I wouldn't mind writing a quest but...

Post » Wed May 16, 2012 3:00 pm

Are there many modders that like to do the technical bits and pieces, but find it hard to think up a story or characters?

I've always wanted to write a game quest (I've studied screenwriting), because video games are such an interesting medium.

But I don't really have the technical prowess to do coding or models.

Is there anywhere where modders might solicit scripts or something? I understand that 99.9% of people would think this is an obtuse suggestion, because really the modder should be the main writer. But I dunno, I was wodering if some people just do it for the technical kicks.
User avatar
Guinevere Wood
 
Posts: 3368
Joined: Mon Dec 04, 2006 3:06 pm

Post » Wed May 16, 2012 5:17 pm

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ideas+guy is not a popular role, and it's one that a lot of people seem to want.
The CK will probably be easy to use, the CS and GECK certainly were once you got used to them. Your best chance is to learn how to make things yourself.

Also, I do a lot of modding for technical kicks, but that means the projects are shaped around the particular bit of the engine that I want to play with. If you just write a generic script you'll find 90% of the stuff that needs doing is no technical challenge, so technical modders aren't going to be interested in it. Either that or it will contain things that aren't possible but you have no way of knowing because you don't have a handle on what the game can do- like trying to write a scene without understanding the physical constraints on filming/lighting it etc.
User avatar
Amber Hubbard
 
Posts: 3537
Joined: Tue Dec 05, 2006 6:59 pm

Post » Wed May 16, 2012 1:57 pm

Usually not. There are a lot of 'ideas people' on any modding forum. If you spend so much time on making a mod you want control over it. And everyone has ideas. I have so many ideas I could mod Skyrim till I'm 100 years old and I still wouldn't be done with it. Of course some help working out the details is always appreciated, but if you hope to write a story and someone else turns it into a quest mod for you then you're out of luck.

Why don't you start to mod yourself? Making a quest mod is not rocket science, it just takes time, dedication and the will to learn something new. You don't need to be a programmer by profession if that is what you think. If you have an average IQ you should be able to learn how to make your own mod pretty quickly.

EDIT: And what TalkieToaster said...it's really hard to estimate what can and can't be done in a mod if you have no idea how the game works yourself. So your story might sound good on paper, but turning it into a quest mod may be impossible due to technical difficulties.
User avatar
Kelly Upshall
 
Posts: 3475
Joined: Sat Oct 28, 2006 6:26 pm

Post » Wed May 16, 2012 9:32 pm

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=ideas+guy is not a popular role, and it's one that a lot of people seem to want.
The CK will probably be easy to use, the CS and GECK certainly were once you got used to them. Your best chance is to learn how to make things yourself.

Also, I do a lot of modding for technical kicks, but that means the projects are shaped around the particular bit of the engine that I want to play with. If you just write a generic script you'll find 90% of the stuff that needs doing is no technical challenge, so technical modders aren't going to be interested in it. Either that or it will contain things that aren't possible but you have no way of knowing because you don't have a handle on what the game can do- like trying to write a scene without understanding the physical constraints on filming/lighting it etc.

Lol, thought it sounded a bit of a stretch.

I actually think "ideas people" svck, as I know the type through my studies. But wasn't sure if it was different for modding. Anyway, thats not to say requests are bad, I love the fact people put their ideas into the public domain to be drawn upon as they please.

I might check out the CK then. The most I have done with modding, is changing weapon values for Fallout, because I wanted guns to be more realistic.

I have loads of skills with production software, so if anyone needs a trailer for their quest mod, I'd be happy to do one.

Actually, speaking of which, I might make a thread for that.
User avatar
Melanie Steinberg
 
Posts: 3365
Joined: Fri Apr 20, 2007 11:25 pm

Post » Wed May 16, 2012 6:04 pm

Get out your checkbook. That should solve the problem.
User avatar
Mari martnez Martinez
 
Posts: 3500
Joined: Sat Aug 11, 2007 9:39 am

Post » Wed May 16, 2012 2:07 pm

The Oblivion Construction Kit was simpler to use than many modding programs. Give the CK a try. Adding an NPC with a story should be fairly easy.
User avatar
Jonny
 
Posts: 3508
Joined: Wed Jul 18, 2007 9:04 am

Post » Wed May 16, 2012 9:59 am

Get out your checkbook. That should solve the problem.
Yeah, unfortunately for you the only way you could probably get someone to make a mod out of one of your ideas would be to pay them. :P Alot of poeple come around with ideas, but honestly, modding someone elses idea isn't fun. And people don't take the time to learn the tools if they don't have any ideas or reason to do so. Try to learn them, they aren't that complicated. All you need is creativity and you can make one hell of a quest mod.
User avatar
Lawrence Armijo
 
Posts: 3446
Joined: Thu Sep 27, 2007 7:12 pm

Post » Wed May 16, 2012 5:30 am

For quests and stories, you don't need to know coding or modeling. You do have to figure out how to use the CK, but it shouldn't be that much of a stretch :)

The main challenge is really writing compelling dialogue... and getting the voice acting for it :/

Of course, there are ways to bypass the voice issue... like making a quest where the story is implied by settings, notes, journals etc. Plenty of those in the game already.
User avatar
Kelli Wolfe
 
Posts: 3440
Joined: Thu Aug 23, 2007 7:09 am


Return to V - Skyrim