I've done modding for Paradox games (never something for the public, but just for myself), and I've done game dev in Godot. I'd say modding of Paradox games like Stellaris is a lot more convenient. There are guides, too, and the lua scripts you will be working with are relatively intuitive in my opinion. Another advantage is, that you may have an easier time to gain an audience and feedback, as it already builds on something that has a lot of people playing it. But that is no guarantee, admittedly.
this post was submitted on 25 Jun 2024
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you're on the right track - I don't know how Stellaris modding works, but modding (if modding tools already exist) is easier than coding a simple indie game.
That definitely used to be true back in the day, especially for a game with developer mod support.
These days....actually I'm not so sure. There are just so many free resources/assets, and tutorials now with Unity and Unreal. Depending on what you actually want to accomplish/create/learn that might actually be the better path to go down.
I guess my point is that creating a small mod is probably much easier than creating a small game, right? Especially for someone who is a newbie. Even if I were to create a small game, I would still want to make something cool, which would probably mean a multi-year project. I would want to do a 4X/strategy game if I pursued game development.
Whereas a mod might be doable in a couple of months. Correct me if I'm wrong on this
No worries, I would consider game development as a pure hobby project. I'm not in it to chase money. (Like if I had a finished project I would charge money for it but making money wouldnt be the point)
Sure, it all just depends on how small you're taking. Like assuming you essentially just want it to be Stellaris but with some adjustments and or an additional unit or something: yeah that's almost certainly lot easier than building your own strategy game from scratch.
If you want to make a total conversion or something using the Stellaris engine...eh....maybe check into unity and see what kind of templates people have made.
EOD what you learn in one will at least partially carry over so go whatever direction sounds more fun.
Nah, I think total conversion mods are super cool, but that's not something I would consider. If I were planning something of that scope, I would rather start working on the foundation for an indie game.
Plus if I ever plan to work on an indie game I would try to limit the scope as much as possible but keep it tight and round and sell it at a low price. Small game for a small price. (like im talking 2-3 bucks) I would consider larger projects only after I have some actual experience.