A Message to the fourm Moderators (Aka, The intent behind this thread)
This thread is not an argument, it is a discussion. it is intended to be informative in nature. i hope that by disscussing the following, we can avoid further posts on the matter (at least for a time being) or at the very least, be more educated on the subject.
On to the show...
What is a mod? well, unless im past my time, "Mod" is slang for modification. not just limited to software (other uses include modded Paintball markers; Cars; modded parts, modded tools) in these fourms it is most commonly refering to the PC verson of minecraft. players who are tech savey have modified things ranging from their player skins, or block graphics; to more elabort changes such as adding their own biomes, or game items. the sky is the limit for those who know what they are doing, and for those who dont, you can easily go and download other players mods that have been put online.
simply put, a modification is something that changes the way the way something looks, or how it functions. this is true for not only Minecraft or other video games, but also the other examples shown earlyer (i have a paintball Marker that is cosmeticly modded to look like a M249, it is also functionaly modded to fire faster)
DoesXbox have mods? belive it or not, yes! minecraft has mods. currently we have cosmetic mods provided by 4J studios. they are not free, though a trial verson is available, which can unlock a few usable player skins, or give us the ability to play games using the texture packs without saving. the mods provide no function change to the game, and are labeled "skins packs", "mash ups" or "texture packs". despite what they are called, they are in fact mods.
it is possible to say, that updates inwhich we recive new materials (jungle biomes, upside down slabs, carrots, pottatos, and trading are some of the more recent changes) are infact mods. this is because the minecraft you puchased is by technicality a finished game. anything else that gets added in a later update is now modifying the game you play. many people will dissagree with this, because the computer verson already has these things, and we are just catching up. while these may not be the mods that people want, these are by definition mods.
What kind of mods do people want? differnt people want differnt things. they have since the beggining of time, (look up "war"). for the most part however, when people talk about wanting or not wanting mods on Minecraft Xbox edition, they are refering to user created mods, or Imported PC mods.
players who want user created mods want to be able to import their own skins and textures, or write their own code to create items or change item properties and such.
Imported PC mods are mods that have already been created by players for the PC (or other platform). these mods would ideally be imported by 4J studios.
Possible issues with User created mods and Imported PC Mods I see a few issues with both of these options. i might not say that these are deal breakers and its never going to happen, im just pointing out things that would concern me.
User Created mods: there are exactly two ways to do this. the first one is... and i have no experiance with it, so this isnt exactly how to do it... get into the game code or whatever, and write in new code. Microsoft does not provide a method by which to get into the code. it is possible to do, somehow, but im not sure on its legality. i believe the word "hack" has been used in conjunction with this, and im pretty sure ive heard of people having their accounts banned once its discovered that they do it. can you get away with it? sure, maybe... i wouldnt count on it though. but i know ive been in a halo game where the host had hacked his xbox to shoot trains out of the plasma pistol. i dont know what happened to him.
The other option to user created mods, is for 4J studios to include an "editor" game mode. basicly, they provide a program in which you can modify the game. this option would be preferable to code writing, as anyone would beable to use it. because its a codded editor, it would have limtations on its capabilites, which would also reduce the ability for someone who doesnt know what they are doing to screw up his game and cause everything to crash. the down side to this is that it would require 4J studios to spend time away from the game to create a game editor. personaly, i would rather have the profesionals make that new biome available rather than them spend time so that someone of questionable motives create it.
Imported PC Mods: as with the editor, this option would take away from 4J studios time at working on the core game itself. of course, on the otherhand, if 4J added a new mob in its next update, and that mob was originaly only in a mod, then i suppose thats adding a mod for you. ive heard it said that 4J Studios has said they do not plan on adding anything from PC mods though, so if thats true, i doubt this will ever be happening. now should they add parts of mods, that might not fall under the same concept, so maybe we will see some elements of PC mods.
personaly, in my opinion, i dont see major PC mods coming Xbox, such as the gravity mod. things like new biomes (i saw one once whith ice mountains, i dont know if thats a mod or not) or other small things may be snuck in, in their own way so as to "not be a PCMod thing".
Conclusion Something that people think of when they hear "Mods" is a feature that can be turned on or off. options. the ability to say "i want to use this one, and this one... but not this one." if 4J studios does include Imported mods, i would guess them to be an all inclusive thing. it would be all or nothing, as the mods would build upon one another. actually, thats what they currently do, lol.
microsoft will never provide an option to open up the games code and alter it in anyway. so that option is out. 4J studios COULD provide the tools to do this in the game, but that would take time from them doing other things. it could happen, or it could not. as for imported mods, i feel like we get those everytime they add new content to the game. and while they COULD go ahead and add that new mod, i feel like they are the kinds of people who want to create the game themselves, not use someone elses already created content(you know, asides from using mojangs "Minecraft" lol)
The end...
If i missed something, let me know. if i made some mistake, its no big deal, the idea is all there. the basic concept is pretty solid. any discussion on the subject is welcome, just keep it calm. this isnt here to attack. Thanks for reading.
