bama1234

So here's the deal. As Itchboy mentioned, I'm very, very busy with real life at the moment. So he's going to be taking the lead on working on the improvements, bug fixes, etc., for the time being. I'm still controlling the mod and I'll be reviewing everything, as well as jumping in to help contribute when I get the chance.

For the time being, I'm going to leave the DL link down until we get some issues with bugs and content sorted out. I don't have an ETA yet on when it will be back up.

We're also having issues with people taking content from the mod/reposting it without permission/etc., so we need to get all of that ironed out as well.

I was unaware the DL link was down. Will try to resolve this ASAP.

I have a question, prior to a couple days ago; the mod would crash if, and only if, I had just started 911: First Responders for the first time after starting my computer. After it crashed once, I would go back and start 911: First Responders again and load the mod up and I would be able to play Free-Play for an undetermined amount of time (being that it is unstable it would sometimes last 30 minutes to an 2 Hours before crashing) However, Now it crashes everytime I load the mod and enter free-play. This only started happening last night... I will add that 2 days ago I upgraded my computer to Windows 10, and last night was the first time trying to play the mod since upgrading to windows 10.. However 911: First Responders runs fine, as does the LA Mod... 

 

Computer Specs:

MOBO: ASUS Micro ATX DDR3 2000 AMD AM3+ Motherboard

GPU: Powercolor AMD R9 280

CPU AMD FX-6300

I haven't tested the mod with Windows 10, so unfortunately, I can't guarantee compatibility. Hopefully our next patch will alleviate the issue. Feel free to file a bug report.

I'd like re-tell (very briefly) the story of myself and this forum. I was young and naive when I joined at the end of 2008. At the time, I had just recently discovered Emergency 3 and 4, played the LA mod for both, and was itching for more. I was fixated on NYC at the time and disappointed to find that no NY mod yet existed (I think it's funny now that I was so let down, but today there are so many NYC mods I lost track of them). So, I took it upon myself to start my own. The only skill I had was Microsoft Paint. It took my a little while to figure out how to edit textures in the game and get them working correctly, but once I did, I was able to begin a private re-skin of the LA mod into NYC units.

This was my first work ever in EM4, done painstakingly in MS Paint:

From there, I did the fire engines:

And I wasn't quite satisfied. So I spent a few months learning how to model in Gmax (which I still use to this day), and after many failed attempts, came up with a new model for the fire engine: 

Not bad for a young modder, but not the best either. I learned quickly, because I had a solid background with computers, but that won't be the case for everyone. 

My NYC submod was never released. I asked Hoppah if I could release, he said not until I have more individual creations and contributions, and I respected that. By the time I had anything close to a solid submod, Dyson had started on his own, and it was superior. I moved on to other ideas. 

I slaved over tutorials, videos, reference pictures, and so forth - the best tool is practice. Trial and error. I remember messaging the moderators/experienced modders for help pretty often, and I'm sure I got on their nerves quite a bit. But now, I'm one of the people new modders come to for help, and that's a good feeling.

I used heavily from the LA mod and others. However I was careful not to release anything that the original creators didn't approve of. But nowadays I can create just about any model I need to make with relative ease (usually), although it's time consuming - if you look at the Montana Mod, you see a vast improvement in my model quality and overall design tastes from 2008 to now. But I'm still not quite where I want to be.

The points I want to make today are as follows: 

• Don't get discouraged. I started in 2008, was able to do some quality independent modeling work starting around 2010, and would say I didn't really get actually good until about 2013-2014. It will take much less time for some, and more for others. But if you really have your heart in this game and community, it will be worth the wait. 
• Don't be afraid to ask questions. Most of us are here to help and WANT to see new and exciting content being created. The more diverse and capable our community is, the better. 
• On the flip side, also don't be afraid to work by yourself and figure things out through trial-and-error. That feeling you get when you finally figure out a bug and see the finished product is unbelievably exciting. 
• And finally, please respect the moderators and mod creators. I did, and it got me a long way. I know it's much easier to grab from other mods and build your own using those pieces, and there's nothing wrong with that, as long as it stays private. KEEP TRACK of the creators of any content you use, in case you ever get permission to release it. A thorough and accurate credits list, along with permission, is really all we're asking for. 

