Today I bring you some of the most exciting news I’ve ever had since becoming Community Manager for our two biggest RTS franchises, Command & Conquer and The Lord of the Rings, The Battle for Middle-earth. As many of you know, the prospect of releasing an official Mod SDK has been one of my personal goals and milestones for this community for a very long time. From gathering feedback at various community summits to many long e-mail chains with modders in the community, it’s been an epic and worthwhile adventure bringing this Mod SDK to you today!
Behold! The one RTS Mod SDK to rule them all is here! This Mod SDK contains much more power than meets the eye. For all aspiring ‘modders’ out there, it will provide you with some extremely useful developer tools to greatly enhance the production of your mod projects for the original The Battle for Middle-earth, The Battle for Middle-earth II, Command & Conquer Generals, and Command & Conquer Generals Zero Hour.
The Mod SDK includes:
-> 3DS Max 7 Autodesk plug-in (will work with 3DS Max
-> W3D Viewer
-> Asset Cache Builder
-> Extensive Support Documentation for various parts of the 3DS Max plug-in and our W3D viewer
-> Tutorials on our in-house art creation processes and rules for models and maps
Please note that only The Battle for Middle-earth II supports Shader 3.0 which is an exclusive functionality included within the Mod SDK for that game specifically. Also note that all illustrated and technical examples included in the documentation and tutorials are from The Battle for Middle-earth II, but can apply to the other supported games (BFME/C&C Generals/ZH) as well
We’ve done extensive research within our modding community and have found the above tools to be the most critical tools necessary for modders of our RTS games right now. On top of World Builder, these tools will greatly enhance modeling production and open the door to new processes within your modding projects and teams.
I also want to pump up our extensive database of World Builder tutorials where you can learn beginner and advanced skills on creating the best multiplayer maps and single player missions you can put your imagination to. Click the link below.
Here are a couple of quotes from some of your most well respected modders in our RTS community on the release of this Mod SDK:
“I have to say that out of it, the best part has to be the documentation. Not only is it extremely detailed, but it’s handy to have it all in one spot (compared to previously there being only 1 or 2 decent tutorials, all on different websites). Little things, such as the art creation rules are a big help to have. I'm not much of a modeler, but I can tell that the maxscript files will be a huge hit. My mod is still early on in development, but the 3dsmax w3d exporter saves a lot of hassle. I use 3dsmax8, and it worked just fine. I tested for Generals, Zero Hour and Battle for Middle Earth 2 and had no problems. Before the updated exporter we couldn't export directly from 3dsmax, we had to export as 3ds, load it in gmax, THEN export it as w3d. All in all, not only are the tools a great help but it also gives a big thumbs up to the C&C modding scene. This is all a major sign of support for the community, and it is very much appreciated.”
“One very nice benefit so far is the documentation; been reading through all that and learning some good tips. My version of Max (6) is old but it looks like it accepts the W3D export shaders and export tools fine. I like the updated W3D viewer, esp. the lighting adjustments to match what you see in Worldbuilder. I'm still spending time going through this version but it’s great to have the documentation too, now it’s a lot less mysterious to me.”
– spyVspy, Halogen Mod Lead Texture Artist
For me, today marks a major milestone for EALA and our development team’s commitment to supporting the community and modding community at large for our RTS games. Unleashing these tools to the community will help create fantastic mod projects, maps, models, and more. Supporting our mod community is very important to us.
Please share this exciting news with your communities. I would appreciate and love to hear any feedback or comments you have on this Mod SDK, the release, the tools, and documentation it contains as well as any tools you would like to see in potential future Mods.
Thanks and HAPPY MODDING!
APOC
“Every day is community day”
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I've installed this package here few minutes ago. It requires Microsoft Framework.net 2.0 (although it comes with it). The W3D Viewer also requires MFC71.DLL, that I still have to download from somewhere Google will point me to...
There are a lot of scripts for every kind of LOTR related stuff and the documentation is extensive as he says. If anyone was expecting any information about the new chunks from the W3D formats, then it's a bad news. Nothing on the file format was revealed, although the documentation should help to figure out what's new.
Enjoy it and use it for Zero Hour modelling. If you have win98, I really feel sorry for you... you should get some random linux and try using Wine.. because the whole stuff was done for Windows XP. Last edited by Banshee on Fri Jul 14, 2006 2:51 am; edited 1 time in total QUICK_EDIT
Posted: Fri Jul 14, 2006 1:32 pm Post subject:
Re: Big Kudos for EA: BfME2 Mod SDK Released!
It's funny how Apoc knows himself it'll mostly be used by n00bs...
APOC wrote:
[...] For all aspiring ‘modders’ out there [...]
What's also interesting is how Apoc, once again, plays the happy little fanboy, mixed with the die-hard behind-enemy-lines SEAL that's fighting for our good in the hostile world of EA's offices.
Bullshit.
If it was about the community, they'd have released this stuff way earlier (e.g. with BfME II). So before you praise EA for their kindness, think about the following:
A good mod generally takes several years of developement to make. Getting a certain, better level of familiar with the environment should be doable in about a year. What, again, was happening next year? Oh right....they're releasing a new game on a pimped version of the same engine...
