[New Project] MoTpop

[lignux]

Hi,

The making of an mod can be hard. There are many tasks who havesn't to do with the rather work. You must manage all the files (you levels, the graphics,... ), you must know how all the programms which you need works and where you get it (I just saying PR...), you must upload your level an published it. All this additional work distract from the mod-making – It's something a Mod-Maker wouldn't bother about.

I plan to made a tool that does all this tasks automatalicy – so that the Mod-Maker can be concentrated with the Mod. The Name isn't fixed yet – internal I called it MoTpop (Mod Tool for pop). MoTpop will be of curse opensource and crossplatform. Everybody is invited to developed it – I think MoTpop will be programmed in python or Java (Because that's are the 2 only languages which I can )

This topic should in the first step to go for the sharing of ideas and concepts. What would you see in such an programme? How should the GUI looks like? How it should be called?

Best Regards, Lignux.

[lignux]

Hi,

A few Ideas from me:

User Interface:

- One mode: A wizard for making a mod. It handle step for step the work.
- In the other mode you must do all the things alone.

Functions:

- Out-of-the-Box-Integration of Roomshaker, Apoplexy, Princed Level Editor
- manage the files automatic
- "Gallary" for Sounds, Graphics
- GUI for pr – with a explanation of all files. Integration of further programms to edit them (e.g. GIMP, Adobe Photoshop, ...)
- Automatic upload to the web (maybe to popot.org? Norbert, is this possible?)

Best Regards, Lignux

[Norbert]

Okay... as they say: first things first.

Currently, a newbie who is looking for documentation will end up browsing this forum. That is problematic, that's not the way it should be.

On princed.org, the documentation page is - in all honesty - terrible. It contains a link to a YouTube video that isn't closed properly (it has a </p> where it should be </a>) which messes up half the page. Even if someone would fix that, the layout of that page is quite poor. It contains three (3) different PR 'tutorials' and one RoomShaker 'tutorial', but none of these are really solid and extensive.

On popot.org, the documentation page is almost empty. It does have a link to the fabulous file format specification, but that document is aimed to help out developers, not newbies.

Inside the PR package, there is a doc/ directory that contains documentation for PR. However, that documentation is spread out over various files (in both text and HTML formats). There is a lot of room for improvement here. Newbies should be able to download one or two PDF files, and these files should have an attractive layout, both visually and in navigating/architecturally.

So, there is a shortage of proper documentation. It would be nice if one or more people would start working on this. These people need to have sufficient knowledge of: 1. the English language, 2. PR, and 3. how to write clear documentation. The documentation doesn't have to be perfect, just something to start with that can be improved over time. No doubt newbies will give some feedback.

A "GUI for pr" could be useful, but it is a whole project by itself. The question is: if there is proper PR documentation for newbies, how much easier can this GUI make the work that would otherwise be performed from the command line?

If there is proper PR documentation - maybe also a GUI - is there still need for a(nother) tool that handles files and starts other programs/scripts?

[Norbert]

A "GUI for pr" could be useful, but it is a whole project by itself.

Replying to myself in a separate post to make sure everyone who might care notices the extra bit of information I'm writing down here.
A very basic "GUI for pr" already exists.
It is called the Princed Resource Manager (download) and was created by Thraka.
Not an open source package, as far as I can tell.
It uses a pr.dll from 2003, so it's outdated as well.

[Norbert]

So, there is a shortage of proper documentation. It would be nice if one or more people would start working on this.

I have just finished the first version of a document.
More information here.