Uniform mods etc. in the new engine

[Cpl Steiner]

Hello all you modders out there. Have you tried modding any CM:FI uniforms yet? Is it as easy as in the old CMx2 engine used by CM:BN? I'm looking forward to trying out CM:FI mods.

[MikeyD]

This being '43 med theater I'm not entirely sure what modders would modify. Tropical uniforms tend to be rather... uniform.

Going hogwild on new textures would mean also redoing thier normal maps. Then again, normal map modding could becme a whole new modding genre and could have a real positive impact on the look of the game.

[Holman]

This being '43 med theater I'm not entirely sure what modders would modify. Tropical uniforms tend to be rather... uniform.

Going hogwild on new textures would mean also redoing thier normal maps. Then again, normal map modding could becme a whole new modding genre and could have a real positive impact on the look of the game.

Wait, is modding harder for CMFI than CMBN? Will we see fewer mods?

[Erwin]

Speaking of which, has nobody else wondered what has happened to Aris?

He almost singlehandedly improved the look of CMBN terrain and almost all the vehicular units and guns.

And all that effusive gratitude from us. And within a few weeks of disappearing from these forums, nobody even seems to notice he's gone. It's a sad commentary on this "community" actually...

[sburke]

Speaking of which, has nobody else wondered what has happened to Aris?

He almost singlehandedly improved the look of CMBN terrain and almost all the vehicular units and guns.

And all that effusive gratitude from us. And within a few weeks of disappearing from these forums, nobody even seems to notice he's gone. It's a sad commentary on this "community" actually...

I don't think it so much no one notices he's gone, but what can you expect anyone to do? I can't file a missing person's report - hell i don't even know where he's from. for reasons unknown he is not participating so much in the forum. For all i know he could have fallen in love and be cavorting on some beautiful beach somewhere and his brain hasn't tripped back to wondering how he would set up an amphibious assault.

[nik mond]

This being '43 med theater I'm not entirely sure what modders would modify. Tropical uniforms tend to be rather... uniform.

Going hogwild on new textures would mean also redoing thier normal maps. Then again, normal map modding could becme a whole new modding genre and could have a real positive impact on the look of the game.

I haven't exploded the files yet to have a look. But I'm thinking the map and shaders files from the existing skins would just be re-used and renamed with any new modded BMPs as the creases and crannies would be in the same place anyways.

[Offshoot]

We'll have to see how things pan out. It sounds like the normal maps were done at speed so there may be room for improvement. Also, many of the original textures look to have a lot of painted in dark shading that may not work to best effect with the normal maps when rendered together by the engine.

[Darknight (DC)]

I haven't exploded the files yet to have a look. But I'm thinking the map and shaders files from the existing skins would just be re-used and renamed with any new modded BMPs as the creases and crannies would be in the same place anyways.

That is my hope too....but I won't find out until the upgrade to CMBN.

[Earl Grey]

Well... if you want to use the original normal maps you can't fiddle with the texture itself too much. Every nook, dent or bolt etc. needs to stay where it is unless you want the normal map to show a detail the texture hasn't anymore which would require a rework of the normal map.

Generating new normal maps when you know what you're doing is comparatively easy and funny enough most other games (and mods) have been using these for years now so there are people knowledgeable about them. Best way is to try and see what happens.

[Silkwraith]

HO HO WAIT THERE......

We have been asking for the whereabouts of Aris for weeks now .....as far as I recoillect we do not know where he is at.

ARIS HAS CONTRIBUTED IMMENSELY TO CMBN and I certainly would not upgrade my game (although I will still buy the new engine upgrade just in case) unless either Aris is around to update his mods or unless Battlefront's Models would look better ...although I doubt if that is possible since in this field, Aris is certainly an incredible artist, and a kind one too

I do not know were he is gone, although as far as I know he is from Spain and thus lives in the Mediterranean as I do. And the Mediterranean definately gives you AWSOME alternatives to gaming .....especially in the summer if you get what I mean

One should also consider that Spain beat the hell out of the Italians in the European Cup final so I bet he partied hard as well.

So considering the above, he is either still suffering from a hangover, or ... still partying, which is cool considering the hard work he did to improve the game expecting nothing else from us but a kind thanks

So pls note...we are saddened by the fact that he is missing and we are hoping that nothing bad happened to him and we hope that he is enjoying the summer like the rest of us.

PS we, in the Mediterranean, are currently going through a heatwave and Temp is running as high as 91 degrees..so its hot.

[Sergei]

Wait, is modding harder for CMFI than CMBN? Will we see fewer mods?

Not so much. Modifying the normal maps is not required, they're separate from the bitmaps. I made this StuG mod (WIP) for CMBN and it works quite nicely in CMFI, I animated it to show the difference with and without normal maps:

[ZPB II]

One thing I would like to say, at the risk of sounding ungrateful...I really appreciate the work modders put in the game.

I'm really put off by the way some people here treat the stock graphics artists. Creating new textures from scratch is extremely demanding and considerably harder and slower than modifying existing textures. It's very similar to the difference between an artist and a DJ.

