Idea Pot

[life_matrix]

Inspiration? Perhaps you could use some sort of "Quest Generator" for pen-n-paper type RPGs?

I generally don't have problems coming up with a plot or idea, my problems are more in line with Previsionary, in that getting the idea from "concept" through to final finished working thing is hard for me cause I get burned out or get frustrated with the quirks etc...

Sorry... I misunderstood.

I haven't worked much on a mod before, so I wouldn't know. However, I can see how such a big, sometimes buggy project could easily lead to burn-out.

Inspiration? Perhaps you could use some sort of "Quest Generator" for pen-n-paper type RPGs?

That is so not my problem! My problem is...there're not enough cookies, milkshakes, and cake in the world to keep me doing one thing for too long. Actually, most things I start on get done since that's my mindset...I'm interest based which is why I jump around so much. I also know where my energy levels fall and I won't do anything that challenges to over-drain me. ^^

I can definately sympathize with that! Whether it's taking care of chores or playing games, it's very difficult for me to stick to one thing or task for very long. (And, yet, I'm not even attention deficit or hyperactive...) As much as it pains me to not finish them, I usually switch between games frequently and end up not finishing many of them. I guess I could take a page from your book and try to monitor my energy/motivation level so I'd be less likely to get in over my head and burn out on a project...

...I considered a Modok idea syn threw at me that involved the Cap in a solo mission (and he'd eventually cross Ironman [classic]).

I also considered a Dr. Strange/Wong mini adventure since they don't have any major representation as far as mods go.

Captain America and Ironman are cool. And I don't have anything against a Dr. Strange mod. In fact, I think it would be kind of neat. However, I don't care for mini adventures.

....Unknown to most people, most of my mods share a continuity, so I could easily work up a story for Strange.

I like continuity in stories and mods. It's more enjoyable for me to see the characters and/or plot develop further. (I always prefered novels over short stories, for instance.) But if most of your mods share some continuity, then would it be possible, sometime down the road, to release a version of several of your mods combined together? That would cool! :panice

Finally, other ideas I considered but passed on:

1. Continuation of the Gday mod involving other FR members teaming up with random supers

Sounds good. However, I never was a big fan of mods that only consist of one to four missions. It's understandable that they are rather common, considering how time consuming and challenging mod making can be and considering how many mods were released as Beta and never finished. But I prefer long campaigns. That said, assuming I get this far with my mod idea, I would probably first release it as a 4 missions-long Beta, with plans to expand upon it later.

2. Green Lantern mod...thinking up good ideas for him/them is tough

Reading through the earlier posts in this thread, it seems that several other members have been thinking about or asking for a Green Lantern mod, too. You, yourself wrote:

On the DC front, I'd just like to see a massive green lantern mod. When I say massive, I mean...MASSIVE.  :P Just think, a mod featuring some of the top GLs [Kyle, Hal, John, Alan, Guy, etc] taking on some global type of threat. Who's gonna get to work on the script and have it made?

I think the idea of a Green Lantern mod is nice... if done right. Especially the MASSIVE part! :D

[life_matrix]

Which brings me to a point I wanted to bring up:

If pressed, I suspect nearly every member (and former member) of this board has, at the very least, considered making a mod or had an idea for one at some time or other. However, mod making seems very time consuming and such a project demands a variety of skills: from artistic (skins, textures, meshes & map making), to musical, to technical (meshes, scripting, debugging, etc, etc). Anotherwords, it's much like creating your own game: Everyone has ideas on what would make a great game, but very few have all the skills and the motivation to complete such a project all on their own. Having all the advanced mod-making tools, meshes, skins, and resources available today makes it easier. But it's still daunting.

So then, why does it seem like most mod projects are attempted primarily by one or two individuals? Admittedly, many mod projects utilize meshes, skins, maps, music, and/or other resources from different individuals. But, as far as I can tell, many projects are still primarily the responsibility of (scripted and designed by) one person. Do you have any idea how many different people are needed to create just one of today's $multi-million commercially successful games? It's much like creating a movie!

I'm just trying to say that if we are interested in mod making and in seeing more mods finished, perhaps more projects should be collaborative efforts? Considering how long it takes to finish a campaign mod of any length and considering how many mods never get finished, I would think more mod makers would be open to working with others as a team or partnership. And for newbs like myself, perhaps working towards helping someone else finish one of their mods could be seen as an opportunity to get hands-on training on what it takes to complete a good mod?

