Have you ever played a game and wished you could change an aspect of it? Or you joined on a friend’s server and had you install some files, and you were playing what felt like a completely different game in Minecraft and then wanted to make a version of your own?
A modded game is about taking aspects of a game and modifying them in a way that changes the standard behavior. Some of the best games out there have Mods associated with them. Minecraft, Skyrim, Oxygen Not Included, to name a few. The Mod can be as simple as changing a feature to do something you always wanted to do better. Or it can be adding an entirely new game mode to give added playability. Of course, to do this, the game developer generally provides a guide on how to start modding the game. There should be a few things to check before you can begin to modding a game. Are there Mods already created for this game? Generally, if they are on Steam and you see they have a workshop page with additional mods, you can subscribe to that is a good sign. Also, if you are in the game, they might have a Mods section where you can manage enabled Mods. If all else fails, you can search the developer’s forums or website for modding capabilities. You can even tweet to them about your desire to mod the game.
Modding can be hard to jump right into, so the first thing to do is find a community and a game you are passionate about modding. The community can help you when you get stuck when you are working on the mod. And your passion for the game should help you from getting too burnt out on modding the game. Additionally, if the game had modding enabled, there is a good chance they have a guide on how to start modding their game. If they don’t, then I am sure someone in the community is spearheading documentation on making mods for the game. If not, perhaps you could become this person.
Many games have modding capabilities these days, and you can post them on popular mod hosting sites like curse forge and steam workshop. Some games do not connect to those major mod platforms, and either has their dedicated page for showing off mods for their game. They may even want to control some of what happens. For instance, Bethesda for Skyrim pushed to remove all paid Mods for its game. So staying on the right side of the game developer is critical and make sure you are aware of any terms for modding the game.
Modding a game can be very small like this awesome ax mod for Skyrim called Ebonblade War Axe. Or you can go as crazy as the Applied Energistics (AE2) for Minecraft that digitizes all Minecraft objects and has you create drive bays and build automated crafting systems. You can decide to alter the game as much as you want to create your vision with what is given. Generally, developers enjoy mod developers for their games. As long as you don’t stray off the path of the terms of service for modding their game. It gives their game higher visibility and gives you a highlight and potentially more people playing your mod.
It is essential to make sure you keep your Mod clean. By that, I mean you should ensure not to add any personal bias into the code. There was a mod developer that had all their mods removed from Curse Client because they added code to ban a specific person that bad mouthed the Mod on Reddit. This Mod was a pretty popular Mod for Minecraft and was integrated into Modpacks (Modpacks are where many mods are combined to create insane modes. Check out Project Ozone 3 for Minecraft on curse forge it has over 200 Mods included). In short, keep your dream something you can share with others that will not get you banned.
To start Modding, you will want to know some programming. There are fantastic sites on learning to code. Even if you don’t know how to code, this mod you want to make might be the perfect gateway. Many game developers started originally as Mod builders. When you determine what game you want to mod, look to find out what coding language and UI tools, you need to know to craft your masterpiece. Whether its C#, Java, or C++, you can find plenty of simple tutorials to get you started.
Sometimes you do not even have to create your own modpack. It can be daunting to start from scratch with your vision. Some Modpacks and mods need help from even new mod developers like you. There are discord channels, Reddit posts, and communities of mod developers looking for help. Learn the ropes and get comfortable contributing to someone else’s vision. Once you feel like you have earned your wings, go for your concept and load up that sweet new mod project. Then when you need help, you can then help newer mod developers or find seasoned mod veterans willing to help you create your vision.
These mod developers that build amazing mods can get you demotivated, but fear not! You can do it. Join that community, ask as many questions you can, and stay at it! it is okay to get stuck and hit a wall, this is why the community and resources are there. When you create something it helps build these communities, and we can never have too much.
Mod Sites
Communities
- https://discord.com/invite/moddedmc – Biggest Modded Minecraft Discord Server
- https://www.reddit.com/r/GameMods/ – Game Mods on Reddit
- http://modsonline.com/ – A mod centric site
Learn to Code
- https://www.codecademy.com/learn/learn-how-to-code – Code Academy
- https://www.edx.org/ – Free to learn Code
- https://www.udemy.com/course/coding-for-beginners-you-can-learn-to-code/ – A paid learn to code alternative
There are even more communities and resources out there but this should help to get you started. Good luck out there!