What are mods?

Like game mods, i do not understand. Can someone tell me? Thank you! :DWhat are mods?
Mods ''modify'' current game engines to create a modified or entirely new game without requiring their own engine.  For example, CounterStrike is a mod of Half-Life.  Red Orchestra was an award-winning mod for the Unreal Tournament 2004 engine.Mod can also be used to describe game ''modes'' for games.  For example, Capture the Flag (CTF) and Team DeathMatch (TDM) can be considered game mods for most First Person Shooters (FPS). What are mods?
''mods'' are modifications. Usually player created and FREE. Sometimes Mods will only add simple weapons or new maps, while some mods will completely re-make a new game using the original engine. Hope that clears it up:) i still remember when i first learned about mods.. :lol: 
[QUOTE=''zero9167'']''mods'' are modifications. Usually player created and FREE. Sometimes Mods will only add simple weapons or new maps, while some mods will completely re-make a new game using the original engine. Hope that clears it up:) i still remember when i first learned about mods.. :lol: [/QUOTE]To further clarify; if a ''mod'' completely remakes a game, it is typically referred to as a ''Total Conversion'', or  ''TC''. Thes will typically use the game engine, but try to create  completely new game experience with it. Sometimes these ''total conversions'' are actually made into new games. Examples would be The Witcher (using BioWare%26#39;s Aurora Engine) and Prey (using iD%26#39;s Doom 3 engine).

Also Mods might not be full conversion....But Just add New Weapons, Vehicals, skins, gameplay modes, and so on....
May I ask how you make them?
[QUOTE=''--Kayla--'']May I ask how you make them?[/QUOTE] they require special software handed out by the developers of the game...Usually.... They can also be made without the software sometimes, but these tend to be much more limited. Maps, though, arent hard to make with the proper tools, their hard to learn, but once to get it, you will be making them easy. 
[URL]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mod_%28computer_gaming%29[/URL] I suggest you read this for a better understanding. 
[QUOTE=''BewilderedRonin''][QUOTE=''zero9167'']''mods'' are modifications. Usually player created and FREE. Sometimes Mods will only add simple weapons or new maps, while some mods will completely re-make a new game using the original engine. Hope that clears it up:) i still remember when i first learned about mods.. :lol: [/QUOTE]To further clarify; if a ''mod'' completely remakes a game, it is typically referred to as a ''Total Conversion'', or ''TC''. Thes will typically use the game engine, but try to create completely new game experience with it. Sometimes these ''total conversions'' are actually made into new games. Examples would be The Witcher (using BioWare%26#39;s Aurora Engine) and Prey (using iD%26#39;s Doom 3 engine).
[/QUOTE]yep exactly, there are a lot less TC%26#39;s though (than normal mods) because they take years to make

[QUOTE=''cobrax75''][QUOTE=''--Kayla--'']May I ask how you make them?[/QUOTE]they require special software handed out by the developers of the game...Usually.... They can also be made without the software sometimes, but these tend to be much more limited. Maps, though, arent hard to make with the proper tools, their hard to learn, but once to get it, you will be making them easy. [/QUOTE]Usually developers will either include the software with the title, release it later as a community downlaod, or community programmers will make utilities to mod the game themselves. A good example is iD software. For Doom (the original) they didn%26#39;t release a level editor until after several community-based level editors had been released. Even then, the community level editors were so much more ''user friendly'' that they were much preferred over iD%26#39;s tools! Another example would be Neverwinter Nights. There are tools provided from BioWare with the game to make your own adventures and many of the ''rules'' (.2da files) can be edited using something as simple as a wordpad, given you undertsand the scripting language. There are also community made tools to create all sorts of scripts and modifications. However, The Witcher was made by using some of these tools (albeit, heavily modified) and by going into the engine and modifying actual code. As you can see; typically, doing any extensive mod usually requires a decent to detailed level of programming. However, as was already said, some mods simply add new textures for a gun or bad guy, wall textures, etc. Most PC games have tools availabel for the community to make mods, as these mods can help extend the life of many games well beyond their normal shelf-life.
[QUOTE=''zero9167''][QUOTE=''BewilderedRonin''][QUOTE=''zero9167'']''mods'' are modifications. Usually player created and FREE. Sometimes Mods will only add simple weapons or new maps, while some mods will completely re-make a new game using the original engine. Hope that clears it up:) i still remember when i first learned about mods.. :lol: [/QUOTE]To further clarify; if a ''mod'' completely remakes a game, it is typically referred to as a ''Total Conversion'', or ''TC''. Thes will typically use the game engine, but try to create completely new game experience with it. Sometimes these ''total conversions'' are actually made into new games. Examples would be The Witcher (using BioWare%26#39;s Aurora Engine) and Prey (using iD%26#39;s Doom 3 engine).
[/QUOTE]yep exactly, there are a lot less TC%26#39;s though (than normal mods) because they take years to make
[/QUOTE]Indeed. Often times, many Total Conversions are never even finished due to the large amount of time and dedication required to complete them. I could easily name numerous ''TCs'' that never made it to public beta stage. A simple gun or texture mod is MUCH easier than a full-on conversion. -edit- Also, many total conversions often times run into ''cease and desist'' issues (C%26D) from using other people%26#39;s or other companies copyrighted intellectual property (IP). Such as Aliens, or Space Hulk, or old game ideas like Blake Stone. I would reckon that about 1/2 of total conversions get into trouble and must halt production due to these issues.  If you are interested in modding and game development, I%26#39;d suggest going to GameDev.net (www.gamedev.net) forums and finding a group to partner with. If you have a solid idea, then try asking others to help (which can be a daunting task). Keep in mind that a project needs to have a sharp focus and dedicated plan of action and development schedule in order to succeed.
Hopeless :roll: