Modding



Modding is a way of changing the form and play of a game by manipulating its base coding. This can vary from changing colors of a character, to re-making a map or weapon, such as in Halo 2. Using the mods can significantly alter the processes of a game. As modding is often used for cheating, it is not allowed on Xbox Live and the use of a modded Xbox on Xbox Live will result in a terminated account. However, Halo: Custom Edition, an expansion of Halo PC, was created by Gearbox Software and it is a legal form of modding.

An example of a Meta Tag modding program is Halo Map Tools.

Modding for Cheating
Modding can add weapons, turn weapons that are single-wielded into dual-wielded weapons, such as the Covenant Energy Sword or even Sniper Rifles. Also, mods can make a player jump incredible distances and in some cases, break the game or map barrier. These mods can be used for everyone's enjoyment also, and in Halo: CE, modding is not like cheating because it affects everyone in the game.

For example, if the assault rifle is modded by the host of the game to shoot tank rounds or sniper bullets, all the players can shoot out the sniper bullets and tank rounds. However, if a joining person has a modded map that shoots out tank rounds, when he shoots, it will appear to him as he's shooting tank rounds, but it has no function - everyone else shoots normally, and everyone else takes normal damage. So in this way, you can't cheat, only do it for everyone's enjoyment (if you are the host).

Modders are legitimate players and do not cheat. They discourage cheaters to be called modders, rather hackers.

Other mods include:


 * Auto-Headshots
 * Infinite Ammunition
 * Super-Speed
 * Making undrivable vehicles drivable (e.g. Pelicans, Longswords, Phantoms, etc)
 * Extra Damage Delivered
 * Damage Resistance
 * Cloning yourself
 * The creation of new Weapons
 * The modification of weapons and vehicles (like combining two different vehicles to create a new one with both characteristics) in Halo 2.
 * The modification of maps
 * The modification of weapon, vehicle, and player spawn points
 * Automatic power weapons, like Sniper rifles and Rocket launchers
 * Creation of energy barriers
 * Creation of flying turrets
 * Changing the physics on a map to make players lightweight or super-dense
 * The introduction of AIs into maps
 * Swapping weapon abilities and characteristics (example: Shotgun ammunition turns into a spray of wraith shots, Plasma pistols shooting Overshield power-ups).

Most of these maps are hard drive maps such as Containment (Level) or Terminal (Level). It is possible to modify the maps on the Game Disk, but it is a very hard process and may break your DVD drive. The easier way is to copy the game to the Xbox hard drive, but you won't be able to play on Xbox LIVE with them.

All of these mods are used in Halo 2 to give the "modder" a slight edge in gameplay. However, he/she can only use a lot of the mods if he/she has host of the game. Often, modders are in a party with a "bridger" or a "stand-byer." The bridger uses a program on the computer which interacts with other players' routers and xboxs to make a modder or anyone else host of the game. This is effective in the process of "leveling-up." This is when gamers join a modder's game to get their level boosted up because the modder is almost unstoppable. Stand-byers use many techniques to freeze other gamers games. This includes: Pressing the "stand-by" button on a modem, and slightly unplugging the Internet cable from their Xbox. When a stand-byer is successful, other gamers either get the dreaded "blue screen" or they get a similar black screen. Everyone but the stand-byer gets this. This allows the stand-byer to run around the map and kill all opponents. This is effective, but illegal, as are all mods.

Any use of these mods is in violation with the Code of Conduct and will get their account banned from all matchmaking games.

Game Crashing
PC modders should be aware of something called an Exception on both Halo PC and Halo 2 for Windows Vista. This occurs when something goes wrong with the mod, or when something done is uncalled for. For example, some mods require a Level restart, or the game will crash, leading to an Exception Error. Or a modified Grunt (example) that does not have a biped tag.

In Halo PC, Game crashing usually leads to a Window showing, "Gathering Exception Data" which means the game had crashed through an uncalled for mod, or a physic glitch. While in Halo 2 Vista, the game does not show the window. Instead, it will automatically close, which some claim an exception.

On Xbox users, