The Hard Code Problem
An example of how Hard Coding can kill a mod, and what we can do about it.
Sins Forums
Hardcoding has caused some serious problems for Sins mods. Unfortunetly most of us were unaware of these difficulties until we came upon them in our projects. There is no documentation to show what we can, or can not change.
The SoA 2 mod is being affected badly by some of these hard code issues. Other mods are being affected as well. Like the Star Wars mod, The BSG mod, etc. etc. The problem is mainly in Total Conversion mods. Where game mechanics must be changed in order to represent the IP being modded. Other mods like re-balance mods, and/or graphic enhancement mods are not affected by these issues. Only Total Conversion mods.
I will have to stop work on my SoA 2 mod. Unless some of these hard coded restrictions are lifted, or a viable way to work around then is found. It will be a shame to do that because much effort went into making the mod as it stands now.
Sins is an easy engine to import models, and other artwork, but that is pretty much all you can do with it. You can change the artwork, but not the mechanics of the game itself. Only what already exsists. So all you are doing is just making a "skin" of someone elses game. There are way too many hard coded restrictions in Sins to make a believeable Total Conversion mod. What good is importing pretty ships if you cant control the weapons firing arc, and you have weapons firing through their own hulls? Or you are unable to make a proper cloak because of hardcoded restrictions, and no matter how you try to work around it you meet with failure, and CTD's. Or all ships come to a screeching halt to slug it out, because that too is hard coded. Why are there "to hit" buffs and debuff's if nothing moves during a fight? lets not get into the hardcoded phase lanes, or single planet per gravity well issue. These are some examples of the issues at hand. Again most modders are unaware of these issues until they stumble upon them themselves, or read about others who stumble upon them.
Dont get me wrong Sins is a great game, and i would not have spent my money, all this time, and put all this effort into Modding Sins it if it wasnt. I am just frustraited to the point to where there is no point anymore. Other people are too.
A Total Conversion mod should NOT be a sloppy jury rigged mod that totally trashes the IP you are modding. Be it an established IP like Star Trek, or Star Wars, or something of your own creation, because of these hard code issues.
NOTE: This topic has been edited. This is a community problem. The Title, and OP has been changed to reflect that. My goal is to promote awareness, and education of the modding issues at hand, and to find civil ways of resolving them. So mods like SoA 2, BSG, Star Wars, Etc. dont die. All are welcome to discuss this.
I've just spent allmost the entire day researching dxt compression in an effort to produce higher-quality textures. It paid off in the end, but it was hard. Learned a lot more about the nuts and bolts behind pwetty pictures than I thought I would. 