DarthErdan's Modding Projects Thread

[DarthErdan]

Hello.  My name is DarthErdan.  This will be the thread where I will discuss, post, and brainstorm ideas and even greenlit modding projects of various typees, most of them for KOTOR 2: TSL, but I will make some mods for the original game as well.  Alright, to start this thread off, here are the greenlit or in consideration works that I am planning as of right now.

Project 1: The Ravager: Expanded Edition

Status: Greenlit

Ambitious Scale: High

This is one of the top focused greenlit mod project for TSL that I have. I have already made a post on this separate from this one recently on this very forum, (I regret doing that now, I should have included the topic of this mod in this thread instead of a separate post, but back then I didn't conceive of that)

Given I already stated my thoughts and ideas in that separate post, I will just link it here:

 

If you want a summary and a TLDR on this post here it is: Remember Zybyl2? I believe they were on of the TSLRCM team.  Back in the day, they made a mod called "Ravager Rewrite", (hosted on GamFront).

My mod is a similar idea to tha, but it is more nuanced and complicated.  I need to clarify that my mod will NOT be an update to the Ravager Rewrite, it will entirely be written and directed by me and my own intepretation of what the Ravager will be like in a more "complete edition".   Okay, with that in mind, let me summarize it for you: The Ravager in vanilla TSL, even the TSLRCM, feels kind of unfinished story-wise and even out of place in some areas.  My mod will try to expand on the whole level and part of the story for the Ravager, and if needed, tweak some parts to fit seamlessly.  I will try to be as accurate to cut content from the original devs of KOTOR II, but since we BARELY have anything on the plan for the Ravager, this mod will mostly be custom made content that will just try to make more expanded sense of the level, even if the expanded stuff is completely fanon, (in which it most probably will be). I want to make this mod compatible with TSLRCM, (MAYBE even the vanilla game? I don't know, THAT part needs to be in consideration).

Project 2: Darth Nihilus New Model (Maybe a Pack)

Status: Partially Greenlit (I am for sure at least making ONE Darth Nihilus new model, but the model pack is in consideration and may or may not proceed)

Ambitious Scale: Kind of High, (Will be higher if I proceed with the model pack)

This one is probably even more top priority than the Ravager: Expanded Edition mod.  This one will be easier to do, but may be harder than I think if the model pack part is greenlit.  In a nutshell, it is in the name: A brand new model, (maybe even multiple brand new models if the model pack is made), of Darth Nihilus that is a completely different mesh(es) from the vanilla game that fits my aesthetic taste. If the model pack parrt proceeds, some of these other extra models will be based off of KOTOR II promotional art, with alternate reskin variations, (as some concept or promotional art of Nihilus in KOTOR II looks the same, but he has bloodier red aesthetic around his eyeholes in some vs others).  If not, at the very least one model, (a model I have been DYING to make), will come out eventually.  If I proceed with the model pack, or even just that one model, I hope you guys will enjoy any one of them that you think is coolest for the game best.  I will also put an optional addon for Nihilus to have either Red Force Lightning exclusively for him in this mod, and a higher mesh quality and skinned lightsaber made just for him, (that looks like his in-universe lightsaber as depicted in media outside of KOTOR II). The Red Force Lightning addons and the new lightsaber model can be both used as addons with the new Nihilus model, (or model pack), but one or the other can be used exlcusively instead for the model, (or model pack).  Regardless, of your choosing, these addons will be optional for the model, (or model pack). Some elements of the new Nihilus model, (and MAYBE the other models in the model pack), will be generated from AI 3D programs or sites, (for now, it will just be the masl, everything else I will try to craft man-made). Even the mask, if it is not perfect in shape or UV maps, will be tweaked if needed.  Just a heads up for people.

