Volunteers needed for Achtung Europe! (A WW2 Mod)

[Kruelgor]

I'm looking for people to help me create a World War 2 mod. I would like for version 1.0 to be completed within 1 month after the release of Civ V. It will represent the war in Europe. We'll need graphic artists, coders, beta testers, and more...

This thread here will be an ongoing blog of the progress of Achtung Europe. I've also created a dedicated forum at http://www.MagogClan.com


ACHTUNG EUROPE!

 

[Kruelgor]

We're going to have a massive tech tree of almost every WW2 armored vehicle, aircraft, ships, and artillery. Many different types of infantry. There will be social and political aspects unlocked within the tech tree as well.

The map is going to be gargantuan and will contain Europe, Western Russia with Stalingrad on the far eastern edge, North Africa, and an Atlantic sea entry point for the United States.

Each turn will most likely represent 1 week.

 

[Obssesed Nuker]

I'm not interested in joining, but I do have two idea's.

First: You should release two versions, one a 'light' version for those with less interest in minute details and a 'full' version for those who are more interested.

Second: For diplomacy, instead of meeting the leaders of each nation, you should meet the foreign ministers. This nicely side-steps the 'no hitler' problem that comes up when releasing this kind of mod.]

 

[Kruelgor]

Thanks for the feedback Obsessed Nuker.

However, I like historical realism so I have every intention on having Hitler in the mod. I would like to learn how to create the animiated graphics for him as well, and will certainly give it a shot.

As far as versions are concerned, I imagine I will have ten different versions before it's finally complete. The first version may just be a 'scenario' with an awesome map and not actually a mod. Thereafter, I'll work on modded content.

 

[tom2050]

It will probably take a month to figure out gameplay and modding alone... without knowing those 2 things, your mod will be nothing anyone will want to play. Because you must understand the game to properly design a mod.

And good luck getting all the graphics you need in 1 month, 1 month time doesn't even come close to enough time to create the huge amount of graphics necessary to fill all the gaps that there will be. You should consider a more reasonable time frame to release a mod if you want it to be complete and polished.

Exactly what are you going to be doing regarding graphics and coding? Or are you expecting it all from others? Are you going to design the Hitler full screen 3d graphics and animate it?

In 1 month, you may be able to get a base scenario together using the base graphics from vanilla 5.

 

[Kruelgor]

It will probably take a month to figure out gameplay and modding alone... without knowing those 2 things, your mod will be nothing anyone will want to play. Because you must understand the game to properly design a mod.

And good luck getting all the graphics you need in 1 month, 1 month time doesn't even come close to enough time to create the huge amount of graphics necessary to fill all the gaps that there will be. You should consider a more reasonable time frame to release a mod if you want it to be complete and polished.

Exactly what are you going to be doing regarding graphics and coding? Or are you expecting it all from others? Are you going to design the Hitler full screen 3d graphics and animate it?

Version 1.0 will most likely have very little modded content. It will primarily be an awesome map and a scenario. I anticipate maybe 10 versions before the final version is complete, 6 months to a year after release.

If it's possible to design Hitler animations without the investment of hundreds of dollars of editing software then I'll do it.

 

[Dale]

I would hesitate to put dates on anything, since Firaxis has stated the mod tools won't be released day 1.

 

[hardcore_gamer]

It will probably take a month to figure out gameplay and modding alone... without knowing those 2 things, your mod will be nothing anyone will want to play. Because you must understand the game to properly design a mod.

This.

Embarking on such a large scale Mod before the game is even released doesn't really make any sense.

 

[Kruelgor]

Embarking on such a large scale Mod before the game is even released doesn't really make any sense.

Version 1.0 will most likely have very little modded content. It will primarily be an awesome map and a scenario. I anticipate maybe 10 versions before the final version is complete, 6 months to a year after release.

 

[Kruelgor]

I would hesitate to put dates on anything, since Firaxis has stated the mod tools won't be released day 1.

Day 1 I'll pretty much be learning the mechanics of the game and soon thereafter creating the map. No hardcore modding on day 1.

 

[Afforess]

What's you claim to fame? It's hard to even *want* to help, since you have no past mods to your name, and no proof that you won't vanish in 6 months, with a partial mod done. It happens, to more mods than not. I'd say you build your own working proof-of-concept, then when it attracts attention, get some of the more handy players to help out.

 

[Lord Tirian]

I'd say you build your own working proof-of-concept, then when it attracts attention, get some of the more handy players to help out.

What concerns me here is that the "lead coder" is N/A. In my experience, coders provide the major impetus for a mod, since they are actually the people who "get **** done" - and since the designer is the guy with the vision, how things should work out, he/she should be the coder as well (otherwise every disagreement between the two is going to kill the mod immediately).

The mods that work actually have well-working teams (e.g. Fall from Heaven, Dune Wars) usually have a lead designer/coder + a lead graphics guy and various people that contribute irregularly over time (often even code snippets).

So if you really want to make this a) a big mod and b) one as a team effort, make sure that you're the coder who ultimately commits the changes to the code (even if you restrict yourself to XML coding etc.). Also, read this, it is an excellent guide for planning a mod in general.

Cheers, LT.

 

[Kruelgor]

What's you claim to fame? It's hard to even *want* to help, since you have no past mods to your name, and no proof that you won't vanish in 6 months, with a partial mod done. It happens, to more mods than not. I'd say you build your own working proof-of-concept, then when it attracts attention, get some of the more handy players to help out.

You know not who I am, but you will, and your 10,000 posts is nothing compared to my 50,000+ posts over the past couple of years in various other games. I'll have 10,000 posts in this forum within a year, but thanks for the warm and expected welcoming. There's always a few like you.

 

[Afforess]

You know not who I am, but you will, and your 10,000 posts is nothing compared to my 50,000+ posts over the past couple of years in various other games.

All fine and dandy, but that's not going to help you now, is it?

Also post count is meaningless. A lot of OT'ers have 20k+ posts, but never have made a mod.

 

[Cristoval]

What's you claim to fame? It's hard to even *want* to help, since you have no past mods to your name, and no proof that you won't vanish in 6 months, with a partial mod done. It happens, to more mods than not. I'd say you build your own working proof-of-concept, then when it attracts attention, get some of the more handy players to help out.

He should tread softly, and carry a big stick.

What would you have him do?

 

[bjbrains]

You know not who I am, but you will, and your 10,000 posts is nothing compared to my 50,000+ posts over the past couple of years in various other games.

I think his point is that there are plenty of mods that never get off the ground, and that people won't want to join a project with no proof-of-concept, especially if it is by someone who doesn't have a major civ mod to his/her name. It's not a personal slight.

 

[Kruelgor]

All fine and dandy, but that's not going to help you now, is it?

Also post count is meaningless. A lot of OT'ers have 20k+ posts, but never have made a mod.

You're in for a shock. Keep on....Keep it coming.

 

[Afforess]

He should tread softly, and carry a big stick.

What would you have him do?

I told him already. Make a smaller mod by himself. Prove that he has the ability to do it. It doesn't have to be super complex. A scenario will suffice.

 

[Kruelgor]

I actually welcome the pre-jealous comments, as I always enjoy having the last laugh.

 

[bjbrains]

I actually welcome the pre-jealous comments, as I always enjoy having the last laugh.

Do you really think that's what these comments are? Seriously?