[Chimpso]

This guide is under construction and is created to help educate new DYOM users who aspire to become well know. This guide it NOT complete, so don't judge it yet. Please suggest any changes or additions. I will fully credit you .

When complete, this guide will have the following information (subject to additions, please suggest any ):

• Becoming Known - Learn about how to become as a mission designer. (done)
• Missions and Design - Learn tips about designing and presenting your missions that make more people want to play them. (done)
• Mission Packs - Learn about how to make a mission pack and how to create a successfull story and attractive mission topic. (done)
• Your Missions and the Community- Learn how to get your missions reviewed and noticed by the DYOM community.
• Special Thanks and Credit - The special thanks and credit to the people who contributed to this guide, as well as a closing statement.

When anyone begins making missions with DYOM (Design Your Own Mission), you can pretty much guarentee that they want to make something successfull. I'm sure that many new users want to rise to the top and be known as a great mission designer. Here is a handy guide that will hopefully help you by giving you information on how to apply yourself in the DYOM scene, as well as what you have to do to get yourself well-known.

Remember, these are just hints and tips which give you information. You don't have to follow all these principles to the letter to become successfull and well know, everyone has their own way. But I'm sure this will help you by showing you sort of how it works.
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Becoming Known

The first and most essential thing that must be done before you become well known, is to be, well, known. You need to become part of the DYOM community. To do this, you need to (obviously) create missions (more on that below), but you also need to be on the sites that the community is on. The DYOM community operates on three sites: www.dyom.gtagames.nl www.GTAforums.com www.GTAgarage.com www.dyom.gtagames.nl www.dyom.gtagames.nl is the only site that is soley operated by the creators of the Design Your Own Mission Program; Dutchy3010 and PatrickW. A This is the site where users upload their DYOM missions. It is an incredibly useful website. It contains helpful video tutorials and information, but the most important part is the Mission Database; which allows people to upload and download missions (in both their true DYOMx.dat form or in a ZIP archive.) This site is an the main base of DYOM. The missions that you upload can be rated from 1-5 stars, commented on and downloaded all from one site. You can also rate and comment on other people's missions. If you haven't yet done so, register there and join in! www.GTAforums.com You should know about this place, because, well... you're on it right now. DYOM has it's own subforums here on GTA Forums! If you are reading this, you have obviously visited them, but this is the support subforum this is the mission subforum. The support subforum is used to ask for help and view tutorials. While the mission subforum if for posting your missions, be sure to remember this, it is important! The DYOM Subforums are the absolute best way to get know by the community. Whether you have a mission(s)/mission pack to show off, or if you are just asking for help, this forum is the place for you to start. A lot of the more dedicated and experienced mission designers are on this forum. Once you're on the forums and making some mission topics and making yourself known, remember the following: Quite straightforward; don't troll. Don't create a million topics asking for help. One topic is fine, and you can post all your help requests there. Try to make your writing readable, "ThIs mIsSonZ RokzZZss!!!!!1111WTFOMGBBQ" is not the best way to build a reputation as a good member of the community. Don't overuse smileys either (eg "OMFG This sucks! ") and don't WRITE IN ALL CAPS LIKE THIS. Don't be an asshole. I can't say this enough. Don't go around insulting peoples missions/missionpacks. If you have critiscm to offer, make it constructive. Don't jump into someones topic and say "This sucks!". Because the main reason people post missions on this forum is to get feedback and suggestions, not to hear how much their missions suck. As a mission designer, don't be an asshole either. If someone says your missions need work, don't insult them or flame them. Instead, listen to what they have to say and find ways to improve. Don't double post/triple post/etc. too much. It's understandable to feel the temptation to bump your topic, but only do that sparingly, and when you do, try to add something meaningful to say. The worst example is when topic creators repeatedly make posts that say "omfg please play my missions guys im desperate", sometimes within hours of each other. Learn to be patient; if others have something to say about your missions, they'll say it. Don't advertise your own missions or mission series in others' topics. It's rude and won't gain you any fans. Try your best to write with proper English. Some people might not have English as their first language, but still, make an effort. It shows people that you are dedicated to the forum. This goes for in-mission text too. www.GTAgarage.com Like GTAforums.com, GTAgarage.com has a spot for DYOM missions here. GTAgarage has a LOT more users then Dyom.gtagames.nl, and as a result, can offer more publicity for your missions. It even allows commenting and rating so people can tell you what they liked about your missions. The only con to GTAgarage is that it has a file approval system. This means that the Moderators there have to scan each file (and screenshot) before it is uploaded (to check for viruses). As a result, uploading can take a long time. As a result, I only reccommend uploading mission packs there. Nothing is stopping you from uploading to both dyom.gtagames.nl and GTAgarage, so go ahead!

