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One word, that can either empower the noble spirit or cause the little
one to scurry from it's presence. We wonder what drives us to change something?
We think we can make it better and so we supposedly do so. We add new
units, new buildings & so on, yet what really makes it different and better
than the original?
You look at mods like Deezire and think that is is great and wonderful.
Yet what really makes it stand out? It restores quite a few unused or
pre-release features that improve the game, but that makes one ask the
question of Why are we putting something in that was cut? It was cut for
a reason so why are we putting it back in?
Piece by Piece the puzzle is unraveled, but can we say we have made the
game better? No offence intended but not everybody likes Deezire or Eagle
Red or MooMan's Rules. Mods are made to enhance and make the game more
enjoyable therefore adding to the game's lifespan and the chance of you
picking it up.
A good question to ask is would we be tempted to buy a CNC game as much
if wasn't able to be modded? The original is always the best they say
and in many regards it truely is. The original CNC Tiberium Dawn, started
westwood's domiance over the RTS genre. We looked at TD and said that
is was awesome and one truely great game. Then came Red Alert, Then Tiberian
Sun & now Red Alert 2.
What we miss though sometimes is that this started from a game that is
so outdated today that it is not funny. Many mod like to add pre-release
things into it. I say good on you because some of it is really versitile
code and means that we can create quality mods.
A good addition to most mods today is the AI. AI has come a long way since
it's birth in TD and even though the RA2 AI is pitiful at best the ability
to modify it and create a much more powerful foe ignites a fire in many.
Many call TS the best AI game and I truely Agree! The good old days of
the tactical strikes! The Ion Cannon followed by Orcas sound familiar.
While true AI will probably ever happen, we must use what we have and
reliase that as limited as it may be, it is still better than none. It
still asks the question though What Makes this better than the original?
And many times the answer is it doesn't. Adding this new unit may cause
an inbalance here or a strategic advantage for this team. We understand
the .ini files and know how to work them, but there are just times when
the good old unmodified game is better. Exceptions to the rule do exist,
take a look at the Soviets in YR, not all that great now, but still with
the right tweaking you can even it out.
Remember that to make a mod is one thing. To enhance it another. Yet to
combine both of those and balance it all out is the pinicle of success.
Modding is invaulable to games, in pro-longing it's life. But if all the
mods that are generated are just trashy and are pathetic, then who wants
to play them?
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