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Could MODS save Hawken?


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#1 Pelax

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Posted September 13 2014 - 03:23 PM

I think this game should have a oldschool MOD scene: guys creating new content: mechs, maps, weapons, hats or whatever. Look how creative TF2 or DOTA community is! All we need is some proper tools, ability to create servers to test our created stuff. After the community' tests it could be implemented into the game.

I'm not a programmer but I can do concepts, 2d artwork and 3d assets. I've got UDK (free one not developer edition though) yet i couldn't crack Hawken to implement game assets into a 'test chamber'. But if some of the Devs would be able to lend a hand here...

... the Hawken could be changed forever!

ps. look at 'MODO Steam edition'! A way to create art/game assets for DOTA - with proper scripts/plugins it could work here too, i think!

#2 BurnsHot

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Posted September 13 2014 - 03:44 PM

Mods have been asked for in the past.  The Devs showed little interest in unlocking the game to the players.  I don't see how it will hurt.

Does Hawken need saving?  I think the Devs have so much in store for us that they just haven't told us.

I also think its right were the Devs want it to be even if we all will never agree with that.

Edited by BurnsHot, September 13 2014 - 03:46 PM.


#3 SS396

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Posted September 13 2014 - 03:49 PM

Lol, I thought you meant moderators from the title and I was all ready to go postal.

What do you mean you are unable to crack it?  What do you need to crack it?  I'm able to extract things and get the art assets and decompile the code, but not sure how someone could take that and turn it into something udk would use.  I don't think there's much we could do cause of the way things use the storm severs to communicate.

Edited by SS396, September 13 2014 - 03:49 PM.

# while true; do echo "Post"; done

#4 MalazanSapper

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Posted September 13 2014 - 04:08 PM

Mods would be awesome - community made maps would be a great addition. For sure if there was Workshop integrated on steam the playerbase would get a boost.

Admittedly the forums would be full of "helpz I broke mah gamez! wtf?" threads instead of doomsdays ... not sure which I prefer at this point!

I would love to make some maps for Hawken! My first one would be a redo of Bunker - only I'd tell it like it is and call it "HellFire Canyon" ... :lol:

#5 Gunmoku

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Posted September 13 2014 - 04:12 PM

Mods can't be done unless there's a massive overhaul to things like the API, server-client exchanges, and the back-end engine itself.  UDK does allow for easy modding, but the issue is how Hawken is built.  Most of the game is server-side while our clients keep only art assets and such on our computers.  To allow for modding, you'd have to allow for some client to server actions to happen locally, then be sent to the servers themselves which is hard to maintain without bottlenecking or having players download mods every time they connect to a new game.  At most, if player-created content were to happen, we'd see things done not unlike Team Fortress 2 where we submit content to be moderated and posted on the in-game market.

View PostRED_FIVE, on September 04 2013 - 08:20 PM, said:

YER A RAIDER, HARRY.

#6 IronClamp

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Posted September 13 2014 - 05:20 PM

Mods for Hawken, I unfortunately have to say, are next to impossible unless you know of some way to bypass Epic's project/copyright file headers.

I've tried opening Hawken's .upk files (in UDK) and it failed, the reason being the headers in the files.

Now if I was more willing and had the free time, I've heard of an augmentation to Gildor's tools that allows for the repacking of a certain .upk file so that it's identical to the one that was unpacked, which could be developed into a tool for reformatting a .upk file with a protection header into one that has a generic, non-protection header. This would mean free access to all Hawken content (including code?) in the UDK. Unfortunately, I lack the will and the free time (as well as experience with Gildor's code) to undertake this project.

Another problem is the distribution of the mods, especially since rendering is client side instead of server side. The reason why client side rendering is a problem is this: say you have a skin or a new chassis that you ported into Hawken. Hawken on your computer, when told to render your mech with it's super awesome custom chassis (or skin), will render it perfectly fine, because the file EXISTS ON DRIVE. Now, and this is the kicker, any other client that tries to render your chassis will show your mech with your custom part missing (anyone seen the No Pants Fred?), or with no special texture, because the file DOESN' EXIST ON DRIVE. This means that everyone needs your mod on their computer to see the intended results, or no one will see it!

This not only undesirable, but could also turn into an unfair tactic, where someone ports a few 3D primitves, like say cubes, to Hawken, then uses those cubes as parts for their mech, then when they go to play in a match, people won't see the mech! This player would be walking around totally invisible and no one could stop him! Those primitive would also skrew up the bullet collisions, so even if you figured out some way to find him, you'd have better luck shooting a grasshopper than hitting the hacker!

(I feel really redundant and stupid now for having posted this under somebody who said the same thing.....)

PS: If I had my way, I would build a "Super Smash HAWKEN" or some kind of stand alone fan game rather than a mod.

Edited by IronClamp, September 13 2014 - 05:22 PM.

"Or maybe we'll just have to go through you"


#7 Razataz

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Posted September 13 2014 - 05:30 PM

View PostBurnsHot, on September 13 2014 - 03:44 PM, said:

I think the Devs have so much in store for us that they just haven't told us.
You can't possibly be serious. Please tell me you're joking.