Reading all this, you're probably wondering "how is this going to make me a successfull mission designer?" Well, making yourself and your missions know is how you become known as successfull. Look at various musicians/film actors, they would not be successfull if no one knew about them and they had no one to perform to.
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Missions and Design

The meat of the DYOM sandwich are the missions. The things that we create for other people to play. Once you start with DYOM, your missions will most likley be of low standard. But once you continue designing, you will create huge, epic missions that will win you fame! First Missions The first thing you have to do before you start making missions is to learn how to use the DYOM program. See The DYOM Functions Tutorial to learn the basics. The second you start DYOM, don't expect to create amazing state-of-the-art missions. The best thing to do is create a few missions to experiment with all the objectives and tools you have in front of you. Browse through the functions and work out what they do and how to use them. If you are unsure about a certain function then ask about it here in the forum. The first missions many people create are simple and one-objectived (eg. killing 1 person). But as they learn how to use the program more, things become more elaborate and creative. Remember, your first missions do not have to be awesome, after all, they are your first attempt at the program. So don't be put off by bad starting missions. Creative Design Ocne you've made a few short, basic missions and have got a feel of the program, start making more extensive ones. Remember, be creative. No one wants to play a "Go here, kill him, drive back" sort of mission. Remember, you have to experiment. Try a few new objectives and make a new mission. See how it works out. There are a lot of great features in DYOM, so make sure you use them to their fullest. Once you have created a few creative "mini-missions" as they are called. Feel free to make a mission topic where you can post the missions you made and show them off. Upload the missions to dyom.gtagames.nl and watch the download meter go up! Here are some creative tips from DYOM users: The name of the missions can make a big difference. A mission called "Yo" would attract less people and attention than a mission called "The Beginning Of The End". Missions with white writing can become boring. Try using colors in your missions but do not put too much. You must know how to "dose" it perfectly. Although some people (myself included) don't like using coloured texts. It all depends on personal preference. Your Mission Topic Once you've made a few mini missions, why not show them off? To do this, jump onto this forum and create a topic about your missions. Try to make the topic look great by using a variety of BB codes (to learn lots of cool BB codes see miromiro's Newbie Guide to GTAForums). You can even make screenshots to show off your missions, but you don't really need to. If you are interested, here is my mini-mission topic. Note that mine also contains details on my Mission Packs (see below) and a "Star Mission" feature, I've also made different colour texts and different fonts. Be creative! There is no limit! But remember these fine points: DON'T create a topic for every single mission you make. It clogs up the forum. Just make 1 and keep it updated with all the new missions you make.[/color] Don't upload your beginner missions. Most people don't want to play "Go there, kill him" missions. So make sure that you only upload the missions you think people will like. Being polite with your "fans" will bring more people to your missions. If someone asks you how to pass a mission and you answer, "What?! You cannot pass this mission? You suck, loser!", they will get away as soon as they see your answer. If you answer them, "Hide behind the counter and wait for them to reload their guns to get rid of them.", they will be happy and stay in your thread. As perviously mentioned, don't double post/triple post/etc. too much. It's understandable to feel the temptation to bump your topic, but only do that sparingly, and when you do, try to add something meaningful to say. The worst example is when topic creators repeatedly make posts that say "omfg please play my missions guys im desperate", sometimes within hours of each other. Learn to be patient; if others have something to say about your missions, they'll say it. Advertising is the key to get perfection. Advertising a mission like "Yo!!!! ChucK ma miSi0n dAwg!" will not attract a lot of people. They are most likely to "boo" at you. Someone advertising with an appropriate spelling and pictures will have more fame than "Yo!!!! ChucK ma miSi0n dAwg!".

