My First Mod Tutorial (Guide)?

[Whispers]

Hi,

So im as green as grass when it comes to modding and hence have found myself here seeking help from people more wise in this subject than me:

I really really want to get into modding games, but have soooooooooo many questions as it just seems very very complex with lots of different files and folders and file names and extensions and copying here and pasting there, but yet i cannot seem to find a definitive guide that starts at the very very start and makes NO assumptions on the beginners skill level or knowledge of modding in general, most of the stuff i have found uses a fair amount of jargon and assumes an already attained level of ability or knowledge on the subject which is currently still very alien to me, but i feel i managing to fumble my way in the dark which is not ideal nor how i usually like to operate, but as stated i cannot seem to find a beginners guide that takes a potential modder from day 1, and so while working through the my first mod tutorial and ensuring i had met the prerequisite assumptions of having set up the Source SDK 2013 correctly and also having worked through Jesse Culvers tutorial which involves the process of setting up of the Source SDK 2013 as well as creating a very small and basic mod (changing the title) which can be found here:

http://steamcommunity.com/app/211

I ultimately after this set up process find myself here:

https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/My_First_Mod

at the My First Mod page, again during the create the project steps it assumes that the reader already has the Source SDK installed (which i didnt), now while this is no big deal it is a simple example of what i was referring to were most of the guides make general assumptions which for some users myself include who are as green as the day they were born this can be frustrating and quite detrimental to their current learning, i digress, after installing the Source SDK and just in case refreshing the content i then follow step 3 and:

3.Open Create A Mod from the Utilities group.

It is at this point at step 4 i find myself stuck for i can select neither modify Half-Life 2 Single Player or modify Half-Life 2 Multiplayer.

Both radio buttons are grayed out, so after all this i finally get to my question, one of many many that i have.

Apologies in advance for any questions that seems stupid, as ive said already numerous times i am as green as grass with this but am determined to learn.

Do i need to purchase a copy of the particular game that i wish to mod?

My first guess would be, well obviously, how else could i mod a game if i dont own/have it, what raises this question for me though is what exactly is loading up during Jesse Culvers tutorial?

Also is that mod suppose to be playable, as when trying to start new game it does nothing, is that particular mod just simply changing the title?

Not a problem if it is i realize everyone starts small and that's ok, it was more just to have that clarified.

Sorry for the length of post, i hope someone can point me in the right direction as at the moment im just doing a lot of stuff because someone says so, with no real understanding of why or whats happening, hopefully this understanding will be learned in time but at the moment im just confused.

Thanks.

D.

[Lychy]

I think you can mod for 2006 singleplayer without buying any games but for 2007 singleplayer you need to buy episode one or two and for multiplayer you need to buy half-life 2 deathmatch.

[Whispers]

Thanks for replying,

Buying anything isnt a problem it was more just to clarify as i clearly dont have clue what im doing YET and so was unsure on requirements as nowhere during any of the beginners tutorials or guides that ive seen so far anyway mention anything about having to make purchases, which as ive said isnt a problem its just nice to know.

So just to cement this in, in order to be able to follow the My First Mod tutorial you are saying that i need to go ahead and purchase episode one OR two? (for the single player).

And this will allow me to select the single player radio button mentioned in step 4 of the create the project steps, which in turn will allow me to continue with the tutorial?

Is this correct?

[Whispers]

Also i feel i should mention, my steam games list is EMPTY, i am literally brand new to this, brand new to steam, brand new to the valve developer community, brand new to it all, and im struggling to understand where to start and even after creating that first tiny mod im still left clueless as to where to go hence i ended up on another my first mod page which i cant even get started with due to my lack of knowledge and experience or ability to be able to find a guide that is suited for people like myself just starting out.

Do i need to own the original Half-Life 2 game in order for the Half_life 2 episode 1 to work, is episode 1 a stand alone product or an extension that requires the original game?

[Misuune]

first of all you need to use source sdk base 2013, which is lot newer and better in overall
also i recommend buying half life 2 and episodes to make sure you have everything
next after having source sdk base 2013, you need to get code, do some stuff to code and compile
google can help with tutorials

[Peter Brev]

Originally posted by gatelych82:

I think you can mod for 2006 singleplayer without buying any games but for 2007 singleplayer you need to buy episode one or two and for multiplayer you need to buy half-life 2 deathmatch.

Mods running on 2006 or 2007 are no longer working and have broken feature. Furthermore, not all Source mods running on 2006 or 2007 required a game (Black Mesa as a mod didn't for instance).