World Building, Exploration, a blooming and dying Age

[merfed]

Note: This is just a small excerpt in a much larger guide I will be releasing within the next month or so. This is my last chance- hope for people to really understand what model editing is and what I have been involved in for months. So far the guide is 156,885 characters long and I'm about 40% finished.

World Building, Exploration, a blooming and dying Age

"I imagine that right now, you're feeling a bit like Alice. Hmm? Tumbling down the rabbit hole?", given the ability to change what your brain conceives at audio, visual level and to an extent emotional... would you? Would you change how the world works, would you accept that what you may be doing, where you maybe going that there is no turning back. Once you've dabbled in this, you are forever changed. You no longer see the world as a static environment with a specific set of rules, but rather as a set of variables that can be altered and changed on a whim at your will.

This is no longer blizzards environment, it is yours to do with what you will. Your rules now, your world. Model Changing in it's very earliest forums, it was the precursor to this and how each and every model edit would expand as new information is gathered. Model Changing started out in the most basics of changes. Swapping models, changing textures, armor and more. Eventually, threw skill and persistence we prevailed. Information became more abundant, and we flourished. The ability to swap instances with ones not accessible by normal means. To add land, change water levels completely redefined model editing as it is today, it's effectively become a new variation changed and manipulated by the amount of knowledge we had gathered from time to time. We were no longer just changing models, we were building worlds.

We have been hit with the nerf bat, time and time again. As it continues to be swung we survive and live on to change and alter the world at our will. Whether it be hidden away from public view or smudged it self all over the undeserving eyes of the live Blizzard realms. We have a need to create, a need to build a need to change. Static environments isn't what we crave. Repetitive actions are unsatisfying. We have an urge-maybe even a desire to create something. We can only be entertained for so long before we need to remix, reinterpret, change, alter... the list goes on. Us as a person is defined by our creativity, and this gives us a whole world of creatures, people, grass, snow, mountains, water, sky and so much more to change and make our own.

Finally, we have a canvas to which we can spill our imaginations out all over, edit mercilessly. Fit our ideals, satisfaction and renew interest in the old boring grind. For some this is just a minor experiment is something much larger. For the rest this is just another canvas with a whole world of reusable paper at our disposal. Given the ability to do this I've found that it's a lot easier than drawing on paper or painting on canvas. With both of those it's very easy to mess up, but here we have have a huge canvas that we're just dumping sheets of color upon and can instantly be pull off and replaced. When you pan back after changing something so harsh and dull so something so calm and surreal it really changes your outlook on the game.

I came into this game excited and amazed by the whole new world unfolding before my eyes, I grinded to 60, experienced everything and lost interest. The expansion game out and again it started, new areas, new zones the excitement grew... then I hit 70 and it faded. With model editing I can revitalize interest in zones I've been to many times to count. Now I can pan the camera back taking in a wide angle shot and see the reality for what it's really for, for what's in my head. The changes made while nothing that can gain me advantages, it allows me to express myself and play god.

There are two version of the guide. Both are written/compiled by myself. All this information is available across the net, I'm just bring it to one solid location for easy viewing and reference. The first version of this guide is the Bible. The Bible includes details on file-formats, model edit fix explanation, and a unhealthy amount of raw code. There is still a lot that could be added to it, and I am still debating on adding information on every DBC, WDB, Cryects Tools source and more. This guide will have little no no pictures. Pictures help, but if you have a passion for this text will do just fine. The second guide only includes the most basic information. It removes a lot of the actual file-type specs and raw data. It's mostly removing the clutter. Everything found withing the short guide (the primer), can be found in the Bible.

Model Editing is an privilege just as much as it is an art. It's with this sense of secrecy and paranoia that we have continued to last as long as we have. Very rarely will something major get leaked and when it does it's what usually causes us to get nerfed. Even though a lot of people are using this to create there are a ton of people, probably more then who are creating are using this to gain advantages in PvP and PvE. This has probably been said 100 times through out this article. But my hopes is that if you learn anything from this guide it's that what you know have the knowledge to do is more fragile then you will ever understand.

It can easily broken and there's no promise that someone will always be there to develop model edit fixes. So do yourself a favor, don't release anything major you have done. Video's are okay, but don't allow anyone you don't trust 100% to use these edits. Fixing means you loose the ability to do this, creation in it's own definition is what we strive to achieve in life. It becomes what drives us. And for most of us that play this game, it's the only thing that keeps us entertained to shell out $15 bucks a month.

