Help out a total Noob please

Discussion in 'Modding' started by Fader48080, Jan 29, 2014.

  1. Fader48080

    Fader48080 Member

    So I have never made a mod before. and by this I mean I have literally never made a mod for any game ever. However I have been interested in the process for quite some time and have heared this is a great game got get your feet wet on.

    from what I have heard this game is super easy to mod, and fairly difficult to crash by modding. However I looked for a how to guide on here and couldn't find one. So any help would be apprecated, I honestly don't even know how to get started. If anyone looking for a chance to mentor someone who is really just looking for a fun way to improve their over all computer skills here is your call to action.
     
    OmniaNigrum likes this.
  2. Daynab

    Daynab Community Moderator Staff Member

    There are a number of good references and tutorials here: http://dredmod.com/wiki/Main_Page
    Beyond that, I suggest downloading a couple mods that do what you want to do (for example, a skill), and see how they are made.

    For the record I'd probably say this is somewhere in the middle of the modding accessibility ladder.
     
    OmniaNigrum likes this.
  3. bluehinter

    bluehinter Member

    As Daynab said, your two best resources are the Dredmod Wiki and looking at other mods to see what they've done. Oh, and running the game in Debug Mode.

    Additionally, I highly recommend bookmarking the visual spell templates and other quick references thread on this site and downloading the Mod XML validator. Both are invaluable tools, especially if you aren't a natural born XML whiz.

    I'd also recommend making copies of all the xml files in your C:\Steam\steamapps\common\dungeons of dredmor\game directory (or wherever the main game's files are stored on your computer) and putting them in another folder to use as a reference point. Generally speaking, everything you can do in the game will be featured in these files or the ones that come with the expansion packs.

    If you haven't modded before, the easiest place to start is with a skill/spell mod, new items, and/or text.
    Rooms and monsters are far more difficult (not to mention the additional artwork required), and there are some pretty massive gaps in the wiki tutorials, since so few of us actually bother to mod in that area. However, neither are impossible, and you can do some pretty amazing things with them once you understand the basic mechanics.

    Otherwise, my advice is to run the XML validator and test your mod as often as you can, making backups of your mod's .xml files as you go. As I have proven time and again, it is very easy to crash the game even when XML validator gives your mod a clean bill of health, so don't despair if you find yourself having to go back and rip out chunks of your mod section by section to see where the broken bit is. We've all been there.
     
    OmniaNigrum likes this.
  4. Alistaire

    Alistaire Member

    Well the biggest problem is that I couldn't finish the stuff on monster and room tutorials on the wiki because my account was created through Steam, then Steam support was removed, and signing up too.
     
    OmniaNigrum likes this.
  5. Bohandas

    Bohandas Member

    I think the reference pages on dredmod.com are often more helpful than tue tutorials on it anyway.

    Speaking of the rooms tutorial though, I just noticed that it leaves out a critical step, "set yout text editor to a fixed width font"
     
    bluehinter and OmniaNigrum like this.