Hammer Editor: Choosing the right game & settings... Thread

Hello all!

I've been learning a lot about Hammer Editor this past week, made a few test levels, and I'm nearing the point where I understand most of the UI of Hammer. I've used the SDK Docs website to answer any and all questions I might have had these past few days (and by watching very effective tutorials by 3kliksphilip), but I've come across a couple of questions that need people with mod authoring experience to answer.

When you're just starting to make a mod, there are a multitude of settings depending on what type of mod you want to make. Whether it's Half Life 2, HL2 Episode 1, Counter Strike, etc. The mod I'm going to make (my first one) will be a short but polished HL2 mod, but which version of SDK do I choose, and which episode of HL2 do I use to get the most assets and textures?

I've been playing mods for a long time now, and I'm excited in learning how to do all this properly & getting to know this community. Let's have fun!

*Edit: After much closer examination of different articles and tutorials, and with the help of a few friends, I've been able to answer the concerns above! Suppose I should have waited a bit, but I was hoping someone would help me before then.

Edited by: Mustachio_Studios