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Mission Packs

NOTE: This is about mission packs with original content, not one that is based off a game/movie. This is where things start to get serious. Mission packs are the ultimate way to rise to fame. But I'll let you know; making a successfull mission pack is NOT easy. I'll try to give you a step-by-step process. But It will require a lot of work on your part. 1. Establish the Story The first thing you have to do is establish your storyline, as in what is going to happen in your missions and why. Try to experiment with a variety of plot devices. Think about who your protagonist is and their history. That can play a big factor in your missions. Try and make your story unique, and not something that is constantly used. For example something like; "you play as john smith and his family wus killed by ganstas. now its time fo revenge!!!" has been done to death. When you want to make something new, think of what you would really like to do, not something that everyone else does. Thinking of an original story is hard work. But it does pay off. When planning out your story, there are 3 ways to do it: 1. You can write down a short synopsis about your storyline and what will you make missions about. 2. You can write down everything about the story. From the beginning to the end, every little detail what you mean to do in the story. 3. You can write down the story by missions. So, you write the full synopsis about the first mission, full synopsis about the second mission etc., but I think that is the most difficult one. No 1. is the easiest, and it is quite effective. No 2. is rather hard, but in the end, it pays off greatly. No 3. gives you a hands on experience, allowing you to write and experiment with past missions at the same time. But, in my opinion, it is unnecessary. Personally, I prefer Option 1. It's quite easy to do when you first start. When you thing you're ready, try No. 2 and 3. 2. Create your Mission Topic Now that you've got your story, it's time to show it off. To do so, you need to create a topic in the DYOM Mission Forum. Before you do so however, you need to think up a title for your series. Try to make it creative and original. The use of advanced words has great affect. And remember, an articulate, convincing title will have better effect then a title such as "awesome missions". For reference; here is my best mission pack's thread, The SAPD Chronicles. It includes much information such as sections about characters and gangs, and haas a nice, comprahensive layout that is easy to navigate (see the "BBcode" section of miromiro's Newbie Guide to GTAForums to learn how to do this complicated stuff). Notice that the information is over several posts. This is due the the fact that you can only have 15 images in one single post. As a result, if you are planning to make your mission topic elaborate, right after you create it reply to it once or twice with the word "reserved" or something, so you always have that extra space. With your topic, you want to have several sections. You want one to give a brief introduction, one to explain the story, one to give a download link and a few more to give detailed info on characters and/or gangs (optional). Once you've got things going, remember the fine points (again): Advertising is the key to get perfection. Advertising a mission like that "Yo!!!! ChucK ma miSi0n dAwg!" will not attract a lot of people. They are most likely to "boo" at you. Someone advertising with an appropriate spelling and some videos (trailers, walkthroughs, etc...) and pictures (logos, characters images, maps, etc...) will have more fame than someone doing as mentioned above. Don't double post/triple post/etc. too much. It's understandable to feel the temptation to bump your topic, but only do that sparingly, and when you do, try to add something meaningful to say. The worst example is when topic creators repeatedly make posts that say "omfg please play my missions guys im desperate", sometimes within hours of each other. Learn to be patient; if others have something to say about your missions, they'll say it. Don't work on too many mission series at a time. It gets irritating when one person's topics clog up the forum, and none of these mission series are really worked on. Stick with one, or if you're incredibly diligent, two mission series at a time, and keep them of a high quality to attract more players. Don't advertise your own missions or mission series in others' topics. It's rude and won't gain you any fans. Being polite with your "fans" will bring more people to your missions. If someone asks you how to pass a mission and you answer, "What?! You cannot pass this mission? You suck, looser!", they will get away as soon as they see your answer. If you answer them, "Hide behind the counter and wait for them to reload their guns to get rid of them.", they will be happy and stay in your thread. When you've got a nice mission topic going, proceed to step three. 3. Create your Missions Step three is pretty simple. Create the missions for your mission pack. You can follow all the advice in the Missions and Design section above, but there are additional things that you should take into account. The main thing that you have to do is make sure that your missions flow together. By that I mean that they connect to the other missions in a way. Try to make them focus as much on the protagonist(s) as you can. Also, try to make them fit in with your story. If your story is about an office worker, I would not expect him to be flying around in an attack helicopter , so try to make things as believable as possible. And make sure they make sense! Language is another thing that drives storyline missions. If you don't know English... you're screwed. The majority of users here speak English and so expect English missions. If you make a mission in Russian, German, French ect. They are just going to look at the text and think "What the hell are they saying". So if you want to be successful, you're going to need to speak English. Crappy English is acceptable, but still lowers the effect of your missions if people see something like "why she not kill our friends?" 4. Optional Stuff Once you're done with your missions (or you've released a certain part ect. ), there are many optional things you can do that can increase the appeal of your mission topic: Character and Mission Lists If you have some spare time. Why not create a list of characters for your Mission Topic. Mention only the major characters first. Then, when you have time, move onto minor characters. A character list generally includes this info: A Picture of the character. General information about them and their involvment in the story. Whether they are alive or dead (this is usually covered in a spoiler tag, but I think it's not a good idea to have spoilers in your topic at all). There are many other things you can add, such as what weapons and vehicles they use, and what missions they appear in. Mission lists are genrally easier to create. You can creata a basic mission list, that just lists the missions names, their difficulty and the order in which they appear. Or you can creata a more complex one, which can include a screenshot of the mission and some general backround information. Traliers Yup, trailers. Some of us highly dedicated DYOM users even go as far as creating video trailers to show off our beloved mission packs. Creating trailers takes a deal of time and effort, and if you are not truly dedicated to your series, don't bother with one of these. Trailers take some learning to create, but you can see a guide on how to do so here, as well as a list of user created trailers. You will need to record gameplay from your missions and use it as the video of the trailer. Try to make your trailer video fit into your story. If you made a stealth mission, it would be pointless to showcase the gunfighing part of it. So try to make it fit the theme. There are many different types of trailers. Some people just record mission gameplay, cut it into bits, put some music into it and volia, you have a nice trailer. Some other people might even go as far as taking the audio from an official trailer and adding video from their mission to it. Others might even add their own audio. There are so many possibilities. There's not really much more advice I can give you for trailers. I reccomend reading through the topic I linked to above. It'll help you. Will be continued soon.

