Modders Wanted

[Timohept]

I am looking to create a team of modders to help me get started with, what I believe will be a very entertaining and breakthrough Mount and Blade mod.

I will take any help offered, but I am really interested in a group of dedicated modders who have plenty of time on their hands.

A few things about myself:

1. I have been planning on making a mod of my own since I first discovered M&B years ago.
2. I have NEVER made a mod of my own. I always get lost in the complexity and find myself feeling hopeless.
3. My intentions are to COORDINATE a group of modders and eventually learn every detail of modding myself.
4. I have a lot of time on my hands, and when inspired will put in ungodly amounts of work into my projects.
5. I plan on being a director when I'm older. I love to act and to film but directing is where my heart lies, and I believe this will boost my experience as a director.
6. My personal skill in modding; 
7. My personal skill that can be implemented into modding; I am good with artwork, creative, have written/directed playwrights, played countless mods so I am familiar with what is generally expected and what could be improved in mods, I am decent with animations, I have an artistic insight, can create original music for the mod, and I'm sure I can do more.

Basic Requirements:

- A way of communication. E-mail. (Preferably AIM for its ease to use and quick download transfers.)

- Either skill in modding, or the DESIRE for skill in modding.

- Willingness to work together with other anti-social people. 

- 2 years of sales experience.

- Highschool Diploma or GED.

(The last 2 are jokes for all of those who have had as much trouble trying to get a job as me.)



Note: Due to my lack of professional knowledge on the many branches of modding, experienced modders in the team may be asked, but not required, to be leaders and help those with little to no experience. (Yes I am aware of the many tutorials on this site that would help anyone with any questions, but the greatest obstacle in achieving a goal is taking the initiative. Sometimes walking a person out the front door will inspire them to run the world and back, but they never would have if they had no help to begin with.)

Anyways, let me know if you're interested and we can discuss business. 

 

[Paul_Grimtooth]

3. My intentions are to COORDINATE a group of modders and eventually learn every detail of modding myself.

so you just want to be the boss and the modders have to do all the dirty work... sounds great -.-

 

[shadowarcher]

what exact skills do you have in modding?

 

[Timohept]

so you just want to be the boss and the modders have to do all the dirty work... sounds great -.-

No, I wish to COORDINATE a group of modders. Not every modder knows everything about mods and can create an entire mod themselves. Some of them have skill in certain areas, but not in others. I wish to find a group of people who may not be able to create a mod individually, but can TOGETHER. Yes, I do plan on taking the responcibility of the project, if you wish to call that being the "boss".

I have always wanted to create a mod, but I don't have the skills to make an entire mod myself. I'm sure other people are in the same boat as me, and I am looking to see if I can put something together and do something good for the modding community.

You can bash the idea now, but really all I am trying to do is offer YOU more entertainment in the future. For what price? None.

 

[Cruger]

It's just that every single attempt such as yours, where you want to coordinate a team of modders, have failed badly. It's like taking credit for other peoples work. Artwork is something, sure, but I doubt it'll be enough.

Best luck with whatever you plan though.

 

[Time Golem]

Timohept, the best part of your post is the joke about the salesmanship requirement. There's nothing wrong with your intention but your method to achieve it needs some considerable improvement. You haven't even stated what your idea is, which might be a good thing at this point. Here's my advice and I am mostly echoing what others have suggested in reply to similar posts:

Path A - Learn the craft and pay your dues:

1- Read The Forge and all the excellent tutorials.
2- Start tweaking the game and making things as you see fit.
3- Read more of The Forge and all the excellent tutorials as you'll run into problems that need solving.
4- Resume tweaking the game and making things as you see fit.
5- When you need help, you'll have something real to ask about.
6- Increase your ambitions as your skills improve.

Path B - You have a brilliant idea but not willing or able to take Path A:

1- Come up with a brilliant idea.
2- Document this idea in great detail for yourself.
3- Present your idea to the public.
4- Assemble your team if you were able to sell your idea.
5- Establish a consistent vision with team for the project.
6- Coordinate or direct as you see fit.

