Mods discussion, links, etc

[Pursuivant]

Originally Posted by EJGr.Ost_Caspar

Fantasy repaints and frankenstuff = lame!

I really don't understand all the fuzz about mod packs.
Only real benefit is the different sound IMHO.

Yeah, mod packs are so lame. All you get are:

1) All planes flyable, albeit many with "borrowed" cockpits and gunner stations.

2) Scads of new maps.

3) New variants of existing planes - some quite well researched.

4) Complete historical loadouts for existing planes.

5) Small fixes to mistakes on stock planes.

6) Loads of new planes - some with new 3D models, DM and FM. Yeah, some are "frankenplanes" but even then, they're often quite well done.

7) Lots of new ground objects.

Corrections to AI which fix "sniper gunners" and engines which never overheat.

9) Improvements to AI which make enemy planes tougher, more aggressive opponents.

10) Additions to AI which allow you to control up to wing-sized formations of bombers and give additional commands to wingmen.

11) Additions to AI which allow forward observers, target marking, ground controlled radar.

12) Better default skins.

13) Lots of little corrections to things which 1C was too busy/lazy to fix over the years. Like better sounds, better smoke and fire effects, better ground textures and corrections to dumb mistakes in FM coding well before the "official" fixes.

Basically, modders are telling 1C and DT where they want the sim to go and are taking steps to make it go there. If mods were junk nobody would use them.

If DT is smart, they would do what computer security companies do - recruit the best hackers to work for the "good guys." In this case, recruit the better modders onto their team, or ask to use their mods.

Also, DT's web presence has been minimal, to say the least. You guys need to communicate better, and not just on inherently "mod unfriendly" sites like this one. Set up a web page that lists formal requirements for mods (i.e., polygon counts, areas that are off limits) and tutorials on how to add objects, planes, ships, etc. to the game. Maybe have an "official" TD presence on mod forums to steer promising modders towards contributing to official patches. Basically, encourage people to work through DT and to build stuff that is up to official standards.