The new games are trimmed down to maximise profits, releasing mod tools and allowing user content would extend the life of a game which would reduce the chance of selling the next game in the series. Its the way its going, and it makes sense for the business of game sales.

BUT
I'd like to know of any map makers/coders employed by these developers who learned to make maps/mods without mod tools and the ability to test their creations in public servers.
It seems to me that removing the ability to create content from your home without attending a school there will be a massive drop in new talent for the developers to use in future games.

How can I learn to make maps and create new mods without quitting my job and going to school? Once there, how can I test my ideas on a platform/game that I have gaming experience in?

Does IW rely on other manufacturers to train their future staff? Like UnrealED, how does that help when I need to use radiant to build for quake based games?

Have they just cut off the base of talent? Is this the beginning of the end?

edited on Nov. 19, 2009 05:39 am by sudswu

I dont think this is the beginning of the end. Maybe, hopefully for IW but not for the mappers and modders.

Talent is talent and we still have the tools from the past and the present up to and including the tools for WaW. People are making maps and mods with these very tools that rival and often exceed those made by the studios themselves.

Collectively, the community has a much deeper well of talent and imagination than the studios so it is small wonder that out of the thousands of people who make custom maps many excellent new maps surface so often.

The talent base is secure, the community schools are intact. Consider forums such as this one, RGN and many others to be the classrooms.

Word of quality new maps and the popularity of new maps with great potential do not go unnoticed by the studios. There are many cases of community mappers getting jobs with the studios.

One thing that I really hope we dont see is the studios holding Mapping Contests with prizes such as hats and t-shirts and then they turn around and either adjusting the maps submitted or just out and out putting them into the "Next" DLC and charging the community for the new maps.