Now some further advice for the 3rd step of path B, presenting your idea. The brilliant idea is useless in your head alone so how will others see it? You can write out all of it but without a visual component it will not be very exciting. This is where concept art comes in. You say you want to be a director so you must have some kind of visual disposition but if you can't produce it yourself at least assemble photos and pictures that evoke what you have in mind. Approach artists who might help you with this and even run your story or idea by friends to get some feedback. All of this is BEFORE you approach the public. When everything is polished up, then make your pitch.

TG

 

[Timohept]

It's just that every single attempt such as yours, where you want to coordinate a team of modders, have failed badly. It's like taking credit for other peoples work. Artwork is something, sure, but I doubt it'll be enough.

Best luck with whatever you plan though.

So the director is taking credit for the actors and photographers and everyone elses work? *sigh*...
Fine, if I can't get help, I'll make the damn thing myself, from scratch. Assuming, I get lucky and actually take the initiative to go through such a grueling process alone.

What was that story where the chicken asks all the animals for help making bread and none of them do, so he makes it himself and doesn't share any? 

But seriously, I'm not sure I'm down for making an entire mod myself...and if by miracle I did, I suppose you can all indulge yourselves in its glory.

Another case of "help me, HELP YOU!"

It would be nice if every director was a professional actor, a professional photographer, a professional costume designer, a professional producer, editor, prop manager, voice actor, etc, but then why would the director even be a director? Might as well just do it all his/herself.

Unfortunately things don't work that way....

 

[Timohept]

Timohept, the best part of your post is the joke about the salesmanship requirement. There's nothing wrong with your intention but your method to achieve it needs some considerable improvement. You haven't even stated what your idea is, which might be a good thing at this point. Here's my advice and I am mostly echoing what others have suggested in reply to similar posts:

Path A - Learn the craft and pay your dues:

1- Read The Forge and all the excellent tutorials.
2- Start tweaking the game and making things as you see fit.
3- Read more of The Forge and all the excellent tutorials as you'll run into problems that need solving.
4- Resume tweaking the game and making things as you see fit.
5- When you need help, you'll have something real to ask about.
6- Increase your ambitions as your skills improve.

Path B - You have a brilliant idea but not willing or able to take Path A:

1- Come up with a brilliant idea.
2- Document this idea in great detail for yourself.
3- Present your idea to the public.
4- Assemble your team if you were able to sell your idea.
5- Establish a consistent vision with team for the project.
6- Coordinate or direct as you see fit.

Now some further advice for the 3rd step of path B, presenting your idea. The brilliant idea is useless in your head alone so how will others see it? You can write out all of it but without a visual component it will not be very exciting. This is where concept art comes in. You say you want to be a director so you must have some kind of visual disposition but if you can't produce it yourself at least assemble photos and pictures that evoke what you have in mind. Approach artists who might help you with this and even run your story or idea by friends to get some feedback. All of this is BEFORE you approach the public. When everything is polished up, then make your pitch.

TG

This is true. I was not joking about the difficulty on initiative...
I planned on discussing the idea after I had a team, but I suppose I have to sell it first.
This will significantly slow the process, but I guess there was no quick way to come about it in the first place.
Eh, I tried.

I will return with a product and improved salesmanship! <- Irony.


And...this may take many weeks or months, so my original offer for a speedy "get strait to work and have faith" process is still up.

 

[Blobmania]

I think that what the others are trying to say is that, in general, modders can co-ordinate themselves. It's not your fault, and not ours either, but in general modders do not take well to the idea of someone "co-ordinating" them. It is much easier to learn one of the modding skills yourself (Whichever you find eaisest, be it coding, texturing+modelling, or whatever), and present that as what you will put into the mod. Then you can ask for others to join you as an equal... at the moment i'm afraid all it looks like is that you have some to no level of modding skill, and are simply planning on telling others what to do. This may not be the case, but this is how it comes across.

The main reason skilled modders are in such high demand is because it takes such a large amount of time to produce one. I myself have been part of the TW community for somewhere near 6 months, and i've been modding on and off in this time, and there are still gaping holes in my modding knowledge. Although I am now a pretty good modeller, I can't texture to save my life, and my coding is still in progress.