Now, having said that, I don't know how most our modders operate. I only use a few subdued terrain mods. If they create all the modded textures from scratch then huge and much deserved kudos. But the dissing of stock artists here really rubs me the wrong way.

[Fernando]

Well, most stock artists, if not all of us, started as modders, first modifying and improving the stock textures then doing our own versions from scratch. There is a path between beign just a modder and beign an "artist". Any good modder will cover it becoming an "artist" sooner or later.

[Sergei]

There is a path between beign just modder and beign an "artist".

My mother said all artists drink absinthe and use LSD, is that what it takes?

[Fernando]

My mother said all artists drink absinthe and use LSD, is that what it takes?

I like drinking swet wine and play CM. Do I qualify?

[Offshoot]

But the dissing of stock artists here really rubs me the wrong way.

I don't see that anyone here has dissed the stock artists, but as someone who has contributed to this thread I am concerned my comments might be being misinterpreted. When I said the normal maps were done at speed, I was not making a qualitative judgement but repeating information provided in another thread by someone who was involved in preparing the normal maps. In that same thread they also mentioned that some objects in the game that could have normal maps do not currently do so.

Commercial artists usually have to work to deadlines and within budgets (and perhaps using pipeline processes that aren't optimal), so the old maxim "you can pick two from quick, quality and cheap" applies. Modders don't have the same restrictions but can burnout or lose motivation for something they aren't being paid for.

[Earl Grey]

Commercial artists usually have to work to deadlines and within budgets (and perhaps using pipeline processes that aren't optimal), so the old maxim "you can pick two from quick, quality and cheap" applies. Modders don't have the same restrictions but can burnout or lose motivation for something they aren't being paid for.

Hit the nail on the head with that one. Although apart from MikeyD and Kwazydog we don't even GET paid in the first place. But that's another matter entirely.

I'd LOVE to do the same amount of weathering Aris applies to the stock textures and at one poitn even considered asking him if he'd do the weatheruing for me if it wouldn't have breached the NDA.

The other thing to remember is that we already got a bunch of different artists working on the vehicles and if one does weathering all the others need to do the same so it doesn't look odd in the finsiehd product. Which brought us the the poitn that we decided to do rather minimal weathering because a) it'd save time and we were pretty sure there be some modders a round to to it.

And regarding aris' 'disappearance': Contrary to popular belief even modders do have a real life and don't sit in front of their PC 24/7 365 days a year and churn out mods. It's summer and holiday season so he might just have taken a couple weeks off and taken care of some real life stuff, as odd as that may sound.

[Baneman]

And regarding aris' 'disappearance': Contrary to popular belief even modders do have a real life and don't sit in front of their PC 24/7 365 days a year and churn out mods. It's summer and holiday season so he might just have taken a couple weeks off and taken care of some real life stuff, as odd as that may sound.

HERESY !

Burn him !

[Childress]

Contrary to popular belief even modders do have a real life and don't sit in front of their PC 24/7 365 days a year and churn out mods.

Also, this new game seems less in dire need of Mods than previous ones. It's looks great out of the box.

[Rocky Balboa]

Now, having said that, I don't know how most our modders operate. I only use a few subdued terrain mods. If they create all the modded textures from scratch then huge and much deserved kudos. But the dissing of stock artists here really rubs me the wrong way.

I don't think anyone has necessarily dissed the stock artists, perhaps we don't praise them to the extent that we do the modders because we don't really understand what level of compensation if any they receive from BF.

The only compensation the modders get is praise from the community and the knowledge that others players enjoy and appreciate their efforts.

[Darknight (DC)]

I'd LOVE to do the same amount of weathering Aris applies to the stock textures and at one poitn even considered asking him if he'd do the weatheruing for me if it wouldn't have breached the NDA.

The other thing to remember is that we already got a bunch of different artists working on the vehicles and if one does weathering all the others need to do the same so it doesn't look odd in the finsiehd product. Which brought us the the poitn that we decided to do rather minimal weathering because a) it'd save time and we were pretty sure there be some modders a round to to it.

Actually, I'm relieved that the stock textures are fairly 'clean'.

If they weren't, then it would be much more difficult to add markings and such, as the markings would disrupt the weathering, as opposed to being layered under it.

[MikeyD]

A lot of weathering is what I call "Fine Scale Modeler" weathering. Its weathering according to hobbyist modeller conventions. Shermans straight off the boat on June 6 were not exactly rustbuckets. Why would a well maintained tank not three months off the assembly line be pouring rust out of every crevice? If wartime vehicles are so dirty why can we read their unit numbers and markings so easily in photographs? On the other hand, a beat-on Sherman four+ months on the line, driving through muddy winter plowed fields every day would be another matter entirely. I intend to lobby for greatly increased grime deeper into the war. When this title hits the italian mainland the current plan is to convert the sicily camou Shermans over to standard olive - one would assume heavily weathered standard olive.