Lack of modding tools is NOT a ploy by CA to sell more DLC

[uanime5]

This is what modders currently can do:

• Change unit's stats
• Change the appearance of units
• Add new units
• Add new technologies
• Remove forts
• Edit esf and pack files

This is what modders currently can 't do:

• Add new towns and ports
• Add new regions
• Add a new type of agent

This what DLC contains:

• New units (Special Forces, Elite of the West, Elite of the East, Warpath)
• New technologies (Warpath)
• Native American factions have a version of existing agents (Warpath)

If the lack of modding tools was to sell DLC wouldn't CA's DLC have included things that would be difficult for modders to make; such as subdividing the existing regions, adding additional regions, or creating new maps?

Given that CA's DLC mainly adds new units, something modders can also do, but DLC does not do anything modders cannot do it seems unlikely there is any relation between the lack of modding tools and selling more DLC. It's more likely that modding tools haven't been released because much of ETW is difficult even for CA to modify, so it's proving almost impossible to make something a normal person could use to modify it.

[Abspara]

So....CA deliberately designed the game to lock out one of the more influential aspects of the game and general community?

[Taras Bulba]

so then why is this done? so we pay more and we get less?

[Sarge]

The actual reason there's no modding tools for ETW is that the people who wrote the EXE don't work at The CA anymore. Nobody at The CA knows how to write the mod tools now.

Now look sad and: "The CA."

[PrayForPlagues]

The actual reason there's no modding tools for ETW is that the people who wrote the EXE don't work at The CA anymore. Nobody at The CA knows how to write the mod tools now.

Now look sad and: "The CA."

source?

and I'll agree with the OP; lack of modding tools can't really be blamed on DLC, the DLC are units not new maps... and who's to say they would block out modding purposely to make bank on DLC? For example, Half life 2 is one of the best selling games out there and it's probably the most mod-friendly game on the market.

[Ahlerich]

source?

and I'll agree with the OP; lack of modding tools can't really be blamed on DLC, the DLC are units not new maps... and who's to say they would block out modding purposely to make bank on DLC?

warpath? napoleon?

mods covering that would be possible if custom campaign maps could be created.

think anybody from here would have bought warpath or napoleon if the modding community could have created full conversion mods or mods built on self made maps? many would not.

3/4 of all rtw and m2tw mods have a new, self made map as the basis of their mod. that is why the mods there are way bigger and games like rtw are still played 5 or so years after release. think anybody plays empire still in 5 years? maybe some die ahrd fans but the majority will have moved on.

[Spartan198]

My $.02?

I say it's probably because the moddability is what's killing their sales. People are still playing RTW for mods like EB, Viking Invasion II, and Aristeia which essentially make it into something completely new. Why buy a "new game" when you can just download one for free, you know? Sure RTW doesn't have naval battles and all that, but it's fan base has largely gotten along without them for five years, you know?

That's what I think.

[Fetrik]

My $.02?

I say it's probably because the moddability is what's killing their sales. People are still playing RTW for mods like EB, Viking Invasion II, and Aristeia which essentially make it into something completely new. Why buy a "new game" when you can just download one for free, you know? Sure RTW doesn't have naval battles and all that, but it's fan base has largely gotten along without them for five years, you know?

That's what I think.

I disagree.
The desire to play mods sent me buying both kingdoms and BI a couple of months back.
I haven't tried the campaigns in either expansion nor will i. People will always want good mods. That fuels sales. Period.

[LSD]

The actual reason there's no modding tools for ETW is that the people who wrote the EXE don't work at The CA anymore. Nobody at The CA knows how to write the mod tools now.

Now look sad and: "The CA."

No offense intented, but thats nonsense
Theres no such thing as "Nobody knows", if its coded, it can be edited, cracked, whatever, especially if you have the source codes etc ;p

Back to the topic, who said its only to sell more DLCs? What about N:TW? Did it really deserve a full-game price? If E:TW was properly released and fixed, wouldn't there be 100 napoleonic mods? which would also be better than N:TW?

My 10 cents

[uanime5]

Back to the topic, who said its only to sell more DLCs? What about N:TW? Did it really deserve a full-game price? If E:TW was properly released and fixed, wouldn't there be 100 napoleonic mods? which would also be better than N:TW?

My 10 cents

Clearly you've never made a mod. M2TW does not have 100 ETW or NTW mods because of the massive amount of work needed to make them (hundreds of new units, banners, factions symbols, maps, and descriptions don't make themselves). Most mods take 3-5 years to make because of all the work required.

Anyway even if ETW had a better AI there wouldn't be 100 mods for it as it is difficult to mod. Though some modding tools do exist there is still a lot we don't know about ETW.

My opinion NTW had a vast amount of changes made to it so it deserved the price of a full game.

warpath? napoleon?

mods covering that would be possible if custom campaign maps could be created.

think anybody from here would have bought warpath or napoleon if the modding community could have created full conversion mods or mods built on self made maps? many would not.

