IMED 105: Intro to Game ModdingLecture 2: Pre-Planning and Documentation

Charles Palmer – Spring 2016

Unit: Pre-Planning• Why we mod• Development documents

Why we ModModding brings the process of game creation to the general public. Creating mods is a great way of exercising your creativity and getting started in the game development industry.

Why we Mod• Although Spacewar! started the industry, most modern games

can trace their roots to Wolfenstein 3D.• A community grew out of id’s software when the company

separated the programming code from the assets and levels

Wolfenstein 3D Mods Collection Screenshots

What game should I mod?• What have you played – check your current game collection • Community activities – look for an active community avenue

for sharing your creation• What else is out there – how are people currently modding

the game, and what directions have not been undertaken• Compatibility of toolset – check the requirements of the

toolset, not just those of the game

It all begins with a dreamand some paper…

why is DOCUMENTATION the key to success?

Documentation

• Officialo describe the relationships between publishers and game developers, and lay

out the responsibilities of a game development company

• Deliverableo are those required by a publisher to be turned in during game production

• Functionalo communicate the elements of a game

• Administrativeo documents related to running the company, including executive summaries

Quests and Missions• Quests or Missions are tasks the players perform

in video games. Various NPCs can initiate quests, allowing for rewards to be gained upon their completion. Rewards can be monetary, items, increased skill levels or open opportunities to unreachable levels or game play areas.

• The "main quest" denotes tasks the character is compelled to complete as part of the game's main story. Other quests or missions present themselves as side quests, which skirt on the periphery of the game's plotlines.

Assignment 2: Concept IdeasOne of the first steps of the development process is documenting your ideas. This process is used to solidify the key concept and outlining relevant information. To begin your design process please create 5 side quest ideas for Skyrim or Far Cry. Your ideas should include the primary mission objective, a brief description of key locations, types of challenges the player must overcome and any important NPCs (non-player characters) the player will in their journey.

See the Moodle assignment for the complete instructions and a submissiontemplate