Website for all modders - user made game assets

[Boothand]

I wasn't sure where to post this, so feel free to move it to the most appropriate location.

 

I have a suggestion which I've been thinking about for a good while, something that really inspires me. Perhaps in light of the recent porting discussion it becomes even more relevant. I've come to realize that I make a lot of resources, assets, for this game but I'm so incredibly inefficient with making releases such as maps and other mods. What I'd like to hear from you guys (everyone and anyone, including staff), is whether you think this would benefit us modders, and if you think this is a good idea. The suggestion is as following:

 

 

 

A library of user made JK assets

 

Files made from scratch

I would like to make an own page where good quality assets made from scratch by members of JKHub would be shared and free to use. I suppose the most relevant things would be textures and sounds, perhaps map objects, but also other things people would be glad to share with everyone. This means that you're actually the person behind this - textures made from pictures you've taken with a camera or made from scratch in Photoshop, sounds you've recorded yourself of real world sounds. Not pictures taken from a google search or sounds recorded from a game or movie.

 

Users

The page could be directly relating to JKHub, perhaps though the "Resources" section, and could for example have the existing JKHub member database. If not, it could have a user system with profiles similar to JKHub at least.

 

Uploading the assets and feedback central

When I make assets, I spend a lot of time quality checking them. I mainly make textures and record sounds. I want this site to encourage high quality work. Therefore I would like a section with quality approved assets, and a WIP section (or a more appropriate name) where users' submissions are given feedback on, until they are good enough to be put in the other section. This doesn't mean you can't upload casual files. A rich library of both general purpose-assets and more specific use-assets are welcome in my opinion. You would be able to download assets from both sections, but I think it could be very beneficial to anyone aspiring to become better at modding, to have an area where file submissions are quality checked and discussed before "approved".

 

A team of picky asset inspectors with an eye and ear for game design could serve as moderators, or just quality checkers.

 

Previewing assets

I would like a simple way of having each individual submission be viewable with some kind of feature. I know there are things like Sketchfab which lets you see 3D models with textures and all. I think for textures, there could be a feature to view the texture tiled x amount of times, or for a more advanced feature, applied to a couple of geometric models to choose from. As for sounds, it would be most important to simply play them directly from the site, but having a feature to loop the sounds would be necessary in order to effectively showcase ambience and other looping sounds.

 

Requesting assets

Lastly, there could be a section where modders talk about what kind of textures, sounds, assets they need, and inspired individuals could make and submit such files.

 

My role in this

I'll be a file submitter just like anyone else, and most likely part of the picky asset inspector team. One shouldn't ask without offering anything, so I would at this point like to share the better work I've done, instead of keeping it to myself and "never" getting it out there anyway (PS. I'm still in the process of adding files to this dropbox folder). I don't have any proper training in web design, but I know there are people here with a lot of competence. If the design was based around the theme of JKHub, it could also greatly lessen the work I suppose.

 

 

If there is any interest, and I'm asking everyone now, please make a post simply stating that you're interested! Or if it's a bad idea, unnecessary, counter productive and so on, I'd like to hear that too. And how do the staff think of something like this?

 

Here is the link to my dropbox uploads (two links for now because of some difficulties... I'm on a bus!).

Textures: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tsg5jwkxz4od8ij/zotXe-Npv5?m=

Sounds: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/czi223mmu8zd0d5/I1kI-sgIx_

 

 

I would also like in this post to announce a change of user name from @Gnur to @Boothand.

 

 

tl;dr version:

 

 

• Public space where users can submit and review assets such as textures, sounds, map objects ++
• Encourage learning and improvement through feedback and "approved" section
• Preview how textures tile, preview sounds etc
• Request section

 

 

[h643]

I support this idea

[Raz0r]

tl;dr public domain/creative commons assets modders can use in their projects?

[Circa]

What if we just added a category to our Downloads section for "Original Assets"? 

[Boothand]

tl;dr public domain/creative commons assets modders can use in their projects?

 

Yeah, added tl;dr version in the post.

 

What if we just added a category to our Downloads section for "Original Assets"? 

It would be missing out on some features but it would be a great compromise if the more ambitious is out of question.

 

Also added a very important thing I forgot to include when I wrote it first, about requests!

[Circa]

Yeah, added tl;dr version in the post.

 

It would be missing out on some features but it would be a great compromise if the more ambitious is out of question.

 

Also added a very important thing I forgot to include when I wrote it first, about requests!

 

We could add that for now, and if you get a new site like this up and running, we can definitely add it to the Resources section. We could also provide our free web hosting service as well.

[AshuraDX]

that's indeed a pretty good idea !

[afi]

I approve this idea

[afi]

But wouldn't it be enough to have a sub-forum on JKHub for now?

[Boothand]

It would provide a little arena for sharing resources and WIPs, so it would be a good thing while this is coming together.

 

I was thinking of eventually following up what I proposed, by asking for that free webhosting service. I was prepared to look for people to ask to help make the website and do more of a recruitment-job, but to my surprise JKHub offers:

 

 

 

One of the features we offer is fully managed hosting: if you don't know how to set up your own website, or don't have the time, we can do that for you. We'll install whatever software you need, and make sure it stays secure. You'll still have full access to your website, but you only need to worry about day-to-day operations. We'll install everything you need.

 

Does anyone know how easy it would be to implement features that allow, for example, tiling of pictures and looping of sounds on a website?

As for models, Sketchfab could be used. Animations are not yet supported (but "are on the roadmap").

[Circa]

What if we made it similar to mapping.jkhub.org? Or would this require a whole to site?

[Boothand]

What if we made it similar to mapping.jkhub.org? Or would this require a whole to site?

 

I'm not quite sure what you mean here though, as the mapping site is a collection of links to tutorials and guides.

 

Personally, I think it would be best to have a forum-feel to it, but implemented with features like I described above, and made in a way that makes it easy to look through submissions and resources. So I don't think it could function in that way by just being a sub-forum here, unless undergoing further modification (not Zappa-reference).

But I don't wanna *decide*  As long as it feels like a place where you can go and browse for assets, request assets and possibly like a place that could serve as a training arena for making these things. You don't often see threads in the Wip/teaser section about grass textures or map objects like benches. 

[Circa]

I'm not quite sure what you mean here though, as the mapping site is a collection of links to tutorials and guides.

 

I meant a page on JKHub, but I guess that wouldn't work.

 

Personally, I think it would be best to have a forum-feel to it, but implemented with features like I described above, and made in a way that makes it easy to look through submissions and resources. So I don't think it could function in that way by just being a sub-forum here, unless undergoing further modification (not Zappa-reference).

But I don't wanna *decide*  As long as it feels like a place where you can go and browse for assets, request assets and possibly like a place that could serve as a training arena for making these things. You don't often see threads in the Wip/teaser section about grass textures or map objects like benches. 

This definitely sounds like a whole new to me, but could easily be integrated in JKHub. No you don't see threads for that usually, but nobody is stopping you from doing so. We wouldn't be able to integrate every feature you're asking for, but I think it would suffice until you get such a site up and running. A sub-forum would work. And I can add a file category for original assets.

[Boothand]

I meant a page on JKHub, but I guess that wouldn't work.

 

This definitely sounds like a whole new to me, but could easily be integrated in JKHub. No you don't see threads for that usually, but nobody is stopping you from doing so. We wouldn't be able to integrate every feature you're asking for, but I think it would suffice until you get such a site up and running. A sub-forum would work. And I can add a file category for original assets.

 

Yes please!

Let's see how this works out as a sub-forum.

 

As for a potential such site ever being on its own - anyone, feel free to tag any possibly interested web-designers!   I don't know anyone.