Modification College

[badwolf]

You've installed your SHIII updated to 1-4b and ready for your own customisation.
I have noticed that kaleun's from here on are getting ctd's.
Would it be of any help if I posted a step-by-step tutorial.

A few of the topics:-
Multi-installation
Sh3Commander
Sh3Generator
Organising Mod folder
Installing mods correctly
Merging conflicting mods
Adding your own mod ideas

I know how frustrating it is to have ctd's, so please let me know if it is worthwhile or if enough info is already available out there.

[kylania]

It's always helpful to have a tutorial, about anything.

[skookum]

...unless it's a tutorial on tutorial writing. But then again, how else are you gonna learn to write tutorials? I suppose someone will now write a tutorial on how to instruct one to wite a tutorial about tutorial writing (ad infinitum)

[kenijaru]

go ahead!

[Blacklight]

I would say make it a downloadable PDF, Word, or Text file. That would make it easier. Then get the link to it stickied so you can announce any updates you do on it. For me, sometimes instructions posted in a forum thread can get confusing because people end up replying and I end up popping all over the thread pages looking for the info I want. An actual document for download would be much simpler and easier to handle.

[Steeltrap]

Originally Posted by badwolf

You've installed your SHIII updated to 1-4b and ready for your own customisation.
I have noticed that kaleun's from here on are getting ctd's.
Would it be of any help if I posted a step-by-step tutorial.
I know how frustrating it is to have ctd's, so please let me know if it is worthwhile or if enough info is already available out there.

Given I'm one of those who posted, you can bet I'm completely in favour of this (I might have done it myself except my results are such that I'm not sure I'm not doing something wrong!).

In response to your list, here's my take on it:

A few of the topics:-
Multi-installation (possible)
Sh3Commander (MUST)
Sh3Generator (possible)
Organising Mod folder (MUST)
Installing mods correctly (MUST)
Merging conflicting mods (see below)
Adding your own mod ideas (see below)

Those last two I think are of sufficiently advanced nature that they would tend to suggest the reader wouldn't need the rest of the guide (unless they're insane enough to try such things without first mastering the basics). I'd leave them from this document, unless you want to add them later as 'more advanced' options. The 'possibles' fall somewhere between....they aren't necessary but are valuable.

Here are some others (one of the hard things about writing such guides is a person with sufficient knowledge and experience is often unaware of the many things they do without thought that another person does not know how to do at all):

* JSGME
* Patches

From my own experience, the biggest issue I have is the various updates required to SH3 Commander and knowing if I did them correctly. Also other quirks, like needing to run SHIII once before you can use Commander.

Ideally I'd like a 'procedure manual' that, if followed from step 1 to step XX, would always end up with the user being at the desired result, be that GWX 2.1 or NYGM 3 with/without supplementaries. It would include screenshots.

As I often write (or oversee others writing) such things I have some idea of the challenge such a manual presents, but I think it would be a great addition to the family!

I could 'process flow' it for you so you get a visual decision tree, where each point is reached in the correct order (although we'd have to know the answers to arrive at the correct order.....this is the sort of stuff I grapple with daily!).

For example, after loading SHIII and patching it, a logical question would be 'GWX or NYGM?' with the tree 'branching' at that point to take the user down the relevant path (each is comprehensively different).

Great idea, however!
Cheers

[badwolf]

Thankyou for your replies fellow kaleun's, some good advice.

Making it into a downloadable document would be the way to do it.
Screenshots - would be used extensively, easier to understand especially with the language problem.
Supermods - Have been well supported. I will however show installations including preparation, organising, multi-installations etc
Sh3Commander - installation, updating, installing mods via date or randomised i.e. music, radio news etc.
Setkeys - adding addition keys-commands i.e TC to max & 32x (or less), multi-command to one key.
Sh3Generator - installation, using, other possibilities.
Organising Mod folder - Having been a Simcity fan, keeping your mods organised is important to avoid CTD's.
Installing mods correctly - Demonstrations on mod installations showing procedures and recognising conflicts.
Merging conflicting mods - Using utilities for finding file differences and merging them to make both mods work using demonstrations i.e. menus, dials, camera dat files. Including explanations of files contained data.
Adding your own mod ideas - After learning the above, making your own simple mods or customising mods.

I started with no knowledge of SHIII modding and what files did. I have learnt by investigating how other mods work, then testing them, eventually getting some of my own ideas. My experience now, although not as advanced as the regular modders, gives me confidence to do any modification and an understanding for fault finding. The idea of the manual is to help kaleuns to achieve this.

[ReallyDedPoet]

Nice idea I could add what you complete to the SH3 Mods\Utilities
Thread ( stickied ).


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