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A modders' Diary (Very Long Post)


Guest dataschmuck

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Okay, I'm not going to lie to you all. I do, in fact mod Vice City AND play in MTA. Why would I do such a horrible thing? Well, heres the thing, see:

I started playing GTA3 for PC since the day it came out. When people started figuring out the games data files and structure, I was right there to download the new car skins+models, player models, maps, trainers, etc. Naturally, I moved on to Vice City, and so did the mods. So I got pretty used to faster cars, extra maps and the like.

I also noticed when GTA Tournament came out, and saw how buggy it was so I decided to skip the mod. Then MTA appeared, but I figured it was the same. then 0.2 came along, and I decided to finally give it a try.

Lo and behold, the game starts up, I started out in the parking area next to the malibu, all mods in tact. However the game is choppy as hell, and the graphics are messed up. Crashes very few mins. I figured it was due to my mods, so I un-installed and re-installed a clean vice. Graphics problem fixed, but the game is still choppy and crash prone, so I abandon MTA and install all my mods again for singleplayer.

Then, 0.3 and 0.3r2 come out. I try again. WTF?? CRC Check in handling.cfg failed? Well, crap. Again with the uninstalling and the reinstalling and the oy vey. Game runs perfect, less crashes, not as choppy, new character selects, game modes, all that good stuff.

But something doesn't feel right. "The cars are so slow! were they always this slow? My God, did they always handle like this? What the hell? It blew up only after e few bumps and crashes? Damn, this sucks. " I had been playing modded single player for so long, I just got used to the better handling, faster, damage proof cars. I couldn't play it any other way. I became addicted to mods. So I quit playing MTA again and went back to moded single player.

Then when looking for some new car models, I came across the mta crack, and found a bunch of cheater sites. Well, you know what happens from there.

I started playing on some servers with my speed edits and map addons and jet pack trainers, and quickly learned how frowned upon it was to do so. I did stay away from the bigger wojie/mta servers and clan servers, just the little servers with a few people and usually no admins monitoring

I mostly stayed in the stunt servers, but ventured into the DM servers every once in a while. I was never really good at DM, so I figured using trainers would help. However, when I killed somebody because I couldn't be killed and had infinite ammo, I didn't get the same sense of satisfaction when I did it with the computer opponents. I felt like, "damn, that just wasn't even fair." So I turned off the trainer, and proceeded to have my ass handed to me over and over.

HOWEVER, I still used my handling edits. I used them to get to battles quicker (which ended with me dying more than most people) And in stunt, there was no real scoring system, so I had all my mods and cheats on in there. I never hit anybody in stunt on purpose, and NEVER jacked cars. (I hate that crap) I just provided everyone with spectacular views of high flying stunts and flips and such. That DID make me feel good, and still does. And I didn't race anybody with modded cars, cause, wheres the challenge in that? Its like the infinite health thing, it ain't fun.

BUT

Sometimes, in DM, I would see somebody BLATENTLY using infinite health and weapon cheats on all the non-modders, and I thought "wouldn't it be a shock to him if he tried to kill me and I didn't die?" So I starts up me trainer, activated the various cheats, and found him and let him fire away. Once he figure out I am just like him, he goes and finds a more vulnerable opponent and generally stays away from me.

I figure "Okay, its time to mess with this guy" So I do my best to stand in front of him when he tries to kill anybody, and constantly hit him with my edited cars. He leaves the server. A-ha! I have found a new calling. I must protect the innocent! So for a while, whenever I saw a cheater in DM, I would turn on my cheats and mess around with him/her (sure, girls mod too) sometimes theyd leave, sometimes they wouldn't.

If I was in Stunt, I'd keep my car in front of people who constantly tried to run people down or mess up stunts. Hell, my car is indestructable, I might as well put it to good use by using it as a road block for evil doers.

