PA Modding: Double edged sword?

You aren't really very familiar with GMod are you?

No, I'm not familiar with GMod.

Having a successful non-tech related career and life in general precludes me from being an expert on every PC game ever invented.

So, I find that it helps to ask questions now and then.

To be honest, it sounds like you're only arguing to argue now. I agree the game should allow for modding, but it needs to do so in a seamless fashion that wont divide the community. But stomping out modding is a great way for the fan base to dwindle rather quickly.

antillie is right though.

'Online competitive games for GMod'... I don't know whether to laugh or to cry...

EDIT: And exactly what antillie said in his post below me.

GMod is not really a competitive game, it has competitive game types, but you should really put down the "This is a Competitive RTS". As you don't really develop a "competitive" game, it just attract players that play it competitively. Developing a game to make it competitive is a really great way to ruin a game.

I just found it funny because GMod is probably the total opposite of a competitive environment which is the one thing you seem so concerned about. However GMod is a great example of a game with a zillion mods in which community fragmentation isn't an issue.

In fact I can't think of any game where having a large number of available mods fragmented the community. Since, you know, its easy to switch between mods and play with everyone.

Just because it is technically easy to switch mods in a game does not mean that gamers are willing to do so.

Gamers tend to be stubborn, elitst, sexist, introverted, sarcastic, etc (did I leave anything out?). Not all (e.g. Jessica Chobot), but most. They tend to promote their own mod while bashing others. Again, not all, but most.

False. Modders, generally (and I mean 99%+) do not bash other mods, nor be elitist of their own.

What are you talking about? I have never seen this pose a problem or even ever heard of it posing a problem anywhere ever. Do you even play games online that have mods?

While there are certainly a few bad apples in every group this is a blatant falsehood that borders on outright slander. Even the EVE player base (arguably the least "friendly" player base in the gaming industry) isn't anywhere near this bad. You are clearly not familiar with gaming culture. Or you simply spent too much time playing Halo with 12 year old kids.

stupid lag double post and now I can't delete this post. Sorry...

Actually its the opposite. FAF is case-in-point proof of what OP is scared of. I play (as do some others) FA on steam, which does not include players from FAF. Most times its hard to find a game...

You do realize that there is nothing stopping you from using the FAF client with the Steam version of FA just like most of the FAF players do right? So FAF actually proves the OP's fears to be totally unfounded.

I was pretty sure FAF exists because the FA servers were gonna be shut down..?

It's good to see that there are a few, like iron420, who understand where I'm coming from with this thread.

Maybe the rest will come to understand in time.

Correct. No one wanted to pay for the servers anymore and GPGNet got shut down when the company went kaflooey.

I am still trying to work out what there is to understand.

Forged Alliance Forever is a triumph and one of the best examples of what a strong Community and Modding does for a game, even after it has been abandoned by their developers.

I think modding is great when the developer abandons its game.

But what about when the developer is still around and strongly involved in developing its game further?

In my opinion, modding then only serves to splinter the gaming base into further camps and "schools of thought" about how PA should "really play"....

Actually I didn't realize that, as I'm sure most people who buy FA on steam don't. If you never heard about FA until today and bought it on steam tonight you would never know FAF even existed a year from now playing every day. Either way, I like the lobby system and convenience of using FA through steam (though to be fair I've never actually tried FAF).

So even if the game from steam works for FAF, if you don't know FAF exists and aren't using it you are fractured from the FAF player base. Period. There are many people I know that play FA through steam and most have never heard of FAF (I've asked around). The player base for FA is definitely fractured. This is something I am 100% sure of and feel the effects of often due to my preference for steam.

Agreed.

I don't see how the developer still being around makes any difference. See the bazillion mods for Half Life and Half Life 2.

Then you clearly have little experience with PC games or PC gaming culture. FAF is the best example of why your fears are totally unjustified.