I hope this has helped inspire some of you and quell any doubts you may have about how much we care for this community. New rules are always tough to get used to, and I definitely understand some of the frustration. From what I understand, though (and mods, feel free to correct me if I'm wrong), most of the punishments came down on people being disrespectful and refusing to cooperate or negotiate. This is something that can be easily avoided, and I know if they come to me asking about any of my content I will be more than happy to work things out.

In summary - just remember that modding is really about fostering your creativity and bringing ideas to life, it takes some time and effort, and as long as you try to be respectful and be careful that you don't step on anybody's toes, you'll find yourself successful. 

Look at my old re-skins. Now look down at the banners in my signature. That's where time, a good heart, a good eye, some elbow grease, and respect will get you.

am I free to release whatever files does the trick?

Yes.

Only after you run it through me first for approval. 

Those are all interesting theories and definitely possible, things we're looking in to. 

Has anyone discovered the source of the terminal lag with this mod? I've yet to find the source, though I'd like to try and fix it if anyone can help point me in a good direction.

We think it might possibly be coming from the unit or command icons, for whatever reason, if you want to start there.

Does anyone know if the next patch will have a MPVFD water tanker unit?

Probably not.

When does the patch comes out to fix the bugs?

TBA. Probably a matter of a few months.

You might consider making a basic tutorial because I know a lot of modders for em4 would consider getting and modding this game if they knew how.

But good luck

Yes I have succeeded in adding custom made vehicles into the game which were made by myself. It was a pain to figure everything out though. Adding vehicles is not that hard. It's harder to make them available as a commandable unit.

I second Dyson. I'd be interested in getting involved if we had instructions on getting models into the game, since the developers don't seem to have provided any. 

Bama, 

 

Did you hand-make the pavement texture on the map or did you download it somewhere?

 

Thanks!

Used random asphalt textures from Google and painted the lines and markings myself in Photoshop. 

We're aware of the lag and graphics/performance issues. Fixing them and optimizing the mod so most everyone can play it is a top priority for the next patch. 

New game warden truck to be featured in 2.0.2, courtesy of Itchboy, with some custom equipment and wheels by me:

I don't really post on here, but I played the Montana mod for the first time today and I was so impressed with the depth and the detail of the map and the units.

 

This is undoubtedly my new favourite mod for EM4, and I just wanted to say you did a fantastic job.

Thank you! We worked very hard to provide that experience so it's always nice to hear from satisfied fans.

Sorry for the bug [report] solution in this thread but...

I also had the crash to desktop when starting endless game. In my case I have a laptop with 2 video cards, intel [hd 4600]  and nvidia [gt 750m]. My video card selection was set to 'automatic' and for em4.exe it was picking the intel. I forced it to always use the nvidia and it started working. Unfortunately I now have the crash to desktop after 15 minutes of play that others have been experiencing. From reading this thread it sounds like the mod developers have a patch coming out soon to address this which is great.

 

I also would like to add that I really enjoy this mod being a volunteer fire chief and ems responder myself.

Cheers,

Rob

Thank you for your service! Sorry you've been experiencing these issues, we hope to get them resolved in the next patch. Glad you enjoy the mod otherwise.

So, bama, what do you plan on doing next?

Patch 2.0.2. 

I believe I saw somewhere he said he's doing another project. I could be wrong and thinking about a different topic.

Don't believe everything you hear.

I will say that since the latest patch my performance has increased significantly. Thanks to the fixes and the advanced graphics options I can play the game without much lag now. So, while I think the developers should have included those things at the launch, I applaud them for getting them released sooner rather than later. 

I'm also excited about the SDK - although I don't know much coding, I can tell there's some potential there. So I hope that either I learn how to use it, or others do, and that we can start seeing some cool mods soon.

