Leaderboard

I honestly don't know, but that's the original author's decision to make. No matter how nonsensical something might seem, you still have to respect other people's wishes. Yes, it does. And there was never any bad blood on my part. I was simply concerned darthbdaman didn't understand the consequences: years of your work was wasted, people looking forward to the mod are left without, and a rift was created with some modders. Fortunately, you can create something else in its place. To you, as well, friend! I'm writing a tool that's even more proprietary than a mod, and I plan to release its source freely along with a detailed explanation of its design methodology. So, I agree with you in spirit. Still, if someone else has restrictions on their work I will respect those restrictions. If you think that's wrong then you need to discuss that with folks. That's just how life is.

That's like saying it was so much better than contracting herpes. True, but not necessarily a high bar to pass.

I still am.

It whould be great if someone could make a mod that allows you to bleed lightsaber crystals (more specifically lightsaber crystals of the jedi that you find in the game. Vrook,sez kai ell,Kavar,Kaevee,etc...) giving you dark side points in the process.

Oh I get it. So, "Pure Restoration" only includes the dialogue that Obsidian intended for Dustil to say and "Added Content Installation" includes the stuff that Fallen Guardian decided to add to it?

Obviously, I agree with this and think everyone should ask permission as a courtesy. I still think it is healthy to point out that closed permissions should not be the default mindset of mod authors, and there isn't any good reason why it has become so.

Hello, DI! No apology needed at all. Thank you for keeping in touch here and giving me your reasons. You have always been very polite and kind to me in the past and perhaps that was one of the reasons I had assumed that your permission for more of your content was nothing but a formality. Yes, you are right about that and I apologized for it but truth to be told, at that page I did write that the list was just a WIP list (I removed the list so that disclaimer cannot be read anymore but I hope some of you may have noticed it) and not final by any means. It was mostly meant to show that it was a community project with many contributors that were willing to be part of it. I swear I was going to ask permission for each new piece of modification that I would've in the end decided to include (I had already started the process with @eNoodles, @jc2, @DeadMan, @uwadmin12, @N-DReW25, @R2-X2and @ndix UR. They all can confirm that I have sent messages to them and obtained permission from them this last month and half, when a release date was getting closer. Plus others from other communities, like Nexus, and from which I received permission). I was leaving last those I was truly convinced would never deny permission like yourself, @Kexikus and @JCarter426. Again, I had assumed that it was mostly a formality for people that had known me for a long time and with whom I collaborated (like @DarthParametric, for instance, a real mentor and source of inspiration, just like @Fallen Guardianhas been in the past) and with whom I have always considered myself at friendly terms. I do understand that it did leave a sour taste although I understand a little less why anyone who agreed to be onboard would deny permission for other modifications produced later. I am the same person, I was crediting properly the author, thanking everyone there for their contributions, including the original Read Me files of the mod and I was going to put a link to the original modifications as well. Not to mention I was surely going to keep the content updated in case the original author would come out with a new version. So... all I am trying to say is I don't understand what harm I was going to do with this project. It was a gift to the community and an homage to all of you. I, like every other modder, was not profiting from this in any way and was trying to offer a single modification for the users to install to get the best of all worlds (at least in my opinion). Your three mods are very nice but by all means they are not truly "necessary" but after you DarthParametric joined in denying permission for his own modifications and he has authored really many that were part of SW: KotOR Upgrade because he is a great and talented modder. There was a cascade effect that perhaps would have not stopped there but could have extended to other authors that, like you, took offense. Still, even if it was just your own three modifications to be missing I would have still felt poorly about a release. I had actually edited your SIth Holocron because in my install the icon was too big and wouldn't fit in with the original Bioware look for inventory items. I didn't want to "downgrade" what I was trying to create and cripple something that was working beautifully well. I could not guarantee compatibility with the removed modifications because they were integrated inside SW: KotOR Upgrade and there were edits made and it would simply have not worked. My own work, which was quite considerable, cannot really be at this point released as a series of mini-mods and it's thus not going to see the light of the day. I could post WIP of much of what I created. I wrote over 300 new scripts for the game. I tried to improve some AI behavior and created custom content of various kind. It's all going to be lost but it's alright. I can personally still enjoy what I made of course but I am sad nobody else will ever do. I'm still very, very grateful for everyone that created and shared their modifications. Cheers! - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Hello @AmanoJyaku! Absolutely. I respect the wishes of the original authors. I am sure they have their reasons but, just like you, I don't know what they are. Yes, looking back of course I would have behaved differently. I didn't really need this and it saddened me because my integrity was sort of questioned and I don't feel like I deserved it. I made a mistake but I am no thief. Have a great 2021 and thanks for the work you are doing for this community.

Hey @Logan23. I wouldnt mind helping where you need it. I have experience coding, mainly in web based code like java, js, html, css etc. but i know at least the general premises of other languages like C, C++. I could help out wherever you need it ideally. I have a system that can handle the game quite well. I got my degree in March of 2020 in software development let me know mate!

