Before I start fleshing this out, is this something people would be interested in/find useful? It would be inteded as a read-from-start-to-finish guide for modders. Note that this would not replace the reference posts on the forum here, which I will continue to update.
I think you should simply create a single post (which Uber should sticky) that references all of your reference posts. A handbook is a bit much, and would feel more like you are throwing words at people. But that's just my opinion, I prefer to be handed raw information without elaboration or sugar coating.
Like this? While I personally find those kinds of posts useful, they are essentially pockets of information and it's hard to explain how everything fits together when it's in that format. This handbook would be intended more for those starting out or who like offline/printable reference guides.
Just a small suggestion. Put handbook sources on GitHub, so that anyone could put their pull requests and fix typos or make suggestions Examples: Bayesian Methods for Hackers MongoDB book
I feel that it would be very helpful, for some of us that wish to learn and understand modding, and contribute to the community
If you have the time Raevn, feel free. I'll gladly write the Modeling, UV Mapping and Texturing bits if you want me to.
If you intend to be absolutely comprehensive, a handbook is the way to go. yes you could do a list of key information, but for all the smaller details longer explanation and introduction is necessary. go for it, I'll definitely read through however many pages you can write!
I think a modding handbook would be an absolutely excellent idea. However, given the fast-paced nature of modding in these early days, I suspect it may require a lot of work to maintain until things have settle down a little. Something more interactive, like a wiki, may be a useful interim/companion reference guide. On a separate note, I may know bugger all about web development, but I'm well acquainted with LaTeX. If you need any assistance, or simply want to spread the load of writing things up, let me know, and I'll be happy to help.
Yes to PDF, yes to you keeping your threads maintained (superceded my initial limited attempt completely ). Keep up the great work man, it's appreciated.
I'd much rather have a wiki than a pdf, if that's what you're asking. It's much easier to keep a wiki up to date, and much easier to reference in forums. TBH, I think I'd never use a PDF. Navigating a PDF is at worst a PITA, and at best is as easy as a website... so why not just put it in a website? I see no downside to a wiki, and several to a PDF.
Yep I think a wiki would be nifty, so people can add in their bits of wisdom as time passes. A modding guide of any kind would be really excellent. I'm more a c# guy than js or modelling, but still. I'll ask Neutrino if he can reimplement all the core engine in .NET - I'm sure he'd be delighted to get straight onto it...
This would be great, especially if is was editable (perhaps it should be a wiki, or as someone suggested, on github?)