3/4 of all rtw and m2tw mods have a new, self made map as the basis of their mod. that is why the mods there are way bigger and games like rtw are still played 5 or so years after release. think anybody plays empire still in 5 years? maybe some die ahrd fans but the majority will have moved on.

Why would you need new maps to make Warpath and Napoleon mods, they're set in the US and Europe, respectively, which are both covered in the existing maps?

Even if you made new maps you can't make an NTW mod without making a lot more units (18th century units do not look like 19th century units).

Many RTW and M2TW mods have new maps because they're not set in Europe. BC and TA are two very good examples.

[LSD]

Clearly you've never made a mod. M2TW does not have 100 ETW or NTW mods because of the massive amount of work needed to make them (hundreds of new units, banners, factions symbols, maps, and descriptions don't make themselves). Most mods take 3-5 years to make because of all the work required.

Anyway even if ETW had a better AI there wouldn't be 100 mods for it as it is difficult to mod. Though some modding tools do exist there is still a lot we don't know about ETW.

My opinion NTW had a vast amount of changes made to it so it deserved the price of a full game.



Why would you need new maps to make Warpath and Napoleon mods, they're set in the US and Europe, respectively, which are both covered in the existing maps?

Even if you made new maps you can't make an NTW mod without making a lot more units (18th century units do not look like 19th century units).

Many RTW and M2TW mods have new maps because they're not set in Europe. BC and TA are two very good examples.

I know very well how mods work, I've modded for personal use a lot. The 100 mods part was merely an exaggeration to make a point.
Believing that N:TW was worth a full game price is a personal opinion, I will not argue with that, it is your right. But take note that most of the improvements of N:TW over E:TW, if not all, could/would be modded.
Most mods DO have new maps, not only to include/take place in different areas, but also add more regions, which is a huge improvement.

[Anduin1]

I know very well how mods work, I've modded for personal use a lot. The 100 mods part was merely an exaggeration to make a point.
Believing that N:TW was worth a full game price is a personal opinion, I will not argue with that, it is your right. But take note that most of the improvements of N:TW over E:TW, if not all, could/would be modded.
Most mods DO have new maps, not only to include/take place in different areas, but also add more regions, which is a huge improvement.

I bought my Napoleon for $25 in stores on like day 2 that it came out, thats half price of a regular PC game around here.

[RO Citizen]

Warpath brings a new GC map, thing we can't do it ETW but we could in M2TW/RTW.

They're a company like many others and must live. Unless their sales drop too much I ndon't think they're gonna release modding tools, but just DLCs.

[Humble Warrior]

How about a ploy to prevent making ETW also work right and be even better than NTW?

...Getting the CAI armies to know to retreat before larger odds or maybe allowing us to rebuild destroyed walls or, even better, allowing us to fix sieges so that we don`t have to watch spidermen running up the wall in thousands.

Mod tools would make it possible.

[Taras Bulba]

How about a ploy to prevent making ETW also work right and be even better than NTW?

...Getting the CAI armies to know to retreat before larger odds or maybe allowing us to rebuild destroyed walls or, even better, allowing us to fix sieges so that we don`t have to watch spidermen running up the wall in thousands.

Mod tools would make it possible.

It is ploy to ruin the fun of gamers, and buy downloading contents they promise uniform editor too, and time passes, but no uniform editor.

strategy works: after disappointment with ETW, all players go buy NTW to have acceptable game

[Yosemite]

i believe mods would be good tools to advertise your game if anything

you'd be selling more copies

[Captain Grimes]

Lets face it the game was rush but had and still has so much potential like i cant remember where i read it but apparently there were ghost files or whatever they are called for full towns and so much more detail that they just didnt have time for it all i mean geez even the terrain looks the same whereas if you compare it to MTW2 you could tell you were by terrian not to mention the different music

[Tim_Ward]

A lot of developers seem to start out with grandiose DLC plans which almost always turn into "release a few new weapons/reskin units/horse armour/add sidequests call it a day". Just because DLC never turned into anything more than a few new skins and a half-assed campaign doesn't mean they didn't originally have other plans which mod tools might have undermined. And now, I doubt there's anyone available to release mod-tools, since they'll all be working hard to get Rome 2 half finished before they release it.

[dacder]

If they really cared about us they wouldnt have realsed a half done game then one year later realesed a new game.And they went back to clones after fixing that in Medival2.

[Shabby_Ronin]

Half done my ass, it was buggy and after a couple patches it was basically fine. Did you expect some kind of genius AI when every TW game since Shogun has had mediocre AI at best?

CA never ever released modding tools in any game.

I use Imperial Splendor and it's fine. There has been a small handful of large or total conversion mods in the history of the TW series anyway.

I liked EB1 and Stainless steel, but I'm not gonna boycott TW because there might not be similar mods in the future. Most people don't care about this crap, angry forum posters are a small and loud minority of people who buy the game. EB2 will be out in 2 years, so you can look forward to that.