Modding Discussion Framework for adding content instead of replacing

As the modding scene for this game is starting out, it feels like a lot of mods are currently only replacing existing content rather than adding content to the existing game.

Unfortunately artists aren't the best modders and wouldn't know how to code frameworks or scripts to add in their creations. Which is why framework mods like starbound has for different races would be beneficial so that instead of replacing the current game's pets/characters/items, we could start to add content to the game.

I'd like to see frameworks start and documentation begin on allowing artists to start creating new characters and content to the game. eg. A mod for multiple pets that gives a framework for artists to use.

I feel like we really need to work on providing better tools to allow some of the great artists popping up to add content to the game instead of being stuck just remixing/replacing the existing content.

This isn't an attack on the community, far from, I want to encourage progress. I understand that the modding scene is still young and needs work to reach towards the goals I stated, but I would like to focus some of the efforts in this regard. I'm terrible at explaining things so if I've confused or explained something poorly, just ask me ^^

 

As an artist who knows nothing about programming, this would be incredibly useful!

 

Everyone want it. That is one of Stardew Modding API final goals. Modders can already add new fish, crops, fruit trees, sprites for them and edit maps.
Feel free to track progres son Github.
Main problem is that the game wasn't developed as moddable unlike starbound.

 

This unfortunately doesn't state anything new and is a rather naive view of modding. We need to get the programmers of the new API and any modders looking for a project to know the ambitions of the artists and any troubles they feel they're having with current modding APIs.

 

I don't understand why you don't like current api anyway. We have troubles because it is in alpha but you already say we need a new one. Is api really so bad?

 

This isn't an API issue. It's the fact that artists lack the tools to add new characters/pets and other script-heavy content unless they have significant programming logic at the moment. I just want to point out to programming modders looking for a worthwhile project that enabling the artists to create such content would be a great step forward.

 

I agree, Im kinda working on a possible NPC character if that is ifSDV has the availible framework, so here is a link to my forum page: http://community.playstarbound.com/threads/kaiser-leospike-npc-mod-in-progress.108518/ so for now, I agree with the ability of Progress!

 

For those who haven't been following the development scene, the new API in development, Storm, will soon allow modders to add new content, not just edited content. Once the initial programming is finished, that will be their primary goal. There has already been a demonstration of custom tool creation. The goal of the API would be to allow addition of content to the game in a very straightforward manner.

http://community.playstarbound.com/threads/storm-modding-api-developer-only-right-now.108484/

 

You'll mind my skepticisim because I've seen in the game industry that usually programming and art departments usually need a mediator, someone to go to the artists and say "What problems are you having with the current tools, what would you like to see that would make creating content easier?"

The API might be great for modders, but for actual artists, I'll have to see.

 

I'm very familiar with both c# and xna so I understand how this game has been pieced together. when I have some spare time I'll see if I can quickly wip something up purely for a artists.

 

I think you're asking for a bit much, it's really complicated to create modding tools for a game that isn't meant to be modable. It's not like modders make those programs complicated on purpose, this is the best they can come up with right now after working very hard on it... and it's the first step to easier modding tools. Getting tools like those you're looking for might take a few months, maybe even a year, but first, we really need APIs like Storm to reach that goal.
I'm only an artist, but I'll try understanding the tools given to add my content to the game. In the mean time, artists can still provide their art, which is really appreciated, and work together with modders to get them in the game. I think that's a good solution for now.

 

This is true, even for games that have great modding communities like The Sims. Please keep in mind that making a working modding tool is already hard as it is without making it super user-friendly that even a newbie can use. For all we know, Storm might reach that state one day.

 

I think because both the game is new and the API is just being developed etc. a lot of the modders and developers are busy coding out their own mod ideas. Making a modding tool at this point in time that utilises something like Storm would be extremely difficult given the limitations / lack of things implemented in Storm right now. I'm trying to think in my head of a user friendly way you could add a new pet (as mentioned in OP) and loading sprites and content isn't difficult, but what about the logic? the pathing and pets AI... hmmm its an interesting problem.. i'll definitely have a think about it once I'm done with the mod I'm working on. Will need to dig into the SV source and see how he has implemented pets himself.

Do you have any other concrete ideas for a modding tool, features you would like to use aside from being able to create new pets?

 

There is no way to add a pet with new AI without coding a new AI anyway. And If you want to use existing AI just replace the sprites.
He coded pets like a number of behaviours that make different animations.

 

I'm just thinking of like.. writing new blocks of AI that an artist using a modding tool could assign to a pet during the course of creating it, rather than the artist having to code AI themselves. Pretty generic AI that could be assigned to multiple different types of pets, then its the artists job to create the sprites and animations.. would need a way to translate between the modding tool and Storm API for sprite animations and things. Just a thought anyway.

 

Adding 'new content' that's non-trivial will always require some amount of programming.
That said, you could get so far by using new XNB files and having the API deal with it.
SMAPI already allows for adding of custom content under it's dev branch, but it's not complete yet. AFAIK from how SMAPI load it's custom content, it wouldn't be that difficult really to make it work purely from xnb files, and I imagine it'd be fairly easy to add to STORM eventually. That would let users define custom NPCs/Locations.

Adding custom items with new functionality falls under 'non-trivial' though, and wont be achievable without some programming.

 

For now, wouldn't it be easier for an artist to team up with a programmer to implement stuff to the game?

 

The thing is that you are complaining at programmers for not making an easy to use tool before the tool is even finished. Frankly, we are still figuring out how a lot of this stuff works. Then we need to figure out HOW to change and add things to it. Then how to do it without causing conflicts between multiple mods. And right now it really varies where we are depending on the subject, everyone who is getting into modding this has their own interests and ideas and are thus looking mostly just at the relevant code.

Once we've done all that we can start working on user-friendliness and doing tutorials that go through step by step.

Bear also in mind that this is a project done by a handful of programmers on their free time with additional "help" by some of us other programmers looking to get in to modding this game. Not by a company with a unified design process.

 

Actually I wasn't making a complaint, I was trying to make the case for programmers to consider it as a project once they get the myriad of tiny mods out of their system that we're something now. Or something to start work on in the long term. I'm not complaining when I say that I understand why programmers may not understand the troubles and plight of artists who want to inject new content into the game instead of the replacements we're STILL seeing right now. And arguments like this make me frustrated:

I'm not complaining that it doesn't already exist, I'm just trying to make the case for programmers to consider working on such projects. I never said it's easy, frameworks never are, but the payoff would be huge.

Expecting artists to be able to create a .dll for an API just to create a new item just seems head-scratching to me right now. It may seem easy to experienced programmers, but it's an uphill struggle for those of us not used to coding such things.

 

You're making the assumption that we don't understand and that all the mods we want to make are related to game mechanics. We want to add in content just as bad as you guys do, the reason we aren't seeing many new content mods is that we are, as said, still figuring out HOW to do it.