Originally Posted by JimPanzee
Originally Posted by FrauBlake
[...]
They do not even have time to support the current one that IS already released.


The difference being that D:OS2 has (or should/will have) dedicated mod tools support. I remember a line like "a team will be hired to exclusivly work on the mod tools" or something like that.

And I remember something like "console development will not change anything for the pc version"
(I have a skill icon stuck to my mouse cursor for sale, if anyone wants ... and a broken initiative bar ... ;-)

Plans can and will change as do timelines. If that was not the case, D:OS2 would be out this fall. And we do not necessarily get all info about changed plans.

Originally Posted by JimPanzee
Originally Posted by FrauBlake

Be patient.
As long as the tools are released around the time of the game's release, everything should be fine. Was fine in Classic. EE had the problem of D:OS2 already way too visible on the horizon from the beginning, releasing the editor 5 months too late added to that.


Yeah, better get the mod tools out in a polished state. [0] Otherwise it might turn away the more casual modders, which are required in order to spread the word about the modding capabilities of DOS2, which might attract more modders who didn't know about DOS2 in general, or the modding tools in specific.

On the other hand I agree that feedback from the community as early as possible is also very important. Maybe make a private beta of the mod tools for the most dedicated [1] modders of DOS1, and when their feedback is incorporated, make it a public beta (in the hope that by now the tools are stable/easy enough so the more casual modders don't get turned away).

btw: anecdotally Skyrim, probably one of the poster childs when it comes to a large modding community, released in november 2011, and the mod tools in february 2012, which seems like a good time window between base game and editor release to the overall public (I believe modders from their previous games participated in a beta).

[0] and hopefully not dumbed down - stability over usability any day for me :o
[1] yeah, subjective, and there might be many modders who were really dedicated/active but didn't post in the mods section.

I don't know.

Although the EE editor loves to crash - only on exit which is weird -, it never corrupted any of my data so far, I don't know if a close/open beta is required. But then, I only know about scripting stuff, of all modeling and graphics stuff I have no clue.
(If they don't change anything about the scripting languages, and I don't see why they should, because they are good enough, I could theoretically start right away ... only if D:OS2 is still as good as D:OS1 was of course, I have to be interested in the game itself to become interested in modding it. And only if they keep the amazing flexibility that the D:OS1 engine has of course.)

The last 'time window' between game release and editor release hurt the modding community a lot. Because it pushed the release of the editor so close to the next hype, that it never really took off.
After D:OS2 is released, the hype for the next game will start, so better release game and editor at the same time without any 'time window'.

After all, they use the editor to make the game and there has been nothing indicating that Larian has time travel capability to produce the game with the editor from the future ...
They released the classic editor around the time when classic was released, and classic must have been released under a lot of time pressure.

If they have such a big time span between game and editor release again as was the case with EE, other games - including the next one from Larian - will have diverted player interest and few modders only will be interested to work for an almost empty audience.