New Module Planned... looking for suggestions

Hi all. I've started work on a new MOD for Arcanum, but I have a few questions to those of you who have probably been around longer than I have.

The first is more of an observation than a question. I've read about some of the mods people are working on, and in particular, the White Sands project and Deep15. What I find curious is that these mods branched away from the world of Arcanum and started on their own world and story line.

It's my opinion that a few good mods that take place within the world of Arcanum, or that carry on after the storyline of the main plot would be more appealing to players... what do you all think?

The other thing that I was curious about was what the user base for these Mods really are... I mean, of all the players of Arcanum, are there any stats around for how many people are actually downloading these extra modules and playing them?

Anyway, about my actual plan. The way that I'm going about the module, is planning the entire thing on paper, writing the story, dialogue, etc., drawing the maps, for all quests, before I even touch the editor. The first module will be a small excursion of two quests, on a relatively small map. I will release this mod in a month, if all goes well. (the story line in the first mod will set the stage for the second mod, in the way that, for example, the Hobbit sets the stage for Lord of the Rings... not that my Mod will be so epic as that :smile:

The second mod will be much larger, and will continue on from the initial storyline. I hope to complete that project in 2-3 months.

The current story takes place within the world of Arcanum, but in areas of "the world" that were not accessible in the central storyline.

I'd love to hear any comments people have on this, and I'll release more information when I've completed the planning stage.

Thanks.

 

I'll leave this here for a bit so maybe your post will get more traffic, sooner ar later it will be moved to the modding section though.

 

AHEM... usually, the unofficial self-appointed forum welcomer (vlad) would be here... however, he's out of town for a few days, and i'm filling in...

"Welcome to the Forum, EvilM!" :wavey:

on a side note, otto would probably be able to help you the most...

 

EvilM, definitely plan your mod beforehand. It's like trying to write a book without knowing what you're writing about.

You might want to add some time to that timeline of yours - unless you have absolutely nothing else to do, 2-3 months is pretty optimistic.

 

That's true, it may be optimistic. Though I have a pretty good sense about what kind of time I'll need. I work for a game company, and do similar work for my job, so I think I might be able to get it happening in that time frame. As long as I can get the pre-concept work finished fairly soon.

Another thing that I meant to ask people about was what kind of difficulty level would appeal to people. Are there mods out there that seem to be targeted to the low-mid range character? and would this be a good thing?

 

You know, with all the time you spend writing this crap at work, couldn't you be working on your mod in some way DU?