Better specs than my own PC. We'll look into it. 

can someone please tell me why the game crashes during play? it just goes blank and to desktop.

mine does it too, will just have to wait for a patch or update

What are your PC specs?

That's why I didn't post the link on here.

 

If Bama or Itchyboy says it's okay, I'll be happy to though.

Sorry, you can't release any edited version of the map. Nor can you give it out to people via PM, that's also considered a form of release. You're welcome to post pictures of your changes, though.

Which unit in the game acts as the bomb squad because I just had a call and I couldn't find it in the police menu.

The EOD truck, one of the first units towards the top in the police menu 

 

Em4 Crashes in freeplay neverending before start to play, so I have not the time to do anything.

In "freeplay challenge" It crashes during different actions, but nothing in particular.

 

If you would, please submit a bug report if you haven't already. We'll get it taken care of. 

I'm fine just get lag when I try to move around map that's the only time I get lag,but playable and Bama and Itchboy great MOD beside that!

Sent from my KFSOWI using Tapatalk

Glad you're enjoying it as best you can! We're working on fixing these lag issues, we think we may have discovered a cause. So stay tuned. 

---

Update: I'm planning a small patch, within a week, to fix the ATF bugs and the em4.cfg problem, as well as any other fixes we can squeeze in.

Also: Again, please refrain from posting bugs in this thread. Use the bug report form. 

I really like this mod so far. It had a few minor bugs (mainly traffic issues and other little things), but over all it is very well made. However I would like to see maybe a second volunteer station in the upper-east corner. Maybe like the county engine 5, a tanker, and a brush?

Glad you like it! No, we won't be adding any more stations. The BCFD units get to the map quickly enough after being called, and it would just be plain unrealistic to have two fire stations within a mile of each other in such a rural area. 

I played mod like 10minutes and crashed..dont why? fps 30-50

Sorry this is happening to you, it seems to be happening to a few people. We are looking into the cause. What are your PC specs?

I believe bama included his own Bug Report Form within the mod folder. I imagine that document will include details regarding submitting bugs elsewhere.

This ^^

Where do you submit bugs for this mod??? 

Read the first post

Of course I was, I'm everywhere...

 

Usually I lurk in the shadows... kinda like a ninja...

 

@bama, did you want to avoid having bugs posted in this topic?

Yes, please & thank you.

I'll be investigating the em4.cfg issue and seeing if I can fix that for you all. In the meantime it seems like a simple fix, either just don't copy it over, or if it messes up your game replace it with the old one. 

On another note, those of you who have downloaded the mod, how are you liking it so far? Is it playable? What are your favorite features, or things you'd like to see changed?

Your em4.cfg file kinda F'ed my game up pretty bad. Lot of missing GUI and no dispatch.

Sorry :/ it's optional, just a camera hack improvement for performance

I just realized the folders aren't properly placed inside the download packaged. The folder currently named Mods is supposed to be named Montana 2.0.1. I'll be fixing this and replacing the DL link as soon as possible

lapdlafd is right about calling the CAS ambulance.

Also I found a couple of bugs:

1.  When you use the 'Empty Station' command at the fire station everyone in the station including the Battalion Chief and the dispatcher walk out front and stand in next to the front door, and none of the firefighters actually go home.  Only way I can get them to is by putting them in an engine, driving it out of the station and telling it to return to quarters, at which time everyone in the truck undresses and goes home.

 

2. There is one random firefighter that can only get in Engine 1.  Not sure why he thinks he's special enough that he can only ride E1, and I cant tell any difference between him and any of the other firefighters.  May have been a one time thing though, as I can't reproduce it.

Please don't post bugs in this thread. Use the bug report form. 

2.0.1. released & first post updated with new media.

Link: https://mega.co.nz/#!Kxx3wYzB!xIBYezS3OPY5ULdZVgvu-hvYjB54XKE5NYqAfE2pReE