where to start. Thread

Hello all i just recently got back online .while offline i started playing with the morrowind construction set and loved it.what i want to know as someone who
really knows nothing about making mods but am willing to learn is what software
will i need to really start to teach myself also any sites with helpful forums that
are willing to deal with someone who doesnt have the knowledge yet but is willing
to learn.I see this as a learning experiance for myself as well as fun and would love
oneday to be able to realease quality mods.so where do i start?

well what do you want to learn to do is the first question you gotta ask yourself... model? map? skin? code? If I were you I would map... it is probably the easiest of those listed and also I would start off with a fairly easy game like Quake or Half-Life. but really its all up to you and what you want to do!

Thanks for the reply. Map is where i will start to learn but eventually i would like to have a descent knowledge of everything and then maybe i
will know witch area to go into greater detail.I am very seriously considering entering into a game design school next year but before i
do that .Iwant to learn what i can to make sure it is the rigth choice for me. As far as witch game to start with easy is best for now.half life
is a game i have played many times so that would most likely be the
smartest choice.what about call of duty or is that to tough for me at this point?

True half life game is easy to mod, or you could wait for far cry, that also is a good game to mod . But I think its a good start to do mapping/modelling then move on to animating or texturing/skinning then coding etc. Because coding i think takes longer to learn. I need to learn coding and im gonig to start on it soon but i know a few basics of mappnig and modeling.. good luck