Programs Used To Make Salvage Storm news

Firstly, I've fixed the demo files. I've forgot to put the .exe file in there. It's now in there, so if anyone wants to check out the demo, it should work and run all the files to make the mod worth while. Also filled the maps, so they're all polished and I'm done, not to finish everything else.

When Unreal was released in 1998, many programs used to make great content weren't free. The same when a game like Deus Ex was out and any other game that had modding capabilities. These programs like Photoshop, 3D Studio Max and etc, they required a license and this license costs hundreds of dollars. Game development back then costed loads of money because of this, as well as buying workstations and the programs for them. This is sometimes why skill labours did the work and helped to make the games we played to reduce costs (in my opinion) usually but get a different experience. Now a days, here online, maybe because of the competition and the passion out there, some programs are free or are cost effective however a developer would still need the time and skill to make the kind of content to make the game or mod worth while.

Regarding making content and trying to get it onto the market. I've read stories about companies getting hunted down if they aren't legitimately making content, using unlicensed software (NovaLogic for example) and aren't simply making content fairly. They get fined, sued and whatever. It still happens today, to show great length to see how much people struggle with software development. A little lesson in the law of reverse engineering. US Law states that products and services that get sold from a by product of reverse engineering... reverse engineering and selling goods and software must be done legitimately, which is tough. Unfortunately the internet, is full of dumpers who throw content which breaches so much laws and encourage it. The usual reason being that those dumpers just want attention to fill their numbers up and get data and etc. Sometimes it works however sometimes it doesn't. It leads to making providers who set up website promoting such material, only to find themselves getting shut down and arrested (Bittorrent? Kickass Torrents owner, whoever. Still, even getting the (free) software, I still have to prove that it can all be done.

I would think a mod like mine is worth showing that can be done with skill and low budget software, maybe not as good but it's something. So be careful with whats being pick up here online. It's one the reasons why getting a mod for a game like Unreal Gold somewhere and I personality would like loads of games that look like Unreal for the Unreal Engine. Not the masses of games for Unreal Engine 2 and 3, well not just yet. I still think there's loads of room for it and would be a great start for anyone's career.

So now it's 2017, I've been thinking and working on getting the programs I've wanted to use since... 2002 when I first entered the modding scene and used UnrealEd for Deus Ex. I really wanted to make custom levels and maps and get it out there (attention maybe before getting sucked in and actually refocus what to do with what I have). Back then, in 2002, all we had were Photoshop from Adobe, which costed hundreds, 3D Studio Max which costs loads more and maybe some sound program which costs loads more, the music industry really kept their programs quiet. So everything was inaccessible and sometimes I think the modding community back then, just did know!

Eventfully in 2008, the first set of programs appeared and it helpped get me into developing mods, but even back then, I would admit, the idea of developing a mod for a marketplace like Steam wasn't around and when moddb was here. Still, no idea how I was going to make any mod interesting with the tools I had. Getting the correct programs before making a mod I would say, is a great start before starting anything. So here's the programs I've used and these are all easily obtainable but they take a while to really get results, like I did considering I've worked on Salvage Storm for a while.

UnrealEd

Firstly UnrealEd is packaged with many games released during it's era. Unreal Gold, Deus Ex, Rune and even Mobile Forces. I think it's clear that the developers wanted to see what we did back then. There have been some success with it such as Tactical Ops for Unreal Tournament which amazed everyone. After all these years, I'm stilling using it. I had problems running it after installing it on clean machines because of the required visual basic files required to run the software, where I had to download for free on one of those .dll provider websites. Other minor problems. It's always best to run UnrealEd from an Anthology disc and not from Steam because the file location is too long for UnrealEd to handle and saving files is problematic when running UnrealEd from Steam for various reasons and would mess up development. Running UnrealEd from an Anthology game disc helps development for files simpler.

Paint.Net

Link: Getpaint.net
While the whole is aware about Photoshop, you'll be forced to cough up hundred of dollars for a years license during the last decade. The other program is Paint.NET, it has similar features, like layers and brush. It took a while to get the textures to look like Unreal. Many tricks include using the blur functions, which I've used to put shadows or a dirt feel on textures, opacity to add effects, added effects like noise to make grains and many many more. I really used function after function after function to get the textures to look like something. Paint.NET did it all. Textures aren't easy to make and they do cost time.

