Finding a mod team worth your while 101

[marque_pierre]

Sorry for hijacking another thread with this question:

Boy, have I joined and believed many a mod team (leader) or stand alone amateur games, and gotten some practise, and wasted time on things that never became anything.

My question to you guys who have obviously been around the block a few more times than me, how do you spot a team with a figting chance of making it?

For example, take a look at this mod

http://www.incorporated-hl2.com/

Will they make it? And why? What's your qualified guesses?

[curman]

I'll say no on the first

Yes on the second.

[marque_pierre]

And why?

[-Stratesiz-]

Mods usually fail at level design. For me, level design is everything. You can have mediocre models and other visuals as long as the playability and level design is great. I don't really care about concept art as it doesn't really tell anything about the mod itself. Weapon models don't really tell much either. The two aforementionned are rather common as the main media content. Mods that have only such content to display will fail.

Both mods fail to show decent level design content. Judging by the previous work of the LDs for the first mod it will fail.

[marque_pierre]

That is an interesting point. I am so tired of seeing screen shots of textured guns on mod sites. Everybody's got them. So what? They take half an hour to make (edit: that was kinda comparatively/metaphorically speaking), if you haven't got some lying around in your portfolio already. Some times you suspect mod teams start, just as an excuse to model guns and futuristic cars. But an environment can tell a lot more about the flow of the gameplay, and it is a much larger and significant effort.

[kleinluka]

I don't think they take half an hour to make but I get your point as and agree with you about getting tired of renders of textured gun models on mod websites. In my opinion mods should just work "in the dark" for a while till there's more to show. There's no point in presenting a dozen of nicely rendered weapon models because after all thats hardly what they will look like in the game anyway. That is, if the game/mod ever comes out.. :S

I usually recognize solid mods by looking at the team roster and who's on it, by the way the mod presents itself, its plot and the work.. "Newbish" mod people tend to release everything to the public as soon as its done. Meh, some mods even release pictures of untextured models, I mean why?

Nightwatch is one of the mods that seems to be going in the right direction...

[insta]

I can't say if either of those mods will make it, mainly because it all comes down to leadership. Since I don't know either of the leaders on the mods, it's hard to say which one will make it.

[marque_pierre]

Leadership? Oh my, another unknown factor thrown into the equation...

[ShaDoW]

There are so many factors to keep in count, and it's not an easy job predicting it from this early stage.

Look at Front Line Force for example, the project died yesterday (Sunday, 28th November) due to a silly conflict between a level designer and the project leader. To be honest, this wasnt the only reason... but it was the final cause.

As I said; there's too many factors with projects like these. So many ways to live and so many ways to die.

[insta]

Shad0w: Wow, just read the update. Drama-licious. Sad to see such a old mod like FLF die because of that though :/

[ShaDoW]

Yep, I remember playing that mod back in it's early days... It's sad when you hear something like this happening. However, all things come to an end, so it's a normal thing I guess.

[hamst3r]

I agree with both insta, its all about leadership. Without a good leader a mod will surely flop...

btw: Flf died? Wow, what a sad day it is. I still got the 1.8 install sitting in a folder.

[Duff-e]

who gives a fuck if the mod will make it

good people + good idea = a good mod, regardless

[The Postman]

who gives a fuck if the mod will make it

good people + good idea = a good mod, regardless

I agree with Duffy...

Oh God, I agree with Duffy!

*world implodes*

[Pericolos0]

he's like the local retard that speaks the simple truth