I am a level designer for Beyond Skyrim Elsweyr (also have my own mods on nexus) I highly recommend you recruit level designers or else progress will be insanely slow and you might get burned out (having good support system is helpful) Yes I know that it is possible to make a huge mod with little help( ex, falskaar) but its not the way I would go about doing it BUT you know whats best for yourself so its up to you. Just giving some advice.
I would offer my help but am working on to many projects so good luck.
No worries friend. This mod is going to take a long time and as I have sad before, even testers would help. Don't forget to look at my bio if you want to help! Always looking for testers, readers, and over all players. Later in the future I would like to create a type of resume for it. But as of now even just playing the things and making suggestions is great help for me.
This is going to be a wall of text - if that's not something you'd like to see here, let me know and I'll shut up in the future.
As a fellow new modder in the process of creating his first house and quest mod, my first suggestion would be to try a slightly different approach to recruit people to your cause. While I find it commendable that you try and find help even at this early stage of your mod, I'd wager you'd be more successful in actually enlisting said help if you had something a little more tangible for potential helpers to look at or work with. As of right now, I feel quite overwhelmed looking at your to do list while I only have one screenshot of an as-of-yet empty dungeon to get an impression of what you have in mind. You have listed a ton of things you want to do, and believe me, I totally understand and appreciate your enthusiasm - been there, done that, oh so many times with all kinds of projects. However, in my experience, projects that start out with too much on their plate tend to get buried once the initial enthusiasm ebbs off, which usually happens as soon as I (or in this case, you) realize just how much work would go into realizing it the way you've initially planned.
Example: I started modding because I wanted to create a mod called "Unique Hearthfire Homes", which would give each of the HF homes not only a unique interior and exterior appearance (meaning 3 different houses with 3 different build options for each of the 3 wings = 27 different houses in total), but also three different architectural styles for each of the houses to choose from (each of course with all build options), making for a grand total of EIGHTY-ONE different houses. While that alone is insane, in addition to that, TWENTY-SEVEN of these houses would have to be in the same spot. And I dunno if you've ever loaded a HF interior cell in the CK, but navigating the three different build options for each wing alone is already a nightmare. Multiply that by nine and you can imagine the horror.
Which is why I completely abandoned that idea. In consequence, the mod I initially only started to build to learn the ropes of the CK has developed from "Thirsk Player Home" (which would have been nothing more but a buildable Thirsk-style home) to "Thirsk Legacy", and become MUCH more ambitious. My plan has three phases (or milestones). Milestone 1 (the "essential" stuff) is to finish a functioning, buildable house worth living in that is fully navmeshed and compatible with the regular HF system (not multiple adoptions though because I don't have the room to put in six child beds without the kids' room becoming very uninviting and barracks-like, so two kids will have to suffice). Milestone 2 (the "intermediate" stuff) is to add some NPCs (caretaker/steward, merchant, cook/servant) that only use basic Vanilla dialogue, and an acquisition quest. Milestone 3 (the "advanced" stuff) is to create a questline around the NPCs added as well as the history of the mead-hall-turned-player-home. I already have some very concrete and a number of vague ideas for that, and the quests are what I really want to get at because storytelling is what I've always been best at - but I won't even start on that before I have a robust foundation on which to build it.
The thing about the plan I outlined above is that it is subdivided into three milestones, and each of the milestones has a slow but steady, clear progression of things I need to do to achieve them. Right now I guess I'm about halfway to Milestone 1, having almost finished (but not navmeshed) the interior, with some planned features still missing (because, like you, I have zero scripting knowledge). Next, I'll find a suitable spot in the Rift where I can put the exterior, and build that (should be pretty fast in the mod's basic design). Then comes navmeshing, then idle markers for NPCs to use (this is the step where it'll become adoption-friendly), then I have to make it buildable, then I have to make the land purchaseable or something because I *hate* getting stuff for free and the "just dump 30k gold down a well" thing gets old pretty fast after the fifth free player home. So far I have put an estimated 80-100 hours into the mod (no way for me to check because for some reason one day my CK decided to work independently from Steam and Beth.net, so I can't track the hours), and boy is it rewarding to look up how to do something, implement it, and *see that it works*. I recommend Darkfox127's tutorials, he might be the "teacher" you're looking for because he is ALWAYS super clear, noob-friendly (well, depending on which type of tutorial you're watching - advanced stuff of course requires some previous knowledge of the CK or other things) and very much to the point in his step-by-step explanations, so no pointless ramblings.
So far I have always been able to help myself in some way, but when it comes to scripting or voice acting (for the questline, Milestone 3), that's something I can't do on my own, especially the voice acting (because I have no equipment and I think I'm a terrible actor). In order to get the help I want, I'll do something similar as you: I'll make a test page on which I upload the mod so far (Milestone 1), so people who are potentially interested to help with testing or scripting or voice acting have something that will give them an idea of what to expect to be a part of, and of the dedication I have for the mod I'm building. I don't want to release a WIP mod under the title of its eventual finished release because that will get swept under the rug faster than I can type "rug". What I have to show so far is a photo gallery with screenshots from the development process.
