Source Modding Community SDK Petition

[source-maps]

Have you seen some of the shit the mod community comes out with?

have you seen some of the epic games that gave me hours of fun the mod community came out with

[Epifire]

Don't know why I didn't see this topics before, but I can honestly say I agree with most of the ideas put forth about updates.

I thought that Valve was actually working on a update were they not? I mean here at Interlopers about a month ago on the main page, I remember seeing some thing about Valve working on a huge update that "would make our lives, and every one else's easier". Not exact quotes, but some thing along those lines. You know just for the sake of Valve time, I am not going to jump to conclusions and say they don't care. I mean for pities sake they wouldn't have made the SDK or the Developers Wiki, if they hadn't.

I am just saying this because I see a lot of people making the notion that Valve isn't listening, or that they obviously don't care. Well I don't think they just sit in their offices completely oblivious of the communities, they helped make. Honestly I think they have a lot on their plate at the moment, and always consider that they actually might be working on an update we just didn't know about. It only seems out of character that they would update the SDK along the journey of the newer versions, just to quit here. Our tools work, some times barely, but I think there is going to be more support on all this down the road.

So that's my take on it.

[ScarT]

Valve might release some SDK update in the future, but it won't be as big an update as they're hyping it up to be. It'll be a few new Hammer features (and some we won't have access to), and some more in-engine tools.

[Ennui]

Have you seen some of the shit the mod community comes out with?

I feel like a contrarian robot saying this, but yeah, I have - Counter-Strike, Team Fortress, Project Reality, Desert Combat, Garrys Mod, Day of Defeat, Red Orchestra, Research and Development, Minerva, etc.

I am always 100% in favor of mod tools, and as much modding potential as possible for any commercial game. I just think it's an awesome culture and hobbyist niche to promote and allow with your games, and it does nothing but increase your game's value in the long run. Nude Alyx mods, Hot Coffee, and all.

My problem with people whining about Valve and the state of the SDK (and the fact that it tends to break every time they update it) is that regardless of how buggy it is, Valve provides a more fully-featured SDK and editing suite than the vast majority of developers, and I love Source and it's BSP architecture to death over other options like UDK (which is unfriendly to people like me who are terrible artists despite its glorious asset workflow and scripting system), Unity etc. Where's the love? People seem entitled, but in today's gaming culture it's the opposite - we are privileged to work with these tools for free.

[Zecrah]

I agree perfectly Ennui.

[Gambini]

Well, it´s not "for free" per se. You buy the game knowing the sdk tools are part of the pack. In fact, the only reason of why i bought a legal copy of the hl2 pack it´s because i wanted to use hammer. I love valve too, they made Half life series and they give away modding tools, but i just hate the fact of they controlling your files through steam. They decide when it´s time to update (at least if they´d do it right) and you have to launch an online, resources consuming program just to use your tools/games.

[Ennui]

I do miss the days of just running Worldcraft.exe instead of Steam -> Source SDK -> Hammer.

[YokaI]

With things like UDK and Cry Engine 2, literally open for anyone to make their own game for free, why is modding even important anymore? Or even better question, why can't valve just go that route?

[joe_rogers_11155]

I suppose that their limitations keep the modding community fierce and hungry. That is the only thing I can think of as justification.

[source-maps]

My problem with people whining about Valve and the state of the SDK (and the fact that it tends to break every time they update it) is that regardless of how buggy it is, Valve provides a more fully-featured SDK and editing suite than the vast majority of developers, and I love Source and it's BSP architecture to death over other options like UDK (which is unfriendly to people like me who are terrible artists despite its glorious asset workflow and scripting system), Unity etc. Where's the love? People seem entitled, but in today's gaming culture it's the opposite - we are privileged to work with these tools for free.

come on dude, nobody claiming they ow us but this situation is just stupid.. better tools are beneficial to everyone from Valve to the Modders.. the SDK is simply too old and too buggy.. is it too much to ask for something that doesn't crash every time I go to the flags of my nodes or something and has a bit of modern stuff my modern computer can take advantage of?

I mean, if I want to check out my simple I/O stuff for an objective or something I have compile a bunch of times to fine tune it because I can only see it working in game :S

[Gary]

I suppose that their limitations keep the modding community fierce and hungry. That is the only thing I can think of as justification.

Doubtful it's the limitation. I assume it's the fact that you got an entire game(or even multiple) for your base content. With things like the UDK, you have very little.

If Source didn't have the base content, there would be little to no reason to even look twice at it.

[Jangalomph]

Because source comes with so much to work with, thats why I loved it. And the community was huge and still is.

[joe_rogers_11155]

If Source didn't have the base content, there would be little to no reason to even look twice at it.

qft

[ScarT]

is it too much to ask for something that doesn't crash every time I go to the flags of my nodes or something and has a bit of modern stuff my modern computer can take advantage of?

Apparently, yes.

[Jike]

Okay, I didn't read everything before me... But I saw that this topic is still quite active.

Notice the drop in mod activity lately? I can confirm it, I have lost nearly all the motivation to work in source.

Not because the tools are old. They worked fine for what I and most people were doing.

My motivation went lost, when people suddenly started complaining and whining like little bitches about the old SDK.

The hype about this ruined everything.

Thanks whiners, thanks bitches, thanks complainers. You ruined the fun it used to be to work with the sdk (even if it was old) I had more than the tools itself ruined it...

Go die in a hole!