So, you want to make a mod

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#1 Kjata

Responsible Drunk

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Posts: 2,703

06 May 2015 - 12:25 AM

Congratulations! You are about to purchase a one way ticket to the adoration of 12 million nerds, money beyond your wildest dreams, and more groupie sex than you can handle.

But, just know a few things.

I'm sure you have a grand artistic vision. I had mine. Realize that vision is about to be shit on. My initial vision looks nothing like what I have, and I'm only a little over halfway done. There are 4 distinct parts of modding.

The dreaming and planning stage. This is the fun part. This is when you get to imagine all the cool shit you will be making. This part is great. You can feel the creativity oozing out of your pores. But this can't last for long. It leads into

The "making the shit you have to work with WORK, god dammit" stage. This is where you fuck around, trying to get eveything you want into your mod. Oh, that enemy only has 4 attacks, but you you want him to have five? Well, then Einstein, put on you thinking cap and find out where the fuck that last ability is coming from. This leads into

The Busywork part. This part sucks. the first two are fun in their own way, but this part just sucks. Editing numbers and text. Whoopty fucking doo.

The "Holy shit this is so fucking cool i can't believe it" stage, This is when you finish a major goal. Whatever it is, you finish that part, and so so excited. Becuase that part has been giving you hell. And now, it's over. Well, at least until V2...

These stages are not chronological. Maybe they are, for you, if you are the "everything must be in place" type of person. But for the random person, you will go through these stages often. Everyday I do some modding, I hit the first 3.

Modding is a lot of work. Like, Jesus, I could have painted all 4 of my unpainted miniature armies in the amount of time I've spent on my mod. And, it's maybe halfway done. This isn't something you are going to crank out in a week. It's something that will take you months, if not years, to finish.

And then, in the end, it probably sucks.

Does that bother you? Why?

If it bothers you because you want, ahem, "the adoration of 12 million nerds, money beyond your wildest dreams, and more groupie sex than you can handle," then you didn't want to do a mod, you wanted the recognition a great mod brings (btw, the groupie sex was a lie), then you are a fucking idiot. Great works are made from passion. If you want to make something cool, it has to be becasue you want to make something cool, not because you want a bunch of assholes think you are hot shit.

If it bothers you because you want to make something great for yourself and your internet nerd friends, or just because you had a vision and fuck it, you are gonna do something awesome, then you will be like "how did I fuck up? let me fix that real quick."

If you are in that last group... when are you releasing your mod? Can i get a beta? You better not hold out on me, you son of a bitch :cheers:

#2 Hart-Hunt

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Posts: 3,847

06 May 2015 - 03:25 AM

Heh. This thread made my day, thank you.

I think a fourth phase MUST be added in there, for the sake of emphasis (since you did mention it at some level). It's the phase of "I found a way to fix this cool feature / as this cool feature, but I already know it will take a fucking TON OF TIME. Why is this happening to me". Most modders experience this phase, and surprise, I'm willing to bet that more than half of the cases involve learning / polishing your ASM skills.

It's in this phase where most projects hit a wall, which might be temporary, or not. This is where the modder's perseverance is tested, and they will most likely have to use their vision of the final product as the key motivation to just keep going, to make that vision a reality (thus entering what you called the third phase).

-1

#3 Kjata

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Posts: 2,703

06 May 2015 - 03:44 AM

Hart-Hunt, on 06 May 2015 - 03:25 AM, said:

I did a fourth stage, its the high you get when you finish something. But yeah, that's good.

#4 Hart-Hunt

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06 May 2015 - 04:17 AM

Kjata, on 06 May 2015 - 03:44 AM, said:

I did a fourth stage, its the high you get when you finish something. But yeah, that's good.

Oh, I counted wrong then. What I meant would be before that high moment.

#5 BTB

Co-Creator of BNW

Job: Modder
Posts: 4,548

06 May 2015 - 04:40 AM

I want to make a mod. It sounds like fun!

#6 Emmy

Creator of Monster Tactics

Job: Modder
Posts: 987

06 May 2015 - 05:57 AM

I can confirm most of this stuff. Though, most of my early dreaming/planning produced ideas that in practice were too douchey for anything outside of late game or optional bosses, that were impossible on the engine, or that simply just didn't work out the way I imagined them to. Which leads to the playthrough + design phase - where I go through my own game chronologically, and test the next battle in line to make sure it works, is beatable, etc. Several of the "quality of life" changes (such as updating every flag in the game to be correct) is hours of work that isn't as interesting as working on enemies and battles, but is necessary to make the game user friendly.

Also don't forget the "I can't believe this thing still has bugs" - when one of the people who plays your mod finds a way to 2hko a boss because you forgot to check off one checkmark somewhere...

#7 Lockirby2

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Posts: 1,741

06 May 2015 - 06:09 AM

BTB, on 06 May 2015 - 04:40 AM, said:

I want to make a mod. It sounds like fun!

You should take a look at this mod for inspiration, it's pretty good!

http://www.insanedif...rave-new-world/

#8 Hart-Hunt

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Posts: 3,847

06 May 2015 - 06:12 AM

Lockirby2, on 06 May 2015 - 06:09 AM, said:

You should take a look at this mod for inspiration, it's pretty good!

http://www.insanedif...rave-new-world/

Meh. The creator is kind of an asshole.

#9 BTB

Co-Creator of BNW

Job: Modder
Posts: 4,548

06 May 2015 - 07:23 AM

Yeah, he's a total douchewaffle.

Now let's spend five pages arguing about how stupid the shell's counter-attack is.

#10 Hart-Hunt

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06 May 2015 - 07:43 AM

BTB, on 06 May 2015 - 07:23 AM, said:

Yeah, he's a total douchewaffle.

Now let's spend five pages arguing about how stupid the shell's counter-attack is.

Not to mention the new dialogues. They have so many references and bad jokes, it totally takes me out of the immersion. I mean come on, I'm here to replay the original, not play an original mod.

#11 Tenkarider

Challenger

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Posts: 886

06 May 2015 - 10:12 AM

Hart-Hunt, on 06 May 2015 - 03:25 AM, said:

I think a fourth phase MUST be added in there, for the sake of emphasis (since you did mention it at some level). It's the phase of "I found a way to fix this cool feature / as this cool feature, but I already know it will take a fucking TON OF TIME. Why is this happening to me". Most modders experience this phase, and surprise, I'm willing to bet that more than half of the cases involve learning / polishing your ASM skills.