Or am I off base here? I've been away from FR for a long time now and I wasn't very interested in the details of mod making... until recently. Perhaps more collaboration goes on than I realise?

I'm thinking that, for example, if enough of us really want to see a massive Green Lantern mod finished in our lifetimes, perhaps we could choose a project leader and set up a thread to make it a collaborative work? And then approved members could submit not just their own plot ideas and skins/meshes, but their own maps and scripts, too. If, for example, a dozen members each submitted just two missions for a Green Latern mod, that would make for a total of 24 mission. And if for some reason the submitted work is not quite up to par, then constructive suggestions could be made on how to improve or redign before another submission. Just an idea...

[Previsionary]

Most mods are not made by just a singular individual, that's myth number one. Most modders ask other people for help or ideas or w/e...but the coder gets the bulk of the work and credit since that's the longest part. I've said time and time again that I had a modding team to help me with w/e I needed them for. Liberty Bay is/was a group project as well. However, myth 2, group projects DO NOT make things easier or faster if everyone is not on the same page, are not as dedicated to the project, or are not on the same level of communication. It's much simpler for a single person to run through everything, set it up, code it, test it, AND THEN go for outside help when they need it (imo). I guess a good example of a collab mod would be the "Reformed" mod by C4 and crew. It's not out yet, but that's a group project that seems to be going well.

As for training, that's not an issue. However, the person has to be willing to learn, read, and pick up tips on their own as well. I've trained/helped at least three people now. The person that's shown off mod pics was Volti/Shaz, but that project got shelved for a few reasons I won't go into. If people ask, they usually get help. That's never been a problem here as far as I know.

That's pretty much all I got to say on that, heh. Odd that the idea thread got into this conversation, though I'm sure there's another thread floating around with this same type of discussion going on.
--------------

Anyway, yes, see I do have minor interests in some DC characters, but not enough to dedicate a significant amount of time to them. I expect Benton to fulfill everyone's DC needs right now. If it's not clear, I like marvel characters a bit more than the DC characters. I especially hate that darn Aquaman! *pokes Benton* ^^

*note: Aquaman/Namor...must happen*

As for your question about combining mods...I don't see that happening any time soon. Not only because it'd be quite time consuming to make sure everything works, but my continuity starts back in ff1.

To add to that, that's, what, 6-8 mods (JLU, Spidey, UXM, F4, Batman, Crisis, Exiles, whatever else I never released) with various lengths of coding, many different maps, mesh changes, hero changes, and different versions off FFX all around + w/e coding tricks I may have pulled off. That'd be like a 2 gig upload and I don't think IPS would like the strain of that on the server. :P

I think to get the effect you're going for, the idea would have to start out at the root and be built up...not at the trunk with branches attached all willy nilly.

[JLAfan2001]

I would like to see the 1983 Justice League/Avengers cross-over made into a mod. Especially now that Kssaints has made a Lord of time.

I think it would be cool to see a DC zombies mod seeing as how I'm a zombie fan. The story could start off with the marvel zombies that were tranpsorted via the machine that Tony Stark made at the end of marvel zombies 2. They would end up in a similar alternate DC universe and realize that there was more food causing the hunger to grow again. From there, the horror and comradery can begin.

[docdelorean88]

O.K. Some mods i have wanted for a very long time...

Tron, gotta love the classics
Ghostbusters, again, gotta love the classics
Kingdom Come, It would take time but it could be soooooo cool!
Super Mario Bros., with good animation and an updated plot line it could be cool
JLU, based completely off of the two seasons of the cartoon, that would be good with timm meshes/skins
Spider-man vs. the Incidious Six, Just flat out ausome depending on the villains
Batman: Noman's Land, reading the novelized version and love it, A wide range of characters and good plot lines
Spider-man Unlimited, Though a bad plot line, with a little revamping it would be nice
Indiana Jones, 1-3, and 4 as a bonus mission for the few of us who ADDORED it
The Avengers Initiative How the movie will go down
This next one i have been pleading for!:
Amalgam Universe mod, Sweetest combo-heroes i have ever seen! Especially Dark Claw. Heck, you know what? i would settle for,
Dark Claw, Nuff said
And finally one i just made up thinking of my favorite heroes from both marvel and dc,
JLI: Justice League Infinity, Marvel characters become Justice Leaguers when the worlds most powerful villains start to cause unified chaos. Hey, if Hawkeye can be a JLer why can't the rest?

