So why exactly do people mod??

[Glitcher]

I have been using mods ever since morrowind and i look at all these extremely extensive & spectacular mods and i can't figure out why people put such insane amounts of time into the development of these different mods i mean some mods take years to finish and i can't figure out why people put all their time into making these mods for us freeloaders and even if their making them for themselves why go through the trouble of putting it out there for the general population. I hella apperciate all the modders hard work but i just dont understand why they do it..are they just really *ban* awesome people is all ?!?!

[LegoManIAm94]

It is because to make the game better and more enjoyable. And to make the fun never end with new mods coming out all the time. That is why I think people mod or atleast that is why I mod.

[WoogieMonster]

Some people just enjoy creating things and don't mind sharing. Also, new stuff adds replayability to old games.

[LHammonds]

So why exactly do people mod?

It varies from person to person but most of the time, they want something very specific changed in the game. If they ask others to do it and nobody takes up the request, some people decide to have a go at it themselves and find they enjoy the modding process as much (or more than) playing the game itself. To some, the game is modding and Oblivion is just an example of what can be done.

 

Many more people mod and keep the mods to themselves...you'd be surprised how many! Most of those that share their mod do so out of the kindness of their hearts. Some do it for fame, some do it for kudos, some do it to increase their skills, some are making portfolios for their eventual career in game development.

 

There are many reasons and everyone has a different story as to how they got their start in modding.

 

LHammonds

[Vagrant0]

Initially, every game needs a little fixing to make it really playable. But after people have figured out how to implement their own fixes and variations of the game that meet their own interests, they start to think about what else they can do with that modding knowledge. And it just snowballs from there, eventually drawing the those who just want to make stuff because they like what they're making into it.

[jaysus]

agreed on all the above :P

 

things aint perfect? change them!

you just found out some crazy thing to do? release it and see what others do with it!

 

and you truly can learn alot of different skill sets making a mod... from modelling to photo montage over scripting to story writing and much more, lead a team and learn how thats done properly, organize deadlines, try different sorts of advertisment and public presence for your mods... there is just so much to it, its like the baseball of entertainment... you can specialize in one thing but also play on all positions and still succeed (babe ruth anyone?)

 

its also like playing a game in itself, if you ever played with LEGO you might get the notion, "playing" most games just aint creative or demanding enough for many people who like to change, innovate or create

 

and why not release all your hard work for others to enjoy and learn from their critics if you spend that much time on somin anyway? it doesnt hurt you and shared joy is twice the joy as we say over here ;)

[Vagrant0]

its also like playing a game in itself, if you ever played with LEGO you might get the notion, "playing" most games just aint creative or demanding enough for many people who like to change, innovate or create

I'm going to argue with this point... Maybe old-school LEGOs were that way, but now a days LEGO block sets just seem to be too much of a "build it once and play with it until something new comes out". You should have seen the way my nephew freaked out when I suggested building something different than what the instructions show... Admittedly he was 8 or 9 at the time, and since then seems to have seen the light, if only partially... But still :)

[LHammonds]

I'm going to argue with this point... Maybe old-school LEGOs were that way, but now a days LEGO block sets just seem to be too much of a "build it once and play with it until something new comes out".

Well, I'll argue this point. Everyone needs guidence (instructions) to start with but we eventually "get" that such things can be customized once "out-of-the-box" thinking is introduced.

 

My son (age 6) has been playing with these new legos for almost a year...builds them by the book, plays with them, destroys them and re-builds them sometimes. But more often than not, when he gets a new set (e.g. Star Wars), he tends to customize as he builds. I will set in there and help him build things we've seen on the Star Wars movies/cartoons such as a mini X-wing or Z95. Once I showed him that he can simply improvise rather than rely on a book to make something, he started having things built on his own by the time I get home. I was surprised when I saw him with a Droidika that had folding legs and arms so it could roll into battle...and it looked just like a Droidika...none of the usual imagination required! I asked mom if that was a new set but nope, he just figured it out on his own.

 

Modding Oblivion is similar to this as well. Somebody with no experience will likely try to emulate what others have done, follow tutorials, ask for help, etc. Then, in a magical moment, the new budding modder will start to make new customizations that s/he has not seen before...then you start seeing stuff from this person nobody has seen before and they are the ones writing tutorials or people are trying to emulate. It is great fun seeing and helping these modders grow and even surpass your own skills. For me, UK47 had a very shaky start (like everyone) and with enough directions, this young chap is now cranking out some spectacular mods. Same goes for L33Nexus that started off with so many questions and is now cranking out models for Oblivion faster than you can say "get 'er done!"

 

EDIT: Vagrant, all I know is that I am able to build a robot with multi-functioning joints and LOOK GOOD as opposed to the "basic" set of building blocks I had when growing up. There are a LOT more options to build with now and you don't have to "imagine" what it should look like so much now-a-days since you can probably build it to look just like what you want. ;) Even if you don't have a million pieces, you can download their designer program, build what you want with all the buyable pieces they offer and once done, you can order it to be delivered to your house!!!

 

LHammonds

[alonsomartinez]

Hahah that last comment about L33 made me laugh.

 

Modding to me is one of the few things in my life that seems to be I can do. I am always slammed with homework from my Advanced Classes in High School.I barely have time to do anything else but when I do get a spare bit of time I load up the old Oblivion.esm and see what the poeple want.Also I know that my future lies in game development or something with computers.Making new models with Blender not only help in Oblivion but also in school where I have an engineering class and all that we make we have to computer generate and we use Autodesk Inventor another good modeling program.Both of the programs are similiar so when I learn something in one It usually applies to the other.Too bad I cant use that program to make models otherwise I would be way better.

 

On other note Modding doeskin get the respect it is needed.The other day Im working on a complex script and my sister walks in and says " You seriuosly need to stop playing your little Oblivion game." All you do is type stuff in its not that hard you can do that later" I said oh really then you try to make a script run when you get 200 units close to the reference.Also when im modeling she says things like that's easy or anybody can do that.People dont realize that most of the time its not all fun and games...

[Vagrant0]

On other note Modding doeskin get the respect it is needed.The other day Im working on a complex script and my sister walks in and says " You seriuosly need to stop playing your little Oblivion game." All you do is type stuff in its not that hard you can do that later" I said oh really then you try to make a script run when you get 200 units close to the reference.Also when im modeling she says things like that's easy or anybody can do that.People dont realize that most of the time its not all fun and games...

Well, that's the difference between in-group and out-group perceptions. Most persons who are not familiar with the specifics of something won't really acknowledge all the work that goes into it. Take rich, spoiled children throwing a fit at a restaurant because the food doesn't taste good or the service seems a little slow for instance. They have no idea what is involved with the process, don't care what's involved, probably wouldn't understand it if explained to them. Modding is much the same way.

 

@LHammonds

It also depends quite a bit on the person too, not everyone is so ready to start using their imaginations or thinking outside the box. But really don't know, the whole direction that LEGO seems to be going these days compared to how it was when I was younger (80's early 90's) just seems too much like them being just another toy. Although admittedly the stuff of the 80's and 90's probably looked that way to people who had used them in the 70's and before.