Started mucking around with creating some basic mods today and have amassed enough to warrant a thread. Only 4 weapons right now (sprites incomplete,) missing some info on some of the weapons, and missing some sounds but they're all workable so I'd like to get feedback on what I should start working on next and what I need to improve on. There is also my first crack at a few actors in there, I got one working then immediately decided to try something really difficult to work on my ability with offsets (a giant robot.) Needless to say the actor is currently broken, although less broken then I would have expected. I'm not posting these here because I think they're any good (although they are usable and decent looking,) I'm putting them here because I'd like to have a record of how I improve and I'd like to gather feedback. Thanks!

Day 2 and looking at the .ini files now it all seems pretty easy to digest. The syntax looked simple to begin with but I'm amazed with how quickly you can unravel it. I still need to learn more about creating particles, how atoms works, and gibbing but at the current rate it'll probably only mean looking at some code and creating my own copy. The offsets can be tricky, if anyone could explain to me exactly what the parent offset for the arm does since there is already an offset for the arm attachment to the torso I'd love it. Also, the idle offset for the leg is the full extension correct? The path vectors still look intimidating but I'm sure they're not as bad as they seem, I'm just leaving them alone for now.

Day 3: Started a mod that is cohesive enough to put it in the released mod category (when it's done.) Figuring out how attachments behave and how they work (they're pretty cool.) I'm happy that my creations are feeling less like reskined versions of something someone has already made. The feedback has been very helpful, thanks!



Credit to the following people:
Seraph-Mod Repository
Azzuki-Guide to Offsets
StoneCrow-Basic Tutorial (the Deagle from his tutorial is still in there (with new skins and sounds), part of his script is the basis for the Smith and Wesson 500), and his icon is still there for the module.
Dragonxp-Actor creation tutorial
Lupin-Giant Robot sprite
Major-His Pistol.ini file was invaluable
Code is also borrowed from the game directory

I know it's your first mod - and I REALLY sincerely mean no offence - but it seems most of your mod is remade code that other people did. You did do the offsets though, which is pretty good, and you did (mostly) your own sprites. I commend you for that.
Keep on chuggin', man.

(Again, please, please, please don't take offence, I really don't mean to be rude or anything :c)

what! WHAT!? jk, most of the code structures are from the AK47 and have just been transplanted. I was going to write the AA12 from scratch but thought it would just be wasting time since I wasn't doing anything special with it and changing the variables seems to be all you would do for small arms anyway. Most of what I've done is just find out what each variable and declaration controls, after that I might take a crack at learning the .ini syntax.

Edit: Thanks for the feedback, what do you think about the look, feel, and sound of the weapons, because that was my primary focus.

No, you don't have to make the entire code from scratch; hell, most everyone I know doesn't.

As for the sprites, they could be improved. Should have an outline, and more contrast. I can do them if you want.
The sounds are good, they have a lot of power into them.
I don't know about the 'feel' of the weapons. What do you mean by that?

Funny you should mention an outline and contrast, what is in the file now is what I was doing in paint, I need to add noise and darken the edges in photoshop but I'm more interested in learning how everything works before I throw too much time into something I'm already proficient at. By feel I just meant how the weapon performs in game, the problem I see with a lot of mods is that an Uzi will feel like a high caliber rifle or a pistol will feel like a peashooter; the default weapons all have a unique feel that parallels what you expect and I was wondering if my guns did the same.

Most of a gun's 'feel' comes from the sound it makes, aswell as how many shots you need to down someone. Mostly the former.

You really should comment out the gundam actor, when I saw
the offsets my eyes bled, it is not easy work, you know... looks
like you've decided to choose to mod the biggest actor possible...

I've succeeded some time ago, trying to create a titan for unitec, but it
is quite difficult if you don't have previous experience about actor offsetting
and shading/spriting, I strongly recommend you to leave that actor for future.

That's largely why I started. Most of the offsets are pretty simple and there's a wide margin of error for the little guys so I wanted understand exactly what each offset is doing, still in the process of doing so. I'm not realistically trying to finish the titan, although it has made some progress since this version.