This guide is under construction (see the agenda at the top of this post) and is created to help educate new DYOM users who aspire to become well know. This guide it NOT complete, so don't judge it yet. Please suggest any changes or additions. I will fully credit you .

This post has been edited by Chimpso on Friday, Apr 27 2012, 13:22

[Levindski]

Good guide. I have a few more tips to add regarding being part of the DYOM community (for completeness's sake, you don't have to include these if you don't want to):

• Don't double post/triple post/etc. too much. It's understandable to feel the temptation to bump your topic, but only do that sparingly, and when you do, try to add something meaningful to say. The worst example is when topic creators repeatedly make posts that say "omfg please play my missions guys im desperate", sometimes within hours of each other. Learn to be patient; if others have something to say about your missions, they'll say it.
• Don't work on too many mission series at a time. It gets irritating when one person's topics clog up the forum, and none of these mission series are really worked on. Stick with one, or if you're incredibly diligent, two mission series at a time, and keep them of a high quality to attract more players.
• Don't advertise your own missions or mission series in others' topics. It's rude and won't gain you any fans.
• Try your best to write with proper English. Some people might not have English as their first language, but still, make an effort. It shows people that you are dedicated to the forum. This goes for in-mission text too.

[Chimpso]

QUOTE (Levindski @ Dec 31 2010, 15:49)

Good guide. I have a few more tips to add regarding being part of the DYOM community (for completeness's sake, you don't have to include these if you don't want to): Don't double post/triple post/etc. too much. It's understandable to feel the temptation to bump your topic, but only do that sparingly, and when you do, try to add something meaningful to say. The worst example is when topic creators repeatedly make posts that say "omfg please play my missions guys im desperate", sometimes within hours of each other. Learn to be patient; if others have something to say about your missions, they'll say it. Don't work on too many mission series at a time. It gets irritating when one person's topics clog up the forum, and none of these mission series are really worked on. Stick with one, or if you're incredibly diligent, two mission series at a time, and keep them of a high quality to attract more players. Don't advertise your own missions or mission series in others' topics. It's rude and won't gain you any fans. Try your best to write with proper English. Some people might not have English as their first language, but still, make an effort. It shows people that you are dedicated to the forum. This goes for in-mission text too.

