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Total conversion -- Warhammer: Fantasy Battles [New Management]

  1. #1
    Member under_score's Avatar
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    Total conversion -- Warhammer: Fantasy Battles [New Management]

    So, I'm sure at least one person has noticed the mod has faded to page 3 of the forums and the last update was a few months ago. The main reason for the lack of updates is that I'm a horrible quitter, well not really, but that's pretty much the reason. I've been putting off 'abdicating' and declaring the mod dead because of my hope that something might change.

    Firstly I should explain my reasons for not being able to take on this task. I recently started college, [WHINE] the jump in workload has been stressful and I've been feeling quite ill [/WHINE], due to this the mod has been dead, for want of a better term. I've been putting of announcing it so in the hope than some magic cure all will come along and help, or an extra team member.

    Though I still wanted to make the mod, where I really lost spirits was trouble the using max 9 exporter for DoW. I spent hours trying to get the damn thing to export and can't get it to for love nor money. That's my main reason for giving up, a Homer Simpson work ethic I suppose!

    Also I've been trying to take on texturing, rigging/skinning, animating and exporting singlehandedly, which is no fun for someone with such a little skill base as myself.

    However I've recently been contacted regarding an offer of someone taking over the mod, which I would rather have happen than the work Ace has done falling into obscurity, not only does this give the mod a chance at life beyond what I can offer but means I can work on the aspects of modding I enjoy more. That person is called Kinky and he will be starting a new thread here soon, which I will link to in due course.

    Mod design document (PDF)
    This document details all the information about the mod, it lays out concept art, planned units and tech trees as well as including a timeline.






    To quote from it:
    "The entire Dawn of War series has been based off Games Workshop’s IP; ‘Warhammer 40,000’, a universe in which there’s only war, the grim far future. Unbeknownst to most Dawn of War fans there’s another Games Workshop IP; ’Warhammer’.
    The basic premise of this universe is:

    “Warhammer is set in a fantasy world where you can control a wide variety of armies, from the human realms of the mighty Empire and the chivalrous land of Bretonnia, to the hordes of Orcs that reside in the forests and mountains of the world, or the insidious ratmen known as Skaven whose vast tunnel-empire lies below the enclaves of other civilisations.” - http://uk.games-workshop.com/warhammer/

    Though this universe has already been incorporated into Bandai-Namco’s ‘Mark Of Chaos’ recently, and there’s a mod in progress using the Rome total war engine, very little action has been taken to incorporate it into Dawn of War."

    ________________________ Thus ____________________


    "The Dawn of War series simulates the perfect transition of tabletop 40,000 into a computer game and why shouldn’t the same be true of Warhammer, isn’t this is also a table top game, by the same inventors?

    Of course a mod not using the 40,000 IP means all 40,000 modelling assets have to be removed. This is known, and dreaded in the modding community as a total conversion. Most people have a pre-programmed reaction to the words total conversion, due to the difficulty of implementing them and indeed, totally converting Dawn of War: Dark Crusade represents a lot of work, the current success tolls for total conversions stand at 0.

    However to counter this, the best idea is to release the mod with a stripped back form of the original idea that is still enjoyable to play. The first public release version would feature very few units, from just 2 races out of 15 possible. This could then be released with all assets public sourced so other mod teams as well as this mod team could expand on it, with subsequent releases and an ever growing unit and faction list.

    When you saw the title for this mod and the desire to incorporate it into Soulstorm you probably thought I had my facts wrong, indeed Soulstorm isn’t released yet however by the time this mod is finished Soulstorm will have been released, and we could be the first mod on Soulstorm. In the time frame between Soulstorm release and now, we can create all assets, and when we all buy Soulstorm we can release the mod.