But alas, I'd still get kicked/banned for modding/cheating. So, a new strategy was needed. I found myself only joining the stunt servers where modding was OK. I made many friends in those few servers and had some interesting conversations/discussions. I even created a few of my own modifications for the game (a car model, a map mod, and some handling lines)

Recently, MTA 0.4 has been released. Of course, it was cracked fairly quickly, and naturally, I moved on from 0.3 to 0.4. This time, it's different, though. I WILL NOT use mods or cheats in the DM or STUNT servers that do not allow them. I will use them in servers that do allow them. My method is this:

I have two separate installations of VC:

One is my completly modded out, handling.cfg edits, SCM edits, Map addons, trainers, you name it. c:\games\vicemod

The other is my original, umodded, completley stock version of the game. Straight out of the box. c:\games\viceorig

When I originally install the game, I install it ito c:\games\vice, and also tell MTA to look for it there.

So when I join a modding server, I rename my vicemod folder to just vice, and when I join a non modding server, I rename viceorig to just vice.

I can't tell other modders to do this, I can only offer it as a suggestion, to stop people from hating us with such a passion. I mean, I would be pissed off too if I was in their shoes. It just ain't right. But oh well.

Anyway, the main reason for this long, overly dramatic post is this:

Tonight, I was playing in the IyonUK NON-modding server. I was playing with my NON-modded vice. A few people were roof jumping with their bikes. I decided to be the odd one out and use the gang burritto (van with the little teddy on top of it) For some reason, this van seems faster than some other trucks its size. So I take the elevator up to the office with it, drive through the window, land in that weird building with the throguh it, do the next two jumps, land on the roof of the hospital.

As a side note, when I am stunting or battling, I tend not to read the chat window very much, as I am too engaged in my actions

Anyway, back to my rant, I proceed to do the next jump from the hospital to the next building, in the NON-MODDED gang burritto form my NON-MODDED game, and guess what, I didn't make it, I hit the edge and fell down. Then, I look over to see a guy named snip3d watching me. I look up at the chat, and BAM! banned for cheating. I get that warm uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach (always happenes when I get kicked or banned) close the game and read the chat log. apparently he saw me jumping with the van, figured that to be impossible, and banned me with no questions asked, no chance to explain myself.Ah well, what can you do.

I suppose I brought it upon myself, because The first time I joined that server a month ago, I was stupid and didn't turn off my mods. I got away with it for a while, but must have driven through a fence or something that wasn't there on my side of the game, and a hidden admin (sneaky little feature, by the way) banned me. I had so much fun in that serb, though, with all the scripts they have and they are actually somewhat organized, that it prompted me to move over to the whole "two different installations of vice city" method I explained above. I joined again a week later, but an admin who was in last time saw me join and asked me if I modded last time. I didn't want to be a jackass and lie about it when he probably knew the answer already, so I said "yes I did mod, but I learned my lesson." BAM! banned again. SO I test the waters again tonight, and, well, you already read what happened.

But I was having fun with an unmodded mta, I know its possible now. I suppose I could try a different stunt server, but I only play at the wee hours of the night, and thats the most popular, fun one to play in.

My question is, if I never cheated that first night, would I still have been banned so quickly tonight for using an un-modded gang burritto to do a few roof jumps? I don't remember snip3D being in the server the last two times I was banned. I wasn't hitting anyone with it, I just wanted to see how many jumps I could make with it.

I'm leaning towards no. I might have been accused, but had a chance to explain, or show them it IS possible to get as far as I did.

And if you have read this far, I applaud you sir/ma'am, you are a trooper. Let the comments/flames/editing/deleting commence.

Also, if you see me in a non-modding server, and you are an admin, you WILL kick/ban me, BUT, I understand, I realize I have implicated myself tonight, even though I WILL NOT have cheated on your server. Believe It...Or Not!™

And finally, I have just returned home from a three day trip, and have been driving for 12 hours straight. I am very tired as of writing this, so please, PLEASE excuse all the grammar/spelling mistakes. I usually go back and edit them all, but I am just too damned tired tonight, so bah humbug.

