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Related: Do "mod-development" questions belong here?

Also related: Do "map-editor" questions belong here?

(Both from 2010)

I recently reviewed a burst of flagged questions around the tag, with the close reason of game development. Considering the nature of these questions, I agreed and added my vote to close.

Giving it a second thought and reviewing the above two threads, I wanted to resurface this conversation around modding tools for games. Do we consider these "game development" in that sense, or are they on-topic? Where do we draw the line?

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    I personally think map editors like the one that shipped with the original Starcraft, Quake 3 etc should be on-topic (game-specific utilities), but certainly, not all 'mod development' tools are meant for the end-user/gamer. The G.E.C.K for example from Fallout, is more of a 'modders' tool, not a gamer's resource.
    – Robotnik Mod
    Oct 17 '19 at 22:54
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    The Hammer Editor seems to be a "bundled modification tool", and is on-topic as per the top-voted answer in Do “map-editor” questions belong here?
    – galacticninja
    Oct 18 '19 at 3:33
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    @galacticninja But there is hardly a consensus to be found there: the top answer throws them into three categories with three different ways to handle those questions. And Hammer is not a 'bundled modification tool', as it - I think - only came bundled with the Orange Box, and is now part of the (independent) Source SDK (like the hellish FacePoser). I think we need a clear-cut definition of what falls under the umbrella of on-topic game editing, and what doesn't.
    – Joachim
    Oct 18 '19 at 8:21
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    @Joachim developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Valve_Hammer_Editor says that "It is also included in every game made with Source Engine that is not a mod." Is this incorrect?
    – galacticninja
    Oct 18 '19 at 8:43
  • @galacticninja Funny you mention that, I just noticed it, and now I'm starting to doubt it. I clearly remember having to download it always for the first Half-Life (which doesn't say a lot). It's hard to find anything on whether or not it was part of certain releases.
    – Joachim
    Oct 18 '19 at 8:54

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