    Of course the mod should be backwards compatible so those on Dark Crusade can play it and develop it. "

    _____________________________________________________

    I have already completed some work for the mod, this includes models, tech trees and resource planning.
    _____________________________________________________

    Here are some buildings:

    Empire Barracks -


    Empire Watch tower design 2 -



    So if what you have read interests you, download the PDF 18 page mod document to see my in depth plans, if you would be interested in joining the team post here or at the forums
    and work will begin 20/02/08
    (note an error in the mod document lists this as 20/01/08)

    ---------------------------------------------------------------------
    And last but not least, a list of the mod team (apologies to those missed out)

    AceAngel
    Divineauthority
    HiveMind
    Imperialhonour
    Lord Abaddon
    runab0ut
    the_almighty_moo
    underscore
    Zombiedragon201
    Last edited by under_score; 25th Sep 08 at 11:51 AM.

  2. #2
    Senior Member horusheretic's Avatar
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    you really think that you could pull off 2 new races (all buildings and units) for a TC mod by the time SS is finished and be the first mod for SS? GL on that. that is almost a vertical cliff to climb and you dont really have the safety ropes and gear to climb it in a manner of speaking. still dont let this discourage you though.
    Tutorials_And_Helpful_Sites_Here <-link
    Want a 3d model commissioned? I may do so. Pm me!
    http://steamcommunity.com/groups/dow40k2-woa Join up for updates and view other members.

  3. Modding Senior Member Dawn of War Senior Member  #3
    Father of Death Croaxleigh's Avatar
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    Under_score's actually been working on this one for a little while... I've been somewhat of a "consultant" for some of his ideas. Whether or not his mod is the first for SS is anybody's guess (I'd probably wager that he won't be the very first, as I know of at least 1 or more mod projects that stand a chance of seeing a release very quickly after SS and its tools are released), but I have a lot of faith in him pulling this off relatively early in SS's lifespan.
    I has a Blurb. And one of those Tweeter things.
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    I'd run with a shotgun to go hijack a private airplane and fly to Belgium. Nothing interesting ever happens in Belgium, so there's definitely no zombie apocalypse there.

  4. #4
    Member mdcertainty's Avatar
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    A huge project and very interresting .

  5. #5
    Nihilus
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    I second that! The prototypes look very promising and your whole posts gives me the impression that you could really pull this off.

    Good luck .

  6. #6
    Member Julian's Avatar
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    From the looks of your buildings, it seems like your going for a smaller scale of units, I assume this is so you can have larger formations? I like that Empire Barracks, especially the slightly ramshackle looking tower.

  7. #7
    Member darkelf's Avatar
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    I like this, I'd offer you my services as a coder if I weren't awfully caught up with 2 other projects at the moment. Though I must say I'd envisioned Dark elven buildings to be somewhat different, taller and more menacing with spires and bridges connecting them and shit (like the cover of the DE army book and Reaper of Souls), though your take looks really nice as well
    "We are the most civilised race in the world. We have more exquisite ways to kill than any other."
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    Formerly DarkelfLord

  8. #8
    Member ChaosReigns's Avatar
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    Sounds fascinating! Could you perhaps re-post the mod design doc though? I get an error message every time I try to open it.

    What races will you be doing to begin with (besides Dark Elves and the Empire, if any)?

  9. #9
    Escushion
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    I'd play it.

  10. Modding Senior Member Dawn of War Senior Member  #10
    Father of Death Croaxleigh's Avatar
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    ChaosReigns: For now, at least, Under_score is just doing those 2 races. That's to ensure that the mod doesn't become too "big" and as such never gets completed. Don't know if there are any plans to do more after the initial mod is finished or not.

  11. #11
    Member ChaosReigns's Avatar
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    Ah, okay, I see. Thanks Croaxleigh.

  12. #12
    This.. Is.. Well.. Planned...

    I Wish the Teams I were on were this well planned! I'd offer my services if i had any spare time, I'm caught up in other mods though. Either Way, can't wait to play this, looks very good so far!
    I guess day 1 DLC was too casual for EA, so let's start doing 8-month-early DLC! - Shuma
    Eagerly awaiting DoW3 with mod tools. You hear me Relic?!


  13. #13
    Member Imperial Honour's Avatar
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    You have my full support if you ever need any coding support or help\advise, although I really would of loved to see Dark Elves v High Elves or the dreaded Empire v Chaos matchups since they are the most famous. But then going outside the most dreaded matchups for your first two races is also great as it makes you different from other mods. Either way you have my full support, specially since I want to see Bretonians :P...
    One percent of the Blood Gods consume 99 percent of the blood and skulls. #OccupyTheSkullThrone
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  14. #14
    Dark Elves FTW!