More to come, but give some serious thought to these. I think some of them might pan out.

[BentonGrey]

A Tron mod would be cool, but the map making required for it would be quite extensive.

I was part of a discussion to do Ghostbusters long, long ago, but I had even less time then than I do now, and it fell through.  (Am I the only one who would really like to see a REAL Ghostbusters mod?) ;)

Ha, I don't imagine that Mario would be particularly good in FF.

As for JLU, well, the first several storylines of the DCUG's JLA campaigns will be based (some more closely than others) on JLA/JLU.

[Mystik]

well after losing all my work on my unfinished mods . I finally got the nerve to try again, so i now I'm trying to create an accurate portrayal of the ultimate universe origins (mainly the  mark millar x-men arcs, the ultimates 1-3 and ultimate war. and lil spidey and ff)

[Previsionary]

the ultimate verse will be tough. Lack of skins, maps, and meshes can really put a damper on that. :S. I welcome more ultimate stuff, but I don't know if I'd want a fully accurate version of something I read. I guess that's just my need to add my own creative touches to everything I make like I did with X-classic and UXM, heh. Anyways, I wish ya luck, Mystik.

[The Hitman]

This is going to sound ridiculous, but I once had the urge to make a Mystery Science Theater 3000 mod, where The Mads inadvertently brought the cheesy movie villains to life. I had a few movie monsters done, as well as half finished Dr. Forrester and TV's Frank, but quit when I realized there was NO WAY I could make the 'Bots work right.

About 3 of you will know what the heck I'm talking about.

[Blkcasanova247]

Well I've got a Freedom Force 2008 story that I've been writing and rewriting for a couple of years now that I'd like to see the light of day.
Here's a few characters(heroes and villans) that I designed for it and my buddy Rev skinned for me. ;)

[spoiler]




Redesigned these two


[/spoiler]

This is a new mesh from Volsung that was designed by me.
[spoiler]
Sea Urchin at age 17.
[/spoiler]

There's also a couple of other things that I've just been writting down my ideas for that I haven't gotten to flesh out...like...Captain America and the Invaders, a spy-farce called Casanova 24/7 Agent at Large and oh...a mod for the "Titans" characters that I designed and Rev skinned.

[docdelorean88]

A Tron mod would be cool, but the map making required for it would be quite extensive.

  (Am I the only one who would really like to see a REAL Ghostbusters mod?) ;)

As for JLU, well, the first several storylines of the DCUG's JLA campaigns will be based (some more closely than others) on JLA/JLU.

True about tron though it would be ausome!

And No, i would like a REAL Ghostbusters mod. I liked the cartoon, heck i would like R.G.B. Skins even.

And that is cool about DCU.

I would really love to see some amalgam stuff though, am i alone on that one? just want to see where other people's heads are on that.

[AfghanAnt]

As I said when I originally saw them, amazing work by you and Rev, Cas.

I especially like the additional details you've made.

As far as idea, how about something with original characters that takes place outside of the FF world or owned worlds.

[Previsionary]

As I said when I originally saw them, amazing work by you and Rev, Cas.

I especially like the additional details you've made.

As far as idea, how about something with original characters that takes place outside of the FF world or owned worlds.

OK! SuL mod. Only problem...skins and meshes. ^^. The eternal problem of original mods, bah. hum. bug. *explosion*

[Blkcasanova247]

As I said when I originally saw them, amazing work by you and Rev, Cas.

I especially like the additional details you've made.

As far as idea, how about something with original characters that takes place outside of the FF world or owned worlds.

The Hive World comes to mind! :rolleyes: :P And many thanks AA...I only wish Rev was back....there's a few things that I hoped we'd do to really make a mod work.

[AfghanAnt]

As I said when I originally saw them, amazing work by you and Rev, Cas.

I especially like the additional details you've made.

As far as idea, how about something with original characters that takes place outside of the FF world or owned worlds.

