ESF 1.3 and addons

[Lexis]

What I want to know is how much flexibility will people have when it comes to making addons. We know ESF 1.2 uses AMXX . I've heard ESF Final will use some XML scripts. Anyone care to detaliate a little bit about how much flexibility will this offer us ?

Will we be able to create our OWN new characters (either trough XML or any other way ) ?
Will we be able to create our own attacks?
Will we be able to create our own transformations ?
Will we be able to modify / add new game mechanics?

Cheers.

 

[Grega]

ESF 1.2.3 does not use AMXX. It uses the HL1 SDK.

AMXX is a server side script that has no relation to ESF as a game itself. Its mearly a script that allows admins to bypass standard game features and implementing their own. Like administrator menus and so on.

The only thing of 1.2.3 that uses AMXX is ECX. Which is pretty much just one giant hack of ESF through the use of AMXX.

As for the XML system. We use it to run everything from maps to characters. And while the map and effect part will be available to the public, the attack creation and character creation parts will most likely be locked. So if people want to mod the game with characters, they will have to use AMXX and bypass the XML system.

 

[Lexis]

What is the reason behind locking the XML system ? I mean I can understand people modding it too heavly and breaking the balance but I'm 100% sure that most of the servers would be the base 1.3 version but I don't see the harm in giving people a bigger freedom. You never know what people can come up

 

[Grega]

If it was as hard to make a character with the XML system like it is in ECX then i agree with you. Since then only people with enough knowledge would be able to mod it and the mods would be a lot more balanced.

But thats not the case. Adding a character fully with sounds and attacks is less than 30 minutes of copy/paste and edit the value work. So every fanboy with no forethought would be able to do what ever he wanted for the games balance. Not to mention its still the same game and not really a mod, so you would have no idea what the server that you are joining has set up.

So the decision was that the character creation of the XML system would be locked for non dev team members with a protective system. It was also decided that in time we would unlock it if we saw it fit.

 

[Lexis]

Ah, I understand now. Unlocking it after a while sounds good. Thanks for explaining.

 

[hleV]

I'd still prefer a more complex or a secret way to unlock character creation for modders, so only people who actually know what they're doing would get their hands on it.

 

[MickeyG]

I'd still prefer a more complex or a secret way to unlock character creation for modders, so only people who actually know what they're doing would get their hands on it.

Agreed, else we get 100s of weird new chars.

 

[Lexis]

I'd still prefer a more complex or a secret way to unlock character creation for modders, so only people who actually know what they're doing would get their hands on it.

Yeah that also sounds good.