My resignation from moderating the Dungeon

[dclare4]

Hi Duke John,

That's really sad particularly coming from you. I just got RTW and yeah the whole thing is really kind of confusing. Its actually almost a totally different game from the previous ones w/c is both good and bad. There are a lot of things that were improved over MTW, diplomacy particularly but I think its because of its being so different from the two previous games is what makes it so seemingly inaccessible. Maybe it will just take time to figure out everything and the thought that everything is a 3D model w/c is moddable with simple 3D Studio with anims taken care of by the engine is worlds easier for the simple modder to do I think (though it is limited by the animations that are available).

One problem is what if the anim you need is not included? Or the unit type you need? For instance in the Sengoku Jidai mod or if you wanted to mod a medieval mod (and a Medieval game with the Rome engine would be super particularly given the improved diplomacy) is the 'musketeer loading' animation included? Or a 'crossbowman loading'? What if you wanted to make a crusade or jihad piece? Does the game still recognize these?

I think the problem stems from the promise that this game will be the most moddable. It certainly looks like it has the potential to be the most moddable of the series but like you said without the proper tools and without knowing where the sandtraps are hidden (like you mentioned unopenable CAS files or some colors not being valid for provinces, etc) it certainly can't live up to that.

again so sorry to hear that,
Clare

[Meneldil]

The diplomacy mostly sucks in game, because the AI is more stupid than ever.

[VikingHorde]

@Duke John

My view on RTW is that it doesn't have the same effect on me as MTW had. When I got MTW a little over 2 years ago, I played constantly for 2 months only leaving my computer when going to school, eating or sleeping. I have barely played RTW for a week seens I got it and I don't find it half as fun as when I got MTW 2 years ago. I then started to mod RTW, but the limits of RTW is irritating taking out a lot of fun of modding. I'm beginning to mis the MTW days, but I'm praying for a patch that will make RTW more modable and take away some of the limits. I like modding and would like to continue modding, but only time will tell (or CA) if modding will get better. I hope you will stay around here in the future. If you need more moderators to help you out, then you should nominate some more.

[JR-]

@Duke John

My view on RTW is that it doesn't have the same effect on me as MTW had. When I got MTW a little over 2 years ago, I played constantly for 2 months only leaving my computer when going to school, eating or sleeping. I have barely played RTW for a week seens I got it and I don't find it half as fun as when I got MTW 2 years ago.

agreed.

[tombom]

@Duke John

My view on RTW is that it doesn't have the same effect on me as MTW had. When I got MTW a little over 2 years ago, I played constantly for 2 months only leaving my computer when going to school, eating or sleeping. I have barely played RTW for a week seens I got it and I don't find it half as fun as when I got MTW 2 years ago. I then started to mod RTW, but the limits of RTW is irritating taking out a lot of fun of modding. I'm beginning to mis the MTW days, but I'm praying for a patch that will make RTW more modable and take away some of the limits. I like modding and would like to continue modding, but only time will tell (or CA) if modding will get better. I hope you will stay around here in the future. If you need more moderators to help you out, then you should nominate some more.

Agreed to all of it. The best thing about rome for me is that your line doesn't break so easily. And there are better graphics. And that's it. But I'll never leave, unless this forum becomes inhabited by trolls and l33rs (is that the right word).

[Vercingetorix]

What are the current modding limitations? No strat map editor? I never modded with MTW so I don't really know what could be done with mtw that cannot be done with RTW. Btw, I released the latest version of the cas plugin which supports animation a few days ago but forgot to post news here :p

[Encaitar]

The lack of the strat map editor is a major pain (doing things manually is much more complex, time consuming, and buggy. And doesn't look as good either), but it's not a hard limit. Not being able to add new factions hurts a lot. As does the CTD when you click on the faction info button if you've created a new campaign.

The frustrating thing is that some of the modding issues we have (e.g. adding new factions) are the same that we had back in MTW, but were then resolved with VI. So we've actually gone backwards in some respects in terms of modability from where we were.

[TosaInu]

Hello,

I started modest modding when the STW alpha demo was released in winter 2000. My experience is that it's quite frequently tough to get your fingers under it. The most frustrating thing being that should doesn't equal is.

The possibilities were seemingly extremely limited in the STW days. Now I see that more was possible back then if only I had tried this or that simple thing, even things that were claimed impossible.

RTW is very different from STW and MTW. The old fan made tools don't (?)work, knowledge gathered for MTW will probably not work. We'll have to start again, that can be frustrating but I also think we'll find new stuff. We'll undoubtly run into some limits, that is good as we can then start an explicit discussion with CA about improving this. Knowing that we want to mod is one thing, how we want it is another. I guess that we'll see more and more fantools, also some official editor(s), that the knowledge will grow and also that RTW itself will become more stable.

I made a historical battle for STW and couldn't get it how I wanted it to be, it kept crashing. Very frustrating. A patch cured some graphical limitation and my battle worked. I'm sure we're experiencing similar problems with RTW now.

Modding Totalwar was at its infantry in those days, especially compared to the great things achieved now and there are many talented people now (I was just a persistent, sometimes lucky, donkey).

RTW might be a step back in some areas compared to MTW, modding wise. It may just be different and tucked away. I'm not sure whether RTW is of the same developing age as VI, that may also explain why some VI improvements aren't there yet.

I think it pays to use what's available, learn and specify in one CA feedback topic what's needed. My experience is that CA reads those suggestions and tries their best to incorporate it or spoils beans about ways to get it done. Maybe today, maybe tomorrow or perhaps next month.

[tombom]

I'm probably just going along with the crowd (rare for me...).

There's just something about Rome. I don't know what. It's probably me expecting too much. I love moddability, and when you get told a game is going to be very moddable, I expect it to be. If it doesn't improve after an expansion pack, I'll lose faith. Rome is still a fun game to play though.

[Renown]

Tis sad to see you go.

I have lurked around for a long time, here and else where in the TW realm.

The one name I really came to know, was yours. It was everywhere, and some may say (or at least I do), that you have been a very large component of helping keep TW alive.

Yet, though you leave, I'm sure you will go on to do other things, may I point out to you, other moddable games that have proven to be great in the past (cough, HL2...) I'm sure that someone with your genius could pull off something worth while, though FPS, it has a great engine, that, unlike CA, has a very large emphasis on modding.

Good luck with whatever you do, and as I am just making an appearance here, don't skip out for ever.