Modding Tools: The Item that will make or Break "Thief". - by thiefinthedark
New Horizon on 8/4/2013 at 03:37
I was rather amused by another article I read with a T4 dev who was talking about the fact that their T4 AI have vision cones that come out of their eyes, and turn with their heads so if the AI looks away for a moment, they might not spot you.
We've had that very same behavior since TDM was released. :)
jtr7 on 8/4/2013 at 03:40
It's been happening more than a few times where they announce a feature that TDM already has had. :cool:
Melan on 8/4/2013 at 11:10
Setting aside the issue of company policy and middleware, the question after that is "Who is going to build those missions?" Take the time to read Judith's linked thread, because it is relevant. BSP-based architecture has been replaced by new, mainly model-based techniques, and creating new models - generally, creating high-quality assets - is magnitudes harder than it used to be with technologies from a decade ago (TDM) or 15 years ago (TDP/TMA). You can probably go a long way rearranging the basic static meshes a hypothetical editor will ship with... but think outside the box, and things are bound to become too complex for an amateur modder.
jtr7 on 8/4/2013 at 11:15
With a level editor, would we be forced to build models, or are there still means of creating geometry by drawing 3D shapes? We don't know how they've modified the Unreal 3 engine for their game, still, though.
skacky on 8/4/2013 at 11:23
BSP is a thing of the past with most new engines, so if you want to have new meshes you'll have to either do them yourself (or ask someone to do them for you), or grab some somewhere. Most of the levels I see nowadays for modern engines are team efforts rather than made by one person, for the exact reason Melan and Judith stated.
jtr7 on 8/4/2013 at 11:36
To restate my question: Do we NEED meshes/smeshes for everything? How limiting! Not surprising, taking away options...
skacky on 8/4/2013 at 11:39
In short: yeah, pretty much. BSP is mainly used for optimization, and it's only very simple shapes that aren't meant to be visible (they are often buried under meshes). Simple BSP surfaces are also used sometimes.
jtr7 on 8/4/2013 at 12:12
The reliance on modeling screws taffers out of most hope for T4 FMs, but at least with an editor, people can rearrange assets into different configurations for awhile. It will be easier for texture makers to reskin structures and mask their original source, but that's still limited, too.
I hope the modders can open lots of doors for the community, way more than was done with DX:HR, especially with Unreal as the base for T4.
Petike the Taffer on 8/4/2013 at 13:43
An LE in the vein of Amnesia's - with pre-built and largely inter-compatible models and surface decals - could maybe work. Though, of course, Amnesia was built as a primarily interior-based title, so the comparison might not be that apt. And while visually pretty gorgeous, it was still an older indie game, even though it had up-to-date tech running it, especially in the physics department.
