A Newbie's Handbook Thread

This article was written to expand upon the ideas laid down by ShortCutMan’s article, and to provide an introduction to the modding community and eitquette, and a list of Do’s, Don’ts and brief blurbs on Modding and how to go about doing it.

Getting Started in Modding: A Practical Path for Noobs

Everyone hears about Modding in more or less the same way: by playing an existing mod. It’s slightly odd how, for many of us, the notion of Modding used to be a distant and corporeal concept, if we even knew about it, and how it suddenly becomes very much a reality once we get to be a part of the community.

Even though I have no idea who will be reading this, I’ve made a few assumptions. I think it’s safe of me to say that 80% of you got here through Counter-Strike… I mean, let’s face it: CS is the mod. It is the epitome of the mod, and it is largely because of this game that Modding has become better known. So it should come as no surprise that many, if not most, of potential modders arrive here with visions of Terrorists dancing in their heads. Also, I think most of you are between the ages of 11 and 21, and are male, simply because this is the largest and most affluent group of gamers in existence. Broad, I know, but I’m guessing I’m right. Thirdly, you probably already have an idea. That’s wonderful, you have to get started somewhere. But, to be perfectly blunt, whatever your current brainchild will most likely not be completed, and probably never leave the ground unless you play your cards right… at least not at the moment. I have yet to see my first mod idea made, and I’ve been in this thing or six years.

Now something I have to mention is what I call The Twelve-Year-Old Rule. It seems that many new members of the Modding community are preteens looking to make the next big thing in the gaming industry. Some things you should think about carefully.

So, if you’ve already posted your idea in the Mod Ideas section, I ask you to keep a few things in mind:
• Chances are that your mod does not meet what most of the rather unhelpful community here think of as a ‘good’ idea, though I’m sure it’s workable.
• Don’t get scared. God, I can’t tell you how many newbies I see leave the forums after only one or two posts because certain members of this forum jump down their throats simply because their idea is not as well-thought-out as most.
• You are new, and it’s important to keep that in mind. Be persistent, but don’t yell and struggle every time someone criticizes you. It will happen, so just shrug it off and learn from the experience.
• Accept suggestions. If someone gives you a suggestion, at least mull it over. Don’t say to them ‘You’re wrong, it’s my mod and I’ll do what I want with it’ since, chances are, they have far more experience than you.

If you haven’t posted your idea yet, I urge you to do so, but there are some things you probably want to take into consideration before you do.
• Is this idea original? Has it been done before? Do not; I repeat do not post any idea similar to Counter-Strike, or, for that matter, even use the words Counter-Strike in your post. You will quickly see why if you do. The same goes for Dragon-Ball-Z, though other Anime shows tend to be fair game. Also, ideas based on already-existing video games are looked down upon for the most part, though usually you are safe in referencing them. Ideas based on non-game material such as movies, TV-Shows or board games (Such as Warhammer: 40,000, which has spawned the quite successful mod Rival Species). Also, you’ll need to get permission from the folks whose product you’re basing yours on before you begin.
• Make sure that people know it is just an idea. You have a long way to go before you actually ‘start’ the mod, and this section is just for bouncing ideas off of other people.
• If your idea is set in modern-day, it will probably be attacked as a Counter-Strike Clone, which is bad. But I urge you: Stick to your guns. Do not give ground to these people, and chances are I’ll show up sooner or later and tell them off anyway. Make sure you can draw the line between counter-terrorism and modern-day warfare, though.
• Stay professional and conservative: Read and reread your post, check for spelling and grammar mistakes, or do what I do and write all of your posts in Word before copying and pasting them into the forum. Don’t be overly aggressive and make sure you always stay calm and pleasant. Don’t use ‘internet-speak’ like ‘ur’ and ‘u guys’ and ‘l8r’.

So: There’s your thread, sitting there on the ideas section, a big juicy target for the more obnoxious people on these forums. It’s an active community, and you’ll most likely have at least one response within 24 hours. If it’s negative: back up and review your mod. Check to see if there’s anything that wouldn’t fly, and look over sections the criticizer mentions (if they don’t mention anything, either they have no idea what they’re talking about or you did something very taboo, which is unlikely if you followed my tips). Now, the next step is very important: Forget everything you just did, and don’t make this mod. There. You’ve learned the harsh reality of this hobby, and now it’s all over with, so chin-up. If you’re reading this, my guess is you’ve never worked on a mod team before, and so do that, at least once or twice, and pick up a couple of useful Modding skills before you make your brilliant mod. These categories of skill are:
-3D Modeling
-Coding (VERY sought-after position, you will be a God-among-men if you get good at this)
-Concept Art (Also very sought after, though not quite as much)
-Musician
-Sound FX Technician (Rare and useful)
-Level Designer (Also known as Mapper. Probably the easiest and quickest to get into and get good at)
-Website design (This often falls into the hands of the Mod Leader though)
-Advertising and PR
-Management and Design

If you’re reading this for fun and aren’t a newbie to the Modding scene, you might look at that last one and thing ‘yeah right, those take no skill’.

Oh, I beg to differ.

They actually are probably two of the most difficult skills, since you cannot be taught them, only advised which is beyond the scope of this article. If you choose to follow the D&M route, you can learn only by experience, and it’s advisable to have a well-grounded knowledge of all other departments, and rudimentary skills or understanding. And, most importantly, be prepared to take a lot of flak. People hate those who parade themselves as ‘Designer’, or ‘Team Leader’, but, as you’ve been doing so far, just hold your ground and let insults and criticisms go in one ear and out the other. No matter how good the rest of the team is, it is ultimately in the hands of the D&M guy to determine the success of the mod.

Now, here’s just a brief list of what kinds of mods are best not to make. Asterisked mods are workable if you come up with a unique spin on things:

-Counter-Strike
-Anything based on Black Mesa
-Counter-Anything for that matter
-DBZ Mods
-Zombie-Mods (a la Dawn of the Dead, etc.)* And, as has been tradition with my articles, it’s time for a blatant plug for a really cool zombie-mod, as their unofficial spokesperson www.w-i-m-p.net
-WWII
-WWIII*
-Anything from the Sci-Fi channel*
-Generic ‘Save the Earth from Aliens’*

I also would advise checking out this article for a more comprehensive look at getting started, as well as some links to good sources of info and programs: Moddb.com

- Edited By EvilFish On Wed 15th, Sep 2004 @ 7:36:43pm

The hardest part as a Team Leader is getting a group of dedicated people who are willing to work hard and not dissappear after two or three days.

That, and getting a coder. I started Bum Life last November and still do not have a full team and no longer have a coder (I had to give him the boot after he was a no-show for a project he promised to do for a HL1 mod, and had 0 previous work to show.)

It's tough. The best thing you can do is to form strong relationships with those in your team, and if you can recruit people from communities you are familiar with- people from your own gaming community typically can be kept track of (especially if they go to the same forums as yourself).

Getting a coder could use an article by itself. God, anyone who can should be given a medal or something.

Thank god. Someone who takes a stance against the evilnesss of the ones who chuck crap down your throat when you try and start a mod

Good going Evil Fish. Besides from bring us Evil, and fish 6 days a week, you've written a great article. This will be very useful to people, including me.