Dark Millennium Mod

[IWAssassin]

Naturally the most common mod type for Dawn of War early on are going to be the "Race Mods" - we've seen enough of the "I want Tau/Nids/Guard/Barney's Friends" posts to know that there certainly is demand, and from people like Wazz we know there is genuine effort and skill that will go into creating these mods.

Now we run into two problems off the bat. First is duplicated work. Everyone knows that for some reason it's very possible that we might wind up seeing two Tau Mods, and thats just wasted effort. In addition to that, however, there's the fact that more than likley mod teams will create mods such that the Tyranid mod and the Imperial Guard mod can not be used at the same time.

So what I've gone and done is made a webpage, which I'm so far calling Dawn of War: Dark Millennium. The purpose is to be an all-encompassing race Mod whose goal is to include ALL races in 40k. Designed to simply be a multi-player race mod [which can also add single player races, but will not add campaigns by itsellf] so that mod makers who want campaigns can have all the races already there, and so people who want to play other races in MP can.

Now of course it's too early to begin much REAL work, but I feel getting organised now will avoid headaches when the game does come out.

So check out the webpage I threw together - Dawn of War: Dark Millennium (http://www.swcombine-asp.com/darkmillennium)

[Yes I know this is just a repost of what I had in the DoW forum, but it really belongs here more]

[epsilorn]

I think it's a great idea!!
Was just thinking about same problem, and this seems the right solution to it. All modders who would like to create (for example) the Tyranid race should keep themself in contact and distribute work. In this way we will have a Nid race complete and more uniform (and in less time :bandit: ).

BTW, is somewhere, out there, someone who would like to add units to an already existent race? I would like to see Cult Chaos marines (berzerkers & Rubric etc. i.e.)

[Pahakarhuz]

Nice work IWAssassin, if someone is interested about making a custom campaing with *real* plot I'll be able to help. Since my skills in modelling and scripting are not good enough I can't help in modelling.

How about the communication beetween the *team*. Would IRC be better than email?

[Talos]

i would love it if some one could add chaos cult such as berzerkers and some more chaos demons such as flamers or bloodletters

[Kained]

Sounds like an interesting idea. DoW looks like it should be a treat to mod.

I wouldn't touch variations on existing races yet Epsilorn till you can compare with whats already in game and how they look. The Guard have always been my favorites, gotta love those tanks but given the Guard will be in game and we don't know what they'll have, i'm looking at the Dark Eldar codex for inspiration.

Then again, would a Baneblade be too much ;)

Heres a Leman Russ and Vanquisher i made for CnC Generals. Scales different to DoW but since i'm knew i thought it a good idea to show an example.

http://homepage.ntlworld.com/george.d.paterson/Graphics/Tanks.jpg

[SvK]

Kained, those tanks are nice!

[spacewolflord]

I have to agree at first I thought you forgot the sponsion weapons than I remembered that there are some armies of Imps that do leave them off for some silly reason. :) By the way how is that mod comming??? For I am shour(sp) that after you are done there you will be looking for something else to keep you "entertained" for a spell

The Intuitive Mind is a sacred gift, the Rational mind, a loyal servant. Our society has honored the servant and forgotten the gift.
- Albert Einstein

[Von Franko]

Just wanted to say great idea and I hope this or something similar to it works out so we can enjoy playing all races against eachother in the future. Would be fun having to play against so many different fighting styles like in the real game. Never know what to expect till you see their army. :argh:

[Kinjiss]

are their gonna be Baneblades in this mod?

[IWAssassin]

Unlikley. As much as I would like to do something like that, the developers have mentioned certain size limitations within the engine due to the need for pathfinding. Essentially unless you want your computer to explode doing nothing but pathfinding calculations, units will have to be smaller than a certain size.

We'll be able to know more once the game comes out though, so maybe.

Edit: Additionally it's really beyond the scope of DoW anyway. At the very least such a vehicle would take up ALL of your support units, which in turn would detract from the feel of the Guard as there would be no Leman Russes at all. It also tends to make early game units useless later on which is something Relic wanted to avoid.

Not saying its impossible, just unlikley.

[BaronVonSnakPak]

i think multiple race mods are never a bad thing, nor counter productive, it allows you to choose which version of the race you like better.

[No Surrender]

I think that collecting all the race mods into one place is an excellent idea. Maybe Relic will even make it a semi official community patch/expansion.

[Doublehex]

Great idea, but how exactly are you gonna create eight additional races with the level of immersion that DoW has? Well anyways good luck-you'll need it.

[King Raa]

How about non 40k mods such as.. warhammer fantasy, necromunda, various periods of history etc, lol.

[Ravenblade]

Sounds like you got a good idea with setting up Dark Millennium website, i would like to help but i can't draw to save me life :(, all you need to do is spread the word to ppl who are working on two different projects for the same race i.e the tau, to contact you.

