Hi!

Over the past few weeks we've been working a lot on our Mod interface in Half-Life, using Team Fortress Classic as a method of testing it. As a Mod maker myself, it's been great to see Valve treating mod makers with such respect, and I've been bursting to tell the world about our new interface. Luckily, Gabe finally let me do so before I exploded.

So, this email's a description of what we tried to set out to do with the Mod interface, what it does, and how it'll benefit both Mod makers and mod players alike. I've attached some screenshots to better explain some of it. I started as a Mod maker, and if I'd had anything like this, it would have been a thousand times easier to get my Mods into the player's hands.

Right now, pretty much regardless of FPS, if I write a Mod, I need to rely upon my players for a variety of things. They have to find out about my Mod, which is an enormous first step. Then, they have to download it (not too hard), install it (not too hard either, if I put in some effort and make an installation package), and then run the FPS using my Mod's code instead of the original code. This requires the use of command line parameters. Judging from the number of emails I've got on this subject since starting Team Fortress, there's an enormous number of players out there on FPS servers who don't know what the command line is, let alone how to use it to specify a custom game. Now they've finally got my Mod running, they need to know how to play, and most importantly, any new commands my Mod has. As a Mod maker, I can put my command list in the readme.txt, but its been proven many times that no-one reads that anyway. Should my enterprising player actually find the command list in the readme.txt or on my web page, he/she then needs to know how to use them. You do know how to use the console and bind keys, right?

I remember awhile ago when Gabe found out what a player needed to know to play Team Fortress. He was amazed anyone played it at all.

So, with Half-Life's Mod interface, we set out to remove all these obstacles, and provide a nice pipeline between Mods and Players. We wanted Mod makers to only have to worry about their part of the bargain (making the mod!). We wanted players looking for Mods to easily find them, easily install them, and easily play them. We wanted players who didn't even know Half-Life had a console to be able to play Mods!

To make it easy for players to find Mods, we invented the Mod Browser. We created a Mod Master Server that keeps track of every Half-Life Mod in the world, what version it's up to,where it can be downloaded, and so on. Using the Half-Life launcher, you can simply browse the list of Mods, pick the one you want, and hit the Install button. The Mod is downloaded and installed automatically. If there's a new version of a Mod you've already got, the Mod Browser automatically warns you, and asks you if you want to download it. Each Mod has a link to it's web page so players can more easily find the type of Mod they're looking for. Here's a screenshot of the Mod Browser:



Running a Mod is just as easy. In the Mod Browser, you just pick the Mod you want to play, and hit the Activate button. The Launcher now enters Custom Game mode, where every piece of art and data can be replaced by the Mod. Here's a screenshot of the Mod Browser after Team Fortress Classic has been activated:

We've made it easy for a Mod maker to distribute his/her Mod. A Mod maker now only needs to make a Mod, tell the Mod Master Server that it exists, and bang, everyone in the world knows about your Mod. Players simply hit the Install button, the Mod is downloaded, and all files are placed in the right directories. You're ready to go!

Next problem: How do we make it easy for players to play Mods? We knew from the feedback we'd got from Half-Life that players found the Launcher easy to use, allowing them to play multiplayer without having to use other programs to find servers or setup keys. The most obvious thing to do was to let Mod makers use the same interface.

So we enhanced the Launcher's Custom Game interface, allowing a Mod to completely customize not just its graphics, but it's content. If you go to the Customize->Controls section of the Launcher while a Mod is active, you can customize all the new commands and settings the Mod needs, including default key settings for new players. Here's a screenshot of the Customize Controls screen while running Team Fortress Classic:

Finally, Mods can also customize the player setup sections, adding new player settings specifically needed for this Mod. Team Fortress Classic uses these to allow players to automatically have config files executed when they change classes, among other things. Here's a screenshot of the Advanced Customization for Team Fortress Classic:

We're very happy with how the Mod interface has turned out. Team Fortress Classic has been the ideal test case for it. Wherever possible, problems that cropped up for Team Fortress Classic were solved in generic ways that will benefit Mod makers everywhere. As a Mod maker, I'm very excited to see the Mods that'll come out of this. Making it extremely easy for Mod makers to get their Mods to the players, and for players to get in and play them can only be a good thing for the Mod community.

Robin Walker.