Project 3: The Ravager's Death New BIK Movie

Status: Greenlit

Ambitious Scale: High

I have made a post on this back at the general modding discussion forum recently, but basically I want to make a brand new BIK movie for the Ravager's explosion scene in KOTOR II.  Long story short, the Ravager is like a skeleton fragile ship, and thus it should be far more fragile and unstable than a typical ship, being held together by only it's owner and master Darth Nihilus's will. The proton cores set by the Mandalorians in my opinion are very destructive according to what I got, combine that with the Ravager's ghost and skeletal ship scructure, it makes total logical sense for he Ravager to be way more blown apart and disintegrated than the vanilla BIK movie already shows, (plus, I like explosions that cause a lot of destruction, because I like visuals like that for whatever reason, haha).  With that said, I want the BIK movie to look like it is in the animation and style of the original one, and same lighting, filming, and position of filming, almost as if it is a remake of the original BIK itself.  However, the BIK movie in this one will be slightly higher in resolution and quality to make the experience more cinematic. I am debating whether this should release as a separate mod file or if it can be an optional addon to the "Ravager: Expanded Edition" mod.

Project 4: In-game Ravager Brand New Module

Status: In consideration, (I really want this mod to come to life, but what is making me doubt is how hard it will be, especially where I am at in modding right now)

Ambitious Scale: Really High

Yes, yes, ANOTHER Ravager mod.  I gurantee this will be the last one though.  For context, the Ravager is constantly being referred to as a ship that has been ruined in battles during the Mandalorian Wars and even crushed and heavily ruined by the Mass Shadow Generator in the final battle of war: On Malachor V. Nihilus at some point in time made the Ravager gruesomely welded back together in a mesh of metal to create a devastated ghost skeletal ship, held together by his will and power, a lot like how Darth Sion does it with his own ruined body.  The concept art of the Ravager for KOTOR II, and it's depiction in the short prequel comic Unseen Unheard, (a black and white comic written by Avellone himself, and art of the Ravager's depiction in the comic is based off of the official game concept art), looks like just how the game describes it: Ruined, brittled, and held together.  The vanilla in-game depiction of the Ravager does resemble that, but far less.  It look WAAAY more stable and almost like as if the floors and walls and even ceilings sometimes have been fixed and repaired, making it look like a way more stable ship.  This mod, (not truly greenlit yet, but I really want it to come to life), will be a faithful depiction and portrayal of the concept art and comic Ravager, especially the bridge, brought to life in an accurate way.  This one will be hard, so that is why I am considering on this.  The Ravager's Death new BIK movie scene will be compatible with this mod, (who knows, maybe the Ravager's Death New BIK Movie may even not be a sepparate mod, but included as an optional addon, I haven't really decided yet). This will also be compatible with the Ravager: Expanded Edition mod, and TSLRCM.

Project 5: Darth Sion's Death Presented as a BIK movie

Status: Greenlit

Ambitious Scale: High, (will be easier than the Ravager's Death New BIK Movie though).

Darth Sion is one of the most fascinating villains in KOTOR for me.  For those who have played the games and know Sion's role very well, I guess I will assume you know what he is going through.  Now, here is the idea of this mod:  In KOTOR 2, the game, Sion just falls down and dies a like a normal NPC like every other one, and you can loot his remains. The lore, (the KOTOR Campaign Guide, released in 2008) states that he went through "absolute necrosis", but the game couldn't render anything glorious at the time.  Necrosis is bascially the chaotic, unprogrammed death of cells that can be severe, and sadly it is a thing in real-life.  Since Sion is stated to go through "ABSOLUTE" necrosis, I took it as Sion rapidly rots and completely decomposes rapidly, (That is what I took from the text, I could be wrong). Even if the text didn't mean it by that, that makes sense to me and would be a fitting way for Sion to go considering his nature, (like how Nihilus "evaporates" or "sublimates" into a "cloud" of scarlet red dark side energy with red strings of lightning coming out, given his nature). I want to make Sion rapidly decay and sucumb to the "absolute necrosis", but I want it to be not "dusting" or "rapidly decay into dust" like a vampire or Walter Donovan's Holy Grail death from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. 

Instead, I want to make it so that Sion goes through a much more realistic and "necrosis" way of rapid decay, yes, Sion will be reduced to utter dust EVENTUALLY, but the dust will be heavily reduced and so small and scattered that it looks like he completely broke apart from existence, but BEFORE he goes through the "dusting" stage, I want him to be completely rapidly rotting and decomposing in a "necrosis" style way.  Of course, for my own sanity and for other people, and more, I don't want it to look SO groteque and horrifying that people get disgusted or traumatized, that is a line I don't want to cross, but realistic enough that you can tell that he is sucumbing to absolute decay, without making things too violent or gross. 