-Data

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dude, that is one stunning post :o you have a nice way of writing. if i didn't like the way you wrote i wouldn't have read it but it was kinda interesting to see what u had to say :P

anyways. i get some of your points. i really hate cheaters. and laggers. and then i hate people with slow computers even more than people with high pings. dunno if you have experience with that but fighting someone with a slow computer is even more annoying. he can just stand still and shoot at me while not dieing at all. its basicly the same as cheating.

to make a quick answer. cheating shouldnt be allowed. though i wouldnt mind if u used mods like cudda's world in a server where it IS allowed...who cares. you know, some people like (including me) to have different skins for cars. as long as the handling is still the same it would be OK to use in any server IF the game wasnt as buggy as it is. i mean, you can use different skins in lotsa games...but those aren't buggy and won't crash because of it so it is ok. mta will crash because of it, so its understandable nobody should mod their game. now of course u can say mta is a mod as well, but it sounds kind of logical that if everybody has the same mod (a clean mta) it'll crash less.

so, if someone is cheating or modding or so of course he'll get kicked/banned. but when he/she is removing them i wouldn't mind giving them a second chance.

and you shouldn't mind people like snip3D...maybe he really doesnt like you or maybe he is just dumb and didnt know the burrito has some good power. maybe you should just change ur name and play in peace in a clean game and keep ur mods for single player? i have 2 vice city's installed as well...1 for mta and one for single player where i got my lovely eleanor and some other car skins. :)

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anyways. i get some of your points. i really hate cheaters. and laggers. and then i hate people with slow computers even more than people with high pings. dunno if you have experience with that but fighting someone with a slow computer is even more annoying. he can just stand still and shoot at me while not dieing at all. its basicly the same as cheating.

Well... they may technically have an advantage, but I wouldn't class it as cheating as they don't deliberately have a slow computer in order to have an advantage in MTA.

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well, its LIKE cheating. they cant help they have a slow computer...maybe they can, they could also just not play the game. but as you might know it is kind of frustrating to jump/run/shoot around someone like a mad man and all he does is stranding still and shooting around....and still you wont do him damage. its even more funny when you shoot one time...then give up, run away and 3 secs later he gets killed by your shot...

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He stopped cheating... give him a cookie 8)

What's your point anyway? First you get marked as a known cheater, so you stop cheating and now you wonder why no-one believes you're not cheating anymore? Change your nickname.

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Even though I do not understand what the purpose behind this post was, I do respect that you came out with it. However, admins are responsible for their own server; coming here would not do much to stop them from banning you. As for the Gang Burrito, the reason it is so fast is because it is modeled after The A-Team van (looks exactly the same, only difference is the paint job). The admin that banned you must not be a fan of quality 80's television :shock:

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i dont mind ppl with slow pc's, i find em easier to kill,

i just h8 moaners...sum ppl dont understand that if you're havin a hard time hittin them, they're havin a hard time hittin u too...same with lag

..i just class it as a challenge :lol:

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End of the day.

if a guy is speeding around minding his own buisness in my server. Ill tell him to make sure he dosent use it to kill ppl. i dont give a toss if he's doin jumps and stuff.

Its just when somebody puts infinate health and ammo on. whats the point in having weapon spawns. health. opponents?

Nice post. I admire you.

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Whats the point of this, you ask? Thats a damn good question, and I wish I had an answer. I guess I've just been wanting to say this for a long time, but never had the motivation to do so, until the IyonUK event lit a fire under my butt. That, plus I thought it would give an interesting perspective into the mind of a modder/cheater.

I totally respect the fact that admins need to look out for their servers and get rid of potential threats, I mean, some are paying their hard earned money for these servers, others are sharing their bandwidth, Its their perogative to keep order and make sure a good time is had by all. I suppose I'm just posing some theoretical questions to spark some ideas about why people mod.