#8 hoghead

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Posted September 13 2014 - 05:50 PM

View PostRazataz, on September 13 2014 - 05:30 PM, said:

View PostBurnsHot, on September 13 2014 - 03:44 PM, said:

I think the Devs have so much in store for us that they just haven't told us.Posted Imagethere's always hope....... :huh:
You can't possibly be serious. Please tell me you're joking.


#9 BurnsHot

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Posted September 13 2014 - 06:59 PM

View PostRazataz, on September 13 2014 - 05:30 PM, said:

View PostBurnsHot, on September 13 2014 - 03:44 PM, said:

I think the Devs have so much in store for us that they just haven't told us.
You can't possibly be serious. Please tell me you're joking.

No I'm not Joking.  This "Technical Debt" is getting in the way.

Even if we never see it due to poor management.

I think the next update is sitting on a server somewhere waiting for the green light from Master Control.

#10 Razataz

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Posted September 13 2014 - 07:30 PM

View PostBurnsHot, on September 13 2014 - 06:59 PM, said:

View PostRazataz, on September 13 2014 - 05:30 PM, said:

View PostBurnsHot, on September 13 2014 - 03:44 PM, said:

I think the Devs have so much in store for us that they just haven't told us.
You can't possibly be serious. Please tell me you're joking.

No I'm not Joking.  This "Technical Debt" is getting in the way.

Even if we never see it due to poor management.

I think the next update is sitting on a server somewhere waiting for the green light from Master Control.
Posted Image

#11 Spliff_Craven

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Posted September 13 2014 - 07:43 PM

Clan support and private servers were to save Hawken too.
Both were in the works... As per usual nothing happened...
Give it time they said... How much time is reasonable before we get a status update?

4 months-ish since anything of remote substance. That's a tad too long.
2 weeks is preferred. 4 weeks tops.

There is a huge outcry for an update... I wouldn't hold my breath...



#12 BurnsHot

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Posted September 13 2014 - 07:53 PM

Doesn't matter what we say or do.  They will tell us when they are good and ready.

If you still like the game then keep playing till the turn off the lights.

Edited by BurnsHot, September 13 2014 - 07:53 PM.


#13 JukeBarzel

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Posted September 13 2014 - 08:18 PM

Yup. Fire up the box, click the hawken .exe link icon, skip the intro, log in and play.
It's alive!


Edited by JukeBarzel, September 13 2014 - 08:37 PM.

Posted Image

Make me happy. Just give me something big and nasty, then let me take it out and blow up Stuff with it.


#14 SS396

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Posted September 13 2014 - 08:40 PM

View PostBurnsHot, on September 13 2014 - 06:59 PM, said:

I think the next update is sitting on a server somewhere waiting for the green light from Master Control.

If it is it hasn't even been play tested internally.  Looking at the steamdb, there hasn't been any updates to any builds in months.  :(
# while true; do echo "Post"; done

#15 ShadowWarg

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Posted September 13 2014 - 09:44 PM

I already have a whole bunch of ideas for how I would mod Hawken :D But sadly I don't think mods will ever happen, not until someone cracks Hawken and puts it up for grabs.

#16 JukeBarzel

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Posted September 13 2014 - 11:41 PM

Of course there's this problem:

439 In-Game

and this doesn't help:
48 users are online (in the past 15 minutes)

6 members, 42 guests, 0 anonymous users   (See full list)
JukeBarzel, Google, Yahoo, LoC_TR, Hiszpanski, Merl61, chuckdm, Nept

The first thing that leaps into mind is "Why bother?"
This time last year, they were packin' 'em in (in spite of the Ascension disaster).
Good gawd.  :(

Posted Image

Make me happy. Just give me something big and nasty, then let me take it out and blow up Stuff with it.


#17 Zaxik

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Posted September 14 2014 - 04:19 AM

Maybe they're actually planning support for custom servers and mods, who knows :-) Current Hawken seems to be built on UDK, which basically means a strictly defined base for the game without ability to bend it to any specific needs. "Paying technical debt" could be switching from UDK to UE3 source code, which would give the devs unlimited power.

Posted Image
Got few Hawken vids here on my YT.

#18 Gruncor

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Posted September 14 2014 - 04:22 AM

Hawken not need mods, need a new gameplay. This change is necessary.

#19 JeffMagnum

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Posted September 14 2014 - 04:50 AM

View PostZaxik, on September 14 2014 - 04:19 AM, said:

"Paying technical debt" could be switching from UDK to UE3 source code, which would give the devs unlimited power.

I'm pretty sure they switched to that quite awhile ago.

#20 DerMax

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Posted September 14 2014 - 05:02 AM

View PostRazataz, on September 13 2014 - 07:30 PM, said:

View PostBurnsHot, on September 13 2014 - 06:59 PM, said:

View PostRazataz, on September 13 2014 - 05:30 PM, said:

View PostBurnsHot, on September 13 2014 - 03:44 PM, said:

I think the Devs have so much in store for us that they just haven't told us.
You can't possibly be serious. Please tell me you're joking.

No I'm not Joking.  This "Technical Debt" is getting in the way.

Even if we never see it due to poor management.

I think the next update is sitting on a server somewhere waiting for the green light from Master Control.
Posted Image

Should've been:

http://www.gfycat.co...iousSevereGoral




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