Being a modder sucks balls

[frau kaleun]

No, ask these guys:

[Weiss Pinguin]

I thought this was the MoD

[Oberon]

Perhaps you should try being a rocker?

[krashkart]

So, in that one mod you did awhile back, you know? Um, that one. How do you open it? It's the README.TXT, and WinRAR won't open it.


Okay, I'll shut up now... heeheehee


If you've ever played any of the Battlecruiser and BC-offshoot games, the first thing any self-respecting game tweeker will notice is that Dr. Smart encoded all of the .ini files. Why, you might ask? Because he doesn't want any stupid questions on his boards like; "I edited blah blah in assets.ini and now the game crashes should I reinstall?", etc. That's good for him, but very bad news for folks in my shoes who know how to make a backup.

Anyway, back on topic... um, what should I say that would help assuage your pains? Hmm... Ah! *gestalt*

Thank you, modder dudes (and dudettes)
You rox ballz0rz!

[SteamWake]

Well I for one thank the Mod's for their efforts and have never 'busted chops' over a mod.

I'll never understand the whiners whom complain when they dont get 'expected results' when applying a mod and rush to the forums to cavetch.

But yea I know where your comming from I used to mode a long long time ago for Train Simulator and burnt out very quickly for nearly every reason you listed.

Oh hope you got out of work eventually... I know what its like awaiting the stragglers to gtfo

[NeonSamurai]

Heh I understand your pain, I had more than a few popular mods back in the day. Now I mostly mod for myself and don't go too crazy with it. But then I am a number cruncher modder mostly. I also prefer to work with games where I don't have to hack the stupid thing to mod it.

I will say this though, I sure don't miss all the politics and other crap that goes with the territory, and of course all the users who can't read and can barely turn their computers on successfully. A lot of my personal mods incorporate other public mods, which is a key reason why I don't release much any more. But I do mod the game now for my own personal enjoyment to make the game play better the way I want it to.

Oh and If you don't want to kill the game so badly, I suggest less modding and more playing the game. The testing/fixing grind is what kills the fun more than anything else imho.

[Sailor Steve]

Originally Posted by Oberon

Perhaps you should try being a rocker?

"Me, I'm more of a 'mocker'."
-Ringo Starr

Don't forget game companies who seem to go out of their way to make it so you can't mod their game.

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by Sailor Steve

"Me, I'm more of a 'mocker'."
-Ringo Starr

[Weiss Pinguin]

Originally Posted by Rilder

Don't forget game companies who seem to go out of their way to make it so you can't mod their game.

Not that you need to

[msxyz]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

Since im sitting here with a few minutes to kill because i can't leave work until these last two employees vacate the freakin premises, figured id vent a little since this subject is fresh in my mind.

Being a modder sucks balls. Several reasons (...)

Add to the list:

That great idea didn't work because of:
-a bug
-a game engine limitation
-I can't figure how it works.

I spent from 1995 to 2004 as a hardcore modders of several games. Thanks God, I grew tired enough to leave that hobby. I did not even keep a copy of my past works. Maybe some of them are still floating around the net in some obscure server. More than once I saw my work stolen and reused by other modders so I'm not even interested in knowing if my maps/mods/meshes/textures/etc... are still around.

[Admiral8Q]

I'm impressed at what you and the other modders have done. If you need a break, then take one. Everyone else will still either be here or not...

[Wolfehunter]

I understand your stresses.

Try to have a positive outlook and let them work at there own levels. Don't force anyone to do things they don't want to do.

Each member has different levels of skill and adapt your expectations based on those levels.

RL plays a big factor and moral. Be supportive.

Its hard because times there is great ideas and these can get off track from the main objectives. You may need to put these ideas on hold till a way can be met.

Sometimes if your stuck go outside the envelope and ask a freelance modder for help.

Technical support is one of the most stressful part of the job. Fans expect you to be god and have all the answers. Make a FAQ on the common questions so this way you can easily direct them there. This will help remove the more mundane requests for the more serious issues.

All I can say is make is as much as possible dumb proof. This way its easy for the fans to install it...

Having 200 plus pages people on a thread will scare the readers hehehe.. So you will get repetitive questions... There is no cure for it.. Its the side effects of been a modder...

So take it like man, you'll feel better when its all done and finished.

[Molon Labe]

And add to the list that the original creator of the software (or whoever happens to buy the rights from them) can decide to appropriate all your work and make a profit off of it without giving you any attribution.

[Platapus]

Originally Posted by Ducimus

Im sure i can rant more, but, meh, im outta gas. Im glad to be nearly done with it all.

And yes, id like some cheese with that whine. Thank you.

Yeah, but think of all the money you make with the mods....... Oh

Well I can, of course, only speak for myself, but I truly and sincerely appreciate the work that the modders do on my behalf. They really make the games more enjoyable. You are doing a job I could not do and probably would not want to do. So thank you

It would behoove some of us not to forget that these modders are volunteers not only giving us the benefits of their skills, experience, money, and time, but giving them to us for FREE.

Key words to take away

Volunteer
Working
My benefit
Free


A pretty nice deal from my end.