Just remember, your responsible. The Glowing Mushroom group had it right going completely hidden. These are very fragile and sensitive tools, breaking these means we're done. Doesn't mean for good, but it just might. One of these days, so don't be responsible for it. Use your brain and ask yourself "If releasing this can it be used for exploitation?" If the answers no, go ahead and release it. If yes, don't. Whatever you do. DO NOT release it.

Enjoy what you have, the noggs have their saying "You may clip our wings, but we'll always remember what it's like to fly." let's hope we never have to say that.

While these are mostly just suggestions, they tend to be followed by most people. Follow these and model editing should never get nerfed:

* Never use model editing for advantages in Battlegrounds.

* Never use model editing for advantages in Instances.

* Never use model editing to make it easier to get something all players have to fight for.

* Never use certain model edits infront of real players (they don't see the edit, the just see your floating).

* Stay away from editing terrain in specific area's.

* Don't remove doors or walls.

Most of this is just suggestions, you are free to do this stuff. Just don't release it, get banned on your own account. But don't be responsible for nerfing model editing. Or your going to have a lot of people who are going to be angry with you.

[Pullefjun]

<3

[Invent]

Nice, I especially like this part

While these are mostly just suggestions, they tend to be followed by most people. Follow these and model editing should never get nerfed:

* Never use model editing for advantages in Battlegrounds.

* Never use model editing for advantages in Instances.

* Never use model editing to make it easier to get something all players have to fight for.

* Never use certain model edits infront of real players (they don't see the edit, the just see your floating).

* Stay away from editing terrain in specific area's.

* Don't remove doors or walls.

[Dragon[Sky]]

Great read.
Usually I never leave feedback on threads, but it's just beautiful and...true. :P
Sticky imho.

[[ Prototype ]]

One word:
Excellent.

(filleeeeeeer)

[^Xayo]

You expressed my feelings about modelediting very well...i asked myself a lot why i dont just buy gmod and build my own world easier but the point is that modelediting is kind of an underground art...I learned a lot of myself through modelediting...

STICKY!!

[joric]

wow......
this needs a sticky.

[Invent]

You expressed my feelings about modelediting very well...i asked myself a lot why i dont just buy gmod and build my own world easier but the point is that modelediting is kind of an underground art...I learned a lot of myself through modelediting...

STICKY!!

Pretty much.

[owned1]

very nice read, sticky imho.

[riizu]

All I have to say is wow. I agree with every word that you said. I myself might not have much rep, but I still understand what it means to model edit and why its so great. Every time I read some thread about a BG edit, I get angry, because these are the people that cause model editing to be nerfed and make it all the harder for those who love to model edit to create things. So, thank you for putting this out here for us to read, and I cant wait for the entire thing to be finished.

P.S. The nogg saying you were talking about is from a manga, just had to put that out there. :P

[Nero]

* Never use model editing for advantages in Battlegrounds.

* Never use model editing for advantages in Instances.

* Never use model editing to make it easier to get something all players have to fight for.

* Never use certain model edits infront of real players (they don't see the edit, the just see your floating).

* Stay away from editing terrain in specific area's.

* Don't remove doors or walls.

This have been my unwritten rules since the start of model editing! (just extract the models into the data folder, hilariusly simple, compared to the current situation xD)

Sadly, Ive seen GoldSpammers using a model fix in orgrimmar, making it easier for them to go from AH, to "place where warlock trainer is" and to PvP npc stands!

[merfed]

This have been my unwritten rules since the start of model editing! (just extract the models into the data folder, hilariusly simple, compared to the current situation xD)

Sadly, Ive seen GoldSpammers using a model fix in orgrimmar, making it easier for them to go from AH, to "place where warlock trainer is" and to PvP npc stands!

What is the possible benefits of that?

[Nero]

easier for their bots to go from AH, to the trainers, to the battlemasters, in one direct line.. instead of finding the way themselfs I guess :S

i might have a screenshot, gonna find it when I come home, if i remember it

[Boomerr]

WALL OF TEXT CRITS YOU FOR 15829!

[merfed]

WALL OF TEXT CRITS YOU FOR 15829!

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