Author Topic: Anyone think more addons should be open? (Read 4838 times)

d · December 27, 2017, 01:45:14 AM

I think the gamemode function is a very good way to get ideas and servers created without much setup required. Unfortunately, gamemodes get used but not put onto an add-on site. Gamemodes should be published because:

It creates the foundation for more gamemodes and a larger gamemode coding community
It gets more players into the game (and getting more to enjoy it) by allowing hand-crafted and pre-packaged experiences to be loaded easily

Instead, the current Blockland climate is filled with good gamemodes getting hosted once or twice and then disappearing to be seen next year, or sometimes never again.
Anyone else feel this way? I couldn't really think of how to phrase this well, but I just had a thought that needed to get out.
Oh yeah I think this is what got GD to 1000 pages.

This used to be a gamemode discussion but now it's more private addon discussion. The above paragraph still applies to all addons.

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Electrk.. · December 27, 2017, 01:48:18 AM

I can only speak for myself, but I know that I've hosted a few gamemodes that were very ad-hoc and poorly-coded so I would be embarrassed to release them lol

d · December 27, 2017, 01:50:09 AM

Quote from: Electrk.. on December 27, 2017, 01:48:18 AM

I can only speak for myself, but I know that I've hosted a few gamemodes that were very ad-hoc and poorly-coded so I would be embarrassed to release them lol

Honestly it's about providing something for people to work with. I've seen Crown's Jailbreak and Scenery's Tournaments getting a bunch of players but them only getting hosted once or twice but not being actually available for people to play again. What about more maps or modes for such gamemodes? That's just not possible with private gamemodes with only a few developers.

Mr.No�ody · December 27, 2017, 02:07:57 AM

I agree. To me, gamemodes are/were supposed to be the front and center hook for new players to get into the game. Being easy to load and self-containing games, they are theoretically perfect for new players. However, Blockland doesn't have enough start-and-play gamemodes. I mean, we have a few but not enough to really hold new players attention for very long. Normally, the people who stick around are the ones looking for a platform to make stuff on which limits the player base.

I imagine if there were just a gamemode consisting of a massive area made for vehicle driving complete with a wide variety of vehicles, it would go over very well.
You know, something to play around with.

Sadly, the issue is two-fold when potential content made for new players is effectively hidden in the 'hard to find' modding community/forums. The only places to find this content is either on the forums here, or through an alternative platform for addons (also lost in the jungles that are these forums). I believe we're dead in the water until the community has a good way to showcase custom content to players disconnected to the forums. Either that, or a more active game moderator that introduces additional default content even temporarily/cyclically.

My current issue is that I'm still unsure how to properly set up a gamemode. It doesn't seem like a very friendly process...

Car Selling Pyro · December 27, 2017, 03:16:40 AM

private add-ons in general are the absolute scourge of this game, that dragon add-on makes me furious each time i see it on trog's server

speaking about gamemodes though, there's not a ton that i know that's revolutionary enough to see code from, maybe conan's prison break or swollow's mad max, but that's about it on my end

that's why i really appreciate event-oriented gamemodes, all that you really need to do is look at the save file to see what events you need and you can host it with your own twist

Quote from: d on December 27, 2017, 01:45:14 AM

It creates the foundation for more gamemodes and a larger gamemode coding community

if you're looking for untapped potential, there's a metric forgetton of limit-breaking functionality in kobble's singleplayer campaign gamemodes that's incredibly easy to learn yourself

there's an event add-on port made in the golden wrench campaign that freezes the game, quietly clears the save, loads another save, and unfreezes the game to welcome you to another build

you know what all you could do with that if you mixed in VCE? variable saving/loading? totalRPG? custom bot events? camera control events? server_largermusicfiles with the stereo deletion lines commented out?

the most actual scripting i needed to do with my RPG shenanigans are HP bar prints because i'd have to go crazy with onvariabletrue/false otherwise

anyone can make a groundbreaking singleplayer gamemode without any scripting at all, it's insane how most people brushed those campaigns off

Khaz · December 27, 2017, 03:25:01 AM

yeah private addons are loving stupid. i can understand if the mod is unfinished or buggy or if you just havent gotten around to posting it somewhere but if you have private addons for the sake of having private addons and deliberately wont share it because of that then youre a rooster

Platypi · December 29, 2017, 02:20:47 AM

Quote from: Electrk.. on December 27, 2017, 01:48:18 AM

I can only speak for myself, but I know that I've hosted a few gamemodes that were very ad-hoc and poorly-coded so I would be embarrassed to release them lol

I feel you there. Although it's probably still good practice to release projects after you've abandoned them. Just include "this doesn't work very well" disclaimers.

Quote from: Mr.No�ody on December 27, 2017, 02:07:57 AM

My current issue is that I'm still unsure how to properly set up a gamemode. It doesn't seem like a very friendly process...

Indeed. Here's a good place to start, though. Also, I wish Slayer had a little more documentation for gamemode developers. You have to dig through their code just to understand how to get a basic Slayer minigame running. It's potential is stifled by the simple lack of a short PDF or HTML page explaining how to create a gamemode with Slayer.

