How do you learn to mod?
Poll started by INtense! with 3,032 votes and 80 comments. Browse the poll archive.
(87 votes)I learn most of my game dev ability in class
(926 votes)By reading online tutorials and documentation
(1163 votes)I just keep trying and teach myself
(856 votes)Mix of many things
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Tutorials and trial & error.
agree
also agree
AGREE
Although a majority of what I did in Zero Editor for Battlefront 2 was really just trial and error. I had about 1 days worth of tutoring from a modder.
Source on the other hand... I only explore around with it a little. Mainly I've tried to look up dev vids.
Amen, brother
OH HELL YEAH!
Trial and error all the way. If it's something I can't understand then I watch tutorials or ask the locals.
Pretty much same, try stuff then, watch tuts and ask others w/ skill.
Same here bud, Its all Trail and Error from the beginning. But when it comes to heavy stuff like programming languages like LUA and C++, I hit the documentations and tutorials :D
Pretty much all the above.. so mix of many things.
I learned by trying for hours to mod
I did everything on my own. Just in the same way I learned how to use computers and how to program in C and C++.
By reading online tutorials and documentation and Wikis,
plus keep trying and teach myself
I have always taught myself every skill such as level design, modelling, texturing etc. I also learnt programming (C++) self-taught but when i got to university found i hadn't learnt it properly so kinda a mix of both in some ways as i'm learning progrmaming at uni now.
In the way of modding i can only do the simple add-remove-replace stuff... so for me its all be TRIAL AND ERROR :D
trial and error and youtube and books from amazon but i lerent photo shop and 3dmax in a summer camp
I just mess with the programs first to get a feel of how they work, I start with simple blocks, then morph them abit, just to get use to it, I currently use Maya to develop models and animations for UT2004
iv learned 3d modeling in 3ds max by watching a dozen of tutorials videos on the net, and some trial and error. Learned getting the models into the source engine with some tutorials and some help of others.
Mapping iv learned with trial and error, and some tutorial videos of 3klicks philip and tophattwaffle
look how things works
I couldn't read english when i made my first Hammer/Worldbuilder maps. Back then it was trying and learning. Now i can read, it results in much better work, and faster progress. But still most of what i can today i learned from back then, by keep trying. Today im pretty pro at the source engine. Thanks to my child knowledge. I have a habit of learning fast lol
Trial and error.
I learnt the basics of modeling by following a few tuts but with programming I just kept trying differnt things while looking over code that was aleady there and trying to pice togehter how it worked. (aka banging my head off the keyborad untill it worked and then doing a little dance).
Mapping was mosty just expermenting, hammer/worldcraft was nice to just mess with.
Aaah, the memories that I would have had if not for the repeated head banging.
Trial and error, and some basic tutorials online.
i learn it on my own because the tutorials kinda wel "suck" but yet i havent seen any tutorial that lets you know what size a weapon texture needs to be in unrealed tryt to add my own but nothing happens
I mostly taught myself how to mod for Jedi Academy. I went two years before I made any kind of account anywhere, and if I ever had a question, I'd look for someone asking the same question in the LucasForum Archives. I did the same for Neverwinter Nights. I'm learning UDK at the moment, and I've been reading a lot of tutorials, mostly from 3dbuzz(Those guys are great!). So yeah, I'd have to say a mix of things.
A mix of trying to figure things out myself, and readin/watching guides online.
I watched a lot of beginner-friendly videos to get an idea of the interface and functions of Source SDK, and from there I've just been using the VDC.
Online communities are often overrun by people who think the purpose of said communities is to redicule beginners, noobs or whatever you call them. It's counterproductive as everybody tries to show off their "skillz" instead or working, learning together and improving. This is especially true for gaming related forums. I've seen examples here. Some gaming profiles are infested with trolls.
As for myself, "modding" is maybe a bit farfetched. I map and fiddle here and there. Most of it is trial & error with help of online articles on a lot of topics (e.g. "How to put custom textures in game resources", etc.).
