Blogs - Kasabian

Medieval II Total War would be my favourite game to modify, it is in itself much like a mod of An earlier version called Rome Total War. It includes many gameplay improvements, features and even unit variance, I could go on with finer details, but lets just say it is much improved over the original. Why do I not prefer Empire Total War instead? Simple, it is buggy as hell, they have not revealed how to mod it and it is a time frame I am not really interested in, basically after the invention of Gun Powder. Yes it has sea battles, better campaign map mechanics and numerous other features, but if the game itself is not the right style of game, then why spend money on it?

So why do I like modding Medieval II? The answer is simple, because the game itself is easy to mod, it uses information text files, model reference texts and various images for much of its inner workings, these files are simple to understand as much of the information contained within is logical. It is just time consuming as their are literally thousands of things to learn/change: An example, adding new names is easy, but can be up to one thousand lines of text, which can take quite a while. But because learning to mod and actually manipulating the files is easy, progress can be made quickly.

A number of tga's dictate climate, trade routes, regions, height, sea surface, ground types and even the depth of fog. Editing these means one can make a detailed campaign map of almost any location you wish, some have made maps of Ancient Greece, some of Middle-earth, I myself created a visually pleasing version of Midnight, a land for my mod War of the Solstice.

That is not to say their is none of the usual level editing and model building most games require, that is present with Total War, but not required. Land can be generated within the game so level editing, which may provide a few scenic locations is not necessarily needed. Model creation to add more unit variance and detail is of course a bonus, but again not necessarily needed as each model can reference several textures by use of text files. This means one can focus more on texture use if a similar model already exists and I would like to add their are literally hundreds of models already, thousands if you count the ones in already created mods. This is good to me because I have little skill in making models, I know this sets me at a disadvantage but I am not a professional modder anyway.

I have no real plans on releasing my mod unless asked, but as a re-imagining of a classic game that few people have heard of it would not generate much interest. I may post pictures in the future, in the mean time I work away at it and enjoy playing what I have already created.

I do not understand the die hard Rome Total War fans that look down on Medieval II Total War, especially as Medieval II can do all the same things Rome can, but has visual improvements and a number of additional features. I would hazard a guess that they are in love with their game too much and do not wish it to be replaced. But as with every game, it is replaced by a better game some day. Who knows, Empire Total War my be replaced by Rome II Total War in the near future.

Next time I may talk about modding The Elder Scrolls, another favourite of mine.

Stay Frosty!

No one person shares your vision, that is a fact. You may have people that think like you and desire to make something very similar to you, but when it comes down to the small details everyone has their own personal vision. I guess that is why I am not keen on team modding and have no real wish to join any, I am too independent, I only want to be part of something I have full control over it, right down to the fine details. Yes, you can be the mod leader, but even they have to bend to the whim of their team, otherwise they find themselves lacking members.

Why am I thinking about this? Well, as I mentioned before I am making my own small Medieval 2 Total War modification (which is coming along excellently by the way) and I really do appreciate the freedom I have to implement or restrict any features I desire. This is not to say one should not be open to ideas, everyone should be open to it, after all a good idea is a good idea. But remember to always retain your own vision, otherwise eventually you will not be making the modification you first wanted.

Scale, that is another huge factor, people often bite off more than they can chew. Even with a large team you should start small and work up to the final product using instalments. I can not name the countless mods that have failed to be completed because they have started off too large. Modders are quickly overwhelmed by how difficult it is to complete only a small part of their plan that they give up.

This can be easily avoided by cutting your big plan up into parts. First start on inportant features, and must have essentials, when that is complete and in a fuctional state, then move on to step two. Let your mod evolve and move onto further steps add those extra units/models or work on those additional maps/levels. Each step you feel the accomplishment of your completed work and will never feel overwhelmed by how epic a scale your modification may be. Doing it this way can give you more time to work out problems that may arrise, it shortens release time and keeps fan interest longer as they can get their hands on your modification sooner. That is if fan interest is something that drives you.

