ToEE + map creation/mod tools?

[LibertyRansom]

ToEE has excellent turn-based combat and a great engine. Can anyone explain, in simple non-computer literate language, why it doesn't have have easily accessed Campaign creation tools? The game could have developed a following as big as NWN.

I think the work the Co8 has done is great, but usually their work centers around expanding the main campaign. What exactly is needed to create the same tools that NWN shipped with? (that is, tools to easily create a campaign/map etc, so that community develops)? Anyone know what barriers exist or is it a lack of interest/resources?

 

[Jaesun]

This is more a Workshop discussion.

As for why it didn't come with a Campaign Editor, that was never really the focus of the game. Just like a lot of other cRPG's don't come with an editor. As it pulls away resources that could be used for making the game.

 

[Crichton]

Some Australian guy made a version of Keep on the Borderlands that was passable. If you check out Co8's site, they have links to some bone-simple tools that you can use; but it's never going to be anything like the NWN2 editor.

 

[Awor Szurkrarz]

Are these tools anywhere near the level of usefulness and user-friendlyness of DLTCEP and WeiDU?

 

[Crichton]

I can't really say since I've never done anything with them. As I understand it, some of them are modified from Arcanum's WorldEd (which I have used and I think is perfectly functional).

One problem is map making since beautiful hand-drawn 2D maps are outside of most people's skill-set. In KotB, the author re-used portions of ToEE maps when he could and then just did the best he could with the others (I wasn't much impressed, but it's a free game, one can hardly complain). There was some talk of creating tiles that could be used like the ones in Arcanum, but I don't know how much of that ever got done.

ToEE doesn't come with a great selection of 3D models either which could be a problem depending on what you're looking for.