Dear Stardock - Can we have Steam Workshop ?

from Elemental Forums

Hi Stardock,

Seeing as LH is still selling well (as far as we know), is there any chance you could find a way to provide support for Steam Workshop ?

Thanks.

 

 

 

 

 

 

13,633 views 11 replies
Reply #1 from Elemental Forums Top

Frogboy nov 2012, Why modding FE is worthwhile long term;

For those of you who aren experienced modders, much of which follows is just preaching to the choir.  But for those of you new to modding, you may find this useful..

As some of you know, FE development was led by modders.  Derek Paxton and Jon Shafer are best known for their Civ 4 mods (Fall From Heaven in Derek's case).  As for myself, I got my modding start with Civ 1, MOM, Total Annihilation, and so on.  My love of Civilization 1 ultimately led to writing Galactic Civilizations.

And this brings me to the frustrating part of modding: the limited lifespan of the mod.  I eventually got to know Total Annihilation so well that had they made a Total Annihilation 2 with a derivative of their original engine I'd been already set up to do crazy cool stuff.  But that didn't happen (and don't talk to me about TA:K).

So our approach has been to approach Elemental from the perspective of it being a platform that mods can be built with for years to come.  Many of the mods that worked with War of Magic work, with slight changes, with FE.  That's because WOM and FE are built on the same platform which we call Kumquat.  

Kumquat is a relatively new engine and we have land-based strategy games scheduled to use it and upgraded versions of it for the next several years -- and not just Elemental universe games.  So the skills and understandings of what you get from modding FE will lend itself to more modding.

We also plan to support both Nexus Mods and the Steam workshop as we go forward in ways that make what we have today seem very primitive.  

The point being, the age old issues of short-lifespan mods is something we are hoping Kumquat addresses. We looked at Kumquat as a platform that modders can use to create increasingly ambitious mods.  I can't promise source code or scripting support yet. Resources are tight, but we will be supporting this underlying platform and the expansion of its capabilities until *at least* 2017.

If you played WOM in 2010, consider what FE is like in 2012.  Now, consider what Kumquat will be like in 2014.
End of quote

 

Reply #2 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Heavenfall, reply 1
consider what Kumquat will be like in 2014.
End of Heavenfall's quote

Quoting Heavenfall, reply 1
We also plan to support both Nexus Mods and the Steam workshop as we go forward
End of Heavenfall's quote

Oh it must be coming soon then, yay.

:grin:

 

 

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Reply #3 from Elemental Forums Top

I'll shut my mouth now before I get yelled at by Frogboy for being a whiney modder.

Reply #4 from Elemental Forums Top

I really wouldn't consider it whining to say something like

There are so many low-budget games that support steam workshop. And they do it because the workshop is ultimately about improving the user experience. It's not a toy for modders to play around with, it's a way for you to unlock the modding potential of the game to a much wider audience. That "modding potential" has already been bought and paid for with many, many dev hours. And now it sits mostly unused. I doubt even 1% have tried any mods at all.

or you might say something like

Remember in E:wom how you had an in-game tool for sharing and downloading user-made maps? There were hundreds of maps there. Maybe even thousands. And for FE:LH, the amount of maps shared is precisely zero. The editor is still there - actually, it is better than before. What changed is easy access. This is what an easy-to-use mod interface can do for your game. It's not just about getting the mods out there - it's about enticing others to contribute as well.

or you might say something like

It doesn't even make any sense. In-game you have tools for building maps, making stamps, factions, tile designs, effects. What you don't have is a mod screen. How did that happen? The first thing you are introduced to as a player when you venture into the game's workshop land are fairly unapproachable tools. What you SHOULD be showcasing is what others have done in the past. What you should be saying is "look what can be made given the tools at your disposal". And why? Because a user doesn't care about tools, he cares about results. And a modder wants to know how far he can take his mods, not which shovel he has to begin digging with. There are friggin' individual icons for the pieces that make the tiles in the tile designer. And I don't even want to know how much time you spent on the in-game UI pieces for the game's workshop. But you don't think it's worth the time to use the steam workshop? #nofuckingsense

Reply #5 from Elemental Forums Top

How dare you? #:troll:

Reply #6 from Elemental Forums Top

Oh, and abob, you really stepped in the bucket this time.  A deep, dark bucket.

Reply #7 from Elemental Forums Top

Nah it doesn't hurt to ask.  Given that LH is (as far as I can tell) doing quite well, I don't see why there can't at least be some consideration of these things.

It might not be possible or feasible, I dunno... but doesn't hurt to let Stardock know we're interested.

 

I think HF makes some very valid points above.

We could possibly write a mod manager which helps with some of the issues (managing multiple mods, installation)... but having mods (including map packs etc) available via Steam Workshop would be great for the game - it can only generate more interest.

Reply #8 from Elemental Forums Top

Short answer, we want to support  Steam workshop.  It's always an issue of having dev bandwidth to do it.  most updates,including 1.6, have added new features for modders.

Reply #9 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 8
Short answer, we want to support  Steam workshop.
End of Frogboy's quote

Cool thanks for the response.

 

Quoting Frogboy, reply 8
It's always an issue of having dev bandwidth to do it.
End of Frogboy's quote

Yeah somewhat understandable currently given it seems you've got a lot on the go particularly at the minute.

 

 

 

Reply #10 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting abob101, reply 9


Quoting Frogboy, reply 8Short answer, we want to support  Steam workshop.

Cool thanks for the response.

 


Quoting Frogboy, reply 8It's always an issue of having dev bandwidth to do it.

Yeah somewhat understandable currently given it seems you've got a lot on the go particularly at the minute.

 

 

 
End of abob101's quote

 

yea, es, what I try to do is share with the community what we intend or what I'd like to do. But that isn't always the same as being able to do it. Engineering talent is in short supply. It's not even a budget issue. We're hiring.

Reply #11 from Elemental Forums Top

Quoting Frogboy, reply 10


 We're hiring.
End of Frogboy's quote

Does aerospace engineering count?