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Don't worry, this guide is here to help you, it will introduce you to the world of game development, and also take you through the first steps of getting your project off the ground. Let's get started immediately.
The first thing you need to do is calm down... I said CALM DOWN! DAMNIT! *Ahem* Excitement is a good thing, but so is patience and thinking before you act. In the words of our most esteemed ex-president Bill Clinton: "Brother, you gots to chill."
Creating a mod project is not done by passion and inspiration alone, it is a long and sometimes testing process. Something I want to emphasize, and the first lesson you should learn from this guide, is that mods are created through the sweat and labour of determined individuals. If you are serious about modding, you'll be in this for the long run, so the first thing you need to do is figure out what modding is really about, and what creating a mod really entails (this is easy for you, just keep reading!).
Commenting on the topic of lesson 1 is Timmay, founder of halflife-mods.com, Jedi: Timeline and previous employee of HLRadio:
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Don't start a project unless you don't mind spending the next 2 years working on it. It's a lot of hard work to keep projects going, just make sure you have a passion for what your do. And don't make this for anyone else but yourself, that's what makes a great mod.
Hopefully I've hammered that in enough, on to prepping your concept.
Early Design
Now that you've calmed down, its time to write down your concept. You should describe the best aspects or key features of your idea, and keep your writing clean and simple. Details you can leave out until later, just focus on the main points. When its done, you should pitch it to your friends or even post your idea in these forums, and get some feedback from other people. When responding to critiques remember to be objective and keep an open mind, because it is often hard to do so when your own creative concepts are the topic. Once you've made the necessary changes and you feel you have a pretty solid general concept, it's time to take the next step.
You might think its time to put together a team, but if you think its recruitment time, you are wrong. That's still a few paragraphs away! At this point you should ask yourself: what are my skills? what role do I want to take in the development of this project?
Obviously, since the idea was yours to begin with, you might just say "I want to be project leader", but it's not that simple. Assuming that you are truly gifted individual that is charismatic, intelligent and creative enough to be a coder, designer, public relations man, and administrator, you still need help. The amount of work required to create a game or even get it started is a massive amount, you need the help of determined individuals with these skills in order to get anywhere. There is a lot to learn about in this area, and I recommend you pursue articles on the topic of producing and developing games in online sources such as gamedev.net, gamasutra.com, or IGDA.org. However, for the purpose of this article I will focus on two key positions: the project leader and the game designer.
I cannot emphasize enough the importance of a good project leader. This position acts like a producer for mod teams, and its purpose is to keep a project going and to make important decisions concerning development. The project leader must also make sure that all the work done by a team comes together the right way and follows the original vision of the project. A project leader need to possess a general knowledge of game development, project management and people skills. If you are intent on becoming a project leader, but do not have all of these skills, you MUST educate yourself. Consult the sources above.
The designer is also an extremely important position. A game designer not only creates and expands upon a game concept, but puts down that concept in to the detailed form of design documents. Game design is hard work, and may be the most creatively and technically challenging aspect of gamedevelopment. It may not be for you, and if you don't think it is find someone interested in expanding your concept! The most common case for mod-starters is that he wants to be a designer, because he wants complete control over his idea. So, if you are a designer, now is the time to turn your concept into a treatment.
A treatment is just a more detailed version of your concept. Once you are done, it should be a piece of writing with the length of anywhere from 3 to 15 pages. It should cover in detail all aspects of your game and should clearly state your goals in terms of gameplay, story/setting, and psychological atmosphere or "feel". If someone reads your treatment and still doesn't have a clear idea of your game, it needs more detail. However, you should leave out mathematical equations you intend to use and small details.
For further advice on writing design outlines and documents, you can read the "Outlining Design Documents Tutorial" located at hl2modcentral, written by me!
Recruitment
OK, so you have a project leader, a designer, and a treatment ready, now its time to put a team together. The key thing to remember as you begin recruiting is that you are recruiting to start a mod, not build it. That means you will need to find concept artists, writers, public relations persons and web developers to help you get off the ground. Eventually you will be looking for members in all of the following categories:
- Programming
- Graphics (break it down into 2D Art/Concept Art, Modeling, Textures/Unwrapping, Animating/Rigging, and Effects/Video Editing)
- Writing
- Public Relations
- Game Design
- Music
- Sound effects production
Of course, getting the right people can often be a matter of luck, so here I'll cover what you are more able to control. Here are three general rules to follow when recruiting:
1. Be professional. Check your recruitment posts for spelling and grammar, and make sure they communicate what you want them to in a clear and concise manner.
2. Be honest. Make sure you do not make any untruthful claims or misrepresent what your project really is. State clearly that you are an amateur volunteer project if you are one.
3. Show, don't tell. People are skeptical, and talk is cheap. Show renders, link to fiction, etc., show your intended audience that you are serious and worthwhile. I highly recommend you make your treatment public, don't get caught up in the "we don't want to reveal X yet" mentality, it can only hurt your project.
Lastly, where should you recruit? Generally you want to recruit with ads on your site, and in forums related to game development or half-life2. Centers for recruitment are: cgtalk.com, gamedev.net, igda.org, and of course hl2 related forums such as HLFallout!
That's it for today, I will be expanding on this thread later on and will answer any questions you guys have!
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