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A Message to the fourm Moderators (Aka, The intent behind this thread)
This thread is not an argument, it is a discussion. it is intended to be informative in nature. i hope that by disscussing the following, we can avoid further posts on the matter (at least for a time being) or at the very least, be more educated on the subject.
On to the show...
What is a mod?
well, unless im past my time, "Mod" is slang for modification. not just limited to software (other uses include modded Paintball markers; Cars; modded parts, modded tools) in these fourms it is most commonly refering to the PC verson of minecraft. players who are tech savey have modified things ranging from their player skins, or block graphics; to more elabort changes such as adding their own biomes, or game items. the sky is the limit for those who know what they are doing, and for those who dont, you can easily go and download other players mods that have been put online.
simply put, a modification is something that changes the way the way something looks, or how it functions. this is true for not only Minecraft or other video games, but also the other examples shown earlyer (i have a paintball Marker that is cosmeticly modded to look like a M249, it is also functionaly modded to fire faster)
DoesXbox have mods?
belive it or not, yes! minecraft has mods. currently we have cosmetic mods provided by 4J studios. they are not free, though a trial verson is available, which can unlock a few usable player skins, or give us the ability to play games using the texture packs without saving. the mods provide no function change to the game, and are labeled "skins packs", "mash ups" or "texture packs". despite what they are called, they are in fact mods.
it is possible to say, that updates inwhich we recive new materials (jungle biomes, upside down slabs, carrots, pottatos, and trading are some of the more recent changes) are infact mods. this is because the minecraft you puchased is by technicality a finished game. anything else that gets added in a later update is now modifying the game you play. many people will dissagree with this, because the computer verson already has these things, and we are just catching up. while these may not be the mods that people want, these are by definition mods.
What kind of mods do people want?
differnt people want differnt things. they have since the beggining of time, (look up "war"). for the most part however, when people talk about wanting or not wanting mods on Minecraft Xbox edition, they are refering to user created mods, or Imported PC mods.
players who want user created mods want to be able to import their own skins and textures, or write their own code to create items or change item properties and such.
Imported PC mods are mods that have already been created by players for the PC (or other platform). these mods would ideally be imported by 4J studios.
Possible issues with User created mods and Imported PC Mods
I see a few issues with both of these options. i might not say that these are deal breakers and its never going to happen, im just pointing out things that would concern me.
User Created mods: there are exactly two ways to do this. the first one is... and i have no experiance with it, so this isnt exactly how to do it... get into the game code or whatever, and write in new code. Microsoft does not provide a method by which to get into the code. it is possible to do, somehow, but im not sure on its legality. i believe the word "hack" has been used in conjunction with this, and im pretty sure ive heard of people having their accounts banned once its discovered that they do it. can you get away with it? sure, maybe... i wouldnt count on it though. but i know ive been in a halo game where the host had hacked his xbox to shoot trains out of the plasma pistol. i dont know what happened to him.
The other option to user created mods, is for 4J studios to include an "editor" game mode. basicly, they provide a program in which you can modify the game. this option would be preferable to code writing, as anyone would beable to use it. because its a codded editor, it would have limtations on its capabilites, which would also reduce the ability for someone who doesnt know what they are doing to screw up his game and cause everything to crash. the down side to this is that it would require 4J studios to spend time away from the game to create a game editor. personaly, i would rather have the profesionals make that new biome available rather than them spend time so that someone of questionable motives create it.
Imported PC Mods: as with the editor, this option would take away from 4J studios time at working on the core game itself. of course, on the otherhand, if 4J added a new mob in its next update, and that mob was originaly only in a mod, then i suppose thats adding a mod for you. ive heard it said that 4J Studios has said they do not plan on adding anything from PC mods though, so if thats true, i doubt this will ever be happening. now should they add parts of mods, that might not fall under the same concept, so maybe we will see some elements of PC mods.
personaly, in my opinion, i dont see major PC mods coming Xbox, such as the gravity mod. things like new biomes (i saw one once whith ice mountains, i dont know if thats a mod or not) or other small things may be snuck in, in their own way so as to "not be a PCMod thing".
Conclusion
Something that people think of when they hear "Mods" is a feature that can be turned on or off. options. the ability to say "i want to use this one, and this one... but not this one." if 4J studios does include Imported mods, i would guess them to be an all inclusive thing. it would be all or nothing, as the mods would build upon one another. actually, thats what they currently do, lol.
microsoft will never provide an option to open up the games code and alter it in anyway. so that option is out. 4J studios COULD provide the tools to do this in the game, but that would take time from them doing other things. it could happen, or it could not. as for imported mods, i feel like we get those everytime they add new content to the game. and while they COULD go ahead and add that new mod, i feel like they are the kinds of people who want to create the game themselves, not use someone elses already created content(you know, asides from using mojangs "Minecraft" lol)
The end...
If i missed something, let me know. if i made some mistake, its no big deal, the idea is all there. the basic concept is pretty solid. any discussion on the subject is welcome, just keep it calm. this isnt here to attack. Thanks for reading.