Mail Bag
| Friday, June 12, 1998 |
Date: Friday, June 12, 1998 4:32 PM
From: Shand
Subject: ModsThis is response to the speculation that mods are slowing down. This seems true. What is also true is that some of the mods are so well done that they are just plain satisfying. Also, the prospects of Quake2 map design offers huge possibilities to people with a creative itch. It has been my observation that there is a massive variety of original amateur maps that try every gimmick under the sun. Some mini amateur units almost seem like mini mods. Its great. Its almost like ID is still building Quake2 for me. Every once in a while I download one of these units and enjoy new Quake2. I do not know if the Eraser bot is considered a "mod" but it is such a polished and complete addition to Quake2 that I would have easily paid for it. It is about as complete as you can get and leaves me very satisfied. Throw in a little Pro-Eraser and you cant lose.
Date: Friday, June 12, 1998 11:04 AM
From: David Rehm
Subject: Q2 mods slowing downI must agree that the mod scene has seemed to slow down a bit the last few weeks, but I believe that has more to do w/ confusion and hesitation due to the recent version changes.. (3.14, 3.15, soon 3.16, etc) These mods are a LOT of work, and many ppl don't wanna waste their time if they're gonna get flamed 2 days after a new version release 'cause they haven't re-written their entire code-base. As far as the DLL format, while that may have been a hindrance at first, I do believe that there are so many more advantages then disadvantages. Finally, another reason could be the other games coming out, which have promised all sorts of DM modes which even I'll admit sound intriguing.
Date: Friday, June 12, 1998 1:27 PM
From: Chase, David B.
Subject: re: Slowdown of Quake II modsHi Blue. I tend to agree that we're seeing fewer new Quake II mods lately, but personally I don't think it's caused by game design. I would tend to pin it on a combination of "everything's been done" and "upping the ante".
There were a great deal of Classic Quake mods that were more of a research project than a serious mod contender, and long-term playability was lacking. I've noticed fewer of these experimental mods for Q2, with most mods being variations of the classic playing styles. Many 1n1 competition mods, a few high quality CTF variations, RA2, and several configurable DM mods. I think people have a good handle on what is popular and some of the less mainstream modifications have received mixed response. (Holy Wars, Assassin, Super Heroes for example)
As well, the quality of some of the Quake 2 mods has upped the ante significantly. The Classic Quake CTF scene was rich with contenders, but CTF II, Loki's Minions, and Thunderwalker are so well done that there's little need for dozens of competitors. Threewave on the other hand was very good, but left plenty of room for alternatives that could compete feature-for-feature. RA2 is in a league of its own as well, leaving little reason to release any other mods of this genre. Lithium on the DM side does it all.
Obviously its nice to see higher quality mods, but the downside being there are fewer. However I question whether this is necessarily a bad thing. Several decent quality Q2 mods have been released to rather soft public response. People are no longer interested in experimenting and are spending the majority of their time playing the staples. Ultimately the user base will determine what mods come out and their frequency. If there is pent-up demand for mods, you'll begin to see an influx. A slowdown in releases is in some ways a reflection of public opinion.
Date: Friday, June 12, 1998 10:11 AM
From: Matt
Subject: Quake/2 mods?The reason that Quake/2 mods have "slowed to a trickle" is very simple. Now that Unreal has been released, the most modifiable-friendly game ever released, people are making the switch. It's only logical to desire to use a better engine and features not available with other games. You are right, dll's are more of a deterrent even though they might be a seemingly more "professional" solution. UnrealScript should be a great way for programmers to apply current C++/Java OOP-style design without the extra hassle of compiled executables.