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Description
This section will detail how the mod will be put together, the process that
the modders should use to get their work into the mod, and anything else that
needs to be detailed on how we will coordinate all the different team member's
work.
It will also contain the standards we will use. This includes naming
standards, script writing and documentation standards, file directory standards,
and process standards. We want everyone to turn in work that looks like
everyone else's. Not because we don't want your creative genius to stand
out, but because if someone else want to use, troubleshoot, or has to modify
your work then having standards allows them to easily read or figure out where
things are. You will be credited in the mod's credits for everything you
did.
Table of contents
The Build
The base ESM
Merging
new work
Backups
Models,
textures, and retextures
BSA file
Model
standards
Texture
standards
Naming
standards
Coding
standards
The base ESM will be the starting ESM. It will contain the map and the
initial set of models to use.
The ESM is the file that contains the mod. This is the main file that
will be released to when we release our mod. All the team member's work
will be merged into the main ESM.
Each team member will submit work in the form of an ESP. The team
merger (SinisterDeath) will then merge that data into a new ESM which will then
be redistributed.
We don't really know how this process will work yet to avoid duplication and
breaking other's work. We will be doing some testing prior to releasing the initial esm.
ESM ESP Build Tracking - html sheet
(spreadsheet version)
The tracking sheet holds a list of all the esps added to the
mod, who made them, whether we need permission or can just
credit, and what esp they were added with. The esm
plus the list of esps will equal the mod. |
| ESP Name |
Owner |
Date
Released |
Description |
Build Added To |
| wot1items.rar |
Kiriel |
3/6/2004 |
Adds interior and exterior items. See
tracking sheet for full list. |
Original Base Build
wot2004 |
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We of course will be backing up every single ESM prior to every single ESP
merge. And backing up every ESP prior to merging. This will allow
us to back out a bad ESP by going back to the ESM prior to the merge.
Then remerge the ones that are fine. We will always be able to remerge
and recreate the current ESM from the beginning.
The proposal is to release our textures and meshes in a BSA file. Morrowind and all
the expansions have a single esm and bsa. This will allow us to release a
single ESM, maybe an ESP, and a BSA file.
There are utilities to unpack and pack BSA files. We can also have an
alternate zip that contains all the NIF's and textures for modders who don't
want to unpack our BSA.
Note: the bsa contains only dds files for Morrowind. When you
look at the CD, a lot of the textures are tga files. This can cause some
confusion when you create a new mesh and use an existing texture but use the tga,
not knowing the bsa contains a dds. You then find your model has missing
textures. The game doesn't look at the CD, only the bsa or what is in the
texture folder.
Model standards will be finalized by SinisterDeath. These standards
apply to both new models and retextures.
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Data Files\Meshes\WOT\x
NIF files will be placed in a subdirectory structure underneath
Meshes. This structure will follow the same directory structure
Bethesda uses but be one level deeper.
Data Files\Meshes\WOT\a (armor)
Data Files\Meshes\WOT\b (NCP's, body)
Data Files\Meshes\WOT\c (clothing)
Data Files\Meshes\WOT\d (door)
Data Files\Meshes\WOT\e (effects)
Data Files\Meshes\WOT\f (furniture)
Data Files\Meshes\WOT\i (interior statics)
Data Files\Meshes\WOT\l (lights)
Data Files\Meshes\WOT\m (miscellaneous items)
Data Files\Meshes\WOT\n (ingredients)
Data Files\Meshes\WOT\o (containers)
Data Files\Meshes\WOT\r (creatures)
Data Files\Meshes\WOT\w (weapons)
Data Files\Meshes\WOT\x (exterior statics)
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Only send in final models and textures.
Use whatever method is easiest for you to keep the final models separate
from the WIP models.
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Send in screenshots with your new models when
you are ready to have them merged into the esm. We will be putting
links on the model page. Even for retextures. Other modders
may then use those models for their work.
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If your model is a one of a kind, that should be indicated on the model
page as well. We don't want the the Rose throne to be found all over
the place.
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Any third party model
that you want to add to the mod needs to be registered on the mod page.
