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http://forums.thedarkmod.com/topic/9082-newbie-darkradiant-questions/page-323 // the discussion is sliding way out of newbie questions, so figured it'd be good to make a new thread regarding this. This first stuff is not really related - a preamble. Modular design with assets and perhaps explanation to help learn, allowing increase in creativity and mission diversity or achieving vision. or Here, catch. or Go figure it out. First is more work, but helps people a lot. Second is less work, simply provide a solution. Third is no work, ship without a rudder. In short, it'd be really nice to get more hands on deck with updating the wiki. As and when required/prompted by newbie questions, so it's easier for people to find and understand the answers to the questions they need to ask and take the time to go figure it out: http://wiki.thedarkmod.com/index.php?title=Special:RecentChanges No-one's born a brain surgeon, but everyone can pick someone's brains. People CAN learn to be a brain surgeon, if they have access to the edu-material on how to become one, know where to search and find - and can understand it. ---- I've included a case study, using the current documentation, trying to discard as much pre-existing knowledge of DR and rely solely on the wiki and forum for answers - not asking any questions. A simple challenge for the player: Entering a corridor, the door slams shut behind. A series of scythes swing across the path to safety, as an ornate door slowly opens to reveal a zombie shambler. There is no way back - the player is under pressure to run from the zombie (potentially lethal damage if caught), while timing their sprints along the corridor between the scythe traps (potentially lethal damage, increasing in speed/damage given). Ultimately, to escape, they must leap across a dangerously deep pit (potentially lethal fall damage - fake, safe drop into water, where there is some hidden loot and escape via ladder). The player is placed into peril and must react - if they fail the traps or get caught by zombie, damage or death. If they fail the jump - believe might die, but actually safe and can grab hidden reward. Succeed the jump - zombie is held up by scythes (and clip), so has time to notice ladder and perhaps explore the pit if they're uber-cool and pass the challenge 100%. The only danger is "inside" the trap. Once past - there's uncertain safety. Except I've revealed it now, so it's not uncertain, heh. So - Here's a route I might take to go about achieving this, knowing nothing about DR and relying purely on existing documentation. Hopefully it will remind the veterans just how much there is to figure out in order to something basic such as this, and greens just how difficult it can be to realise a simple gameplay concept. Big challenge for new mapper: So this leads to the case study of how I would have to go about figuring something out, using the available documentation to me on Dark Radiant and in the forum, and just how frustrating and warren-like it can be to use, in its current state..: This makes it very difficult to simply walk into Mordor and figure out what is not working and why. But... that's an example of the run-around behind being able to figure out how to do something only one simple thing from a simple scenario, without having to nag about it and hope someone tosses a ball that contains the solution without an explanation. If it was painful to read - that's good. Because it was painful having to go through the whole process to find out, "that'll have to do, 'cos can't figure how to do it 'cos there's some missing reading available atm for tdm". Also having to type it all... ouch.