Why mod? Please explain, I'm curious

[bbrady413]

What is the purpose of modding? What is the appeal? Is it more fun to play a modded game?

I haven't modded any games, and I haven't tried a modded game. But it seems to be pretty popular. What is the draw? I would think it would take away from the purity of the game, but I don't know. I just don't know much about modding, so could somebody explain it to me?

 

[Bluemofia]

Modding extends the life of the game by giving it a new twist to it. The simplest form of Civ3 modding is to reskin units. What if I don't like how the longbowman looks, and I want to give everyone a crossbowman instead? The next simplest, is to play on a specific map. What if I want to play Civ on a realistic world map with realistic start and resource positions? Or take it a step further, a realistic Mars map?

Taking it a step further, what if I want to play a Cold War game, and setup a scenario where the US and the USSR are vying for dominance, but you are playing as China, trying to revive it's old glory?

Or what if I just want to shoot some zombies, in a B-movie thriller? Or play as the Galactic Empire from Star Wars, and crush the Rebels? Lead an Undead alliance to crush the Humans in a Warhammer Fantasy style game?

Really, modding lets you do whatever you want to the game, from as minor as replacing graphics to something you like better, to a complete overhaul of the game with mechanics that are significantly different from the original game, but still derived from the stuff provided in the base game. If you ever get bored of playing a modded game, you can always go back to playing vanilla. But really, once you start playing mods, it's hard to go back to plain vanilla.

 

[Kyriakos]

Apart from what Bluemofia correctly said, in CivIII there is also the reality that the modders are part of a secret community worshiping Zalmoxis of the Getae, and required on occasion to create a new mod so as to avoid ritual sacrifice.

 

[Blue Monkey]

To add one further example of modding a whole scenario: Rise and Fall of the Roman Empire is a detailed historical simulation - to the point that you could actually learn some Roman history by playing it.

Terrain graphics are a way to do anything from just increasing your enjoyment of the standard game, all the way to providing appropriate terrain for a realistic Mars map, or even terrain that doesn't look like terrain at all.

imho, far from hurting the purity of the game well-done modding enhances the range of experiences the game provides, extends the life of the game (C3 is well over a decade old by now), overcomes inherent limitations that detract from gameplay ...

On that last point, there are things which exist in the game engine (code) but weren't implemented (available to play) in the game as released. These are things that aren't necessarily play-tested and some aren't fully functional. But by constructing enhanced editors and incorporating these elements into modded scenarios we get to play with some of the same elements of C3 that the devs had. Modding lets you play the "wouldn't it be fun if we could ..." like they got to.

 

[Oni Ryuu]

In every game I’ve had that has a map/game editor I felt compelled to push the game to its limit. I haven’t released any of my mods for Civ 3 yet but have made more than a dozen with a variety of focuses. As Bluemofia said, it can be specific to your historical interests, geography or just use the platform to create an entirely new game. The most important factor for some is that you enjoyed the original game but dislike some aspects. My latest mod (the one I intend to upload) is a complete overhaul of the original concept (4K BC – 2020 AD) with more tech and units but the primary focus is on battle tactics and logistics. The original is too simple and a little dull for what I want.

 

[ronning]

But be advised, it's addicting... once you make one small change, suddenly you'll realize that you have the power to reshape the virtual Civ universe... better make some coffee, you'll be up late...