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This is a continuation of "do "map-editor" questions belong here".

I'd say mod-making typically revolves around reprogramming game aspects, reskinning or replacing models, changing sound effects and music, etc., in ways that are enabled by the game but are not part of its core mechanics.

On one hand the nature of these activities is much closer to game development than to actual gaming; on the other hand hobbying modding is usually done by gamers, for gamers, and often requires familiarity with a specific game, which is something that is relevant to this site.

Thoughts?

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  • 2
    I think it also depends on whether Game Dev is willing to accept modding. Otherwise, people with mod questions have no SE site to go but here, unless someone makes a modding SE. Of course it's not black-and-white based on that but I think it should be factored into a decision.
    – user56
    Jul 18, 2010 at 16:18
  • If gaming won't welcome these questions, maybe gamedev will? I started a discussion there, Do mod- and map-making questions belong here?.
    – Zommuter
    Jul 19, 2010 at 9:00

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Again, it depends on the kind of mod. Darwinia "mods" are just map packs. UT3 "mods" can be different games entirely.

My stance on this is that so long as the question is about modifying game data structures (e.g., skins, maps, huds, texts, basic LUA scripts), they belong here. Anything more complicated can/should go on either Game Dev or StackOverflow itself.

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I'm going to share an opinion, I'm not sure I agree with it yet, but it is one stand point I've been considering.

Gaming.SE is about gaming. As I understand it this would be:

  • Questions about parts of games
  • Questions about habits around games (the question of nausea is a good example)
  • Questions about difference between games
  • Questions about gaming accessors as they affect playing games
  • Questions about games inside of games (DotA being the prime example)

Based on that last one I would say on the subject of Legal mods

  • how to find/install them
  • how to play them
  • things that happen during play

would all be valid questions.

By comparison, designing a Mod, or even a Map, is more about programming/scripting or philosophical game design issues. Both of these would be better answered in either Stackoverflow or Gamedev.SE (should it come to fruition). I don't think we can exist in a bubble and pretend these sites do not exist without fracturing the community and hurting everyone.

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  • You do know you're basically agreeing with me, right? The bad examples you make are not about changing data structures...
    – badp
    Jul 18, 2010 at 20:34
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    Lua is scripting, and modding isn't "how to find/install/play them"
    – user56
    Jul 19, 2010 at 0:32
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Questions about game design or development, including mods, have historically been considered off topic. They are, in general, welcome on GameDev.SE, so I'd encourage you to ask them there.

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  • The problem is that not everything is about coding. Say I always try to use third-party programs with their own interfaces to do what I want. For example: DatEdit, FireGraft, etc.
    – Arkl1te
    Nov 5, 2013 at 15:05
  • Also when you have the doubts about what Blizzard programmers left as a codename, DatEdit finds inside a list, a "white circle (invisible)" option. Only persons that are familiar with how things work with starcraft, are the ones that could answer the question. Persons that focuses on gamedev aren't (because they're meant to focus on global programming languages to do games from zero).
    – Arkl1te
    Nov 5, 2013 at 15:10
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I believe mod development and map editor questions should be on the Game Development wiki, given a choice between the two. If both Gaming and Game Development flourish, I think the development side of gaming should be entirely contained within [the game development] site. Since modding is the development of a game modification, it is inherently more appropriate for the Game Development wiki.

I would say this even extends into Lua scripts for World of Warcraft and any analogue in other games. Since that is entirely about the development of game tools, the game development community would be more suited to fielding these questions.

The underlying reasoning behind this view is that pretty much any discussion about modding or scripting is going to boil down to two things: questions about tool sets and questions about programming. The Starcraft II map editor is a tool set; it allows a person to develop custom maps only for Starcraft II, but isn't that the same purpose as Unreal Editor or Hammer? Since many tool sets have features that have the same verbiage or wording that is very close, experienced game developers will be the more expert people to answer these questions.

I agree with tzenes in that the Gaming wiki should be about gaming. This includes:

  • Questions about tips, tricks, and strategies for specific items of gameplay.
  • Questions about the hardware and software accessories for a game or system (I would include things like PunkBuster or TeamSpeak in here, as well as controllers and other hardware).
  • Questions about mods, like DoTA, as they are games in their own right.

Hopefully that helps define more of what I am thinking the Gaming site would be good for.

I'd like to see this be the Anti-GameFAQs, where people go to find answers to their questions as opposed to pouring through long, albeit useful, FAQs to find a simple answer.

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  • Your closing statement shares a lot of my thoughts for when I saw the proposal. GameFAQs is great for getting in-depth guides, but when I want an answer to "Why can't I get past the red gate?", I don't want to have to pour through an entire game walkthrough just to find that answer. I want to be able to open a site, enter my question, and see the answer pop right up.
    – Grace Note StaffMod
    Jul 22, 2010 at 12:38
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Since voting on the GameDev-question indicates these questions are welcome there (and assuming it'll succeed through beta) we can redirect (and later hopefully just migrate) mapping and modding questions over to GameDev.

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You're certainly welcome to try!

That said, Mod and Map-making questions are definitely on-topic for Game Dev; please refer to this Meta Post: https://gamedev.meta.stackexchange.com/q/58/295

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