BC trainees?

[Excal_Luke]

Hi all,
Ive just read this topic at BCS : http://bcscripters.com/forums/index.php/topic,156.0.html .
and i think wowbagger has a point.

Now dont get angry, and dont give me the whole ''we are really busy and dont have time for this'' speech, but
I have an idea (that will probably fail lol ) and my idea is that people that know how to animate, and people who know how to lightmap, and hardpoint, and texture, ect... ect... select a person, who is willing to learn, and teach them just one aspect of bridge/ ship modding/ creating.

So say, Mark teach me how to animate, and sean teach newman how to lightmap, and, well you get the idea, so that eventually the ''trainees'' can come together to create/mod new stuff, bridges, and ships maybe.

P.S, i selected the above names at random, im sure newman can lightmap, and im sure mark would lose all hope trying to tech me within minuites of starting. lol.

This, i think will realisticly only apply to modders that arent absolutley overrun with stuff to do, modders that have enough spare time. But what the heck.

I know that ive not been around long, and you've all probably read this kinda stuff before, but i though that a ''Trainee'' system may work - i know i may be being a little optimistic, and noobish, but idc

Hope this is clear enough to understand lol, and i hope i haven't spelt everything wrong.

[JimmyB76]

mark is no longer modding or doing anything for BC...
and other than him, the only other people who have been successful of bridge-making in all of BC's history is Sean, LJ, MLeo, and LC...  (and of course, Viper, but he is long gone from BC...)

[startrekw_george]

i can hardpoint, and i am a good kitbasher (i think anyways). i can help

[AndrewJ]

Forgive me for this but I feel in a world of free speech I shall say this

Why I have no problems with people leaving, hell we all have to move on, I do however find it rude and ignorant that they leave without even bothering to help educate others in the tools, now while I am confident that bridges will continue to be made by new sources, I do find it ignorant and rude and I am DAMN sure at least a few tutorials in detailed length could be made.

[Excal_Luke]

Exactly my point andrew,

The modders are allways full of work to do, or so we are told,
Now if you think about it, in a way, if they stopped work and wrote a good totural, or trained someone, then if you think about it, the work-load that these modders have to do would go down, because more people would be able to animate or texture, or whatever, so the work could be shared.

its like you have to sacrifice work, to get less of it. i think?

you follow me?

I know that creating toturials/ training somone will/ may take time, alot of time, but think about it, if at least one person can teach another, then he could teach another, and... you get my point.

One last thing: dont get the impression, modders, that what you are doing isnt good enough, as you probably get that feeling when you listen to people like me blabbering on asking ''for a bit more''. Its just that we would like to mod aswell, and give you a break/ give something back. ?

Thankyou for listening America, and good day!
 - some cheesy statement by an american president.
?  wow i wish i could spell.

[MLeo]

Well, don't you think they haven't tried in the past?
They even tried to make a manual!

The problem previously (and the time before that actually, if memory serves) was that the students lost interrest.

And before you say: "I'm not like that!", that said the previous batch.

As for scripting, I've noticed that I'm lousy at information transfer, I'm currently even taking courses for that!
If you have questions, do ask, the combination of asking, and most importantly, messing about, is what got me programming on my current level (not sure where that is, atleast above graduate level if I have to believe my peers).

[UPD Equinox]

Yeah.... Tutorials are all well and good but in this day and age where everyone has a differnent version of the software its not extremely practical. If your anything like me you really need someone standing over your shoulder going 'no don't do that do this' and someone I can ask questions too all the time and have them explain things too me. Turtorials arn't really that much use, they are only basic. And honestly, if you can't figure out how to do that stuff from scratch then chances have it your in the same group as me. And that my friends is way more help than any modder has the time to give you. And remember, they may be great modders, that doesnt mean they are great teachers.

[Excal_Luke]

Unfortunatley I wasnt aware of any past attempts to help new people get into modding (well, a decent attempt to get people into modding), so now i know,  i wont persue that any further,

Just before i give up, i just want to say that not many people will want to learn by asking, and messing about, (but you allready knew that)- as this takes time, But it seems that most, if not all modders started out that way, so i suppose there isnt an alternative.

There are alot of lazy people out there that may make great modders, but dont want to do it by asking and playing with the software, but i suppose your answer to that would be something like ''well they cant be modders if they arent willing to learn from the beggining.''  So thanks anyway.

and my answer to UPD Equinox:
I know tutorials can get kinda confusing, but at the moment, right now, people that want to mod dont have any tutorials to get them started at all, nothing, well except the odd post every now-and again. But as before you have been around longer than me, so i wont argue.