    For the land of Chill!

    Great mod

    A fan of every mod. 8)

  15. #15
    Resident AI guy thudmeizer's Avatar
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    Good work Under_Score ! You seem committed to this. wow.. a Warhammer Fantasy TC mod inside a Warhammer40k game... I do distinctly remember a similar project that was undertaken but then failed -- regrettably, all TC mods have failed. But hey.. you could be the first to buck the trend!

  16. #16
    Very nice! I suppose it was only a matter of time before a WHFB mod was designed. Good job and good luck!

  17. #17
    Member Imperial Honour's Avatar
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    Discovered a working link to the Design Document for the modification, so you can download the design documentation below.

    http://www.filefactory.com/file/859042/

  18. #18
    divineauthority
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    I'd help too but at the moment my time's taken up with exams, coding for The Futile and lots of actionsripting for Flash. Plus when I need to be depressed i have anther go with the HHMP predator in the OE. In a month or so I could probably help you with some of the OE work and maybe even some simple models and textures.

  19. #19
    I assume you'll need voices, so PM me if you do. I only have 1 assignment (death guard) so I'll have pretty much all the time in the world to spare for this. Although voices come last, I still can wait.

    Go fantasy Warhammer!

  20. #20
    WHFB is a grey area to me apart from the basics, it's never tippled my tastes, but i'd be willing to give this mod a shot, if not just to reminisce about dark omen

  21. #21
    dabangster
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    great idea under_score! ill be watching this thread now. cant wait for it to be finished. keep up the great work

  22. General Discussions Senior Member Modding Senior Member Dawn of War Senior Member  #22
    Why shout... Octopus Rex's Avatar
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    Sounds promising, and those models looks good (though I agree that I would invision tall spires for the the DE, but what the heck) and it's nice that you have some work done already.

    After taking a look at your design brief I think you've set your sights at a good level. All TCs have huge, grand visions, but most fail to set themselves realistic targets within that vision. Your target of 2 races, 5 buildings and 3/4 units each seems much more reasonable than the usual 3 races with about 15 buildings and 12 units each.

    Anyway, good luck dude.
    "Life is not full of successes, it is full of failures from which we learn" - Tony Benn
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  23. #23
    when i first saw the thread title i thought "hmmm", but after reading how thouroughly you have thought this through, and the standard of the goals you hope to achieve in the short (and long) term, i think this is a fantastic idea (also i've been looking for a design document for ages as i have to do one myself for my game design unit's assignment and this is a perfect template! of course i wont use yours, but model my own on this)
    stewie - "this is almost as good as when the emperor came up wth the forumla for great star wars dialogue"
    *cut to episode VI*
    Emperor - "something something something DARKSIDE"

  24. #24
    Oh WH:Fantasy, i think its a great idea and a good engine to use for such a project. 2 race scale is allso a realistic goal to start with. There is allso quite much nature textures and trees/bushes/foliage that works well for such a mod already done so thats a big bonus.
    I would love to have helped you out with models but i dont have time Dream mode for a second; If Orcs and Goblins/Skaven have not been done by late autum/winter 08 id be willing to do models such as..the fantasy giant.
    Back to focus, good luck and dont give in when it feels tough, horrible, overwhelming. Looking forward to the sound of empire thrumpets and painful screams on the fantasy battlefield.

  25. #25
    Member ChaosReigns's Avatar
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    If you finish the first installment of the mod do you have any plans to include the other races? I would love to see Hordes of Chaos and Vampire Counts, especially since the latter will be getting a new codex shortly.

    But in any case the work you have done thus far looks incredible! Good luck!

  26. #26
    Member overmind's Avatar
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    I'll hep but it looks like Lord Abbadon beat me to it....

    As for the Vamps, thier new codex doesn't look to nice.....
    Just a matter of opnion though.

  27. #27
    Member ChaosReigns's Avatar
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    To tell you the truth I wouldn't know about the rules, I'm more going on who's fluff and models I like the best.