So my suggestion is this: Start your idea, learn the basics (or more), and get the mod started. Once you have something to show for your efforts, e.g. a map, several items (well textured) and maybe a faction or two, make a thread and start recruiting people. But treat them as equals - no more of this "co-ordinating" nonsense =P

 

[Timohept]

I think that what the others are trying to say is that, in general, modders can co-ordinate themselves. It's not your fault, and not ours either, but in general modders do not take well to the idea of someone "co-ordinating" them. It is much easier to learn one of the modding skills yourself (Whichever you find eaisest, be it coding, texturing+modelling, or whatever), and present that as what you will put into the mod. Then you can ask for others to join you as an equal... at the moment i'm afraid all it looks like is that you have some to no level of modding skill, and are simply planning on telling others what to do. This may not be the case, but this is how it comes across.

The main reason skilled modders are in such high demand is because it takes such a large amount of time to produce one. I myself have been part of the TW community for somewhere near 6 months, and i've been modding on and off in this time, and there are still gaping holes in my modding knowledge. Although I am now a pretty good modeller, I can't texture to save my life, and my coding is still in progress.

So my suggestion is this: Start your idea, learn the basics (or more), and get the mod started. Once you have something to show for your efforts, e.g. a map, several items (well textured) and maybe a faction or two, make a thread and start recruiting people. But treat them as equals - no more of this "co-ordinating" nonsense =P

Yes, your ancient ways of exchanging skill for skill in a fair trade fashion have worked. I was just looking for a more industrial solution to speed up the process. But okay, I understand. I'll go become a blacksmith so I can trade my wares for yours. 

 

[Blobmania]

It's not trading i'm talking about, mate. God knows, I tried exactly this option when I first started modding because yeah, the task daunted me, but this is just the way things are. Modders actually communicate ideas and suchlike very well - they assign roles, give tasks and suchlike, but it is all done in an equal-to-equal fashion, with everyone pulling their weight. The way you presented it, it looked like you were essentially going to delegate tasks as your main role, and that is, on the whole, a job that is already accomplished among the modders involved. I know you meant well, but in all honesty this isn't a corporate environment. Everyone on here is judged by their achievements to date, and their potential for future achievements. Ideas don't hold as much weight as experience, sad to say.

 

[Timohept]

It's not trading i'm talking about, mate. God knows, I tried exactly this option when I first started modding because yeah, the task daunted me, but this is just the way things are. Modders actually communicate ideas and suchlike very well - they assign roles, give tasks and suchlike, but it is all done in an equal-to-equal fashion, with everyone pulling their weight. The way you presented it, it looked like you were essentially going to delegate tasks as your main role, and that is, on the whole, a job that is already accomplished among the modders involved. I know you meant well, but in all honesty this isn't a corporate environment. Everyone on here is judged by their achievements to date, and their potential for future achievements. Ideas don't hold as much weight as experience, sad to say.

Fair enough, I have a lot of modding tools downloaded, I never really got into them but I'll start. Right now I'm watching HighElf's video tutorials.
I think what makes me hesitate the most is the compatibility issues...
I have no idea what will work and what won't work. Which versions of python/wings3d/etc. work with Warband, or if I'll have to mod on Vanilla.
I don't want to go all out and make a mod just to find out it isn't compatible with anything and I would have to port it or something. (Not that I know how to port or anything, but looking at The Last Days....I sure as HELL don't want to have to port anything.)

Thanks for the constructive criticism. 

 

[Furok]

I planned on discussing the idea after I had a team

Bad solution. Even great mods started with very small team. Usually it's a one or two guys.
Team grow in process of mod-creating. What thing can attract modders to you team, when they don't know about mod idea?

I never see mods with COORDINATOR. Every member do real work. And man, who coordinates, generally do a lot of work. More than any member.
There is no coordinators-only in modding. It's an illusion.

To be honest - your idea is too naive.