Thank you levind. I'll add those (except for the second one, which I'll cover in detail in the 3rd section; Mission Packs) I'll also add you to "Special Thanks" section when I finish this .

This post has been edited by Chimpso on Friday, Dec 31 2010, 06:40

[Secronom President]

If you allow me, I'd like to put my two cents in it.

-The goal of a DYOM mission maker is to be well known but the name of the missions can make a big difference. A mission called "Yo" could attract less people than a mission called "The Beginning Of The End".

-Missions with white writing can become boring. Try using colors in your missions but do not put too much. You must know how to "dose" it perfectly.

-Advertising is the key to get perfection. Advertising a mission like that "Yo!!!! ChucK ma miSi0n dAwg!" will not attract a lot of people. They are most likely to "boo" at you. Someone advertising with an appropriate spelling and some videos (trailers, walkthroughs, etc...) and pictures (logos, characters images, maps, etc...) will have more fame than someone doing as mentioned above.

-Being polite with your "fans" will bring more people to your missions. If someone asks you how to pass a mission and you answer, "What?! You cannot pass this mission? You suck, looser!", they will get away as soon as they see your answer. If you answer them, "Hide behind the counter and wait for them to reload their guns to get rid of them.", they will be happy and stay in your thread.

[Chimpso]

QUOTE (Secronom President @ Dec 31 2010, 16:57)

If you allow me, I'd like to put my two cents in it. -The goal of a DYOM mission maker is to be well known but the name of the missions can make a big difference. A mission called "Yo" could attract less people than a mission called "The Beginning Of The End". -Missions with white writing can become boring. Try using colors in your missions but do not put too much. You must know how to "dose" it perfectly. -Advertising is the key to get perfection. Advertising a mission like that "Yo!!!! ChucK ma miSi0n dAwg!" will not attract a lot of people. They are most likely to "boo" at you. Someone advertising with an appropriate spelling and some videos (trailers, walkthroughs, etc...) and pictures (logos, characters images, maps, etc...) will have more fame than someone doing as mentioned above. -Being polite with your "fans" will bring more people to your missions. If someone asks you how to pass a mission and you answer, "What?! You cannot pass this mission? You suck, looser!", they will get away as soon as they see your answer. If you answer them, "Hide behind the counter and wait for them to reload their guns to get rid of them.", they will be happy and stay in your thread.

Of course I'll let you put your two cents in .

All of the information you just gave me belongs to the next two sections (Missions and Design and Mission Packs) so whan I write them up, I'll add those all in.

You'll also get full credit .

[Secronom President]

-If you want to know how is your mission when making and testing it, take a look at AznKei's criterias'. AznKei's Rating System

[Chimpso]

QUOTE (Secronom President @ Dec 31 2010, 18:13)

-If you want to know how is your mission when making and testing it, take a look at AznKei's criterias'. AznKei's Rating System

That'll all be explained in the section about AznKei and his reviews.

[Jimmy_Leppard]

Amazing guide, Chimpso.

If you don't mind, I would like to say couple of words myself and share some advices to the new DYOM users.

I found out about this site 4 months ago. Over the past 4 months I've put almost 100% of my free time into mission designing and I must say, it was worth it. I met some very good people, friends that are great mission designers. And this time I want to thank Dutchy and Patrick for giving us DYOM Thank you very much. I don't want to say that my mission desingns are great and I don't want to brag cause I would just make myself look like a total jackass but from what I've seen in my comments about my mission series, I can tell that these people like them and that means very much to me. So, I can tell that I've done a good job over the past 4 months.

Now, I would like to share some advices for new DYOM users.

