[t1ck]

hi,

first the short version why i am here:
- duke3d, blood and shadowwarrior belong to my all time favourite games.
- i have some experience in programming and design and want to expand this to the world of computer games
- i recently installed eduke32 and the HRP pack and its just so impressive

so my conclusion is that i need to join a project that works on one of the mentioned games above!
but where to start?
eduke/hrp seems to have the most progress so far, there is lots of documentation, lots of ppl, structured forum etc etc.
SW doesnt look so transparent, is there only one guy working on it alone? the games have so much in common, wouldnt it be easier to port the *.grp stuff into the eduke32 engine instead of starting something new (same for blood)?
well and blood... there are various started project, but none seems to be very sucessfull (except for transfusion, but i think they are going the wrong way)

ok and the next question.
HOW to start? what tools do you use? what skills are required?
i wrote some programs in python and c# in my past (yes, a odd mix of skills), i can use blender/gimp, i can compile/test stuff and create packages for the archlinux world.
whatever is needed, i can learn it

there are only 2 things i won't/can't do: windows and closed source projects

[Jimmy]

There is no source code for Blood. The only port for SW being actively developed is SWP. While I think SW could most definitely use the help the most, I don't think there is a lot of interest either. You might wanna take a crack at CON coding, which an old coder in the community referred to as "C On Narcotics". Check out wiki.eduke32.com.

[TerminX]

EDuke32 is written in C, so learning C would probably be the best place to start if you want to help out. There are a lot of areas that need work... pretty much any contribution with merit and worth a damn gets accepted unless there's something fundamentally wrong with the changes.

As for SW, well, it was never anywhere near as popular as Duke3D and that holds true today. I think EDuke32 is the only Build game port to ever really get a whole hell of a lot of development done and have anything resembling a team, so this is definitely the right place to direct your efforts if you want to see them put to good use.

[Danukem]

As CA indicated, Blood and SW are pretty much dead as far as modding is concerned. There are a couple of Blood TCs being developed for EDuke32, however.

The main job categories in making TCs are level construction, modelling, and scripting. Most of the builders in the community are people who learned to use the editor many years ago, and they are dwindling in number. It doesn't sound like that's what you're interested in, though. Modellers are always in demand (although there are currently several TCs in development that use only the old-fashioned 8-bit art). Scripting in EDuke32 (CON coding) can be a lot of fun and it's pretty easy to do some cool stuff without a lot of experience. It seems like there are a lot of competent coders around at the moment, however.

My advice woud be to spend a few days playing with recent (as in released in the last 3 years) mods, TCs and user maps. This will give you a better idea of what is already been done and may give you some ideas of the sort of thing you'd like to work on.

EDIT: And of course as TX suggested, there is the option of making contributions to EDuke32 itself rather than working on a TC.

[t1ck]

thanks for all that fast replies, i will start at the eduke wiki and see if i find a way to contribute somethine usefull.
im fine with c, started learning someday but never produced anything with it (the other ways were always easier )

i understand that sw/blood/redneckrampage and duke somehow have the same basis (the build engine).
well RR seems to be a TC (http://en.wikipedia....ki/Build_engine) since its build directly on duke.

for the community it would be IMHO to best way to use eduke32(as the most sucessfull version of the build engine) as a basis for all the other games and all other attempts will fail.
so i think joining the eduke community will be the best way to do something for all of the build engine games.

if nobody finds an error in the stated above i will consider all my questions anwered for now and am hereby requesting permission to come aboard yaarrrrr.

btw, how many (active) contributers does the eduke/hrp projects have?

[Spiker]

Welcome aboard! You can take your place at the crow's nest!


I'm not sure but I think that Eduke32 is now actively being developed by 3 guys Termix, Plagman and Helixhorned. There used to be a good coder Hunter_rus but he left the society, plus some occasional contributions. When it comes to modellers there are more of them but now they're in deep sleep and it would be nice if someone could wake them up by providing some nice contribution.

[chicken]

The keepers of the hrp are NightFright and Parkar.

If you would like to contribute to the HRPs of the addons (Nuclear winter, Caribbean, DC), then Hendricks266 is the man.

For the HRP check: http://hrp.duke4.net/
There is a todo-list link on the right.

Hendricks' page: http://hendricks266.duke4.net/

Check the todo lists what is still needed and then model away!

[XThX2]

Welcome ! If you are willing to learn CON, this might be helpful to you.

Scripting Tutorials/Informations

If you get stuck or have questions, we have the "Eduke32 Scripting" thread.

RTCM can also help you if you need any tutorials/utilities or shortly anything a modder could need ! Be sure to check it out.

Enjoy your stay here!

[Master Fibbles]

The lack of modeling/art content creation for the HRP has been due to the partial release of Polymer. People have been waiting for the official release (which is sort of here) before working more on the HRP so updates and the latest features can be used. Of course, you also get real life creeping in for some people.

Welcome to the board, btw.