SP Other Unification of Hawai'i (working title)

[Shoelip]

So I've been thinking, and I realize that there're basically no games whatsoever about Hawaii at least not as far as I know.  Test Drive Unlimited is set in a poorly made representation of Oahu with several major landmarks missing but it's about driving expensive cars, The setting is just window dressing as far as I can tell.

Well here's my idea to change that.  This mod would be set during the late 1700s when Kamehameha was conquering the Hawaiian islands in order to eventually become the first king of Hawaii.  I've got some vague ideas about how to go about this, and I want to keep it somewhat historically accurate, but it'd be cool to get some input from people who actually know anything about M&B/WB modding.

Naval Battles would be a must, but there would be no cavalry, and the vast majority of weaponry would be wooden, bone, and stone.  I suppose I'd need to create new scenes as well since well... Calradia doesn't look anything like Hawaii.  And then I'd have to learn 3d modeling and all sorts of stuff.  Which might be a good thing, since actually I've been wanting to learn skills relevant to game development but have never managed to find the motivation.

Anyway, I'll probably need help eventually, so if this peeks anyone's interest please say something.

 

[AWdeV]

Kamehameha is the kingliest name ever. I've also heard some pretty cool stuff about him, so I'm definitely interested. Alas, I have no modding skills so I can't help. Even if I had skills I've made promises to several other mods too, so sorry mate. I'll definitely keep an eye out for the mod though.

 

[FrisianDude]

Hmm, could be cool. I don't know much about Hawaiian equipment, though, did they use any armour?

 

[Lord Benrir]

It certainly sounds as a nice, not to mention creative choice of, setting. And it could also be a quite educating mod for those of us who know nothing of Hawaii's history. ^^

 

[Shoelip]

It certainly sounds as a nice, not to mention creative choice of, setting. And it could also be a quite educating mod for those of us who know nothing of Hawaii's history. ^^

That's exactly what I was saying yesterday on Shores of Hazeron galactic chat channel.  (Which is a great game by the way.  You can find it easily with a google search)  Isn't at least half the fun of learning history learning stuff you don't know?

Hmm, could be cool. I don't know much about Hawaiian equipment, though, did they use any armour?

Well I'm not an authority but I figure as one of the few people with an interest in it I already have an advantage.  There wasn't much in the way of armor as far as I know.  Nobles would wear helmets made of gourds or woven plant fibers and capes of plant fibers with brightly colored feathers.  They didn't have the technology to create metal.  Here's a picture of Kamehameha I's cape.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/wallyg/4822461507/

This video seems pretty useful though I don't know how much the guy knows about subjects other than weapon making.  I've never heard anything about women warriors and find it hard to believe that women would fight along side men when they weren't allowed to eat together. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P0VRfEfiCo

Kamehameha is the kingliest name ever. I've also heard some pretty cool stuff about him, so I'm definitely interested. Alas, I have no modding skills so I can't help. Even if I had skills I've made promises to several other mods too, so sorry mate. I'll definitely keep an eye out for the mod though.

Thanks for expressing interest.  I was beginning to worry there wasn't any.

 

[FrisianDude]

Haha, that cape. They skinned Sesame Street's Big Bird for it, I expect.

 

[Shoelip]

Haha, that cape. They skinned Sesame Street's Big Bird for it, I expect.

Actually if I remember correctly they painstakingly trapped hundreds of tiny yellow birds, extracting only feathers they didn't need to survive before releasing them again until they finally had enough.

 

[FrisianDude]

... stylish.

 

[AWdeV]

That is an impressive cape and an awesome way of getting the materials needed. Kudos to them!

Thinking about it more, I can't say I really know much of anything about the area and its' history. Sure, I've heard of King Kamehameha and that his bodyguard supposedly fought in a great big pike square but I know nothing beyond that. Awesome!

 

[Lord Benrir]

My respect for them just increased by several miles by learning how they got the feathers. ^^
I will follow this mod with great interest, I think.

 

[Almalexia]

Sounds pretty damn cool, good luck to ye.

 

[Thorberg]

My respect for them just increased by several miles by learning how they got the feathers. ^^

I've heard that certain Native American tribes caught and released eagles in the same way to gather feathers. There was some importance to the feathers in the headress being a part of something that still lived which I imagine would similar to the Hawaiian reasoning. Still, a clear difference in scale if you make a cape of feathers from tiny birds 

Edit: Almost forgot, this sounds like a really interesting idea for a mod. As people have already said, it's fascinating to learn something new.

 

[Dryvus]

Hell yes, a tropical island setting would make for a kickass mod.

 

[AWdeV]

Small friendly bump out of interest. How is it going Shoelip? Can you find everything you need? Found interesting and relevant founts of knowledge? 

 

[Shoelip]

I've been thinking about how I might go about this.  It's definitely going to involve more skills than I currently have or have the means to learn in a timely manner.  I've been wanting to go to the Bishop Museum which has a whole section on ancient Hawaii, but I haven't gotten around to it yet.  Actually now that I think abuot it I don't even know what tools I need to start modding.  Is there like, a map editor program or something I could use to make an overland map?

 

[Almalexia]

http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/board,64.0.html

Here you can find tools, tutorials, just about anything you could need. Feel free to ask questions when you get them.

 

[AWdeV]

What TDM just said yeah. Not that I can help much but still. Also, damn, I'd like to visit that museum too.

 

[Shoelip]

Thanks TDM, but I was actually already aware of the forge forum and was hoping for some more specific tips.

 

[FrisianDude]

Hm, to be honest it seems best if you just sort of start with what you want to start with. You're probably going to have to learn to do most stuff yourself and for that those tutorials are best. I'd say it might be best if you start by setting up python properly and familiarize yourself mainly with module_items.py and module_troops.py while researching the subject more and more.

 

[Azrooh]

Thanks TDM, but I was actually already aware of the forge forum and was hoping for some more specific tips.

Here's the map editor:
http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,5646.0.html

Quite user-friendly. Here's a great tutorial:
http://forums.taleworlds.com/index.php/topic,162501.msg3926479.html#msg3926479


Let me know if you need anything else.