Keep up the good work IWAssassin

[IWAssassin]

Pictures are fun!

http://www.swcombine-asp.com/darkmillennium/images/chimera1.gif
http://www.swcombine-asp.com/darkmillennium/images/chimera2.gif

Yeah I know it sucks but it's a work in progress, and I only started learning how to model 26 hours ago.

[Ravenblade]

That's bloody good IWAssassin, i like some of the detail you're getting into the chimera, like the multi laser and ramp door, it looks great :bow2:

[Kained]

Looking good :) Although are you sure there won't be a Chimera in DoW?

Imperial Armour Volume 1 is a great book for Imperial Tanks, if you get a chance to have a look, maybe you already have it, but great for gettting details. I think the middle of the chassis is slightly wider, i'd say the green outer tracks/hull is a third the width of the inner blue chassis.

[TS_ahriman]

It would be cool if someone made a Horus Heresy campaign. Choose your army and try to alter the final outcome or something.

[T10]

I really like the idea, prevents us from spending years building the same things again and again and again and again and agan. I'd also like the help, but, though I have a small program, it isn't very good and I don't have a clue how to use it. Ah well. If you need some ideas, (which no-one really does these days (well, not from me at least)) just ask me.

[King Raa]

I have photoshop, which I presume is used for making skins?
I have soundforge, so I could help out with making/providing sounds.
I'd love to learn how to use G-Max, if anyone uses 3dsMax here legitimatly, wow you must be rich lol.
Bassically I'm up for helping out if people can tell me how.

[IWAssassin]

It might be in DoW, personally I doubt it. Additionally having the basic geometry laid out allows for quick conversion to a Hellhound [literally drop lasguns, add fuel tank, modify turret] or other Chimera chasis vehicles.

Edit:

http://www.swcombine-asp.com/darkmillennium/images/chimera1.gif
http://www.swcombine-asp.com/darkmillennium/images/chimera2.gif
http://www.swcombine-asp.com/darkmillennium/images/chimeralasgun.gif

2140 Triangles So far [Limit 3000]

[hobbes-99]

Glad to see works already started on the Guard :)

I'd definitely be up for helping out on doing a guard faction, I'm quite good on 2d artwork and things. Well and kind of skinning.

On a seperate note, Hi Kained, you really should show off your Vulture too mate, thats a truely sweet model.

I thought the guard wern't going to be in at all? Did I miss something?

[Mortus Bane]

One thing i have been thinking about is the battlefield it self. As far as i remeber from the E3 they said that there was going to be 2 types of labdscapes. Urban and jungle. If this is true i think it would be great if the DM Mod would include new settings for people to fight in. Some of my favorite would be.

Ice/snow planet
Black soot planet (everything is coverd in a think layer of black soot)
Desert planet

but it could also be cool so see some of the home worlds of the different races. or maybe something abit more special like a giant ship hull (think space hulk) or a major sewer system.

Well i was just thinking out loud here :)

What do you think?

[Russian Ninja]

That's not such a bad idea, adding more levels of interactivity to the map (closing sewer gates, poisonous sludge, etc). However pathfinding could be a problem, as well as getting reinforcements in in the case of the sewer system and the space hulk. No sense in using aircraft to drop in structures into a sewer system now is there.

EDIT: IWAssassin, where the hell did you learn to create graphics like that?! Those are excelent, especially for someone with only 26 hours of exp. Keep it up.

[IWAssassin]

Eh the current one shows something like 47 hours experience (:

Where did I learn to do that? Self taught. Though I do have like 10 years of watching my father model automotive parts in proe, so I at least new the concepts even if I never touched a 3d program (:

Edit:

New pictures of work-in-progress Hellhound

http://www.swcombine-asp.com/darkmillennium/images/hellhound1.gif
http://www.swcombine-asp.com/darkmillennium/images/hellhound2.gif

No Gun yet, 1378 Triangles

Naturally all these pictures are also on the webpage.

[Inquisitor Mau]

^Wow...Great work there

[Goallie11]

I have Lightwave, but its an old version and i dont know how to use it and it costs to much to upgrade. I'd love to do anything else though.

[ArchonArokN'ah]

I am (or may be) working on this mod, and I have completed (nearly, just touching up) on my splinter rifle.
I have only been using this program for a couple of hours, so there.
http://www.geocities.com/commoraghdesolate/splrifle.JPG

[ShineDog]

if you want some samples of sound work, let me know

[Drunk-Spleen]

Great idea, i dont know if youve looked into this yet or anything but i seriously think you need to try and rope Triceron into helping with the tau, he is seriously skilled.

He has some of his models HERE (http://www.cgtalk.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=147188)
i dont know how good your current Tau guy is but i saw those models and they were impressive.

