Modding - concept for beguinners

[Divagante]

Having my dreamcast wrecked for some time now, i gradually turned myself into learning more about programming, topic i think i knew rather enough just to find out i didn't.
Regarding this, i'd like to share some of what i learned in the past few weeks so the very welcome newcommers can understand better what we do here.

(just a note here: software is pure math, even pictures come down to 0s and 1s)


We mod (modify) games. Dreamcast ones. But, what is to mod?

Right now, you're probably on a pc, your hardware platform, using windows 7, your operative system (os). Programmingly speaking, your OS is the ground to everything else on your pc, without a OS you can't install a game for an instance. More info on operative systems here.

Your OS is a library of books with functions and routines developed so everything essencial is there. For an instance, you have a program installed on your OS that takes 2 and 3, does 2*3=6 and outputs 6, but the multiplication process isn't in the program itself, it's in the OS.

Now imagine your OS can add (+), subtract (-) and divide (/). But you want to make a program that uses multiply (*). "Ok, i'll add the code of how to multiply to the program itself", you say. Well good sir, imagine doing that everytime you want to make a program.

So what do we do? We add another book to the OS library with multiply - an API (application programming interface). In gaming you probably heard of "direct3d" and "opengl" already. Those are the two graphical APIs most used (and almoust only used) worldwide.

Basically, an API is a chunk of rules and routines commonly used in programming, so you don't have to write the same functions over and over again (thing of them as .zip files full of shortcuts). More info on API here.

"Can i make a program/game without using an API?"
Yes you can, but it will be much harder and tedious, especially when working graphically - imagine working 3d with text only.

Now to the program: a 2d game for an instance. We"ll use a programming language (c++, c#, java...) supported by the API we want to use for the OS we want to use. By example: we made a 2d rts with a medieval theme. We sold 1.000.000 copies. "Wow! Maybe if we make the same 2d rts but with a space theme we could sell some more?" - and write everything all over again we did.

Now let's think better: if we separate the main code that make the game work, and the theme, we can make the same game and easeally change the theme!

This is understanded as a game engine. More info on game engine here.

There are three things that usually happen with game engines: 1- to be sold as a game engine itself to game studios; 2- to make numerous diferent games from the engine (perfect example: game maker); 3- to make a game that can be modified in the future. It is in this 3rd case that mods usually appear.

Fact: half life 1 (hl1) is the main game of valve's "goldsourse" game engine.
Fact: counter strike 1.6, day of defeat 1.3, etc, are modifications of half life 1, in which the gameplay was heavelly affected.
Fact: "they hunger" for example, is a modification of half life 1, in which the gameplay was not affected. Basically, it's hl1 with diferent maps and sounds.

Mods (modifications) are basically the main game itself with diferent maps, sounds, player models, etc. Usually, the gameplay itself isn't changed at all! The game engine normally is designed so that if you change certain aspects of maps, models, etc, you end up getting a very diferent game experience! More information on mods here.

To mod, little or none codding experience is needed. With public game engines usually come a set of tools to modify the main game and documentation on how to use it. You'll find plenty of help in communities such as dcfan itself as well.

At dcfan, we usually make mods for dreamcast's version of half life 1, or port already made mods of pc's hl1 to dreamcast's hl1 (better known as "hldc") <- CHECK

In resume: OS > API > game engine > main game > mods.



At the bottom is where we are: modders. The most tiny place in the process of game making.

And we are fucking proud of it.

[Anthony817]

Nice read. You sure can explain things better than I ever could.