Well, ive said all i want to, dont shoot my pride down with one nasty reply Lol.
thanks

[MLeo]

You could also look at it like this, we learned "the ropes", so why couldn't anyone else?
I know I'm not the smartest cookie of the bunch.


If there are specific questions (with empasis on specific!) then we will be happy to answer.

[JimmyB76]

if you have an interest in modding, virtually every modder has had to learn on their own and by doing their own research and thru painstaking trial and error...  modding is not really something that can be easily "handed-down" from one generation to the next...  there have been times in the past 5 years where people tried to tach others, but as mleo said, the "students" kinda gave up when they realised how complex and difficult bridge-making is...  hell, even in the oldschool BCS forums, there was a "Training Corps" where some people signed up and were taught how to script...  but even alot of those guys lost interest and gave up...  (except a few like USS Frontier, who has now since made GravityFX and is working on Galaxy Maps)...

i think it would be great if there could be some sort of training to new folks the skills that BC's legends have; but also you have to consider that these days everyone is so busy with their own personal lives and projects, the time factor really doesnt seem to be able to be fit in...

i would recommend asking questions (dont ever be afraid to ask a question, no matter how noobish you feel it is) as well as combing thru the BCU and oldschool BCS forums, as alot of information is there and chances are your question might have been answered...
BCU: http://bridgecommander.3dactionplanet.gamespy.com/phpBB/index.php
oldschool BCS: http://bcscripterstng.forumsplace.com/

if someone starts showing promise and dedication and spirit that is genuine, it is more likely they will receive special assistance from the top modders in BC rather than just anyone saying "i want to learn, show me the ropes"...  unfortunately thats how it is because of many times in the past so much time and effort went into trying to teach others, that was ultimately wasted when the people being taught faded out and gave up...

modding takes alot of dedication...  and the dedication begins on the new modder's end, as far as effort being shown and their taking the first steps and figuring things out on their own...  hell, if you went thru the very early days of BCU, youll find some considered-noob questions from people like sneaker98 and p81 (rick knox) and even a few from MLeo at FF's forums from years ago...

[Excal_Luke]

Thanks for those links jimmy,
I guess then ill download milkshape, or max, or something.
If i can get the hang of it ill post something in the Bridges section.
thanks again, 

[Rob Archer]

Well, don't you think they haven't tried in the past?
They even tried to make a manual!

The problem previously (and the time before that actually, if memory serves) was that the students lost interrest.

And before you say: "I'm not like that!", that said the previous batch.

As for scripting, I've noticed that I'm lousy at information transfer, I'm currently even taking courses for that!
If you have questions, do ask, the combination of asking, and most importantly, messing about, is what got me programming on my current level (not sure where that is, atleast above graduate level if I have to believe my peers).

I agree with MLEO everything i know i learned by myself simply by messing around

[USS Frontier]

I agree with MLEO everything i know i learned by myself simply by messing around

Me too.
Messing aroung, "reading" some tutorials/scripts,  and asking.

[startrekw_george]

isn't the tech support section designed to help and to teach anyways? so this entire idea is kind of... pointless

[DJ Curtis]

I'm also a self-taught modder.  I learned modeling, texturing, and HPing all on my own.  I asked questions about specific things as I needed help.

[moed]

Ditto for me too.

I have asked tons of questions and every one has always been answered. I've learned so much from that and messing around/trial & error.

Just remember the cardinal rule: ALWAYS BACK UP.

In fact, there's only one question that has never been answered (it seems no one even has an answer for this question) and on that one... I'm just doing my own research.

[DJ Curtis]

pm me that question, maybe I can answer it for you.

[Nighthawk]

I'm also a self-taught modder.  I learned modeling, texturing, and HPing all on my own.  I asked questions about specific things as I needed help.

quoted for truth.
nobody is born knowing.

[JimmyB76]

isn't the tech support section designed to help and to teach anyways? so this entire idea is kind of... pointless

well no, the tech support forum is for people who need help if they have a bug/error/issue/etc with their installs...  the modding forum would be for mods, work on mods, or questions about modding...  (same for scripting and the scripts forum, and bridge-related work/questions for the bridge forum...)

[Excal_Luke]

so this entire idea is kind of... pointless

A serious thread is never pointless, because of the discussion and opinions it contains, and as far as i can tell, this thread is being taken seriously.
The ''entire idea'' may have been a bit noobish, ill admit, but if it was completley piontless, nobody would have replied with serious replies.