[IWAssassin]

Triceron and I have a deal going. I steal his models, he steals some of my programming talent (:

[ArchonArokN'ah]

Some notes on 'what to change' in WH40K DoW (Dark Millenium Mod).
- I have read that snipers severely effect morale. They (apparently) have a fairly short range. This should be changed to 'they effect morale more than a bolter, and have the range of a heavy bolter, or there abouts', as there are many things in WH 40K that may be included in this mod that automatically force the target to flee, get pinned (ie, terrorfex, grotesques, C'Tan (not included), sort of thing).
-Bikes. From all the pictures, movie clips etc, I have not seen any bikes. Add these!

[ArchonArokN'ah]

I am making a Dark Eldar Warrior, is it okay?
http://6u.741.com/warrior.jpg

[King Raa]

Do what yah like, search the forums, If no-one is making a dark eldar mod, u do it, if they are, help them out.

[Talos]

if you are making a IG mod as a have seen os u make a Basilisk and a vindotor(cant spell) but as chaos for my ironwarrior clan that would be great

[BlackTemplar]

Ahh, the dreaded "vinditator", capable of propelling potatoes massive distances, raining mashed death upon the enemy.

[Spex]

Vindicator is as such a space marine "siege-breaker", with quite a short range.
so far haven't seen any pics of it :(

just wonderin how the IG will be represented(8 year Tabletop veteran in Imperial guard use, masses of infantry :bandit: )

If you will be able to actually also represent the numbers(or platoons), e.g. 1 Space Marine, 3 Guardsmen relation, that would be wicked.

oh yeah, please do not forget the mortars :evilnod:

[KingKupo]

well, this seems like a nice idea. I really wouldn't want about 6 Tau mods and 1,895*10²³³³ marine chapter mods on my HD(each one probably horribly unbalanced). Just keep in mind to base it on the 40K fluff, not the TT(altough it is pretty logical).

Well, you guys seem to be doing a nice job so far. Keep it up.

[Talos]

if anybody can make all the demons it would make be very happy or just the bloodletters and the flesh hounds

[Cpt. Ho]

I have no Experiance but Would LOVE to learn to model and/or skin but i can give idea's and am pretty good with balancing, and i can help with ALL races...

[Dread]

ive got no experience either and im going to learn about it in a couple of years probebly (studying on it) but if you get some time over witch hunters would be nice to see in a mod, havent seen anyone working on it yet ( not demonhunters either when i think of it) would gladly help you with adding races to the mod but it will take some time before ill be able to do so, maybe to the expansion or if this mod will take some time to make but it seems like you will get this mod done prity fast :P

good luck

forgot to say its looking really nice this far

[IWAssassin]

Appologies for not being around recently, had to deal with a recent family crisis over the past month or so. Still not fully back up to speed, Im writing this from a Library Computer as my computer is not yet back online [as part of the crisis I had to relocate to Arizona]. Never fear though, I will be back to full speed soon.

If you have emailed me in the past month or so I will be getting back to you ASAP. I know a lot of people have shown an interest in being involved in this mod, it will just take me a little time to get back up to speed [last time I was here the forum had all of 6 threads, now it has about 200 (: ].

[hobbes-99]

Hey mate, you can put me down for helping out on the mod, I'm not going to do that much before the game comes out but only because I don't want to do stuff that'll be of no use, just waiting to see how it all works.

I've been helping out on the only war mod for generals for about 6 months (that was my first mod so I'm still learning) pretty goot with computer 2d art and the such like.

[ArchonArokN'ah]

Do what yah like, search the forums, If no-one is making a dark eldar mod, u do it, if they are, help them out.
Is this mod going to emcompass ALL of the WH40K races available in the game, as King Raa says that I shouldn't go into this one for Dark Eldar...

[esk]

I'm sure I can do something, despite having no exp. I will give some stuff a shot, if you like. I dont think i will be to good at the programing side of things, I may be able to do scripting, depending on what system they use. I haven't done much with 3d modelling, but am willing to give it a try. :)

Will this be one big mod with all the races (as many as are moded) even if they are done by other independently, or will it just be those that conribute. What are the rules on taking mods done by others and tweaking them to fit within this mod, more for balance than anything else. Or do they need to directly be involved? Will this be an all in one mod, with a self installer, or lots of little individual race mods?

[Lich1990]

Hey. I'm pretty hopeless at 3d modeling, .. *Stupid year 8 lack of training,.* Anyway, I'm going to try and find out what the hell I'm doing, then I'll try and help with some mods.

.. Lich1990, modder king.. Yeah, that has a ring to it.. Now, to figure out how to open GmaX :) :)

[Shua_Zane]

Alright that web site is a awesome idea I feel it will help organize and complete race mods faster along with allowing balancing issues to be better addressed. which is ussually a prolbem between mods.

