The tools they used for the game may not be very user friendly.
I have programmed JAVA in netbeans. EVERYTHING is more user friendly then netbeans. Even programming in notepad is easier. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/badsmile2.gif" alt="" />
How about binary data files with a checksum embedded somewhere deep within it? Diablo II happens to be moddable because everything was stored in delimited text files. To extract the data files for DD (or BD), we have to find out where they are stored (certainly not a MPQ
They may require the use of another program, or include proprietary software they can not distribute.
If its from microsoft I can get it from my school <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" />
"Propeietary" may refer to their in-house editors which may be buggy and only work under certain conditions (such as a very high-end machine). Maybe the editors also need some, *gasp,
source code and I don't think Larian is willing to part with them for ten thousand euros!
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Also, the Larians may not have the resources to write up any documentation on how to do everything, even if the programs could be made available.
I don't thrust documentation I only thrust code. And it would give the PIF something to work on <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/silly.gif" alt="" />
There's are some things which you can't deduce from the GUI, especially if they are written in a language not native. I don't know German - and so I doubt I am able to use their GUI with ease.
At any rate, if we are using Larian's editor, there is not to push or shove code, or to thrust them around <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/biggrin.gif" alt="" /> We won't get the source code from Larian no matter how hard we whine - the best thing we could get is to find out where the data for spells, equipments and skills are stored and try fiddling with them. Quests are harder to mess with because it is likely to be hard-coded, and having many dependencies.
I don't think they ever said there would not be any tools released, just that it was unlikely.
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Whether a game s moddable depends largely on the inital design of the engine. I don't know what route Larians have taken, but it seems to me it is not going to be that easy, unless they kindly release the offsets for values to their datafile and let inspired programmers out there write the tools.
