This month in modding...

2009 has just started and things have already hit a new high for ModDB. So much so that we've had to make a few improvements just to make room for all the new faces! The community is a big part of what makes ModDB a huge success and we're doing all we can to make the site the best place to be on the internet. If you have friends that aren't aquainted with the world of modding just yet, open their eyes and send them over our way. With the Mod of the Year awards, just about to wrap up, they'll be able to sample the very best that's come out of our community for 2008.

ModDB interview Zeno Clash, an upcoming independent game made on the Source engine. Zeno Clash is a fresh take on the fighting and beat-em-up genres on the PC. Andres Bordeu takes time out to answer a few questions as their team prepares for release on Steam and in retail stores.

In anticipation of its official release, The Nameless Mod's Lawrence Laxdal sat down with Noesis Interactive to talk about developing the total conversion for Deus Ex and the rocky road to completion. The Nameless Mod has been a huge undertaking, including 59 levels and 13,000 lines of recorded voice acting!

Noesis Interactive has Mike Tomaino on the camera yet again, this time to talk about the Last Man Standing mod for Doom 3. He talks about the Last Man Standing Coop mod for Doom 3 and his experiences in developing co-op multiplayer for Doom 3 fans. LMS Coop was awarded the Best Mod award at the Independent Games Festival in 2006; the only year the IGF expanded entries to include mods.

Gabor Dosa dishes out the goods for his mod Curse for Source. Set within an Egyptian labyrinth, the player must fight his way through hordes of mummies come to life and solve puzzle to make it out alive. The mod features a few new twists on melee combat and dynamic difficulty settings. Amazingly enough, Gabor has created the vast majority of the mod himself, making him a one-man mod team. Read the full article for more details.

The winners for the Far Cry 2 Level Design Contest have been announced! It was a difficult task to pare down the hundreds of entries to just 6 prize winners, 3 of which have a shiny, new Alienware gaming rig to play their winning maps on. Thanks to all those who entered and congratulations to the winners! Check out all of the custom maps entered and even more in our Far Cry 2 addons section.

Mod of the Year 2008 voting has finished and in less than 10 days we will begin presenting our editors choices as we tally the votes and prepare the players choice winners' showcase. We have also had a new sponsor jump on-board, the U.S. Air Force, who together with the prize sponsors have allowed us to make this years awards the greatest showcase of mods and indies ever:

The awards prize sponsors:

The Modcast keeps humming along every week with all the mod talk you can handle, here's a catch-all for the episodes aired during the month of January.

Modcast Season 2:
- Episode07 - Year in Review
- Episode08 - Smokin' Heavens Social Club
- Episode09 - Smashing Esther
- Episode10 - Penguin Empires Clash

The Developer Banter continues to flow as we work our way through the backlog of development teams waiting in line to jump on the show and share their thoughts and experiences of what it's like to be working on a mod or indie game. Last month we interviewed the upcoming cyberpunk-with-an-Asian-twist mod Neotokyo and indie game Overgrowth-Kung Fu rabbits FTW!!

Developer Banter is all about in-depth interviews with the developers behind mods and indie games. If you want to talk about your project on the show, send off an email to dave@moddb.com and we'll reserve you a spot on a future episode.

Essential Release List:

Bandits: Phoenix Rising
- Wolfys Mod Beta 4

Battlefield 2
- Project Reality v0.85

Civilization IV: Beyond the Sword
- Fall from Heaven II

Crysis
- City Assault v1.2
- Predator: The Heat of the Jungle

Company of Heroes
- Operation Market Garden Beta

The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
- Haunted House v1.5

Half-Life 2
- Fortress Forever v2.2
- Pirates, Vikings, Knights II Custom Map Pack 2
- Stargate: The Last Stand
- Zombie Master v1.2.1
- Zombie Panic! Source v1.5

Indie
- Smokin' Guns

Max Payne 2
- Mona the Assassin

Postal 2
- Lost Island

Star Trek: Armada II
- Fleet Operations v3.0

Star Wars: Battlefront II
- KotOR Galactic Conquest Addon

Unreal Tournament 2004
- Tactical Ops: Crossfire v1.92

Unreal Tournament 3
- Quarantine

X3 Reunion
- X1: Past and Future

As always, video footage from these mods can be seen in the Mod Spotlight - a quick 'n' dirty compilation of the best releases of the month. If you have a mod that you think needs a little bit more love, read up on how ModDB can help you promote your major releases. Not only will you receive the adoration of ModDB visitors but interest from outside parties as well. Mods and Indie games that show up in our headlines have been know to make the rounds on other popular gaming sites and magazines.

If you're interested in working with the ModDB staff to get some extra exposure for the project you've spent months/years crafting, contact us and we'll see that your mod or indie game gets the love it deserves. Until next time, happy modding!

Change the game, play something different - ModDB