And as for changing my name, well, I just can't do that. My name is my name. Its who I am. I realize it will get me in trouble sometimes, but thats my own fault, those were the choices I made with my name. Let me put it this way:

Sex offenders have to register as sex offenders wherever they move to. I agree with this penalty. So, changing my name to get away from my crimes would make me a hypocrite, which I TRY my hardest NOT to be.

dude, that is one stunning post :o you have a nice way of writing.

I write like I talk. I try to be as nuetral and unoffending as possible. Yes, conflict is what motivates the world, but I have enough of it in my real life. No need to bring it into my online world.

The funny thing is, I HATE writing, but whenever I write a story or a script or a research paper, my professors all tell me how wonderful my style is. I told one of them I hate writing and she had this schocked look on her face like, "Whaaa?!!" Wierd.

whats the point in having weapon spawns. health. opponents?

Thats exactly what I'm asking. When I did that, it just didn't feel like I acomplished anything. But then, I have a concious, which is more than I can say for a lot of modders/cheaters.

On the ping and lag issue, that a whole different topic, and theres plenty of discussion about it in other posts on this forum. All I have to say is this: I was once a network/internt n00b as well, not knowing what a ping was or an IP address, or all that stuff. But after playing online games for a while, I learned the talk, and which servers to join, which to avoid, optimizing my connection, and finally, upgrading to high speed cable connection, upgrading my computer parts. They will learn as well. Just shoot a little bit ahead of them for the time being. Or, go to MTA: GTA3 where I hear the lag issue is a thing of the past.

Maybe I'll migrate to GTA3 as well, start with a clean slate, but I'm keeping my name.

Damnit, can't I just keep it short? Guess not.

-Data

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How about a Blitz mode or something in MTA? Where vehicles are a lot faster, and such.. it does it boring with slow cars, after awhile.. with fast cars there's more excitement due to the insanely large jumps you can pull off.. crashing cars and going out of control at HIGH speeds is a lot more fun then bumping into each other at low speeds

Faster vehicles, but, the legal way..

MTA could come with a special blitz_handling.cfg that is used when a server has BLITZ mode turned on... Can be used with DM or STUNT.

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Well it's commendable you took the time to explain your motivations to us.

I do realise modding GTA games can be tremendous fun, but it will not be possible to mod an MTA game and synch it serverside for some time. The idea of MTA is synchronisation, so if you all use a personalized version of the game, theres not much left to synch.

Anyway, have fun playing legitimate

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Well it's commendable you took the time to explain your motivations to us.

I do realise modding GTA games can be tremendous fun, but it will not be possible to mod an MTA game and synch it serverside for some time. The idea of MTA is synchronisation, so if you all use a personalized version of the game, theres not much left to synch.

Anyway, have fun playing legitimate

Yep, and if things are unsynced, that can cause crashes. Hence why people with mods/cheats/hacks cause instability in the server.

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I hope that it has occured to, dataschmuck, that this is a game, which is a form of entertainment. Don't play the game if you are not being entertained. I think you are taking all of this way too seriously! You sound like some of my friends who live in an MMORPG world more than they do reality. Get some fresh air!

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I've been indoors breathing recirculated air-conditioned air for so long now, going outside and breathing this "fresh" air would be a shock to my system and kill me instantly. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

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I've been indoors breathing recirculated air-conditioned air for so long now, going outside and breathing this "fresh" air would be a shock to my system and kill me instantly. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

You're a complete idiot and should be locked in a room with nothing but a computer.

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I've been indoors breathing recirculated air-conditioned air for so long now, going outside and breathing this "fresh" air would be a shock to my system and kill me instantly. Thanks for the suggestion, though.

You're a complete idiot and should be locked in a room with nothing but a computer.

thats my dream lol

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My favorite observation from someone who doesn't leave the house was from KFC Pi. The air outside creeps him out because it's all moving around and stuff...

i havent opened my door in a while, forgot where it leads so im afraid to open it. i have some holes in my walls that ventilate air so i dont have to open my door that much, thank god. yeah, moving air is wierd. like water that you cant see and stuff.
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