 

[Timohept]

I planned on discussing the idea after I had a team

Bad solution. Even great mods started with very small team. Usually it's a one or two guys.
Team grow in process of mod-creating. What thing can attract modders to you team, when they don't know about mod idea?

I never see mods with COORDINATOR. Every member do real work. And man, who coordinates, generally do a lot of work. More than any member.
There is no coordinators-only in modding. It's an illusion.

To be honest - your idea is too naive.

I didn't say "coordinator-only" at all. I said I wanted to coordinate while learning all there was to learn, which would allow me to fill in any and all holes in the process. I planned on doing most of the work. I just accepted that I wasn't going to be the best at every single branch of modding.

 

[CounterPoint391]

Well, it's been my experience that in order to try and recruit some others to help you out, you need to have at least a little experience in one modding area. And you need to present a fairly polished idea. You say you can do artwork? Post it. Eye candy is a great way to get other people excited for your mod. And really, when it comes down to it, nobody is going to make your mod for you. You need to find the initiative to learn how to mod (in some capacity). It boils down to your willpower to make a mod. Mod teams need directing, but directing by a leader on the front lines of the project, not on some idea castle throne.

Another case of "help me, HELP YOU!"

And, uh, using this argument won't work at all. Every modder has their own vision for their own mod. If you don't produce a mod, and call it my loss, I'd laugh and call you crazy....

Here's a usedful thread about mods and mod teams and why mods die.....
http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,31522.0.html

Here's a mod that started with a single person, and has developed a team over time...
http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,90002.0.html

Here's another one with a smaller team
http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,120055.0.html


Here's an example of a one-man mod....
http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,122430.0.html

and another
http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,121166.0.html

and another
http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,119948.0.html

and yet another
http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,113157.0.html

and finally, another
http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,123173.0.html

Pay attention to the first post. Read a little. Observe the way they've presented their idea that has gotten other people interested.

I'll tell you right now, someone looking to lead and learn modding from the backseat makes me go

Spoiler

http://s-ak.buzzfed.com/static/imagebuzz/web02/2010/8/26/7/wtf-is-this-****-4259-1282821505-52.jpg

to put it bluntly......

 

[Uhtred Ragnarson]

this whole thread = win.

 

[Cruger]

So the director is taking credit for the actors and photographers and everyone elses work? *sigh*...
Fine, if I can't get help, I'll make the damn thing myself, from scratch. Assuming, I get lucky and actually take the initiative to go through such a grueling process alone.

What was that story where the chicken asks all the animals for help making bread and none of them do, so he makes it himself and doesn't share any? 

But seriously, I'm not sure I'm down for making an entire mod myself...and if by miracle I did, I suppose you can all indulge yourselves in its glory.

Another case of "help me, HELP YOU!"

It would be nice if every director was a professional actor, a professional photographer, a professional costume designer, a professional producer, editor, prop manager, voice actor, etc, but then why would the director even be a director? Might as well just do it all his/herself.

Unfortunately things don't work that way....

This isn't a full time, paid job. As a "coordinator" for a mod, all you'd have to do is sit in your seat, and tell some coders to do X, some modellers to do Y, and some texturers to do Z every now and then. If that's not taking credit for others work, nothing is.

Also, just learning one branch of modding takes a long time, there is only a handful of people that are gods in their field (Highlander and Rubik in coding for example). So this:

I have NEVER made a mod of my own. I always get lost in the complexity and find myself feeling hopeless.
My intentions are to COORDINATE a group of modders and eventually learn every detail of modding myself.

and this:

I am looking to create a team of modders to help me get started with, what I believe will be a very entertaining and breakthrough Mount and Blade mod.

Just makes no sense at all..

 

[GetAssista]

this thread is full of facepalm...

go learn something, young padavan, then collect some experience under your belt.    Yourself.
People would not want to waste their time on educating an immature "manager guy"

 

[Timohept]

And suddenly my once enthusiastic and ambitious goal was reduced to indifference. If I make a mod, I make a mod. If I don't, I don't.

End of thread.


Thanks for all of the enlightenment.