UBI tool for modding SH5/SH5 Editor
 

UBI tool for modders to Port SH4 mods/make SH5 mods?:timeout:
At least updates for SH4 editor?:hmmm:

What SH4 editor? the S3d Editor is not made by Ubi but by the legendary Skwas. And he has already said that he will not update it for SH5.

But we do need a powerful tool for SH5 and I've been waiting for a thread to say this.
As long as the devs skillfully separate the game's engine (that they want to keep secret) apart from the submarine part of the game (AI, interface, 3d models, a few color shaders, career layers, most scripts, most controllers, etc.) they can provide us a tool with a different compiler than the dreaded Kashmir :up: And the mother of all modding tools is Bethesda's TES editor. The beauty of that tool is the ability to inject mods (not JSGME style). Injecting a mod means for example having different mods that change different parts the same file. Right now we need to make compatible versions of mods for other mods, even though our mods don't actually change anything over those mods, but they don't contain the changes contained in the other mods... :doh: I hate english. Any mod made for a version of the game is at least 90% compatible with any expansion since the expansions themselves are created by the devs with that tool. Imagine having a superb collection of mods for SH5 uboats and then they would make a US expansion and all mods would become fubar... :har:

Why would they fear giving us such a tool? Well suppose that some "fool" decides to create the American Pacific Campaign before Ubi releases an yet unannounced "SH5 Pacific War". Now... would that really happen? Did anyone manage to create an uboat in Sh4 BEFORE the Uboat Missions Expansion? I bet that for 2 whole years we'll be too busy fiddling with the uboats. SUre, we'll also cruise around with Yamatos and Bismarks, maybe even going on bombing runs with the planes :har:. But there's no way any mod would hurt Ubi in future expansions/games. THe only problem is that if they make SH5 as good as we want (or give us the tool to make customise it to our liking), we might not play anything else but SH5... It would hurt their other game sales :har:.

Lite version of Kashmir
 

karamazovnew What SH4 editor? = SH4 Mission Editor:DL
Maybe it can be udated to be more like TES editor = S3D editor + Mission editor + Menu editor.:D Lite version of Kashmir:timeout:

Well since we know that Skwasjer won't reverse engineer SH5, if the devs don't give us a modding tool like a lite Kashmir, I don't think SH5 will have such a long life expectancy... at least not long enough for people to wait for the next game if there ever is one..

I saw that Bohemia interactive did release a modding tool suite for ARMA2:

Why doesn't Ubisoft do the same ????

keltos

Let's just wait first, shall we? Perhaps they deliver a fine tool. If not, it will depend on how different the game will be. I just do not look forward to hundreds of hours of work. I already asked the devs for prerelease insight in the game, but I have little doubt they will be allowed to. Just a little bit of help from them may change my mind.

I sure hope they do ! that would be akin to recognizing the amazing work you did for this community !

or ask you to take part in building such a tool ?

regards,

keltos

The file structure will be similar to SH3 and SH4 so if you know the files/file structure and you can program (C++, C#) then you can make your own file editor tool (or modify your existing one to work with SH5 ;))

Yes I'm alive! Work has been keeping me very busy but I'll definitely have to make some time for SH5 when it comes out. You know software devs never release a perfect game and thus we have to tailor it/customize it to our needs/wants. Flags and exhaust smoke will be first on my list for SH5 if it doesn't have it already.

Hopefully they include the dynamic shadows or at least include the controller in an .act file so that we can try and enable the dynamic shadows ourselves (SH3).

Back to work.

RB :|\\

Judging from the trailer, we have dynamic shadows and light shafts.
Ok I know a bit of C++ myself, not much, but enough to take info from ini fles and change text files. But tell me. As it stands now, can i do that for the act and dll files? (rethorical question).

The most powerful tool would be the game itself and it's code transparency. Normally, we shouldn't need more than a simple Notepad to mod it. But a good app that allows the quick loading of certain parts of the game (such as the interface) would speed up the modding process.

I'm not familiar with modding in other games, but I did some little mods for Steel Fury (tank sim) and it was so much easier than in SH. All that was needed was the model importer (given by the devs) and text files editing. You export the entire model in one .x file, complete with damage boxes, all moving sub-parts (guns, wheels etc).

Most of the work is done straight into your 3D studio: architecture of the model (parent/child relations between parts), pivot points position/orientation (for wheels, turrets etc) and so on, and the model and components use a set naming convention so that the game roughly knows what does what.
Then in the text files you just set the specifications, performances, make the link between model parts and ingame functions and that's it.

Another advantage of the "official" importer is that the original game content is protected: you can import your .x model into the game's own format, but you can't export original game models.

IMPORTANT
 

https://fedoraproject.org/w/uploads/f/ff/Important.png

I think this is the first time that this is being mentioned (anywhere): big parts of the interface are being scripted, so there will be some quality modding on the interface (the kind of quality that can be seen in World of Warcraft mods).

The syntax being used is the one from Python.
The script will access the game through a SDK. Also, the scripted code can access the whole of .Net Framework classes (though it's not that necessary).
The editing of the scripts is done inside a special window, that allows the editing of the scripts while the game is running (edit & continue) with text auto-complete and jumping to function definitions, the inspection of the game variables in real time (through a property grid) and the complete description of all the exported classes (inheritance, properties, methods, events, inner types (enums, other classes)). Please note that not ALL game classes have been exported to the scripts.
Also, please note that not ALL the interface has been scripted, due to game (and time) limitations.

But the road has been opened for you to unleash your imagination and talent.

And, as always, there is the Mission Editor for single missions and dynamic campaigns.

At last, but not least, the way the AI thinks has been scripted and is being stored in text files (in a custom format). So that has also been opened for modding.

I LOVE YOU :up:

Good job maerean_m and co.

Wow, very nice news :yep::up:

does this mean that custom controls, dialog boxes, etc. can be added to the game (through Python scripts accessing the .NET framework classes)? What version of the .NET framework are you targeting? :hmmm:

Well dog my cats!

This is good news indeed.


No, this is wonderful news.



Something tells me this is going to be the best subsim evah!




But that's what you guys are aiming for, isn't it?:rock::salute::yeah::shucks::sunny:

Ok, forget about the .net classes (really). Players don't want Windows dialog boxes over the game while playing (in fullscreen).

But otherwise, you can create any interface you may think of using elements like buttons, texts, bitmaps, groups etc (that use the game's engine and are being rendered with DirectX). The buttons have events like Clicked to which you attach a delegate (using the familiar += and -= syntax). And all these buttons, texts, bitmaps, groups etc will be created in the MenuEditor.