Now, to circle back to your mod and the "overwhelmed" part. My suggestion is simple - structure your description page in a way that gives people an idea that you're serious and that what you're planning is achievable. Start small, go step by step, and finish each of the steps before starting the next one. For example, start with the dungeon that you are planning - "several hours of gameplay" means several hundred hours of modding beforehand, unless you are like that squirrel on coffein from Over the Hedge (or have a large team to share these hundreds of hours of time involved with). Once you've finished that, you have something to show for, and people have something to play. If it turns out well, it'll likely generate more support for your project and you can move on to more ambitious stuff such as creating your own open world space (or adapting one of the existing ones that may be used as modders' resources). Don't underestimate the fanbase. Many of the mods in the Hot Files wouldn't be there if their authors hadn't already built up a fan base. And once you have that, once you have a couple hundred or thousand endorsements backing you up, it'll be *much* easier to find support. And (as you've realized yourself) you *will* need support if you want to finish a mod with an outline of Falskaar proportions.
We are all doing this in our spare time because we like Skyrim or modding or whatever, and people are more likely to devote their time to something they think will actually turn out to be a real thing in the end.
Anyway. Please do not interpret this as an attempt to discourage you from pursuing your modding ambition - quite the opposite. All I wanted to do here is to try and prevent you from being disillusioned somewhere along the line. It's better to have a realistic perspective right from the start and then pull it through than to give up halfway through and deceive your own expectations. The one virtue a modder needs more than anything else -more than skill, more than creativity- is patience. And I wish you all the patience in the world, all the perseverance you need to pull through and astonish the modding community with something great.
Hello. Unedjis. No need to worry about shutting up. I know what you are saying. Right now it is a HUGH list that I am making and I can only guess where you are coming from. I my self know that what I am saying isn't quiet.... feasible to anyone. But I am not giving up. I forgot to put in NOT ACCEPTING ANY HELP RIGHT NOW. In the description. For that. I am sorry.
I am waiting till I am done the dungeon and have the land to take in people as (testers or anything else.)
I am also learning how to mod and have tons of help when it comes to people "teaching me." My family was always into coding so the coding thing won't be a problem.
And don't worry about me taking things like that personally. I wouldn't. I recognize that you are trying to help and I appreciate that.
I am currently just building up on my discord so I can have suggestions. I think my own creativeness... comes from people just talking.
I appreciate the feed back and I hope you follow the development of this mod. I don't think I will be changing the things I want to do with this mod and for one reason and one reason only.
I have a s#*! memory and being overwhelmed makes me work faster and better. I know it may seem odd for me to say that because usually people work faster (but not as well) when overwhelmed.
Again I appreciate the feed back and no need to worry about me thinking that you are discouraging me.
Hi I volunteer as a tester since i'm a fucking autist about well everything that doesn't work properly in a dungeon or the "overworld" or something clips through something. But overall I can test pretty much everything except fps performance xD.
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I am a level designer for Beyond Skyrim Elsweyr (also have my own mods on nexus)
I highly recommend you recruit level designers or else progress will be insanely slow and you might get burned out (having good support system is helpful)
Yes I know that it is possible to make a huge mod with little help( ex, falskaar) but its not the way I would go about doing it BUT you know whats best for yourself so its up to you. Just giving some advice.
I would offer my help but am working on to many projects so good luck.
Will try it out.
I wish you well.
As a fellow new modder in the process of creating his first house and quest mod, my first suggestion would be to try a slightly different approach to recruit people to your cause. While I find it commendable that you try and find help even at this early stage of your mod, I'd wager you'd be more successful in actually enlisting said help if you had something a little more tangible for potential helpers to look at or work with. As of right now, I feel quite overwhelmed looking at your to do list while I only have one screenshot of an as-of-yet empty dungeon to get an impression of what you have in mind. You have listed a ton of things you want to do, and believe me, I totally understand and appreciate your enthusiasm - been there, done that, oh so many times with all kinds of projects. However, in my experience, projects that start out with too much on their plate tend to get buried once the initial enthusiasm ebbs off, which usually happens as soon as I (or in this case, you) realize just how much work would go into realizing it the way you've initially planned.
Example: I started modding because I wanted to create a mod called "Unique Hearthfire Homes", which would give each of the HF homes not only a unique interior and exterior appearance (meaning 3 different houses with 3 different build options for each of the 3 wings = 27 different houses in total), but also three different architectural styles for each of the houses to choose from (each of course with all build options), making for a grand total of EIGHTY-ONE different houses. While that alone is insane, in addition to that, TWENTY-SEVEN of these houses would have to be in the same spot. And I dunno if you've ever loaded a HF interior cell in the CK, but navigating the three different build options for each wing alone is already a nightmare. Multiply that by nine and you can imagine the horror.