So right when you're done becoming a l33t modder, they'll release The Quest For Dollars and tell you that you practically have to learn nothing new and can start modding right away, thereby
- creating an instant modding-community that skips the whole learning process
- prompting total conversions that were started after the release of this SDK to move to C+C3
Let's have look: The release of the SDK at this point in time means:
- New interest in Generals, Zero Hour, BfME and BfME II
- Modders are trained right in time for C+C3, and
- Create a modding community around the game immediately after release
- Lots of unfinished projects might switch to the "new engine"
- There's a chance the entire community will just migrate
So, by releasing something they could have released months and years ago, they ensure popularity of past products, while preparing the modders to buy the new product and laying foundation for the new product's community.
Love for the community? Hell no.
A smart move? Hell yes.
Sure, it's out now, it apparently has some neat stuff, so enjoy while you can. But never forget: This is just another tactical release so you get connected to the engine and buy C+C3 when it's out.
Well, here is a brief crude review, based on what experience i had in both generals and renegade with the gmax tools.
+Pluses
1)It's more professional
2)GridWSClassicEnvironment and WSGridEnvironment for BFME modders.
3)Fair Documentation
-Minuses
1)Removed Translucency (in Vertex Material) and Second Gradient (in shaders) EVEN THOUGHT THEY WERE usefull AND SUPPORTED. This also makes the specular color feature USELESS, since SecGradient must be enabled for Specular to work. Interesting fact: SPECULAR LIGHTING IS SUPPORTED.
2)What the heck are these? All of them are undocumented:
-(W3D Shaders)In PriGradient-BumpEnvLum and Mod 2x?
-(W3D Shaders)In DetailColor-AddSigned, AddSigned2X and Scale2X?
-(W3D Shaders)In DetailColor SubR AND Blend are undocumented.
3)Frames, Pass Hint and a lot of other features from the W3D Textures tab are missing.Why? They CAN be used AND WORK for the creation of animated textures.
4)The Following were removed:
-Renegade Terrain Export Options, AA Box Geometry Option, Level Of Detail (LOD- In BOTH W3D VIEWER AND THE MAX PLUGINS), Shatter Geometry Option, ALL COLLISION OPTIONS. I don't understand WHY was Renegade cut from this? Are Renegade Modders stuck with gMax for creating maps FOREVER? I guess EA really doesn't give a ztype about Renegaders. It's funny thought, Surface Type is still available for some strange reason...
5)No W3D Importer of any kind...
It's also obvious that if you look at EA's W3D Documentation and compare it with Westwood's W3D Documentation, you'll find that EA's version is simply a rip-off of WW's version. THEY DIDN'T DOCUMENT THE NEW FEATURES OR EVEN CHANGE MUCH OF THE IMAGES IN THE IMAGES FOLDER!!!
Points: 3/10.
EA left an entire community (Renegade) hanging with gmax, that is about to go extinct. Need i remind you that thanks to a "riot" at the Turbosquid Forums last year, the community and I managed to keep the gmax tool alive, just until EA release the 3DS tools (my nick was Mad6822 there). What happens when the big folks at Autodesk finally decide that gmax must come to an end? Bye-bye Renegade maps, bye-bye Renegade Vehicles, Infantry and Buildings...the 3DS Tools can't support the creation of those...I believe that 3/10 is too much for what they have done, but 2/10 is kind of pushy. Remember, they are releasing this for free (OMG!!!!11111oneoneoneeleven(111-100))
This review will be updated, after i work more with the tools.
*Fixed some spelling*
EDIT2: look below, i am still having a second thought about that 2/10... _________________ -Mad Ivan
[Dark Heart Studios] [CnC World] Last edited by johnym on Sat Jul 15, 2006 12:31 am; edited 1 time in total QUICK_EDIT
(!!!)Rendering Error in W3D View.
The new W3D View does not render 2-pass Bumped materials (BumpEnv mapper in second pass).
BumpEnv Surface in WW's W3D View. The bumps are rendered correctly.
BumpEnv Surface in EA's W3D View. For some strange reason, the Environment mapper is rotating and is used like a BumpEnv mapper. This is not how it should be.
I've attached the Max, W3D and Textures in a zip archive.
EDIT: Almost forgot that BumpEnv isn't documented just like it wasn't in Westwood's original tutorials. A lot of Mapper Arguments aren't documented as well...
EDIT#2:Moved images to photobucket for forum visitors convinience. Also, i couldn't find any way to enable the DAZZLES menu in 3DS.
It works like this. You place a dazzle.ini in your 3ds/gmax and Generals folders and you can use dazzles in your models.
Now, this is what a Dazzle menu in gMax/RenX looks like when you've placed the dazzle.ini in your gMax Folder:
However the same method does not work in 3ds:
Dazzles don't work on Generals (the engine code is there, but disabled) and in the new W3D Viewer. But can anybody check if they work on BFMEII?
I have attached (another) zip file, containing a W3D File of a box and the dazzle.ini. Place dazzle.ini in your BFMEII directory and simply attach the box to a unit and check if it works. The included textures must be placed in the Textures.big or whatever it is named in BFMEII.
The effect looks like this:
On the left, there is the box. Notice the WW Logo.
On the bottom right, you see the same box seen from distance. Notice the WW logo getting bigger. That is the dazzle.
EDIT#3:
Emitters, Aggregates, Primitives, Sound Objects and LOD Export functions have been removed from W3D View. Even thought Emitters, Aggregates, Primitives and LOD were AVAILABLE IN GENERALS AND 100% USEFULL.
N-PATCH Subdivision level and anything N-PATCH related has been removed from W3D View.
Full-Screen mode and Movie Capture have also been removed. TWO VERY USEFULL FEATURES. The same goes for Bitmap For Background. It made cameo creation a lot easier...
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Big Kudos for EA: BfME2 Mod SDK Released!
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