Include a useful, relatively complete GUI editor

[unmerged(52692)]

HOI2 came packaged with a GUI editor. It provided minimal extra functionality, particularly in terms of event creation where it should have been most useful, was extremely buggy, and basically never gets used by anyone, ever, for anything.

HOI3 shouldn't make people slog through text files, forcing them to bash their head against a wall while aligning everything just so (especially provinces - assigning 100 id numbers to make a mid-sized country is a gigantic pain, and with 10000 provinces it'll be even worse). There should be a GUI-based editor that includes clear, complete options for modding, including event construction and province/map editing. It should also be something that works.

 

[unmerged(73622)]

I completely 100% agree.

 

[Lazy_Boy]

Yeah seriously. I never even bothered modding HOI2 aside from a few experiments. Such a tedious pain in the ass.

Would be great to have a good GUI interface that lets you easily change all options and make events.

I do appreciate all the great HOI2 mods though haha. Especially TRP.

 

[ladybug]

Well as its going to be based off of the EU3 engine someone made a editor for that and when Rome came out they made a few modifications to it and it worked in fact I think it worked before them just had the map upside down.

but that was mainly the map and countries but i expect someone made some tool to edit everything else

 

[MichaelM]

Well as its going to be based off of the EU3 engine someone made a editor for that and when Rome came out they made a few modifications to it and it worked in fact I think it worked before them just had the map upside down.

Yes, but "someone" might be too busy to port it to any more games for a while (although I'm always willing to have collaborators). On the other hand, comagoosie will have much more experience programming by the time HOI3 comes out... (I love volunteering other people )

 

[ladybug]

well the game is going to take a "while" to come out is that enough time to get ready But really I would not be suprised if your editor worked but with some wierd resaults. I am also wanting to teach myself jarva so hopefully by then I would be able to do something if no one else can.

 

[True Grit]

+++
The usefulness of a GUI editor that worked cannot be overstated!

 

[vertinox]

It would be nice if PDox did release scenario editor with a Gui where you could just click and add units. I remember one of the HoIs having one but I can't remember if it was 3rd party.

 

[coreymas]

Speaking as a developer....

The biggest problem with developing a customization tool for a product is always a question of investiment of time/resources versus return. Such a tool is always considered very low on the priority list. When such tools are created they usually are done with a minimal of GUI creature comforts and are usually designed to be useful for a limited time (to fast create lots of events etc).

The second biggest concern is always how much a product will change after release due to bug fixes, enhancements etc. If the product goes basically unchanged then an editor can still be useful after many months/years after its release. Developers are then more likely to create/enhance a tool so as to draw in the "customization crowd".

However Paradox's games have always followed a path of significant change after initial release. Just look at how HOI2 has changed from its initial release to its current incarnation.

This is the real reason why the HOI2 editor appears to be buggy. In reality it was not that buggy... it was just designed and coded 8 generations prior to the current version of HOI2 (1.2 Arma) when many features did not even exist (Naval brigades etc).

Besides it is also a proven fact that most customization tools for any software product are usually done better afterward by dedicated individuals/companies who have vested interest in the product. These individuals add the creativity and creature comforts that these extremely talented individuals possess. And i for one thank them for it.

Just my honest opinion.

Corey

 

[TheGhost]

I should mention that in the late 90's Red Storm Entertainment used to release its games with editors that could mod just about anything in the game (the only thing it couldn't was wire frame which you could use 3DSM for), although they had a high learning curve they never caused problems with games (unless you screwed things up like putting letters where numbers are, or improper files).

The most effective was IGOR which came with Ghost Recon, IGOR worked on all versions of the game through all expansion packs and even mods (the Rainbow Six family had an editor but they would have to release a new version of the same editor for an expansion that include new things). A version of IGOR was used in Sum of all Fears but since the game was slightly different they called it SOAFIGOR, in fact you can use both of them to edit certain thing in both games such as weapon details.

I'm sure HOI is a different beast, (even though it is all text based) but to assert that there all editors aren't a priority, are glitchy, and a fan created editor is better than a developers editor is just wrong. I will say they aren't including editors as in-depth as IGOR anymore, but I will have to mention that they are still making mods for the original Ghost Recon while the much newer GRAW and GRAW2 have only graphic and wire mods and far less of them at that.

 

[Geroshabu]

A good editor would be nice. I've edited files and events in HOI2, EU2 and vicky, and each and every one of them have suffered from being a very tedious and slow process. It's very nice that you can edit the files *quite* easily, but unless you really dedicate yourself to it, it's very hard to get a grasp of. Especially when you have to link different files together and know which event-numbers that are free to use and which aren't.
Editors are quite standard in games today, at least in strategy-games and FPS's, and most of them are very stable and userfriendly. Anything that would keep you away from searching huge blocks of text would be nice.

 

[unmerged(52692)]

At the very least, an editor should be able to organize a scenario into one "block" that you could work on, instead of forcing you to manually track every file you need to incorporate.

It should also provide some degree of documentation, which is sorely missing from most Paradox games.

Finally, the hardest tasks like province shape editing, which is beyond grueling without an editor, should have some sort of tool to aid in them.

Although I would prefer it, I can understand if Paradox isn't ready to provide an editor of the same calibur as the high-profile RTSs, but there's no reason that they can't provide something. After EU3, I would say they no longer have the excuse of being too small and of too meager resources. HOI3, if all goes well, is looking to be their biggest game ever. I think that, somehow, they can swing something.