Question: What does MOD mean?

[3bleadpencil]

What does MOD mean...referring to game development?
(sorry still new at some of this stuff)

Regards to all
3B

[davi]

MODS are modifications of current engines.

companys like value and id games will pay thousands to make an engine like quake3 and halflife2, not all companys have the expenses to make their own engine, so they can pay companies to get their source codes so they can start Modifying them into their own game.

On top of that some companies release their sourcecodes and SDKs(software developer kits) publicy so that indepent game makers can use them to make their own games. These are usually what are considered MODS, yet anyone use isn't using their own custom engine is basicing using a mod... more games do it than you think. Some companies repeatively do modifications of old engines like black isle and it's INFINITY engine.

hope that answers your question.

[wassermelone]

MODeration.
Its a change to the game in either of several ways: gameplay, graphics, or story.

-toasty :)

[gekitsu]

in general useage, mod refers to modification.

if one were nitpicky, every project built upon an older engine that is slightly tweaked to meet new challenges (like, half-life being a mod of quake 1, raven shield being a mod of unreal 2 etcetera) would be called a mod.

in general, mod means more of an user-made add-on to an existing game. examples would be osp for quake 3: if you load osp over your existing quake 3, you get some tons of new settings for better tournament management and server setup.
there also are mods that modify more of the original game content. in case of quake 3, true combat would be such a mod, since it comes with new setting, maps, physics settings, ballistics, weapons... making it an essentially new game. mods that change next to everything are also called tc (total conversion).

lots of mods are made by teams of amateurs who want to get their hands dirty and learn the ropes of game development. not all, of course. :)

for a modification in this general sense, you need the original game to run the mod. like: you need quake 3 to run osp, rocket arena 3 or true combat.

[Defcon]

I see your a Student 3bleadpencil

A MOD, Modification, is basically turning a game like Half Life into Counter Strike, by adding new weapons, maps, models, and code based on the engine in terms of making the weapons work differently (i.e. add recoil), and gameplay changes (plant the bomb/rescue hostages wins the round) - the core of the game (half life's engine) is still there running all this.

A MOD helps to increase your portfolio, try new things and show developers your interested in what you do.

I could list countless MOD Artists that are now employed. Developers are finding the MOD community a pretty amazing recruitment ground. The hard part is finding the right MOD, not something that'll fall apart within a few months.

[egerie]

Major echo in this thread.

[3bleadpencil]

You guys(again) have been helpful.....I feel much better informed!
Regards
3B