Mod support is a loved, much asked for and difficult to implement side of game development. It can range from small configuration file changes to full blown total conversions. In the more extensible form it takes enough experience with games to extract game logic from core logic, embed scripting languages, load models and animations at runtime and merge it all together as seamlessly as possible.
Coming from a modding background before entering software and games development it’s an area very close to my heart. I feel it’s an amazing tool to help increase your game’s longevity and, more importantly, allow for a community to form around your game. In the best situations this community can create amazing additions or changes to your game that can add new life to a game that, even as the developer of, may rekindle your interests after you’ve long exhausted yourself.
As we’ll be adding mod support to our current game we’ll write about what we use and how we go about using it. As there tends to be little information about the more complex side of things we’ll try to expose these under discussed areas to help more developers planning the same thing.
If anyone wants to get in contact with me feel free to reach me at richard@roguevector.com or my Twitter at @CWolf.