Visit to M2TW Dev studio - post your must-know modding questions here!

**DukeofSerbia** · 10-14-2006, 11:50

I think CA (and now SEGA because they decide now about everything) don't want to release full modding because they don't have competition and if they release they maybe fear that competition create clon which can be better. This is my speculation.
Just look what SEGA did - they charge demo! What is next... I am very sceptical since SEGA bought CA.

**Epistolary Richard** · 10-14-2006, 12:14

They what demo?

The release of modding tools IMO has nothing to do with any competition as every mod always has to have the original game to run. Valve didn't exactly suffer from the release of Counter-Strike.

**shifty157** · 10-14-2006, 16:36

I believe what dukeofserbia meant is that they wouldnt want to open up the source code of the actual game which would allow other companies to copy whatever they wanted from it.

**ELITEofWARMANGINGERYBREADMEN88** · 10-14-2006, 22:27

Two Questions, I hope you ask them :-)

1. (not a modding question) Are they thinknig about having a Program to Record Wins/Losses on MP??

2. (modding question) Would they give us a modding program/s of some sort??

**Mount Suribachi** · 10-15-2006, 10:35

Whilst not a modder myself I would like to chip into this thread with the comment that CA/SEGA seem to be making much more of an effort with the TW community than was ever the case with previous games. I think they realised that RTW was a step backwards as far as we were concerned and now they're trying to win us back.

So we see lots of features returning in MTW2, gameplay taking steps back to where it used to be, and we see prominent members of the community being involved - Palamedes being hired, Soulflame being invited to a preview, now ER being invited to CA Aus.

All I can do is second what the others have said about games that come with full-on modding tools. Half-Life, HL2, Morrowind, Oblivion etc. Great games whose shelf-life, playability and most importantly (for the developers) sales have been enhanced by what the modding community has been able to do.

I appreciate that CA is very wary of their competitors getting access to their battlefield calculations, but surely modding tools can be released (as a download or with the XP) that keep them under lock and key.

Short answer: Anything that makes life easier for the modders and allows them to be more creative, so that I, the end user, may benefit

EDIT: Oh, and is there any chance that older TW games such as Shogun will be released to the public with the code opened up? IIRC Black Isle did something similar with Baldurs Gate allowing the community to do some funky stuff with it

**DukeofSerbia** · 10-15-2006, 15:42

Originally Posted by shifty157

I believe what dukeofserbia meant is that they wouldnt want to open up the source code of the actual game which would allow other companies to copy whatever they wanted from it.

Exactly that.

Originally Posted by Mount Suribachi

All I can do is second what the others have said about games that come with full-on modding tools. Half-Life, HL2, Morrowind, Oblivion etc. Great games whose shelf-life, playability and most importantly (for the developers) sales have been enhanced by what the modding community has been able to do.

Excellent example is Paradox Plaza and Europa Universalis. Whole code is open for modding and for mostly is enough just Notepad.

**wlesmana** · 10-16-2006, 05:16

Q: What is their official stance on total conversions?
Q: Are models editable? (And I mean editable as in being able to be edited by any modder, in full, and not having to rely on the good graces of a programmer to crack and compile the format)
Q: Will animations be editable? (Same note as above)
Q: Will there be weird hardcoded limits like 6 men in a unit when it's proven that one man unit can function in Historical Battles? Do they know the number 6 is the sign of the devil? (that's a joke btw)

**wilddog** · 10-16-2006, 17:00

Any information you could find out about the Campaign map would be great. Particularly any limits on sizes, the amount of water etc.

I haven't seen how the new world map opens up so don't know if it 'extends' the European map or you switch between two maps.

Also are seasons represented and is the map coded to just two types (summer and Winter) as in RTW etc.