The Hive World comes to mind! :rolleyes: :P And many thanks AA...I only wish Rev was back....there's a few things that I hoped we'd do to really make a mod work.

I am so done with HIVE world but there are always other things.

[Cysquatch]

Which brings me to a point I wanted to bring up:

If pressed, I suspect nearly every member (and former member) of this board has, at the very least, considered making a mod or had an idea for one at some time or other. However, mod making seems very time consuming and such a project demands a variety of skills: from artistic (skins, textures, meshes & map making), to musical, to technical (meshes, scripting, debugging, etc, etc). Anotherwords, it's much like creating your own game: Everyone has ideas on what would make a great game, but very few have all the skills and the motivation to complete such a project all on their own. Having all the advanced mod-making tools, meshes, skins, and resources available today makes it easier. But it's still daunting.

So then, why does it seem like most mod projects are attempted primarily by one or two individuals? Admittedly, many mod projects utilize meshes, skins, maps, music, and/or other resources from different individuals. But, as far as I can tell, many projects are still primarily the responsibility of (scripted and designed by) one person. Do you have any idea how many different people are needed to create just one of today's $multi-million commercially successful games? It's much like creating a movie!

I'm just trying to say that if we are interested in mod making and in seeing more mods finished, perhaps more projects should be collaborative efforts? Considering how long it takes to finish a campaign mod of any length and considering how many mods never get finished, I would think more mod makers would be open to working with others as a team or partnership. And for newbs like myself, perhaps working towards helping someone else finish one of their mods could be seen as an opportunity to get hands-on training on what it takes to complete a good mod?

Or am I off base here? I've been away from FR for a long time now and I wasn't very interested in the details of mod making... until recently. Perhaps more collaboration goes on than I realise?

I'm thinking that, for example, if enough of us really want to see a massive Green Lantern mod finished in our lifetimes, perhaps we could choose a project leader and set up a thread to make it a collaborative work? And then approved members could submit not just their own plot ideas and skins/meshes, but their own maps and scripts, too. If, for example, a dozen members each submitted just two missions for a Green Latern mod, that would make for a total of 24 mission. And if for some reason the submitted work is not quite up to par, then constructive suggestions could be made on how to improve or redign before another submission. Just an idea...

I totally agree with this. I've only just got into this whole side of FF, so I have no idea what i'm doing, but i'm already interested in helping make a mod. With this approach you could even make strictly Character themed mods aswell, i.e an expansive mod made up of a number, say 4, of unique takes on a character. A mod like this focused on Batman, Superman or even Wolverine would be damn cool.

[AfghanAnt]

A mod like this focused on Batman, Superman or even Wolverine would be damn cool.

Mods like these exist but really there aren't enough games with Wolverine, Batman, and Superman in them?

[Cysquatch]

A mod like this focused on Batman, Superman or even Wolverine would be damn cool.

Mods like these exist but really? There aren't enough games with Wolverine, Batman, and Superman in them?

That was just an example man. Sure, the main characters have the most scope for differing takes, but you could do the same with characters like Dr. Strange or Iron Fist.

[Previsionary]

I think what he's trying to say is that what you suggested "has" been done including ith dr. strange and ironfist. But as I already explained, most mods are done with other people involved. That doesn't make it easier and it doesn't mean the project will get done just like in the gaming industry.

[AfghanAnt]

I think what he's trying to say is that what you suggested "has" been done including ith dr. strange and ironfist. But as I already explained, most mods are done with other people involved. That doesn't make it easier and it doesn't mean the project will get done just like in the gaming industry.

Yeah, an question mark got misplaced.

This is what it was suppose to mean: Mods like these exist but really there aren't enough games with Wolverine, Batman, and Superman in them?

Furthermore, the overall statement I am making it there are too many mods with not enough original characters. Yes there are some original storylines but that still forces you play at this character who have to act a certain way or do certain things.

[GogglesPizanno]

<threadjack>

I just noticed. I am now part of history... Thanks Prev!

</threadjack>

[qazwsx]

You now what the worst thing about modding is? You ruin the mod for yourself. Especially mods where you've designed several ways into completing the missions, and situations where you can choose multiple choices. And playtesting ALL those choices. Gah! :doh: Oh how I wish I could erase the part of my memory with the all the spoilers in it. :rolleyes: