My modding adventures

Hi y'all.

Before I start, let me introduce myself. Tim van Dalen, 17 yrs old, Dutch, computer 'enthusiast' (let's just call it that way).

I will post 'my modding adventures' to this blog, hoping that others might learn something from them, since I think there's not so much information on this topic available. I must warn you, I will post everything I learn here, but I am not nearly a professional yet. I am going to join some forums (how web 1.0) on the topic and try to form some sort of tutorial from the stuff I learn.

My ultimate goal will be to add a structure to each faction which will produce an epic unit, of course different for each faction. I have modded and made maps before, but I have not succeeded in adding my own models to the game. I guess that that and adding sound will be the biggest challenge.

If you're reading this and are like: what the hell are you talking about, I'm talking about this game and how to make mods (how to modify it). If you did not know that, I don't think you should read on, unless you like learning about stuff you have no interest in at all, in which case I would encourage you to read on.

One more thing: before you start reading everything, I would advise you to check whether or not the title of the latest post says something like 'success' in capitals and the date it had been posted. Because if the last post doesn't say that I did it and it's over 2 weeks old, you would better believe I couldn't do it and quit, and reading all of my posts would be ridiculous.

Since I am a total computer geek (oh wait, we were gonna call it enthusiast, right?) I have some skills that I think you should have too, because I am not going to explain stuff related to these topics in very much detail:

• Have some basic understanding of the XML language. (Guide here)
  
• Played RA3 and/or RA3: Uprising for a better understanding of the game. (Find it yourself!)
  
• Know how to make 3D models. I use Blender because I can't really work with 3ds Max (which you will need to export the models to a format the game understands)
  
• Have some basic understanding of computer languages and stuff. I don't think you should learn C++ for this project, but it would definitely help you if you've ever written a website before.
  

The RA3 mod SDK is available for download over here (you should also download the dummy art. It's just empty files, but it will keep the mod builder from saying it is missing every damn file in the game. I will explain this later on). Although there is barely something in it, I would encourage you to read the documentation for some basic understanding of the file structure.

Next time we are going to make our first mod, in which we will add a new unit based on an existing one, with some modifications that would make the game totally unfair and balanced (If you can trick your friends into playing this one, you just might win!). But first, I'm gonna play a little match on Uhud Battlefield.