The good news, because normal textures for UnrealEd are suited 256 x 256 pixels, they make texturing easy and with the layers, I could make a few more different textures with the same file by saving the layers, so it would make making content much more protective. Always best to donate for programs like that.

Take this file I've made this week, I draw everything in, the stars (help with the software), strips, added shadows and all sorts. I didn't get the flag from Google because I needed to count the stars but it's done entirely with Paint.NET and to make it look like it fitted Unrealed.

Blender

Blender: Blender.org<
For 3D models from the ground up, Blender did the trick. The program is free but you get what you pay off. Blender does the job in making mapping, texture mapping and even exporting models but the hard part was to learn the software and even design the kind of models in mind (low polygon models) and that wasn't easy but thankfully that came down to skill. Still had to be a good artist to make models look like what I wanted them to look like for the viewers. If I had used a better engine like Unreal Engine 2, the models would look a bit better but because of Unreal Engine 1's limits, I had to resort to making them low counts of polygons. I personality bought some content from the Blender website because how passion they've used their own software to make movies and games. So I've went to check them out. Hopefully it helps support what they are supporting.

Milkshape 3D

Link: Milkshape3d.com
So after all of that, models get taken into Milkshape 3D. Milkshape is popular in the modding community for the conversion tools for various programs, even 15 years old. It was originally designed for Half Life however it's now being used for mods for Quake and Unreal to name a few. This program allows me to make the models for Unreal Gold. Animation are also made here because that's the only program I've found which allows me to do this. I take the converted model from Blender into milkshape. You can also make models in Milkshape but I use Blender because it's must easier however animation and conversion wise, I use Milkshape. Takes a while to get use too but it helps. Milkshape costs the most of money compared to the rest of the programs on this list at around $35/25 euros but it's worth it. Grab it now because it takes a while to get into grips with it.

Audacity

Link: Audacityteam.org
I haven't included any new sounds in Salvage Storm. I only used Audacity for sound samples for music and Audacity did it all that I wanted but Audacity is out there. I haven't played around with the sound much because I haven't got much need for it or there was nothing I wanted but I'll see.

ScreamTracker 3

For music, I've used ScreamTracker 3 and it taken me a while to use. I even had to use DOSBox to run it. I would prefer the original .umx files. I'm aware about the .ogg files for something like Deus Ex but I think they leave behind clutter and it doesn't feel authentic enough having them laying around. I think people use .ogg files because they don't know how to make original .umx files and I don't blame them. Getting to work with a tracker is tough. During the 90s, when techno was at it's peak (in my opinion), people make techno music with a help of the tracker. It was a very very personal program. Remembering which buttons in DOS did what and managing it all. With the help of Audacity, it helpped me made the sound samples needed to help make music. I'm not a musician but after all many requests here on the modding scene for at least music, I've got my head around to getting some music in there.

Notepad

For coding, .uc files are written in Notepad, the common trick to as always to type just about anything. Of course, many people use notepad+ to have the ruler to use line count. I don't use coding heavily but maybe one day I'll use notepad+. UnrealEd would export all the code from the game and I could look at the code in Notepad, copy and pasty, re-hash the code and make something different but fitting for the game. Hopefully in the future, I would make something entirely from new code and make something different for once but it's a start. Notepad comes free with Windows but I think I'll give Notepad+ a keeper in the future.

UCC

UCC is a compiler which compiles all the code into packages for UnrealEd. Comes free with UnrealEd. Really need to package those files. It feel good seeing all these files getting compiled because it makes me feel like I'm going professional. I'm still an ameteur and when I compile the code I've mashed together, it's enough to make me feel that I've gone somewhere. Also because the quality of the content is low compared to what's out there today, makes it easy for me to make well thought out content to be compiled and it feels good seeing it get e-packaged. The UCC Compiler is friendly. It would tell me if I have poor code or if something is missing and I would fix what needs fixing. Without the UCC compile, I wouldn't be modding. I would have been lost. The UCC is important.

However despiting having all of this, making content and thinking about it all takes time and effort to think about. I'm lucky, I may have a background on designing content but I hope there's someone else out there that can make something different but fits for Unreal Gold. All this can also be made for any other software for Indie gaming for example, so all this is a good place to start.

All this helps me develop the experience for any game, not just for my mod. Of course, if UnrealEd was free like the UDK, there would be so much crap everywhere or nothing at all because it does cost money to support the developers of those programs to help me improve