So you wanna start modding Cave Story...

Before you begin, you have to answer one, very simple question. Is modding right for you? Now, don’t just jump to conclusions here; Sure, it looks fun, and it can be, but from start to finish, making a full length CS mod can be a massive undertaking, involving sacrifice and suffering. Well, maybe not so much suffering, but it can get rough sometimes. At the time of my writing this, there are dozens upon dozens of started mods out there, but to my knowledge only a handful have been carried through to completion, most of those being simple edits or boss rush challenge mods.

The first question you need to ask yourself is “Why do I want to make a mod?” If you just thought it would be a fun thing to do in your spare time, modding might not be for you, because you are probably the sort of person that cycles through a half-dozen projects every year. Modding requires dedication, planning and lots and lots of patience. If you want to make a mod because you’ve played lots of video games and wanted to try your hand at making one, that’s not bad. I certainly encourage you to try; Work on a little mod by yourself, don’t make a big deal of it and don’t take it too seriously. If by the end you still enjoy it, you’re probably cut out for the big stuff. Basically what I’m trying to say is you need to have a good reason and want to do this, because it ain’t no Sunday drive.

The next question we need to ask ourselves is “What am I going to mod about?” This is a mission critical question, but it’s surprising how many people overlook this. In order to develop a good mod that you can stay excited and enthusiastic about, you need to have a good foundation to build upon. It’s alright if you start your first mod with some silly and simple concept just to get your feet wet, but if you really want to make a nice mod, you need a good idea. Who knows, maybe that silly mod idea you started with could grow into something bigger? Play with lots of ideas, and don’t rush to pick one. Wait until you have something you can really stand behind, that makes you say “Yes, I think this idea is the bomb and needs a game made for it Right Now!” Otherwise, you may end up with a dead fish on your hands. In conclusion, take your time and think about your idea before you rush into things.

The final thing is not so much as a question, but a statement of fact. You are going to have to do everything. Maybe you’ve got some friends that want to help, sure, that’s fine. But the truth is, people can’t always be counted on. The less you rely on others, the better off you will be in the long run. That means writing script, story, graphics, music, everything. Modding requires the fusion of a large number of widely varying talents, not just technical but artistic as well. This was a large hurdle for me to overcome, as I did not see myself as an artistic person whatsoever.

Oh, you thought we were going to start modding now? HA HA, you're funny. I like you. No, before we begin, we should probably plan some things out. Really, it’s for the best. Sure, you could rush in ass-backwards hoping to get something to come out in the end, but here’s a secret. That’s how I started my first modding. I regretted it (although not somuch as some other decisions, which we shall not speak of here) and I don’t want you to make the same mistakes.

The first thing to do now that we have an idea (You did get an idea, right? That was in the last chapter! If not, go do that and come back when you have a good un’) we need to start building upon it. Spend a few hours or even days just pondering (thinking about it). Write little scraps of ideas for plot, characters, events, weapons, gameplay, anything you can think of, just scribble it down somewhere to have for later. This is probably going to be the time at which your ideas are freshest and most readily available to you, so don’t waste it! Once you’ve got a good pile of ideas going, sort through them. Keep the good ones, and take the bad ones and put them someplace else (Who knows? It might turn out to be useful someday). Everything is subject to change when you’re modding, so no idea is ever set in stone, but the important thing is that you have ideas to use, regardless of their permanence. Now that we have a nice pile of good ideas, we can start to shape them into a cohesive structure. This is the a process that will never end, as you will (should) always be getting fresh ideas, working them, and intergrating them with your design. So, since it’s a never ending process, you’d best get cracking.

Now we’ve got ideas, we’ve got structures, why not add some light to those ideas? In a less vague and roundabout way, I mean to conceptualize some graphics. Doesn’t matter if you’re a good drawist or not, heck, I sure aren’t, but it’s good to have something. I mean, in the end, unless you’ve got a good artist friend, you’re going to end up doing all the sprite work. And even if you do have friends, you’re going to end up doing the artwork, because it’s your game. So, grab a pencil, and make some pretteh sketches. I actually keep a little blue coil binder with pencil sketches of things of and about my mod. I’m always adding new things every once in a while, drawing both when I have ideas and when I feel like I’m in a drought. It sometimes helps get things moving.

If you’ve followed through with this, you’ve come a long way towards having your very own mod. You’ve show the intiative, reason, and foresight needed to start a big project such as this. The only thing that remains is, do you have the dedication? Only time will tell.