  28. #28
    I own a Dark Elves codex so, I might be able to help, but I don't know the rules. I just <3 Dark Elves.

  29. #29
    its not a codex, its an army book!!!???!!

  30. #30
    lol i was wondering when someone was gonna pick up on that W:FB = army book W40k = codex

  31. #31
    Member under_score's Avatar
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    Sorry for not replying sooner but i was playing Halo 3 live like a manic depressive till 8.30 then I had to make dinner.
    Though I must say I'd envisioned Dark elven buildings to be somewhat different, taller and more menacing with spires and bridges connecting them and shit
    I actually agree with you and started off trying to make them like this, however I think that it's easier to have lower flatter buildings: IG, SM, than tall ones, it's kinder to the camera and to the modeler

    Divine authority any help would be greatly appreciated, though I understand the stresses of exams etc. (Damn them for colliding with my mod announcement date) it would be immensely helpful to have any modelling help and especially as I need someone to convert models to the right format in max 8.

    I will start work on learning coding properly soon, and respond to anyone who wants to join the team after the 30th, I have public speaking in the way till then.

  32. #32
    Member darkelf's Avatar
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    Though I can't be a full-time member of the team (as previously stated) I'll extend an offer for coding help on minor problems should they arise (and they ALWAYS do ) when time allows.

  33. #33
    divineauthority
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    I'll quite happily export models from max for you as it doesn't (normally) take that long.

    I just need to get my exams sorted (fingers crossed for a good Differential Equations exam so I don't have to Maths or Further Maths ever again) and get an updated alpha sorted for The Futile. And then there's that damned IT project that's sapping all my time...

    But then after that's all done I should have a lot more free time, especially without a girlfriend that I had to drag around

  34. #34
    Member under_score's Avatar
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    Thanks darkelf. Though I found corsix's mod tools much more user friendly I was still slightly daunted by it, I'll finish the buildings for the races first then start work on learning coding, but your help would be greatly appreciated.

    As for voice actors (lord abaddon) though it's too early to be thinking about them now i'm sure I will need as many as possible when it comes to it, your offers are duly noted and appreciated.

  35. #35
    Member HiveMind's Avatar
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    I would LOVE to do Skaven. I was going to do the same thing, but then I got more interested in balance mods. I had those lovely little ratmen completely planned out.

  36. #36
    Member ZombieDragon201's Avatar
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    Hmmm... This is relevant to my interests. I have Max 8, and am learning to model, So I just might jump in to help out a bit.


  37. #37
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    Times like this I regret not being able to code. And that my computer is buggered- needs new graphics and sound cards.

    Still, if you find something that a fluff nut is capable of doing (voices? Damned if I know!) then by all means PM me.

    So... I'll give you any help I can, because this project is awesome, It's just I might not be very useful. But I'm still offering, because this project is awesome.
    Honour can be regained. Lives cannot. The one is not worth the other.

  38. #38
    Member ZombieDragon201's Avatar
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    I find it disturbing that I'm the only one to have even singed up at his forum.

  39. #39
    Member under_score's Avatar
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    Hmmm... This is relevant to my interests. I have Max 8, and am learning to model, So I just might jump in to help out a bit.
    Thanks for the offer ZombieDragon, modelers along with coders are the most essential component to starting this mod off.

    If you want work to be starting on i'll post a list of buildings that still need modeling and units over at the mod forum (and here as well because I'm kind like that, well the wonders of copy and paste but...)

    Buildings left:
    Empire mines (gold mines)
    Empire HQ (garrison type fortress thing probably)

    Empire peasant huts
    Dark elf slave warrens (These two might not be needed, see my post on resources over at the forum)

    Once we have the buildings complete i'll be moving on to the units, then it'll be time to get their untextured forms in-game.

    If you want concept art for any of the buildings just ask and i'll try and create it, if you just say which building you want to start work on i'll make the other soon.

    I find it disturbing that I'm the only one to have even signed up at his forum
    Yeah, I wasn't expecting a massive enlistment but it has been quite quiet over there, however I need to make more posts on more general stuff and not just the posts I made before the announcement.

