Shane's Random Bits article on why modders mod? rattled loose an old idea when I was planning my berserker mod (yes, its still a WIP )
That idea is "What make a great mod?" I mean the jaw drop...off the charts mod. The truly epic, the Doom 3, Dark Blade, Edelweiss, {insert your own here}, what makes them so epic? And if you could figure it out, could you build one too?
Here's what I drew awhile back as I was noodling on that question.
The way I figure it, a mod is
1) what you build ie the finished mod,
2) why you build it or the story that goes into it, and
3) how you build it or the worklog.
What you Build
When I look at Doom 3 as a finished product, I see the amazing design with everything just working...the hidden controls, logo, and the tiny flood lamps. I'm in awe of the planning that went into it. To think that Crimson had much of what he was building thought out in advance and was able to adjust when needed is exceedingly impressive.
Looking at any of Filimon's mod's, I'm amazed how he constantly introduces new materials, birchwood, brass, and leather that were rarely seen in mods before. The same with AnG3L. Langer's mods max out the epic factor on materials and continues to with his pursuit of Aerogel. Kayin did too with his LOTR mod.
Lastly, a mod can be great by exploring hardware extremes but hardware changes so rapidly that its tough to keep up. It difficult to play the "bigger, faster, more" game when everything is obsolete within 6 months. But think about recent trends, water cooling is passe, folks are pushing the envelope now with phase change, oil submersion, and multiple CPUs or motherboards in one mod.
But I've ramble enough for now, your turn? Without knowing how it was built or why, what makes the mod or the final product of modding great?
Oh yeah, one other question, can you put a number to a mod's greatness? How do you measure it in a contest or otherwise?