So, with all that said, the in-game engine can obviously NOT render that.  So instead I will be making a BIK movie clip that will be in the KOTOR BIK movie animation, style, and all of that, but a little more higher in sharp quality and resolution.  After Sion says his final words: "I am glad to leave this place, at last", the game will immediatly trigger the BIK movie cutscene, Sion rapidly dissolves to necrosis and then disnitegrates so utterly eventually into dust that it looks like he is gone, and then the movie ends and the in-game engine is brought back again, with the in-game Sion NPC nowwhere to be found.  This mod will not be for the faint of heart.  I will try my very best to make it look like KOTOR style of animation, and not too gross and grotesque to my best ability, but even then I would advise that people who are sensitive to visuals like this may not want to install this mod, or maybe I am overthinking it, who knows.

Project 6: The Star Forge Revan Robes Mod

Status: Greenlit

Ambitious Scale: Moderate

This one will be a KOTOR I mod.  I am going to give a description here: I am making a mod where there are variant colors, textures, and looks of Revan's robes and armor, and you can create and forge any one of these looks depending on your aligment and resources, you create any one of these looks of the armor on the Star Forge. Some looks and textures will be almost exclusively a dark side forged item, but everything else, whether they resemble "Darth Revan" or the "Light Side robes" or not can be made by either players of either aligment, and ending for the game.  This project is for sure greenlit, but I DO need some ideas for this mod.  

In the vanilla game, you need computer spikes...a lot of them, to create your Star Forge robes, whether they are dark sided or light sided.  My mod is planning to do a similar thing.  You need computer spikes.  However, every Revan robe and model will have a cape variant or hood variant, (hood can be separate without cape, but  definetely not the other way around).  This would mean extra computer spikes, but I want to make this mod easier for the average player, because what if they don't have enough computer spikes? Should I tone down the amount of spikes required or what?

Other things I need to consider: In the game, the vanilla one, you can only get Darth Revan's robes if you are dark sided and the dark side ending is happening, and the white and brown Star Forge ones for light sided aligned and ending players.  They have pros and cons to both versions.  In my mod you can customize and create the Star Forge robes to look and be colored like any texture you want, (okay, maybe not "anything", there are limits, but you get what I am saying).  So you can get a Darth Revan robe, whether it has the hood or cape or not, or variants of the dark side look, and make it light side aligned, same thing for the Star Forge robes and its variants, you can make them dark side aligned if you want too.

But...should the robes, no matter how they look, and whether they are all dark side aligned or light side aligned depending on your aligment and ending, have more pros and cons for each one, or is simply making a variety of skins and potentially model options just optional for your visual aesthetic?

Oof, and another thing: When the player is crafting their robes, and the idea of this, does that mean that an optional thing is that the player creates one piece of robes that is one texture or color, and another a different color or texture? This will make the mod much more work for me, or is there a wrap around idea I can do to make one robe piece, whether the hood or cape not work with a robe piece that is a different texture or color? Any ideas or something like that would help me with better clarity.

Project 7: Darth Malak Lore Accurate Lightsaber

Status: Greenlit

Ambitious Scale: Slightly tough but mostly easy

Basically the title: I make a new model for Darth Malak's lightsaber that has the textures, colors, and quality look and appearance of Malak's in-universe lightsaber as depicted in other official Star Wars media with their art brought to life in-game, such as the Complete Star Wars Encyclopedia.  This one will probably be the easiest out of the mods to make, and will be cool.

Conclusion:

And that is all for now folks! There are more mod ideas, but these are top priorities that are greenlit or in heavy consideration.  Will post any updates to any of the mods in this thread, and if you are interested in any of these ideas and projects, feel free to engage in this thread as well! 

( EXTRA NOTE: Yes, I like visual cinematic effects and adapting lore stuff to life, it is a hobby of mine, hence why a lot of these ideas or upcoming projects are in those categories, also, forgive me if this is a long post to a start of a new thread, but I am just listing and trying to be precise on all of my future main ideas or projects that are greenlit or in consideration.)