Working in a little team is also a great help as everybody has something to contribute and should be able to give useful feedback.
Feedback in forums are usually 85% utter crap, 10% remotely useful and maybe 5% helpful on the topic - if you get feedback at all aside the usual trolling.
Maybe I've gotten lucky but every place I've gone to ask for help to is incredibly helpful. I feel like as long as you don't ask stupid questions or at least try to do your own research before asking a question, no one will be a jerk to you.
Meh, modding is easy. Its just time consuming.
Mostly learning on my own, although for trickier subjects I've looked up tutorials.
Pretty much self taught in everything i do. Taught my self coding by comparing files to eachother that are either similar or completely different in what they do so i can figure out what some lines of code do.
For modeling, i took a week course at stanford university to learn the basics, and then a concussion helped me with the rest... Gave me artistic ability for some reason. Dont know why.
Tutorials and trial+error.
With everything but coding, I learn by trying, however with coding, I bug my friends until they answer me with what I have done wrong.
Else in 1.5 years time, I will be able to take coding as a class at my school.
In about 4 months, I have successfully become a veteran Source SDK mapper and coder for the Source engine. Trial and error, and trying to look at what others have done and figuring out the way the code works.
A veteran, huh?
Demonic pact
... drinking goat's blood, primarily
The 'class' option isn't worth going for imo. I've known about half a dozen people who did game design/art/whatever at university and have never made anything outside of a bad flash game for their final exam. They defend the courses with all their might, but they never do anything with all that knowlage they claim to have gained, and outside of a few buzzwords they know less then me, and I'm an idiot.
@SabreXT
I wouldn't say everybody is like that. 2 people (other than myself) from my year at uniwent straight into jobs and are still working at TT fusion and just released lego starwars 3. i worked at evolution on motorstorm apocalypse. i'll defend the course i did because they taught me alot of things in a short space of time.
but yeah i learnt most of my stuff through a combination of class, online tuts and trial and error
3 people out of how many?
To name a good ModDB example of Students make something above a crappy flash game for school: Moddb.com
Do you find that reasonable? Anyway, I'm not really defending it since I'm not following any game related course, but I will be following a small one in the future(minor), but the major I follow is based around programming in general.
I'd say, it has it's value if you're willing to go for it and do both game(or mod) development as a hobby and at school, from the hobby you can learn the most imo as you can risk more and make projects you can learn from rather than trying to make up small do-able games for school projects.
However I think there is value to it, because there might be things you wouldn't be heading into with your mod(or hobbyist game) work because you are following your own goals, with the addition of school work, you may face additional challenges, thus boosting the learning experience, as well as the school might be able to provide information you wouldn't catch on to otherwise(though that depends on the course quality)
However if all you do is follow a course, you probably won't get the greatest result, it's usually the most passionate people that spend a lot of time on it that do best, at least from my humble experience.
You, like others who defend, have vested interest, and that is why people defend these courses I think. Athough unlike those I met in RL, the people here have been pretty rational so far. You put forward a good argument.
Just to be clear, I think you are right, or at least have reasonable expectations.
For what's it's worth, the people I knew who went through the system also had egos and grand expecations for what they were going to do afterwards. "I went to X, learned under Y who made the multi million selling Z. I'm going to be the best designer ever!" tends to be mindset. I think if you keep your expecations in check you won't be another chunk of meat in the grinder.
Self-taught.
Mostly Self-taught, but sometimes I would read tutorials on areas i originally struggle with and eventually get the hang of the rest from hence on.
I just kept on tryin but I never made anything good enough to release to the public..
Finding online tutorials for (other) programms, see how it should work and do it myself, fail, watch again, and success. Also asking other people. And trying.
It's me or modders are incredibly skilled and self-taught?
First: i have tried it alone and
two: get helped after the mistakes were made :p
But most of the time i made it myself. Everyone can do it, you just need bunch of time, and that in every engine or game you choose.
Noesis Interactive and design3! :)