Blog - Wiweeyum

0 comments by Wiweeyum on Sep 12th, 2008 digg this super bookmark

So I'm tired of mods not being completed... simple as that. I'm sure there are many reasons for them not making it past the idea stage, but most of the time it seems like it's simply because of bad planning or leadership.

I know that in the case of Chex Trek (my own mod), it was a little bit of both. I wanted to make a commercial quality game with a fairly unique idea, on an engine who's modding community, for the most part, didn't really like straying from the same old dark cooridors and/or gore. Chex Trek had neither. Also, one of the largest reasons it didn't do so well was the lack of updates and communication. No one could see what we had planned for the future and what would make it into a unique fun mod if it had ever gotten there. The art style was a big turn off for a lot of this communities demographics, so the lack of updates about gameplay and the deep story it encompassed really hurt it's progression. No one wanted to help build something that "wasn't even going to be fun". The talented people that were working on it never got the recognition they deserved because of secrecy...

I'm trying it again though. We're moving to the RAGE engine that wont be out for at least another year, and focusing on publicity and early planning and prototyping. Almost everything will be out in the open. Our goals, media, parts of the storyline (not the spoilers though... it's too good :P), main features, etc.

I like to think that I've learned a bit of what works and what doesn't work as a mod leader since I started a few years ago. I've read numerous books on game design, and I have some ideas that I think will be fun. The beauty of prototyping those ideas on paper before it even gets to the specific engine is that I know if the idea is even going to be fun at all before the countless hours of coding and art are thrown into it. Lots of refining can be done before it goes digital. Also writing a Design Document is super key. Clear direction continually from everyone involved. A wiki that can be edited all the time by coders, artists, mappers, and designers alike is important so everyone not only feels involved, but truly is involved in every aspect of the game building process.

I want to be able to work with other teams and share assets. I want the modding community to become the community that it should be, instead of tightly knit small teams that are paranoid of someone else taking their things. Most everyone knows where specific assets come from in the first place, especially if they're credited. I think ideas and concepts can be shared across games as well. A HL2 mod can share ideas and assets with a Doom3 mod easily. All it takes is a bit of game specific tweaking and setup, and it's in. If we're all using a commercial games assets and tweaking them, why can't we be kind and share ours with everyone else?

I'm ranting, and I know that not everyone is super protective of their personal game, but most are. I see it hindering the growth of good ideas with lack of modeling talent etc.

I want to see mods help eachother out so that gamers have more to choose from. The process of modding is becoming harder and harder as engines become more and more advanced. Let's open up and help eachother out. I learned it the hard way... I hope not everyone has to fail as bad as I did to see that we need to be a community to all succeed.