Hello @AmanoJyaku, There won't be a next time. All the original work that I have produced will never be released in any form. And, unlike what DarthParametric seemed to imply with his post above, there was a lot of original content there, including restoration of unseen material (for the latest WIP of one of the most important part interested people can take a look here) and a considerable number of various improvements, some of which I have even posted here through the years. Of course work was under way. I have been working on this for years. But it was not a rogue operation. My error, for which I apologize(d), was to make a temporary list public before I could gather the new permissions for new mods released by authors that in the past okayed the inclusion of some of their work. A wrong assumption, I realize, but on the other hand, why would someone say "All right" to one and "No" to another? I admit I have thought it was more of a formality than anything else but I have learned the hard way that I should have kept that list private and asked each contributor first. In the end, it would have been shut down anyway because DarthParametric clearly said he would have denied permission for many of the modifications I intended to include and the whole point of this project of mine was to provide the end user with a single modification that would take care of everything, making sure possible mod conflicts were properly removed, working with the original material for proper integration. I am left wondering what kind of harm could I ever have caused to anyone by making something available to the community which I believed had value, by properly crediting every and each author, by going as far as including the original modification Read Me when available. Perhaps someone can be so kind to explain it to me. Well, I am sorry about that but there was nothing I could have done to make it happen anyway. I have been asked for permission to use my material sometimes both in public and in private, I contributed (being also credited) to the K1 Community Project and I am still doing it. I have never denied permission nor did I ever ask for being credited (although it is nice when that happens) for anything I created. My main mistake has been to believe that fellow modders of this community who have known me for years shared the same philosophy and trusted me enough to not harm any of them by releasing something that I have since inception identified as a Community Project. Life goes on and I hope there won't be any bad blood left. Happy new year!

So, I see that you're still working on the project alone and I thought I might give some insight as to why, just based on everything I can see in this thread. Right now, we only have an eight page concept doc for what you're pitching as a literal sequel to KOTOR II. A concept doc is a great starting point, but as it stands, it looks like you might be putting the cart ahead of the horse, as you're already going into level design and putting cutscenes together. Ten years of modding experience is fantastic, but how much writing experience do you have? Narrative writing, I mean. Is this another area you have a lot of experience in? I took a look at your work, and it seems to be mainly technical stuff. Don't get me wrong, you look like you know what you're doing as a modder, but I think the skepticism is coming with the story itself and if it has been fully thought out. For reference, a script to a feature film can sometimes take up to a year to write. At least, if you want it to be good. An RPG story, meanwhile, would take much longer unless you were an incredibly experienced writer or had other writers helping you out (and even then, I don't think they'd be able to do it in just a week). So I guess a lot of people might be wondering if you have anything more to show than the concept you linked at the beginning? Is there a full script you're working from? Do you have a firm understanding of plot mechanics, story structure, worldbuilding, character writing, themes, etc? Does your story have its own unique hook? Have you sought out help to fully realise your ideas on a writing level? Have you given thought to what the story will be about on that broader, thematic level? What made KOTOR II really work was Chris' focus on deconstructing The Force and the RPG genre, which allowed him to explore existential themes of freewill and the like. You'll also notice that every character in the game is broken in some way, and that is very much by design. The story is that of a broken galaxy filled with broken planets that are the homes extremely broken people. This was the first time we'd really seen the aftermath of one of these huge, galactic conflicts and seen the consequences of such wars from the point of view of everyday people. If you want your mod to live up to that legacy, it'll need its own hook. It will need an incredible amount of thought put into what kind of meaningful story you can tell in this universe. How do the threads left behind by the last two games converge in a thoughtful way? I haven't worked on a game before, but I have worked on film and other creative projects, and I'll tell you from experience, no one is going to jump on board unless you have a polished script in place. Especially when no one is being payed, it's difficult to commit to a story-driven project that doesn't have concrete story beyond an outline. And let's not mince words, this is a story-driven project, no matter how the mod turns out. KOTOR isn't an action game. The gameplay on its own is never going to be compelling enough to sustain a full-length campaign, so the story and characters really have to be strong for this to be worthwhile. This might be difficult to hear, but I'm only saying this because I want this project to be amazing. I'm still tweaking my own screenplay after a year and half of redrafting. Still taking on feedback and getting different perspectives on it, and some of the most important elements of my story came months after that initial draft, the majority of the most important moments in my story weren't even in my initial outline, an outline that was still about 40 pages long, and this is only for a ninety minute film. There's just not much here to really grasp onto beyond the curiosity of how the project is going to unfold, so that's why a lot of people probably aren't leaping at the chance to help. The promise of KOTOR III is enticing, but only if there is a solid foundation in place, which right now, there really isn't. My advice would be to keep your assets and everything you've done so far, maybe continue to work on the mod on & off, but refocus on your priorities on creating a finished, polished script that tells a compelling story with branching paths. You really want the characters, themes and worldbuilding to leap off the page before you commit them to the game itself. I know this might not be the easiest thing to hear, and I'm not trying to be harsh by any measure, I just know how much work these huge project are, and what always makes or breaks them is how much time was spent in the planning stages, and right now, it's looking like you spent a week on it before immediately moving into development. I could be very off-base here, but from the outside, it does look like there's only a rough outline and everything else is kind of being made up as you go along. Perhaps instead of trying to get modders on board, you should be looking for people with writing experience to flesh out the story. People who are great with characters. People who know the Star Wars universe inside & out. People who have a solid understand of plot and structure to help bring your vision to its fullest potential before it even reaches a game screen. You're free to do what you want, but that's how I feel you'll get more people on board. People will gladly work for free if they have full confidence or are extremely compelled by a concept. At the moment, it's looking a bit half-baked, so you might want to flesh things out before proceeding. Conversely, this will also speed development along, as you won't be figuring out all the details as you go along. It'll give you a completed blueprint, and the main challenge will be the "how" as opposed to the "what".