8 Rookie Mistakes Every Video Game Modder Always Makes
2. Never Looking Back
Video game levels are almost never made in the order theyre experienced; in fact, the bits the player sees first (tutorial stages, introductory sequences and even title screens) tend to be created last once the dust has settled. Mods and in particular, first mods tend to be worked on in a very linear way. This can be a problem because as youre working, youre becoming a better modder. By the time youve finished your fifth environment, a critical examination of your first will make you want to reach back in time and strangle yourself. Thats not to suggest you should be constantly your scrapping older work and consigning your mod to development hell, of course at some point youll honestly feel that what youve got is good enough to release. Before you reach that point, though, and now that youve spent some time away from the earlier parts of your game, make sure to reassess the difficulty, variety and polish of your first level in particular. Simply playing through after a long absence will provide you with a list of things you want to change and tweak, as well as reminding you of forgotten themes and ideas to use in your later levels. Eventually youll be satisfied and ready for the world to sample your wares. Granted, your future self may look back with scorn upon your paltry first attempts at modding, but thats part of the natural order of the universe, so get ready to share your work!
