleast hehe, it's all i want to be able to present my ideas in a high quality way, just think of the ones in Empire: Total War or any other concept work and art work put out by EA ..

[Th3JoK3r]

Some moodboards to help people get a little understanding, don't forget this is being played into two forums, the other being the mod section for Rome: Total War

[Lord Willy]

Impressive !

you Can Try to post also Here ...http://www.twcenter.net/forums/forumdisplay.php?f=364

[wlesmana]

A Neolithic resource management god-game using the weather to direct animals and using them as the primary units. Also based in the era after the ice-age and before the rise of the human race.[/url]

You're using the wrong engine. A better engine would be something like Battle for Middle-earth, Age of Empires or C&C. Or even wait for Starcraft II which is claimed to be very moddable. Unless what you're looking for is only graphical representations and not actual gameplay. RTW engine (and the other TW engines) are about formations and simple direct skirmishes. The battlefield strategy is quite limited and rigid. It's not even lenient enough to create any battles before pre-modern weaponry.

Unless, of course, you're planning to reverse-engineer the engine and modify it yourself.

[Th3JoK3r]

well the idea is that it has two faces, one for macro managing everything, so the world, weather and so on, then you have the second face which is where battles take place..when you say it's all about formations that's because the games design is intented for that...say if you replace a unit of one hundred peasents with one hundred bison and then tell their formation to be well random then you have modded a unit into bison..take a few horses units, change say a unit of 24 or whatever they are, to 4 sabertooth it's easy enough..remember it's all your doing is changing things to become representative of the game..

[Spartan198]

Wow, that's the longest thread title on TWC. Anyway, good luck with your project.

[wlesmana]

.say if you replace a unit of one hundred peasents with one hundred bison and then tell their formation to be well random then you have modded a unit into bison.

Problem is, that part is hardcoded. So like I said before, you have to dissect the engine itself to do what you want to do. You also cannot modify soldier, whatever the shape, behaviour in a unit, without editing the engine itself.

Also, you mentioned "controlling the weather", have you checked that part of RTW modding? There's not a lot you can do to influence weather from an interactive side. RTW engine would use a random seed, which we can't even really control aside from Custom Battle, to create weather condition. Engines like Battle for Middle-earth, that has area-of-effect spells which can be modified to mimic a weather effect, is better for this part. Not to mention those spells can be modified to actually give the necessary bonuses or penalties. While weather in RTW engine only affects viewing distance (cannot be modified), movement speed (slightly, cannot be modified) or some sort of penalty for archery and firey missiles (can be modified, but limited in you can only turn it on or off).

[Th3JoK3r]

I've been thinking about this, there are mod tools for medieval so probably go into that, but there are always compromises with engiens, especially with modding, however, I do believe that it is possible to change a sufficient amount of the game, and this does mean going into the engine somewhat, I am able to get help on this part with some A.I. games developers i'm in cahoots with..and besides..all i'm asking for is someone who's able to work with paint shop pro, make those nice looking epic artist work of some lions and sabertooths fighting, that kind of stuff, my drawings very cartoony and it's not the style i'm looking for keep the comments coming though i love constructive criticism, and a challenge,

say about the weather, you have to remember what goes on under the hood isn' t what you see, the weather or gulf stream is simply another unit that you move up and down in a certain manner..

[wlesmana]

I'm a bit confused, are you modding RTW or are you making your own engine?

[Th3JoK3r]

modding rtw for this, or medieval after i've worked out bits and bobs on what's possible

[alpaca]

I don't see "weather control" working with any TW engine. If I were you I'd investigate the feasibility of this first but I guess concept art can never hurt.

[Lord Dakier]

If you mod a game engine am I correct in thinking its data cannot be shared?

If so then... Wow, you could make the engine so it surpasses rome and everyone who plays rome would want it but they could. How so very cunning, Dr Dragoslav meet me in the science lab!

PS - That is a very, very long title. Longest I have seen within my year of TWC

[Th3JoK3r]

Ok here we go, basically i'm going to quote two things to clear everyones mind one what is possible;

"The CAS exporter is used for exporting models and animations from 3dsmax 7,8 and 9. This is the primary format used for Rome:Totalwar for mesh and animation. Medieval II: Totalwar utilizes .CAS format for all unit and siege animations, as well as .CAS mesh format for strategy map models (units, buildings, features). *Remember, both animation and mesh formats are named with the .CAS extension! "



- This is from the .CAS exporter readme file where you use 3dsmax to create and export all models and implement them into Rome: Total War or Medieval: Total War 2. The differences with units will be edited witha C# or C++ program capable of openening up UNIX or DOS or whatever code that the files have been saved under, I know what i'm doing here and all I need is some speed-painting concept art so I can start proposing the idea to more people around me, anyway..here's another quote;


"This is the public releasable version of our in-house model and animation exporter for Rome and Medieval II: Total War. Those of you in the modding community will already be familiar with the model and animation format used in Rome: Totalwar thanks to Vercingetorix’s 3rd party CAS importer/exporter. The CA exporter has been re-programmed for use in 3dsmax 7 8 and 9 while retaining full functionality. The CA exporter can be used by modders to export custom created units, siege, props and animations for the Rome: Totalwar engine. It can also be used to export custom strategy map models and unit/siege animations for Medieval2: Totalwar."

-and this is from their website

[Lord Dakier]

Isn't that illegal?

[Th3JoK3r]

Illiegal? i'm trying to propose a modification of the game with a set of tools given to me by the developer and publisher of the game :S..it is illiegal if you start selling their product under a named brand

[Th3JoK3r]

Ok here is a mockup of the kind of concept work i'm looking for, it's just copied and pasted pictures edited and whatever and with the strokes put over, but it is the kinda of thing i'm looking for anyway

[Spartan198]

Illiegal? i'm trying to propose a modification of the game with a set of tools given to me by the developer and publisher of the game :S..it is illiegal if you start selling their product under a named brand

Yes, I'm pretty certain it is.

[Th3JoK3r]

oh and last thing you guys do realise i'm doing a degree in computer games design, as in, we are being educated in how to make games so i do understand the processes needed to complete this project already