[Question] is modding important to you?

Hey everyone,

I am trying to talk our project lead into allowing modding into our game to a limited extent (Custom Levels, 2D, and 3D assets) Basically I need to get a general consensus that it is important and it is worth it to add it in to the project as a whole.

Since we are using Unreal Engine 4 we can have people use the .uasset extension (Which is used quite heavily through out the engine)

So sound off on why modding is important to you and why you think that it should be a part of the game we are making.

Thank you for your time,

HeadClot

Edited by HeadClot88, 12 July 2014 - 01:00 AM.

I have a surprising answer.  I don't really care for modding often since it's sometimes difficult to implement, and it's not always balanced.  Fans-made work doesn't typically go well with the grain of the original content creators, and certain decisions are often game-breaking for me.  Like I often try out the weapon mods for Skyrim, and they certainly look cool, but they just break the game.  I usually prefer mods that contribute to the aesthetics only.  

Another issue for me is that I love achievements.  I have done awful things for them.  But when you mod a game, it often disables the achievements.  That probably sounds like a dumb thing to worry about, but some people, like me, are achievement whores.  And mods get in the way of our whoring.

But I do strongly support modding in every form since it is teaching people basic game design skills.  

Allowing modding is very important to me. If done well, it gives your game a great boost in longevity and a far greater potential fanbase. Throw in some decent developer support forums (which we can host here  ), and you've increased your project's appeal tenfold. I am much more likely to buy a game that is properly moddable because I know I'll be able to get a lot more out of it than just the content that's in the box.

Just look at Revora and some of the mods it hosts. If RA2 hadn't been moddable, it wouldn't have near the number of fans and players it has now. Same goes for the TES games, Half-Life 1 and 2, Warcraft III (whose modding scene spawned the MOBA genre), Starcraft, BFME, Crysis, et cetera. 

You should develop your project with modding in mind, and give potential modders as little development grief as possible. Don't just allow modding, encourage and support it.

Allowing modding is very important to me. If done well, it gives your game a great boost in longevity and a far greater potential fanbase. Throw in some decent developer support forums (which we can host here  ), and you've increased your project's appeal tenfold. I am much more likely to buy a game that is properly moddable because I know I'll be able to get a lot more out of it than just the content that's in the box.

 

Just look at Revora and some of the mods it hosts. If RA2 hadn't been moddable, it wouldn't have near the number of fans and players it has now. Same goes for the TES games, Half-Life 1 and 2, Warcraft III (whose modding scene spawned the MOBA genre), Starcraft, BFME, Crysis, et cetera. 

 

You should develop your project with modding in mind, and give potential modders as little development grief as possible. Don't just allow modding, encourage and support it.

Ok, So here goes another question - With the boom in popularity that is Linux (Ubuntu, Debian, and SteamOS respectively). Would a Linux version of the Mod toolset be worthwhile?

The current unreal engine toolset has been ported to linux so it is within our grasp to get a mod toolkit to both windows and Linux

Yes? No? Maybe?

Not being a game developer, I don't know the amount of work required for a Mac / Linux port.  But to the people who do use them, it makes a world of difference.  So if the demand is high, the investment should be as well.  That's why developers often don't even do a Mac / Linux port until their game is actually released... they gauge how many Mac / Linux users want the product, then invest if they see a profitable market.

Well, I'd say that cross plataform for Linux especially is something that you guys should really look into. I did use Linux Ubuntu back when I was actively working with Blender.

I mostly only use Windows because of the games. (and obiviously because of some medical softwares)

So, if more developers start caring for Linux, maybe the culture will change and people will actually start using Linux as their first OS of choice.

As an open-source iniciative fan, I'd say you should really consider it.

Not being a game developer, I don't know the amount of work required for a Mac / Linux port.  But to the people who do use them, it makes a world of difference.  So if the demand is high, the investment should be as well.  That's why developers often don't even do a Mac / Linux port until their game is actually released... they gauge how many Mac / Linux users want the product, then invest if they see a profitable market.

Well, I'd say that cross plataform for Linux especially is something that you guys should really look into. I did use Linux Ubuntu back when I was actively working with Blender.

 

I mostly only use Windows because of the games. (and obiviously because of some medical softwares)

So, if more developers start caring for Linux, maybe the culture will change and people will actually start using Linux as their first OS of choice.

 

As an open-source iniciative fan, I'd say you should really consider it.

Hey guys thanks for the info it really helps

Further more - I recently found a video about modding and its importance.

I strongly agree with it

To me? No, I only buy a game if it looks really good vanilla, and modding it isn't such a big deal for me. IE: Skyrim is a highly moddable game, almost designed for it, but I'm not interested because it was good enough to take my interest without the modding prospect. However, from an objective point of view, it's clear modding is now a significant selling point, I mean, look at Half-Life, Minecraft and, I suppose to an extent, Garry's Mod.

Garry's Mod IS a mod, it went stand alone.