  40. #40
    divineauthority
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    There's forums? That's me being blind...

  41. #41
    Hey under_score, I just wanted to say that if you ever need any help with the models, just PM me.

    In about a weeks time I'll be all done with my exams, and to keep myself occupied of sort in my 2 weeks vacation I'm thinking of maybe doing a thing or two in this mod.

    As a side note, anyone has a good guide/book for UV Mapping? I know how to model, but I'm a total loss when it comes down to creating UV Maps for units...

  42. #42
    Member under_score's Avatar
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    Hi everyone,
    Work on the Empire HQ has started, I've finally managed to free up some time just to make a start on it and this is how far i've got:

    (Apologies for the appalling quality of the render image)
    This is the inside main hall bit which will be surrounded by outer walls like a mini fortress. The basic shape of the fortress will be a square with 4 towers in each corner and a gatehouse in front of the main hall.
    hopefully some updates should be along later this week.

    As for those mentioning other races such as skaven and brettonians though they will definitely not be included in the first release later releases will probably include three races buildable up till tech 3 and though I can't say what the next race will be, as long as I finish this release there should be more races released.

    #EDIT

    Here's a list of models left to do:

    Mines and empire HQ (to be completed, they're being worked on)

    Basic human model (this is the basis for the whole empire race and can be modified to hopefully reduce modeling time on each unit without reducing the quality of the results, being worked on)

    Basic Dark elf model (this is the basis for the whole dark elf race and can be modified to hopefully reduce modeling time on each unit without reducing the quality of the results)
    Last edited by under_score; 3rd Feb 08 at 11:22 AM.

  43. #43
    Member mdcertainty's Avatar
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    Looks good .

  44. #44
    Small steps will get your far is what I always say =D

  45. #45
    divineauthority
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    Quality of the render looks fine

    Good idea to save time with the models, also makes sense as humans generally do look pretty similar (head on top of a body etc :P). What would be nice is to have a lot of different heads and armour (the latter mainly for the militia style units where they'd just grab whatever they can get).

  46. #46
    Member under_score's Avatar
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    Just a quick update before I dive back into max:
    Though I'll wait to see if he wants other screenshots used to publicize it, the human model for the state trooper is completed and looking pretty perfect thanks to AceAngel's great work and dedication.

    EDIT: Randomized parts is certainly something I would look to incorporate in a race as diverse as the Empire and I or another mod team member will look to create several randomized parts for use with each of the empire units.

    Expect screenies soon
    Last edited by under_score; 3rd Feb 08 at 10:47 AM.

  47. #47
    ibdead
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    would you release the source files with the mod so that people could mod, add new units and new races to your mod?

  48. #48
    Member under_score's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by ibdead
    would you release the source files with the mod so that people could mod, add new units and new races to your mod?
    In my mod design document:
    "The first public release version would feature very few units, from just 2 races out of 15 possible. This could then be released with all assets public sourced so other mod teams as well as this mod team could expand on it, with subsequent releases and an ever growing unit and faction list."

    And I still stand by that idea, a completed TC is a thing too rare to keep to ones-self.

    EDIT:
    Here's the empire state trooper AceAngel's been working on, as you can see he deserves congratulations and worship for its epicness:

    We will be adding some customizable parts for this soon, keep your eyes peeled for updates.

    EDIT2: I was going to keep it quiet but I like it too much and everybody else needs to see it, here's AceAngel's version of a dark elf building (Much better than mine)


    Though it goes over the polygon limit the engine can handle, meaning some pretty will disappear, i'm sure you'll all agree a reduced polygon version is still much more like a dark elf building than my attempts.
    Last edited by under_score; 3rd Feb 08 at 12:48 PM.

  49. #49
    That just smacks of pointy-eared darkness! I love it. That empire trooper's coming along nicely, too!

    I think you're pretty brave taking on a project of this scope and I want to wish you all the best with your future endeavors. Perhaps I can lend a hand some time...

  50. #50
    divineauthority
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    How many polies is the building? You might be able to get away with it.

    The state trooper looks great! Just out of curiosity, how many polies is that?

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