Which is why I completely abandoned that idea. In consequence, the mod I initially only started to build to learn the ropes of the CK has developed from "Thirsk Player Home" (which would have been nothing more but a buildable Thirsk-style home) to "Thirsk Legacy", and become MUCH more ambitious. My plan has three phases (or milestones). Milestone 1 (the "essential" stuff) is to finish a functioning, buildable house worth living in that is fully navmeshed and compatible with the regular HF system (not multiple adoptions though because I don't have the room to put in six child beds without the kids' room becoming very uninviting and barracks-like, so two kids will have to suffice). Milestone 2 (the "intermediate" stuff) is to add some NPCs (caretaker/steward, merchant, cook/servant) that only use basic Vanilla dialogue, and an acquisition quest. Milestone 3 (the "advanced" stuff) is to create a questline around the NPCs added as well as the history of the mead-hall-turned-player-home. I already have some very concrete and a number of vague ideas for that, and the quests are what I really want to get at because storytelling is what I've always been best at - but I won't even start on that before I have a robust foundation on which to build it.
The thing about the plan I outlined above is that it is subdivided into three milestones, and each of the milestones has a slow but steady, clear progression of things I need to do to achieve them. Right now I guess I'm about halfway to Milestone 1, having almost finished (but not navmeshed) the interior, with some planned features still missing (because, like you, I have zero scripting knowledge). Next, I'll find a suitable spot in the Rift where I can put the exterior, and build that (should be pretty fast in the mod's basic design). Then comes navmeshing, then idle markers for NPCs to use (this is the step where it'll become adoption-friendly), then I have to make it buildable, then I have to make the land purchaseable or something because I *hate* getting stuff for free and the "just dump 30k gold down a well" thing gets old pretty fast after the fifth free player home. So far I have put an estimated 80-100 hours into the mod (no way for me to check because for some reason one day my CK decided to work independently from Steam and Beth.net, so I can't track the hours), and boy is it rewarding to look up how to do something, implement it, and *see that it works*. I recommend Darkfox127's tutorials, he might be the "teacher" you're looking for because he is ALWAYS super clear, noob-friendly (well, depending on which type of tutorial you're watching - advanced stuff of course requires some previous knowledge of the CK or other things) and very much to the point in his step-by-step explanations, so no pointless ramblings.
So far I have always been able to help myself in some way, but when it comes to scripting or voice acting (for the questline, Milestone 3), that's something I can't do on my own, especially the voice acting (because I have no equipment and I think I'm a terrible actor). In order to get the help I want, I'll do something similar as you: I'll make a test page on which I upload the mod so far (Milestone 1), so people who are potentially interested to help with testing or scripting or voice acting have something that will give them an idea of what to expect to be a part of, and of the dedication I have for the mod I'm building. I don't want to release a WIP mod under the title of its eventual finished release because that will get swept under the rug faster than I can type "rug". What I have to show so far is a photo gallery with screenshots from the development process.
Now, to circle back to your mod and the "overwhelmed" part. My suggestion is simple - structure your description page in a way that gives people an idea that you're serious and that what you're planning is achievable. Start small, go step by step, and finish each of the steps before starting the next one. For example, start with the dungeon that you are planning - "several hours of gameplay" means several hundred hours of modding beforehand, unless you are like that squirrel on coffein from Over the Hedge (or have a large team to share these hundreds of hours of time involved with). Once you've finished that, you have something to show for, and people have something to play. If it turns out well, it'll likely generate more support for your project and you can move on to more ambitious stuff such as creating your own open world space (or adapting one of the existing ones that may be used as modders' resources). Don't underestimate the fanbase. Many of the mods in the Hot Files wouldn't be there if their authors hadn't already built up a fan base. And once you have that, once you have a couple hundred or thousand endorsements backing you up, it'll be *much* easier to find support. And (as you've realized yourself) you *will* need support if you want to finish a mod with an outline of Falskaar proportions.
We are all doing this in our spare time because we like Skyrim or modding or whatever, and people are more likely to devote their time to something they think will actually turn out to be a real thing in the end.
Anyway. Please do not interpret this as an attempt to discourage you from pursuing your modding ambition - quite the opposite. All I wanted to do here is to try and prevent you from being disillusioned somewhere along the line. It's better to have a realistic perspective right from the start and then pull it through than to give up halfway through and deceive your own expectations. The one virtue a modder needs more than anything else -more than skill, more than creativity- is patience. And I wish you all the patience in the world, all the perseverance you need to pull through and astonish the modding community with something great.
I am waiting till I am done the dungeon and have the land to take in people as (testers or anything else.)
I am also learning how to mod and have tons of help when it comes to people "teaching me." My family was always into coding so the coding thing won't be a problem.
And don't worry about me taking things like that personally. I wouldn't. I recognize that you are trying to help and I appreciate that.
I am currently just building up on my discord so I can have suggestions. I think my own creativeness... comes from people just talking.
I appreciate the feed back and I hope you follow the development of this mod. I don't think I will be changing the things I want to do with this mod and for one reason and one reason only.
I have a s#*! memory and being overwhelmed makes me work faster and better. I know it may seem odd for me to say that because usually people work faster (but not as well) when overwhelmed.
Again I appreciate the feed back and no need to worry about me thinking that you are discouraging me.