Please go to the mod page and see if it already has been added. If
not, please send a note to Sinister to add the model and wait until it
comes out with the next esm to use it.
We don't want five people all adding dongle's windows or barabus's
fireplaces or Lady E's models.
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Rename all third-party models and
textures. We want unique names from the original designer.
This last one is not set yet. Since we will have all our files in
subdirectories we will not interfere with anyone else's mods. So,
this might be unnecessary.
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Make sure to send in the name of the model
creator for third-party models. We want to credit everyone who's
work we use.
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Textures should be the smallest they can be to
contain the detail that we want.
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Data Files\Textures\WOT\Author
Textures should be placed in a subdirectory underneath Textures.
This will allow us all to keep the textures separate from textures we have
on our machines from other mods.
Modelers will have to reassign textures in NIFTexture prior to submitting
the new model.
This subdirectory is subject to change if we find
the bsa format is not compatible.
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Keep a list of player created textures you use
and who made them. We need to give correct credit for everything we
use.
This section is just our starting set. Those include
naming everything with the initials of the mod in front of the ID.
Everyone, please give input on this. We want
everything to sort really nice so people can find things. Bethesda wasn't
too bad but they could have done better. We aren't going to do any better
than them but at least we can do as well as they did.
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Start all models except NCP's with the code for
that type of article after our mod initials.
Using wot_ as a prefix will cut down the number of characters for the
ID. The reason for adding the prefix more than makes up for it.
We need the prefix to differentiate between what comes with Morrowind,
Tribunal, and Bloodmoon and what we made. We are going to have many
things to track and put together in the release package. We need an
easy way of pulling out everything that is new and checking to make sure we
have all the supporting files.
| prefix |
description |
| wot_furn_ |
furniture |
| wot_misc_ |
miscelanous stuff you can pick up |
| wot_key_ |
keys |
| wot_in_style |
interior architecture
Style indicates what set the architecture belongs to, like
"and" for Andoran or "tea" for Tear. |
| wot_ex_style |
exterior architecture. |
| wot_terrain_ |
terrain meshes |
| wot_VFX |
special effects |
| wot_flora_ |
plants |
| wot_act_ |
activators |
| wot_sc_ |
scroll |
| wot_bk_ |
book |
wot_amu_
wot_shirt_
wot_pants_
wot_shoes_
wot_skirt_
wot_ring_
wot_gloves_
wot_belt_
wot_robe_ |
clothing. |
wot_barrel
wot_crate
wot_urn
wot_chest
wot_cabnt
wot_desk
wot_table
etc... |
Containers. |
| wot_door_ |
doors |
| wot_ingr_ |
ingredients |
| wot_ |
lights |
| wot_pick_ |
lock pick |
| wot_appr |
apparatus |
| wot_probe |
probe |
| wot_ |
NCP |
| wot_ |
weapon |
| wot_ |
armor |
Script writing standards will be the same as most
projects and books show for coding.
-
Use proper case (First Letter Capitalized) for
all commands.
Examples:
OnActivate
ElseIf
AddItem
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Use lower case to start variable names, proper
case for the rest of the variable. (It just differentiates our
variables from commands easier. Since the CS doesn't have color coding
this is the most we can do.)
Examples:
doOnce
startPlayerStrength
numberOfTimesHit
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Use standard indenting for If commands and While
loops. This means that the lines underneath an If, ElseIf, Else, or
While need to be indented one tab.
Example:
If ( OnActivate == 1 )
Player -> AddItem "My_new_shorts" 1
EndIf
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Document, document, document. Comment.
Whatever you call it, please write in English explanations for everything
you code. You may think it is totally obvious what it the code is
doing, NOW. You may think that why you are doing it is obvious,
NOW. But later, it will waste a lot of time for you to try to figure
out what you were thinking.
And it will waste a lot more time if someone else is trying to figure it
out. You at least knew what you thought, maybe. Someone else is
starting from scratch and may have no idea why you set a variable to 10 or
felt the need to start another script at this point in the code.
Yes, Bethesda was pretty lousy in documenting. Don't use them as an
example. Use your conscious. BWAHAHAHAHAH. If you have
one.
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