What makes me an expert on this? I can not claim to be an expert, I see this happen often and my view is reinforced by the discussions I have had with successful mod leaders. Many fall into this large scale trap, hiding their work with a desire to wow all their fans in one fell swoop with a complete first release. But releasing large complicated mods can take a very long time, just remember, after a year of work and no release, fans will loose interest, any longer and they may not even care you release at all. Soon after you might find upon release the only one interested is you.

That may not be a bad thing if you are only modding for your own sake, but some do it for the fans and are driven by fans. As I stated before, I find this the worst reason to mod, modding should come to a genuine interest and love in what you are doing.

Yet another wall of text and no real conclusion, I should learn to focus more when I write this journal. Or maybe not, I kind of like rambling on, I would say I hope it does not put anyone off reading, but who on earth would read this anyway?

Stay Frosty!

I can remember exactly what got me into playing and using modifications, it was the original Half Life, it was not too long released and I was new to PC gaming and the internet in general. It began with small changes and I quickly broadened my horizions to large mods and to trying out total conversions. I then got Morrowind which is an incredibly moddable game, slowly and surely as various games came out and time past I would check out each of their modding scenes and that influenced by choice of purchase. To this day my favorite games are the most modable, Bethesda Games, The Total War games by CA, X games by Egosoft and the Half Life games by Valve.

Now, why do I like Mods, that is easy, you can use them to improve on the origional game design, add what was missing, make it look better or even change the game intirely, converting it into something new. The possibilitys moding can bring to a game are limited only by ones imagination and as some may argue the game engine used. Good examples of what a can be done are;

Rome Total War / Medieval 2 Total War
Fourth Age Total War
RTR VII: Fate of Empires
Third Age Total War
Call of Warhammer Total War

X3 Reunion / X3 - Terran Conflict
X-Tended
X3-TC Babylon 5

Morrowind / Oblivion
MGE - Morrowind Graphics Enhancer
Connary's Texture Compendium
Tamriel Rebuilt

Honestly I could go on and one all day with the list, but that would be pointless. The best way is to look for yourself, pick a game you like and search if it has any mods, Modb is good for that and so is google or any other search engine.

You probably noticed most of what I posted are role playing, stratagy or openended games, I will admit my tastes do often fall into those catagories, but that is not all I like. I do enjoy a good shooter every now and then but it can not be all the game has to offer or I bore of it quickly. I love tactical games involving stratagy, but beyond a certain complexity it frustrates/bores me also, for example Total War is great, but Galactic Civilizations II has me running for the hills. Basically I can enjoy anything within moderation so long as it has sufficient depth, decent gameplay and if that game happens to be moddable then all the better.

I have plenty more to say on on the subject of modding in general, and if I get around to wrtting another journal entry I think I will focus on this topic again, but till then;

Stay Frosty!

I am unsure if this is to fill up space or if I really have anything to say. First a little about me, I am not as many would classify themselves as "A Modder". I do know my way around a few construction sets namely Elder Scrolls 3, 4 and Fallout, but that means little, I mainly use those to add in little things like my own personal home or the most exotic thing I have done is for Oblivion, I created my own Nordic haven in the form of a cold wintry island with multiple homes, towns, and so on. None of these have ever released or perhaps ever will.

I am a dab hand at modifying Medieval 2 Total War and have created my own personal mod called War or the Solstice, which is although well formed and playable it is incomplete, but I work at it when the muse takes me. I do these things not because I want recognition or to create something spectacular where people will look upon me with awe, but because I personally want them and I know noone else will if not me. Creating them I find relaxing and enjoyable and I work at my own slow methodical pace.

I do not really have any desire to join a mod team unless it is something that really stirs me and I feel I honestly have a lot to contribute in helping create. I do not see reason in anyone working on anything that they do not have a lot of passion for, time is precious and people should spend it doing something they really love.

So is this the first or last blog? Who knows, maybe next time I will talk about mods or games I like or perhaps even the meaning of life, or more likely just not type anything at all and go watch TV.

Either way, till next time.

Stay Frosty!