ShadowTiger
10-19-2007, 10:56 AM
More of a topic for discussion than an actual list, really.
I recently reinstalled my copy of the original Dungeon Keeper, seeing as how it runs virtually perfectly on my old '98 PII 300 MHZ 254 MB Ram machine. I'd had makeshift editors for it before, so I decided to keep looking. I eventually came across the actual editor that the developers used, and man, it is SWEET. It feels like you're playing the game, yet it actually looks and feels even smoother. The editor mechanics are the same as in gameplay, with most of the additional features. It has the same visual interface, with no icons to represent creatures; It actually shows the real creatures as they'd appear in-game. It looks sort of like Neverwinter Night's editor, only they lacked the game's visual GUI.
Honestly, I think I'm in love. :love: Such a wonderful editor. It's a shame that most games don't really pay this much attention to the userfan base creation kits. I suppose time and ease is indeed a factor, of course. If they had invested as much time into the editor as they would into the game, then the game itself would be delayed far longer.
EDIT: (*Realizes more text is necessary.* Kinda just passing the time in an otherwise boring class.)
You'll find editors that are just that easy to use. If you've ever played, say, ... Jetpack, (Or its variation, X-Mas Jetpack.) it'll be obvious just how easy it is to use those kinds of editors. Naturally though, what you can actually accomplish with these editors is only limited to the complexity of the game itself.
I remember playing with the TimeSplitters II editor on the 'cube. It was somewhat more limited than I'd thought it would or could be, but understandably so, given that it wasn't really designed to reproduce the entire campaign. :p Then you've got editors on the PC itself, and you look at all the features you're given all at once and suddenly you're falling down an infinite abyss of despair and hopelessness until you can gradually begin to climb that well and understand at least a few of the features, but not even before you understand what the features you see actually contribute towards.
After all, what you see in these exceptionally complex editors aren't always what you see in the game. In-game experiences are So COMPLETELY different than what you see in the editor that it's as if you shouldn't be entering with any expectations at all!
Try the level editor for Thief, Unreal Tournament, or Morrowind. Somewhat different things. Now try the Build3D Editor for Duke Nukem or Witchhaven. Quite a bit different. It's not surprising that they use different means to achieve the same thing: A functional, walkable area. Something even so simple as that requires more than a basic understand of how things work. You can actually understand how the areas work in a 3-dimensional sense, but there's nothing less obvious than seeing an entire screen of buttons and icons before you without seeing a "Create room" icon. :p Takes quite a bit of tutorial reading.
I recently reinstalled my copy of the original Dungeon Keeper, seeing as how it runs virtually perfectly on my old '98 PII 300 MHZ 254 MB Ram machine. I'd had makeshift editors for it before, so I decided to keep looking. I eventually came across the actual editor that the developers used, and man, it is SWEET. It feels like you're playing the game, yet it actually looks and feels even smoother. The editor mechanics are the same as in gameplay, with most of the additional features. It has the same visual interface, with no icons to represent creatures; It actually shows the real creatures as they'd appear in-game. It looks sort of like Neverwinter Night's editor, only they lacked the game's visual GUI.
Honestly, I think I'm in love. :love: Such a wonderful editor. It's a shame that most games don't really pay this much attention to the userfan base creation kits. I suppose time and ease is indeed a factor, of course. If they had invested as much time into the editor as they would into the game, then the game itself would be delayed far longer.
EDIT: (*Realizes more text is necessary.* Kinda just passing the time in an otherwise boring class.)
You'll find editors that are just that easy to use. If you've ever played, say, ... Jetpack, (Or its variation, X-Mas Jetpack.) it'll be obvious just how easy it is to use those kinds of editors. Naturally though, what you can actually accomplish with these editors is only limited to the complexity of the game itself.
I remember playing with the TimeSplitters II editor on the 'cube. It was somewhat more limited than I'd thought it would or could be, but understandably so, given that it wasn't really designed to reproduce the entire campaign. :p Then you've got editors on the PC itself, and you look at all the features you're given all at once and suddenly you're falling down an infinite abyss of despair and hopelessness until you can gradually begin to climb that well and understand at least a few of the features, but not even before you understand what the features you see actually contribute towards.
After all, what you see in these exceptionally complex editors aren't always what you see in the game. In-game experiences are So COMPLETELY different than what you see in the editor that it's as if you shouldn't be entering with any expectations at all!
Try the level editor for Thief, Unreal Tournament, or Morrowind. Somewhat different things. Now try the Build3D Editor for Duke Nukem or Witchhaven. Quite a bit different. It's not surprising that they use different means to achieve the same thing: A functional, walkable area. Something even so simple as that requires more than a basic understand of how things work. You can actually understand how the areas work in a 3-dimensional sense, but there's nothing less obvious than seeing an entire screen of buttons and icons before you without seeing a "Create room" icon. :p Takes quite a bit of tutorial reading.