Skyrim and related games question...

[seawasp]

... you often see on YouTube or Facebook things that are "Skyrim" or "Fallout" mods. I've always wondered if these things are solely for the PC users, or if you could get them on a PS3. And how they're made, too -- that is, what software you need to make such mods. I know that the old Neverwinter Nights game had plenty of fan-made modules that worked on both PC and Mac, but only the PC users could actually do the mods because the module maker only ran on Windows.

Comments

[argonel.livejournal.com]

I don't know much about Skyrim or Fallout 3 specifically, but I know that Unreal 3 had the capability to "bake" maps and mods for the PS3. I believe that the map making software ran on PC only.

[nebroadwe.livejournal.com]

Sliding sideways off the topic: I'm about to dive into this for Minecraft on behalf of a younger friend. I hope the mod-makers work on a Mac or she'll be dreadfully disappointed.

[muirecan.livejournal.com]

Well those games are designed so that they can be modularly expanded. There is official DownLoadable Content for them that can be purchased on the PS3, XBox, and PC. I have a vague memory that there is a tool that Fallout 2 had which could be used to create mods. The Elder Scrolls (Skyrim is part of that series) also always releases PC only tools for users to create their own content. But do believe that the non offical addons are only usable with the PC versions of these games.

[anton-p-nym.livejournal.com]

Consoles are pretty tightly locked down; partly for the-hated-DRM reasons but partly to protect (somewhat) from malware and cheating in online games. That being said, I think PS3 is a bit less stringent than Xbox* so perhaps they can import user-modified content... I doubt it, but I'm not anywhere nearly as familiar with PSN as I am Xbox Live.

-- Steve knows that some folks have cracked the software locks and imported mods to consoles... and have voided their warranties and been banned from online play as a result. Caveat and all that.

* Then again, Xbox Live actually laquers the printed circuit boards at the factory to prevent tampering... so I suspect there are some cybersecurity firms that are less stingent about this sort of thing than XBL.

[queenoftheskies.livejournal.com]

I think you can only mod the PC games. We have Skyrim for Xbox 360, but the previous games for PC and I know my eldest has worked with mods on the PC versions.

[ninjarat.livejournal.com]

Mods as short for "modules" from the old D&D term, are typically the easiest to get on consoles but that doesn't mean that it's easy. You can't do it yourself. The publisher has to make the tools available and the network provider (PSN, Xbox Live, Apple Game Center to name three) need to permit the content. The roadblocks are mostly business decisions rather than technical issues. Few console games have user-created content as a feature unless the game itself is all user-created content.

Mods as short for "modifications" ranging from the duct tape mod for Doom 3 to the My Little Pony total conversion for Skyrim are a no-op on consoles because they require changing actual game files. Small mods like the duct tape mod can be as simple as changing 1 or 2 parameters in a text file. Complex mods like the MLP conversion require sweeping changes to graphic and sound files. Sometimes these can be done with the game editor tools; sometimes the tools need to be written from scratch by fans. Regardless, you typically won't find them on consoles due to various encryption and signature checks placed on the media which prevent modifications.

In the end, if user-made content is your thing then consoles are Right Out.

As an aside, Mac and Linux gamers aren't completely out in the cold. Most of the Windows-based game editors run just fine in WINE even if the games themselves don't. Sure, getting WINE up and running requires a bit of technical savvy. So does using these editors.

[alex swavely (from livejournal.com)]

"Sure, getting WINE up and running requires a bit of technical savvy."

Not so much any more under Linux. Most Linux distros now come packaged with WINE, and there are tools that are updated regularly with the optimal settings for given pieces of software, for example PlayOnLinux. Installing the previous Elder Scrolls games was fairly simple...