You can't expect of yourself that the second you start DYOM that you will be able to make amazing missions. I suggest you to start making 2 - 5 missions, but for practice. Check every objective, every thing that DYOM can provide. Just play with it for a while. After you figure out what is for what and how you can use it the best, you can start a DYOM mission series. Now, the best thing you can do before starting actual missions is to write down a storyline. You have 3 ways to do that:
1.) You can write down a short synopsis about your storyline and what will you make missions about.
2.) You can write down everything about the story. From the beginning to the end, every little detail what you mean to do in the story.
3.) You can write down the story by missions. So, you write the full synopsis about the first mission, full synopsis about the second mission etc., but I think that is the most difficult one.

After you do one of those ways, you can start making a storyline.

This post has been edited by Jimmy_Leppard on Friday, Dec 31 2010, 08:57

[Secronom President]

QUOTE (Chimpso @ Dec 31 2010, 04:52)

QUOTE (Secronom President @ Dec 31 2010, 18:13) -If you want to know how is your mission when making and testing it, take a look at AznKei's criterias'. AznKei's Rating System That'll all be explained in the section about AznKei and his reviews.

I thought a link would be enough but, if we need to explain every little details, I'm up for it.

[pauliux2]

Really good guide.And..you made a mistake in my name..

[Mati]

*Looks at the designer list*
I know I am new but I already posted some missions here

[twannie1997]

This could be useful for me.
Thanks Chimpso.

[miromiro]

This guide is absolutely awesome. I like the way you used the BB Codes.
Maybe request in the GFX Requests & Tutorials sub forum and ask for some banners and maybe a logo - it'll make the topic nicer and you might get it pinned!

Keep it updated!

[Chimpso]

QUOTE (miromiro @ Dec 31 2010, 20:09)

This guide is absolutely awesome. I like the way you used the BB Codes. Maybe request in the GFX Requests & Tutorials sub forum and ask for some banners and maybe a logo - it'll make the topic nicer and you might get it pinned! Keep it updated!

Thanks Miro. Congratulations with the medal by the way. You definetly deserve it. Your new members guide was awsome.

About the pinned thing. I've already got 2 pinned topics in this forum . But hopefully I will get more lol.

This is by no means finished. It still has 5 parts to go and I'm thinking about adding more.

@Jimmy_Leppard thanks for sharing that with us. MAybe I will create another section where DYOM users can post their DYOM storys.

I will use the info you gave me, but I won't copy it word for word. I'll morph it into my own words. You'll still be fully credited of course (I sound like a broken record there ) and anyone else who wants to contribute is welcome to do so.

@pauliux2 - Sorry, I'll fix that up now.

@mati1505 WTF don't know how I missed you. Adding you now.

This post has been edited by Chimpso on Friday, Dec 31 2010, 11:06

[Chimpso]

Alright then. Part 2 of this guide "Missions and Design" is quite done. I was hoping for it to be longer, but that's all I could think of. Please suggest any additons.

The next part is "Mission Packs".

EDIT: Added Secronom President's points, thanks man .

This post has been edited by Chimpso on Saturday, Jan 1 2011, 03:52

[Mati]

Great job man

[guib]

Lol my name isn't here too, but i dont care.

Thanks, i now use a Internet translator because i am dutch (just like Dutchy and PatrickW)

first i maked alot of missions and now i am working on my first storyline (with DYOM V6)

Great Job

[Chimpso]

QUOTE (guib @ Jan 1 2011, 21:21)

Lol my name isn't here too, but i dont care. Thanks, i now use a Internet translator because i am dutch (just like Dutchy and PatrickW) first i maked alot of missions and now i am working on my first storyline (with DYOM V6) Great Job

You're welcome. But that list is more for the members who have been here for a while and are really considered popular. Once you get some fame and reputation, I'll be happy to add you. This is like the first time I've met you on this forum so... yeah .

[guib]

Yeah, i try to make good missions so i haven't much missions.

[Kratos2000]

Oh, missionpacks
I'm waiting to see what are the advices on those!
though making a huge guide isn't very good, because not many will decide to read it, I'd suggest you to focus more on dividing it to under categories, so people will easily find what they look for (only when the guide will become very long, as it's fine now)