Any info on how to learn modding SH3?

[cardician]

Perhaps I missed it but I'm surprised not to find a thread with some info on how to get into modding SH3? Anything like that? Or did all you uber modders just "know" how to do it?:D

[melnibonian]

What you're asking is too difficult to answer as there is a huge number of elements of SH3 that you can mod. My suggestion is to have a look to the SH3MiniTweacker http://www.delraydepot.com/tt/sh3sdk.htm. That's a good starting point

[danlisa]

We were born with the knowledge:know::rotfl:

Start small, identify what you want to change and then find the files that govern this. Then it's just a case of trial & error with a few tweaks.

Out of most of the games I have looked at (modding wise) I think SH3 is the most logical in terms of file structure. Not necessarily the most straight forward to understand though.

If you are wanting to play around with the files, I would suggest that you create a backup and use that. Also, start with the Stock SH3 installation as, naturally, mods like GWX have made HUGE widespread changes and most files now affect many others.

[cardician]

That's what I was looking for. Just some sort of getting started info to give me an idea of what there is to mod. Like what files you can change and how you can change them. I may never get into it much as GWX is pretty freaking sweet and seems totally complete, but after I've played a game for awhile I like to mess with things sometimes. Perhaps someday I'll make a God Mod where just glancing at an enemy sinks them! Let's see the British win then! HAHA!:rock:

[nvdrifter]

That's what I was looking for. Just some sort of getting started info to give me an idea of what there is to mod. Like what files you can change and how you can change them. I may never get into it much as GWX is pretty freaking sweet and seems totally complete, but after I've played a game for awhile I like to mess with things sometimes. Perhaps someday I'll make a God Mod where just glancing at an enemy sinks them! Let's see the British win then! HAHA!:rock:
Also, don't forget to download the Tweak Files here:

http://www.delraydepot.com/tt/TweakFiles.zip


And you'll need a hex editor, too. Here is a good one that is simple to use:

http://www.handshake.de/user/chmaas/delphi/download/xvi32.zip


**An important note:

Whenever making file changes with Mini Tweaker, it will always automatically make a backup file in the same folder as the original file you changed. So, when modding SH3 Library folder files with Mini Tweaker, you will not see the gameplay changes you made to the Library files unless you remove the backup file from the Library folder first. This is very important. I don't know why, that's just the way it is. Don't worry about other folders. This problems seems to exist only in the Library folder.


Good luck with your modding! :rock:

[Madox58]

Also, dig DEEP in the forums here! :up:
LOTS of info on most anything you want to know.
And, if any certain area interests you, find out who
seems to be good in that area and read EVERY post they ever
made!
Lots of it may not be what your looking for but that ONE bit
of info you do find is like finding a gold nugget after a week of panning!
:rotfl:

[jimmie]

Perhaps I missed it but I'm surprised not to find a thread with some info on how to get into modding SH3? Anything like that? Or did all you uber modders just "know" how to do it?:D

I'm not sure if there are yet thus old threads on the forum but if you read the forum from 2 years ago... when SH3 had just been realeased, it could be easy to understand how modders ever evolved up to now.

There was no big "package" until RuB (real uboat) but all mods were little bits of so many people's works. (actually, there were a couple super mod from German community) There wasn't even mod enabler then so the instlation was pain as well. Many of NYGM, IUB, GW are built on RuB. Those super mod packages are well after RuB was not realeasing any updates. Anyway, at the time RuB was getting bigger, tracking internals of each mod became difficult - it was just so many things to track. Still if my memory is correct, RuB's readme had intensive list of every mod included. And you may be able to search by mod's and author name in this forum (By the way, there was no "mod forum" at the beginning, so posts may be buried under general forum!)

If you know how computer software works or even know programming, it would help greatly to guess a lot of thing. There is one really hardcore field which is binary file editing (hex editing). This is really a field of reverse-enginnering (however, it's not disassembling involved, it's pure hex guess work), but even then there are a couple of nice tutorials in this 2 years!