why mod source into an existing game?

[Ashfall_2008]

I'd like to get everyones opinion on something.
Is it just me or does it seem like a huge waste ot time and effort to mod source into an existing game?

I mean take a scan through Mod DB and you'll find hundreds of projects all attempting to re-create a game that already exists. Bearing in mind that the game they are attempting to rebuild was originally created by a group of professionals who spent years working on it, do they really think they can do a better job?

Also.. if people wanted to play the game theyre trying to mod source into, wouldnt the just go play the original version rather than play a source mod? Its bound to be better..

I find it extremely odd that people are given a tool that they can build any kind of environment out of, theyre imaginations could run wild but instead they recreate something that doesnt need to be recreated...

[cz_squishy]

Unless it's a really old game and it's actually GOOD, then it's a complete waste

[Gary]

You make a valid point and I completely agree with you.

It is indeed completely pointless to re-make a game in Source, it will most likely suck. If it's like Mass effect, Crysis or any post-2005 game, you can't match graphics and you can't add all the features.

When I say "can't" I am referring the ability of the average modder, unless you are a; animation, texturing, modeling and programming god you will never be able to get a Source mod to the level of a professional game.

In the end, you would be making a ugly, crippled version of a game.

[Saxon]

I blame the BMS team for giving everyone the bad idea in the first place.

I think the worst offender is one called "Go Mod" which is in essence, a mod for people who are too cheap to buy GMod. They're even so bad as to copy the Gmod maps, HL2 models... ugh what's the point?

The standards at Moddb have really fallen dramatically over the last couple of years, back when it started it out there were serious mod teams posting good stuff on there but now only 1 mod out of 100 actually looks at all good.

[Ark11]

I agree, most of these 'Recreated' game mods are made by people who don't know what they're doing and only have half a brain. I remember one mod like this and it's creator said this when he started to make it:

Fallout: Source, it's like Fallout 3 but on Source

Unsurprisingly, he never finished that mod (or even started it, no one knows what progress he made if any?).

[Gary]

BM:S is more like a drastic update, as it's still on the same engine as the game it's based off(though a newer version).

A fallout Source mod is a perfect example of a unoriginal, stupid and impractical idea:
Source can't handle NPCs that way, fallout randomly generates non-critcal characters and their faces.
Source can't handle huge landscapes and draw distances like fallout.
Massive amounts of coding; weapons, leveling system(both players and NPCs) and who-knows what else.
massive amounts of new models, textures and animations needed.

In the end it would be an uglier, crappy and unplayable price of shit.

[Ark11]

I think that Moddb should make some sort of moderation system which only allows mods that have effort put into them and aren't made by people who only have half a brain.

Also if anyone cares here is that shit mod I mentioned: http://www.moddb.com/mods/falloutsource

[poisonic]

its a bit lame indeed if you begin to mod you first think your god, but then slowly you learn that making a game is more than just an idea out of your head.
i did start to mod for bf1942 it was a fun time after my first map battlefield on mars i ended up in TKO good old times...
i played with tko on a clan ladder and such.... but then a friend brought along hl2dm,and then i was hooked again.

But to stay on topic you all know i was offencive abouth the Metal Gear source... (i admit i wantend to help the first MGmod)but very fast we dropped our project why copyright isues after that short mod experience i made a promise to my self i never ever would join a mod team again that cant think up their own ideas.

by example my friend has already sketched 200 a4's of only 1 character to give her personality,also a big plus for our project is that we live in the same town which makes it more easy to meet and switch ideas and discussing our game idea...

To make a game and to steer your mod to the end of actualy finishing it you need a good team and think out a non existing game by choosing an existing project people would jump off very quickly....
also time is so important...

and the reason that i never made a comment on my mod on ModDB is that i think MDB looks unreal lots and lots of dropped mods that never saw the light.... they better could drop their ideas on NWBFMDB Never Will Be Finished Mod Data Base.

or they should make a new MOD site but this time with a harder process to even place your mod idea this would make it more Believable.

[Gary]

Aren't they supposed have a system like that?

[poisonic]

Aren't they supposed have a system like that?

they should have it yes but for now maybe you can trow out 75% of unfinished mods over there

[Ashfall_2008]

I submitted my mod a week or so ago and released the first beta. It's not a total conversion etc.. just a few tweaks here and there to activate the single player elements of Alien Swarm but it was approved in 24 hours regardless of lots of warnings and guidelines presented to me on the mod submission page...

I don't think it's Mod DB's responsibility to say what is a good or bad idea for a mod. They need to ensure people are not stealing others work but if people want to spend hours and hours trying to re-create a game in source then it's up to them. People might actually play it, or people will ignore it. Ahh the beauty of capitalism!

Whenever Valve release a game you get a slew of lazy ideas...

Left 4 Dead comes out... "Oooh I made a shopping mall map!"... oh you mean you took your inpiration from the film Dawn of the dead which was the original inspiration for Left 4 Dead???

Alien Swarm comes out... "Oooh can someone make an Aliens mod!"... oh you mean like the film Aliens which the original Alien Swarm mod was inspired by???

Or.. "Oooh lets make a zombie mod" Oh you mean mod Alien Swarm to be like a top down Left 4 Dead? Well that took a huge leap of the imagination... still it's a shame that Zombie Apocalypse never came out on the PC.

It's horribly lazy in general though...

Personally I would love to work on a Syndicate or Syndicate Wars based mod.. Now there's a game that needs rebuilding.

[Gary]

I don't think that we are saying that people shouldn't be allowed to make such mods, just that such mods often have no potential and are pointless.

Moddb should have slightly higher standards on what they approve, for example; if someone makes a remake of Mass Effect with real playable levels and new decent models then it would be approved. But if it was just a page with no media and a description of "Mod goes here eventuality" then it would be rejected.


Your are comparing it to taking inspiration for another game, if I make a zombie mod with four players and L4D style gameplay in the half-life universe, then I just took inspiration from L4D, if I tried to do a total conversion with everything identical to L4D, story, characters and all then it would be what we are talking about.

[Ashfall_2008]

Oooh they are a little picky.. you must have at least 3 images.. lol...

[marks]

I dont understand how people think they will enjoy recreating a game like-for-like in another engine. That strikes me as an excercise in boredom.

[poisonic]

"yeah lets make the newest unreal tournament 3 for source" pointless... buy the game and enjoy it