[theshadowduke]

I have maya 6, but dont know how to use it, if yall have any place for some good tutorials that would be nice, then i could really start on making both models for the mods, or a nice DOW promo piece :)

[KrootMerc]

Like the idea, When is the work on the Kroot gonna start :D

[Lord Dante]

As a 6 year 3D vet kind of bloke. with 3DS max (yes its legit - its my job)

I think im gonna get started on Nids.

Can someone tell me what the poly limits and texture map limits are on the basic units?

Double Post

Ok just noticed someones on Nids already

so i got thinking...

Ill go make some Assains :)

they could be fun! (and easy in all honesty)

[Lamada]

id be honored ot offer my assistance...il email u iwassasian...this is the kidna temwork thats gonna make this game great, and not a firewarrior...lol

[TheSquidd]

These mods NEED to be organized. The races need to match as closely as possible to the races already in the game. I really get the feeling with user created races the game will become unbalanced.

The best idea I can think of is to form a Dev team much like a real game studio. Have your team of modelers, have animators, have coders, have artists. Try to make the same set of coders make the stats and rules for each race to ensure a balanced battleground. Have the same texture artists work on the models to ensure the same level of quality on all the races (no oddball creatures running around in flat textures). Without a central dev team communicating this mod is destined to be flop before the game is even released. BUT if this mod is done correctly, it will be the CS of the RTS world guaranteed. Perhaps the mod will be picked up by GWI itself and produced as a retail product.

Also, this is my first post hello all. I wish I could help as a long time fan of WH40k (but not a player due to lack of any funds whatsoever). But alas I'm a crappy coder and have no reference models with which to model, also I have no experience in IK Bones or character studio (unaware of this games animation setup)

anyway. Look forward to this mod more than I look forward to the game itself. Good luck and ORGANIZE!

[ChicoRiverez]

So is the Dark Millenium Mod dead? There has been no action either in the forums or on the web site. Just wondering if it was still in progress.

[edman]

IW I am very interested in playtesting for your the different races that you are compiling on your website! please read my mail that I sent you. Keep up the good work and don't give up.
P.S, very pleased that triceron is on the team, I think he is one of the most skilled modders that you can get your hands on.

[Skewerd]

Has there been any word from IW Lately? I'm also interested in contributing, and helping in any way possible.

[Perionterix]

What would be nice would be weapons platforms that can be Upgraded to have things like Manticore Missile launchers, Hydra Flak turrets, and of course Earthshakers,

The Orks already have Leman Russ tanks so all you need is to clean them up and stuff, Also Variants would be relatively easy to make.

I think it would be good to at least try to make Baneblades, See if they work or not, In that Urban map in the Demo they wouldent work too well I think, Too cramped, but in that one Desert map I saw I think A baneblade could fit through there no problem. I don't think that the baneblade would be too unbalanced, what with the bloodthirster and Avatar and all.

speaking of, It would be cool to be able to choose from 6 different types of Chaos armies, mabye even a seventh Imperial Guard Traitor one, The main ones would be a Khorne (World Eaters) army, with Berzerkers and Lords and all the demon types, As well as the Bloodthirster Resembling more of the Forgeworld Variant, with increased size and stats to reflect that. A slanesh (Emperor's Children) army with Noise Marines and all the respective Demon types, a Tzentch (Thousand Sons) with all the respective troop types, a Nurgle (Death Guard) with the Plague Marines and Demons and such, The Original Chaos army would be more or less the "Undivided" and the 5th and 6th would be the Iron Warriors and Night Lords Respectively, Did I miss any? oh well that's all for now.

[CLR]

I'm not sure of what you're proposing.

A) Create from scratch an all encompassing mod with all race additions, etc...

or

B) Compilation of data from existing modders, so that players can get all of races from one mod update (instead of several).

If its the latter, I commend you and would certainly help get everything we've done in the necron mod so you can integrate it in an all-in-one package (once we have something concrete ofcourse).

If you're proposing the former... you better just open up a studio. :bandit:

[Dalveldrin]

OMG this thread is....

ALIVE....


again.

[IWAssassin]

I'm not sure of what you're proposing.

A) Create from scratch an all encompassing mod with all race additions, etc...

or

B) Compilation of data from existing modders, so that players can get all of races from one mod update (instead of several).



Answer: Both. Half the point of the mod after all is to avoid unnecessary duplication of work. If there is a Necron Mod, ideally Id like to steal the work of the Necron team, giving full credit of course (:. Same with a Tau Mod, IG Mod, etc.

If there is a race that isnt being done, we would work on those as much as we could.

Sorry for not being around guys, been dealing with RL crap. But Im baaaaack! *watches everyone run away in absolute horror*

[Richtofen]

Well, we plan to do 'spotting voices' (eg, 'Awww, its the eldar, send 'alf the boyz home, boss!') for all the races, so we will have compatability.