Coding is one of those things that just sounds super daunting when anybody mentions it, but it’s actually surprising how much information is out there and how many resources have been made available - and often freely accessible - for those who want to use them. Ever thought about trying your own hand at coding? Dabbling in making a computer does what you want? Well, a lot of people wouldn’t fancy this but for one simple factor… we love gaming.
And when it comes to gaming, guess what? If you can code, there are times when you can make alterations to your favorite games to ensure that they do things the way you want. That might sound pretty unlikely if you’re not familiar with this and no, we’re not suggesting you dive into a computer game’s backend and start trying to rework the way it’s been written… but mods have been a thing for a long time now, and game services like Steam are chock-a-block with them. So how do you start?
Get To Grips With How The Game Works
Wondering exactly where to begin? Well, first up, you’ve got to figure out how the game works! What are its dynamics, how does it function, and most importantly, what engine does it use? For example, if you were looking to make a mod for Counter-Strike 2, you’d need to research what engine CS2 is on. Sound daunting? Let’s get you started: it uses the Source 2 game engine, developed by Valve. And once you know that you’re getting started!
You’ll want to put a good few hours into your gameplay before you decide that you’re ready to make a mod for it. Modding a game you barely know isn’t likely to work very well: you’ve got to understand how the game functions and what you want to change pretty intimately before you start messing around. Don’t want to do this? You’re probably going to waste a lot of time making a mod that doesn’t actually improve the game all that much… so it’s not the best approach.
Some other things you’ll want to consider include what mods already exist and what other modders have chosen to create. This will help you finetune what you want to build. If everyone is modding just particular areas of the game, that might be a hint that more extensive modding is challenging with the game you’re looking at. Sure, perhaps not impossible, but maybe not the best place to start. So, if for example, you’re modding for CS2, you might see modded skins, but not modded weapons. That’s because skins are not all that hard to build in many games, but weapons interact with the game engine itself, and messing with them is much more challenging.
Another thing to consider is the programming language the game’s engine is using. Some languages will make it a whole lot easier to create a mod than others (so if you’re a newbie, look out for these). If you’re looking to begin in the shallows of this swimming pool, Python is well-known for being beginner-friendly and easily extendable. You can even check out beginner Python courses if you’re ready to get your feet wet (and no, it doesn’t have any reference to giant snakes).
The most important factor in pretty much every case, though, is going to be your familiarity with the language and how well you can work in it. Think about it this way: even if you’ve got an amazing idea for a mod that should exist in a certain game, if you’re going to have to work into an unfamiliar language… well, you’re looking at a mountain here.
If you really want to do this, it’s possible, but you’ll have a much better time if you start out easy and gear up to harder gradually. For your first mod, opt for a game that uses a language you know well, and for the sake of your own sanity, pick something that will be reasonably easy to mod!
What Comes Next?
Now we’ve got the research out of the way, what’s next? Well, sorry, but more research (building mods isn’t that easy!). For beginner modders, it’s probably worth looking more closely at some existing mods and how the code works before you plunge in at the deep end. You’ll get tons more insight if you take this approach.
Fortunately, many of these mods will be available on GitHub, where you can check them out and explore what they do and how they do it. Lots of programmers are prepared to upload the stuff they’ve worked on so others can benefit from it - not a bad way to get going. GitHub also lets you branch off these projects, meaning… yes, you can make use of existing code that’s already been designed to interact with the game engine.
This is a great way to get started, although it does mean you’re working with what someone else has made (not everyone loves this). If you’re new to this world, we’d definitely recommend this as a top approach for making your life easier.
And then? Well, let the coding begin! But where? If you’re looking for games that are particularly known for being easy to mod, you’ve got Stardew Valley or Don’t Starve Together, both games that have a plethora of mods available for them already, plus a welcoming community that’ll be glad to help you get to grips with this world! Want to up the difficulty or dial it down? No problem! With a bit of coding prowess, these games are yours to bend to your will, and nobody’s complaining about that.
Although you can certainly opt for other games if you like, we’re not going to lie games like CS2 are… harder to mod. Still possible and definitely worth the effort, but not easy by any measure, so get your coding game in gear before you have a go.
Okay, so there’s still quite a long way for you to go before you’re going to be plunging into a game with your own mods recreating its atmosphere, but hopefully, that gives you a good start - and we wish you all the best of luck as you embark on this very exciting journey!
