Hiya folks,

I'm new to the custom zombies scene. I got into it simply because I need my zombie fix. Having no new dlc's to play from COD and zombies excluded from COD Ghost, I needed to find new and different ways to feed my habit.

This post may be a bit up and down, and probably irrelevant to most, but from a newbies perspective might just help others in the same position I found myself in a few weeks ago. I feel it necessary to include my journey and thoughts to help you understand where I'm coming from. Maybe something like this as been posted before, but having looked round this amazing site I haven't stumbled across anything with the same intention. I will apologize in advance for the lack of knowledge when it comes to technical terms and/or the sheer dumbness of my objection. The UGX site for me as been a godsend btw, this is just a little feedback from somebody new to the whole thing.
Here goes....

My Aim, was to be able to play custom zombie maps with the added bonus of been able to have a crack at create my own map. The obstacles, for a novice, lay with which downloads, program and files to use.

My Journey, when wanting to expend your zombies experience I started, probably like most, watching the vast array of custom zombie videos on youtube. This leads you to discovering zombie mapping/modding etc. All these videos are great to watch and very informative but from my point of view were like a mine field. All have downloadable files in the about section, everyone using a different source/site to get it from. Then you need to download programs X,Y and Z to run, compile and extract them. The latter is why I'm here today, posting in UGX and not one of the many other forums. Why? because I found a place where all the things I think I need, and the help needed getting those things was in one place. A great looking site without the fear of downloading the wrong, or potentially infected files. I have gone through the steps now, here at UGX, downloading and extracting all the tools with help from the tutorials onto my computer. To where I find myself confident enough to get started.

My Thoughts, I do feel like I'm getting somewhere. But instead of going from A-Z, I feel like I've missed out on B and N, downloaded P more than once and bumped into T(rouble) a few times. The journey from A-Z could have been a lot smoother if I knew the route to my destination a lot sooner. UGX as helped my get there and for that I'm ever so grateful. All the ingredients you need are within the site, with well informed video tutorials to help and what seems like a great community to nudge you in the right direction in times of trouble. It just felt like a puzzle to me at times, conscious of not making a mistake or doing things in the wrong order is stressful. These basic fundamentals are addressed along the way, as I've stated, within tutorials found at UGX. To you experienced members the layout is probably seemless, but to a novice you still come across some new downloads or recommended program along the way, which just throws a little spanner in the works. I understand that using each tutorial is key along the road to getting started with custom zombies. Each step is covered thoroughly, but for someone like myself, I still find I'm stopping here, looking there and downloading this, that and the other.

My Idea, use the ingredients found here at UGX to create a recipe. A, for want of a better phrase, "Custom Zombies for Dummies Guide" simple A-Z thread/topic. When starting out the prospect of all these downloads are daunting with the fear of cocking up ever present. I think, IMO, a simple quick start guide to custom zombies would greatly help the wider, more novice community. The concept of all the individual downloads can then be reviewed with its specific tutorial along the way, to help like they did me, understand what you are doing. Would such a thread help out a complete beginner, I would like to think so. It doesn't have to be complicated, that would defeat the object lol. Something that just straight up lists what you require to get started, then people can use all the specific tutorials to guide them along the way, once they have everything downloaded and ready to go on there computer. I know all of your tutorials I done with the best intensions, are user friendly delivered and most importantly needed. But still they are: right you now need to download/extract this to here and I'm like, quick pause aargghh I haven't downloaded that yet. So this is my idea on a thread on how to get from A-Z as smoothly as possible.

Example...

Programs required: (a list of external programs needed to help with modding/mapping)
* You will need an Extractor Program click here to download WINRaR (I didn't use that one but after seeing it in one of the UGX tutorials I now do so that I'm on the same page as the tutorial creator. Little thing I know but to those not in the know it's reassuring)
* An Audio file editor, to help create songs, character voices etc. We recommend downloading Audacity
* Any others that will help and that I probably haven't got yet lol.

Note:
You will need a copy of Call of Duty World at War installed on your computer (obvious I know, but UGX still states that in step one of their tutorials so it must come up for discussions in Q&A).
This copy as to be version X so if not bought from steam you will need the relevant downloads (to be installed in order, see tutorial A, after completing all these requirements)
* Patch X
* Patch Y
* Patch Z

Must importantly you need the mod tools to enable you to experience custom zombies:
Download:
* UGX Mod Tools
* A Script Placer
* UGX Map Manager
I'm sure you get the idea here, I still don't understand the order of things. You guys would make better sense of this part with downlaods needed and order etc than I ever will.

Then simply a few instructions of what to do next, the useful tutorials to help extract and set up all these relevant downloads.


Anyways folks, that's just my feedback on a concept that could help attract people to UGX if they were able to see such an easy guide right of the bat. I'm also sure you guys could create a great youtube video that grabs the attention of a person, like myself, who does type in "how to install custom zombies". Highlighting how easy it can be done if they just followed a UGX "Custom Zombies Guide for Dummies".

Cheers for reading, I'm interested to see how this goes down (quite literally in flames probably). 

This is what we are trying to accomplish, one step at a time, on the UGX Wiki. A one-stop shop to find everything you need to get started with creating CZ maps. Currently the guides still assume a moderate knowledge of general computing such as the use of extracting programs and correctly navigating your filesystem etc, but once we have the important content written then we can start making it more accessible to people with less experience.

I appreciate the time you took to write this post and agree with the message inside which is that an indexed quick start guide would be useful.

The only problem with that is you will never get to interact in this wonderful community known as UGX