If you are unaware, Additional Script Functionality (Or ASF for short) is a new hack coming with the release of Donut Mod 4 that adds brand new script commands to make for missions, allowing for more creativity and totally new objective types. All sounds good, right? This is where my concern starts with this:
Something like this will completely change the face of modding forever, but in doing so new mods that do not utilise this (such as mods currently in development) will become obsolete, and primitive in comparison. This isn't a small change and old mods or mods that cannot be changed in time to use this new addition (Like Storm Over Springfield, Housewife's Duties, etc) will not have the same appeal that they would otherwise have. These are all fantastic mods but I fear they will be overshadowed by this new feature.
So the question remains, is this really all good? These are legitimate problems that mod creators are going to face and it may prove fatal to otherwise very successful mods. Is there a good way to fix this? I'm not sure. My only thought is to give out an "early access" build to trusted mod creators, but this isn't an ideal solution. I'm not even sure if there is an ideal solution. It's a very complicated subject and I'm getting a headache.
So I hope this post has been of some value to somebody. I like making long, pointless posts about things and I understand others might not like that. Note that this does not mean I dislike the idea of ASF, I personally think it is a fantastic improvement, but there are certain issues that cannot be avoided and I thought I should bring them to light for those who had not thought about it this way. Am I being overdramatic? Probably. However this is still a valid issue.
The Problem With ASF
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Sammy If you are unaware, Additional Script Functionality (Or ASF for short) is a new hack coming with the release of Donut Mod 4 that adds brand new script commands to make for missions, allowing for more
[deleted user] Hey there Sammy!
I'm glad that you care about community mods enough to post about something like this. It's always nice to see support for some of the smaller individual-made mods! As you s
Hey there Sammy!
I'm glad that you care about community mods enough to post about something like this. It's always nice to see support for some of the smaller individual-made mods! As you said, these mods are great and use SHAR's original objective types in great and even unique ways that Radical never thought of. These mods stand as great works even without the use of Additional Script Functionality, but I'll try to ease your concerns a little bit more.
Additional Script Functionality, while it is an awesome creation, doesn't 'revolutionize' SHAR's mission system in a way that makes mods created before it obsolete. Very few of the objectives and commands included in it are as in-depth or engaging as SHAR's original mission types, and I more view it as a 'polish' that can make missions easier to create and better in some ways, but no mission will be viewed as good or engaging just by using the new stuff without any original mission content to back it up. The most engaging of Additional Script Functionality's new features in my opinion is the ability to control the Hit and Run police chase feature with greater fidelity, doing things such as forcing a Hit and Run on the player in a specific stage, changing the amount of cars that chase the player in a specific mission, and having a range of objective types relating to Hit and Runs, such as having to lose the cops or get busted. There are some other neat objectives and commands too, but as I said, the hack nowhere near obsoletizes mods that don't use it, and older mods could easily be updated to use ASF's commands to make them more engaging. It also will release with Donut Mod 4, which is scheduled to come out in roughly a month, so mod creators won't have to wait long to use it.
I hope this helps, and if you have any further concerns feel free to reply to this post and I'll be happy to talk to you!
I'm glad that you care about community mods enough to post about something like this. It's always nice to see support for some of the smaller individual-made mods! As you said, these mods are great and use SHAR's original objective types in great and even unique ways that Radical never thought of. These mods stand as great works even without the use of Additional Script Functionality, but I'll try to ease your concerns a little bit more.
Additional Script Functionality, while it is an awesome creation, doesn't 'revolutionize' SHAR's mission system in a way that makes mods created before it obsolete. Very few of the objectives and commands included in it are as in-depth or engaging as SHAR's original mission types, and I more view it as a 'polish' that can make missions easier to create and better in some ways, but no mission will be viewed as good or engaging just by using the new stuff without any original mission content to back it up. The most engaging of Additional Script Functionality's new features in my opinion is the ability to control the Hit and Run police chase feature with greater fidelity, doing things such as forcing a Hit and Run on the player in a specific stage, changing the amount of cars that chase the player in a specific mission, and having a range of objective types relating to Hit and Runs, such as having to lose the cops or get busted. There are some other neat objectives and commands too, but as I said, the hack nowhere near obsoletizes mods that don't use it, and older mods could easily be updated to use ASF's commands to make them more engaging. It also will release with Donut Mod 4, which is scheduled to come out in roughly a month, so mod creators won't have to wait long to use it.
I hope this helps, and if you have any further concerns feel free to reply to this post and I'll be happy to talk to you!
Sammy Alrighty, that's good to know. How much info do we exactly have on ASF's capabilities? Is there like a list somewhere? I understand that the info might want to be kept private, but my curios
Alrighty, that's good to know. How much info do we exactly have on ASF's capabilities? Is there like a list somewhere? I understand that the info might want to be kept private, but my curiosity has gotten the better of me and I have to ask.