Quote from: Car Selling Pyro on December 27, 2017, 03:16:40 AM

private add-ons in general are the absolute scourge of this game

I always respected what Xalos did in this forum post. Wish more modders would follow suit.

Quote from: Car Selling Pyro on December 27, 2017, 03:16:40 AM

that's why i really appreciate event-oriented gamemodes, all that you really need to do is look at the save file to see what events you need and you can host it with your own twist

Something needs to be done to make gamemode creation easier for non-coders. I've talked with a few creators who only use events for their gamemodes. As someone who just codes their stuff instead, I can't believe how much they can accomplish (or are willing to accomplish) with how limited events can be. Something as simple as a "Create Gamemode" button, that takes the current save, minigame settings, add-on loadout, and environment, and packages it all into a gamemode. (Maybe that should be my next project.)

Quote from: Car Selling Pyro on December 27, 2017, 03:16:40 AM

if you're looking for untapped potential, there's a metric forgetton of limit-breaking functionality in kobble's singleplayer campaign gamemodes that's incredibly easy to learn yourself
...
anyone can make a groundbreaking singleplayer gamemode without any scripting at all, it's insane how most people brushed those campaigns off

Kobble's work is fantastic. "The Golden Wrench" is the pinnacle of what singleplayer gamemode can be. Singleplayer gamemodes are super underrated. I think it's largely a symptom of the post-LAN-party gaming world we live in. People are too focused on getting high playercounts, rather than just making something fun.

Kyuande · December 29, 2017, 04:19:18 AM

For me with my private add-ons, the problem is the time I have to make just to at least package them. I will not release a mod that isn't packaged, I say this because I remember people releasing unpackaged add-ons and no one still packages it (even though no one cared and still asked to release it) to help release whatever it is, so to me there's no point in releasing an unpackaged add-on if no one else will do it.

This is how a quarter of my private add-ons are. They are nested in another add-on (but should be separate), or they don't work properly, they will take more time for anyone else to fix it rather than me. I dislike editing other people's add-ons, I had to fix at least 10 add-ons to avoid console errors completely.

Other than my complaint in the first comment this weekend I will package nearly everything that I have done in the past and release it in Modification since not everything is fully done. Maybe I will just put them where they belong if they are done. Sorry, Randomizer is not on the list for release, and a few other add-ons need more time before they should be released.

Gytyyhgfffff · December 29, 2017, 10:23:41 AM

i don't release anything because its not worth the effort. i've seen good gamemodes released like that 100 trials gamemode and castle crashers and rescue the princess that are all good in their own right and were praised but never hosted again. i also would have to do a massive amount of work to make my gamemodes usable by anyone because people will expect this stuff to be easy to use instead of a pain in the ass like it is now. for tournaments people will want to change the items in the tournament and change the maps and stuff and there's no easy way to do that right now. and when adding on the bug fixing i would have to do after release, because there will be bugs, i don't see any point. if i just release the gamemode as is, nobody would be willing to go through and fix anything unless they had an absolute passion for it because most of the stuff we're keeping private like electrk is said purpose built and poorly coded and commented. nobody will learn jack or stuff from tournaments or any of my other stuff because its a disaster of code and aspiring coders will be better off trying to figure out the math and code by themselves instead of being tainted by my mess

you're also overestimating how much people liked tournaments. people played for 2 and a half weeks then the server died. i shut it off after another 2 weeks of it getting no players.

K�tt · December 29, 2017, 02:45:12 PM

remastering/making reactionary gamemodes that are multiple steps above typical, bland and sometimes broken gamemodes is sort of my go-to now

i would love to get used to torquescript and mod a ton of stuff and make a gamemode out of it and i have the time, it's just i have a lack of motivation. it's like "art block" but you're not blocked from drawing art, you're just blocked from not really working on things and getting down to coding

Khaz · December 29, 2017, 02:53:03 PM

what kott said

im an excellent builder and can event things to an extent but there's only so much events can do so knowing how to script would make things alot easier

i just dont know where or how to start with torquescript.

Ibaminus · December 29, 2017, 03:20:17 PM

The thing is why People don't release their gamemodes is because they will die out REALLY quickly and most of their gamemodes are broken or not done like Visolator stated out.

K�tt · December 29, 2017, 03:53:45 PM

Quote from: Khaz on December 29, 2017, 02:53:03 PM

i just dont know where or how to start with torquescript.

i did learn how to get started in a way that i got some help from certain coder friends and some of them will give you the same advice once you get to know the basics on the elements of coding:

"just read actual code and you can get used to it"

two and a half limericks · December 29, 2017, 03:55:05 PM

Quote from: Ibaminus on December 29, 2017, 03:20:17 PM

The thing is why People don't release their gamemodes is because they will die out REALLY quickly

how would making it possible for more than one person to host a gamemode kill it quicker

FelipeO_O_ · December 29, 2017, 04:59:23 PM

uh yeh

what is the point in making them private?

its not like you will make any profit from it.