Resources to help me get started with custom content?

[SH4D0WS1N]

[EDIT]
New question:
Should I be using ArcEmu or Trinity?
Below I asked:

Would you suggest I use that over Trinity? And why? Does it have more support? More flexibility?

Please read stoneharry's third post in this thread before responding, thank you.
[/EDIT]

So basically what I want to do beyond boss and quest scripting (which I haven't done yet anyway) is:

1. To modify the talents (see 2). I'm assuming that users will have to download a patch, but I don't mind. How would I go about doing/researching that?
2. To revert a lot of content back to vanilla. I want to use 3.3.5a instead of 1.12 for the races, classes, arenas, bgs, etc, but I want this all in a vanilla environment, at level 60.
3. To create a third and possibly forth faction.
4. To bring back PvP ranks.
5. To rework the honor and token/points systems (and obviously implement them for the lvl60 raids).
6. Custom cinematics for each race. (is this possible?)
7. A loot system for over 40 players at once. (could be any hack)
8. Any just for fun things, maybe RPing resources like marriage. (not just marriage, just anything fun)

Also additional scripting resources would be great.
That's quite a long list, sorry...

Thanks in advance.

[stoneharry]

You can't actually do that with a repack. Also 4.x has very, very little support, so good luck trying to develop with it.

[SH4D0WS1N]

You can't actually do that with a repack. Also 4.x has very, very little support, so good luck trying to develop with it.

I'm not quite sure what you mean by "that" because I'm pretty sure that at least 3 of the 9 things I listed are easily doable in a repack.
I'm not entirely sure how scripting works, as I am new to the scene, but I wouldn't think a repack would limit it too hard... Of course I have no experience with scripting, but still.
I figured there was little cata support. I mainly wanted a 4.3 that for the most part without DS for a lot of the cata changes.
I kinda wanted goblins and worgen, but if it isn't doable I'm fine with 3.3.5a and infact I was already planning to use that due to the lack of cata resources.

The main point of this thread also wasn't 4.3, it was mainly for resources to learn how to create most of these things.

In fact I'll remove that for future responders.
The removed portion was:

I'm looking for a 4.3 repack, which doesn't seem to exist yet. Whenever I compile anything it fails. If anyone has a stable one I'd love you.

[stoneharry]

To modify the talents (see 2). I'm assuming that users will have to download a patch, but I don't mind. How would I go about doing/researching that?
^
Yes, but to add scripted effects and/or change them, you will need to either do it by editing the DBC files, which gives you limited functionality, or through editing the core, which cannot be done with a repack.

To revert a lot of content back to vanilla. I want to use 3.3.5a instead of 1.12 for the races, classes, arenas, bgs, etc, but I want this all in a vanilla environment, at level 60.
^
Same as 1st point.

To create a third and possibly forth faction.
^
Requires code edits unless you use existing factions renamed and replaced. No repack.

To bring back PvP ranks.
^
Requires core edits.

To rework the honor and token/points systems (and obviously implement them for the lvl60 raids).
^
Requires core edits.

Custom cinematics for each race. (is this possible?)
^
Not sure how trinity-based scripting is, but I know that the majority of scripting requires C++, hence you can't use a pre-compiled repack.

A loot system for over 40 players at once. (could be any hack)
^
Not sure what you mean by this.

Any just for fun things, maybe RPing resources like marriage. (not just marriage, just anything fun)
^
Probably can script most of that via SmartAI or w/e trinity call their method, but I believe it cannot be done with a repack.


As for where you would find the resources, the TrinityCore wikipedia, asking any further questions on the forums there, etc.

[qwenin]

I'm still pretty bad at server emulation, please forgive me if I'm wrong ^^

Well, I've been playing around with TrinityCore repacks for a while (still a nub, but planning to learn to compile one soon) and before this, I've been testing out other MaNGOS repacks. I believe stoneharry's right about most of what he said. Just to add on to his comment:

Q: A loot system for over 40 players at once. (could be any hack)
I assume you mean that you'd want a group with more than 40 players in it so they can share the loot of a boss. Would almost definitely involve modification of core files, it were even possible. Plus all the possible UI changes you'd have to make...

Q: Any just for fun things, maybe RPing resources like marriage. (not just marriage, just anything fun)
This is possible on SmartAI if you keep your scripts simple enough, which you can use even if you're using a repack.

As to the scripting resources, I think someone's gonna make a Lua engine for TrinityCore, but it's not done yet...
Good luck to ya

[SH4D0WS1N]

1. Yes, but to add scripted effects and/or change them, you will need to either do it by editing the DBC files, which gives you limited functionality, or through editing the core, which cannot be done with a repack.

2. Same as 1st point.

3. Requires code edits unless you use existing factions renamed and replaced. No repack.

4. Requires core edits.

5. Requires core edits.

6. Not sure how trinity-based scripting is, but I know that the majority of scripting requires C++, hence you can't use a pre-compiled repack.

7. Not sure what you mean by this.

8. Probably can script most of that via SmartAI or w/e trinity call their method, but I believe it cannot be done with a repack.


As for where you would find the resources, the TrinityCore wikipedia, asking any further questions on the forums there, etc.

Thanks for responding.
As for repacks, I mentioned in my previous post my abandonment of repacks. Expect a compiling support question coming soon, lol.
I noticed you acknowledged a lack of trinity based scripting knowledge and I've seen a great custom xpac by you. Upon further research I discovered you use ArcEmu. Would you suggest I use that over Trinity? And why? Does it have more support? More flexibility? How was the scripting for Kronos done?

Thank you for being so helpful and thanks in advance.

[stoneharry]

Well the main reason I use ArcEmu is because I started emulation in early TBC, which was around the peak of 'Antrix'. One of the most popular emulators of all time, when Mangos was much worse off and Trinity did not exist (it is a fork of mangos).

Antrix went to ascent. Ascent went to OpenAscent. OpenAscent went to ArcEmu/Aspire. ArcEmu continued.

Mangos went to Trinity. Trinity became popular. Trinity overtook ArcEmu's development lead.

I just stuck to the emulator I was used to - the one I enjoyed. The one I could use to do anything I wanted pretty much, rather than learn an entire new emulator.

So that is the main reason.

My other reasons is that every time I've tried Mangos/Trinity, I've been shocked at the lack of functionality for developers. Say I want to scale a game object, rotate it, or manipulate it in such way... You can't from the database or through in-game commands.

Say I want to, modify a creatures flags or bytes. You can't from within the game. Say I want to, modify some blizzlike data, you can't because the data is not stored within the DB but actually parsed from the DBC files.

The frustration with the lack of assets I had to mess around with led to my failure to spend enough time using Trinity/Mangos to get familiar with it. I studied the basic infrastructure of the emulator, but it's too much "hardcoded", and leaves little room for customisation in my opinon.

ArcEmu is just easier for me to work with, and modify. I can do something in ArcEmu in minutes, whereas it would take me hours on TrinityCore.

But that's just me. I am sure a Trinity developer could come in here, point out where all these different functions can be accessed from and how easy it would be to implement a command for them. But I didn't have the patience to implement these things so that I could continue to work in the environment I am used to.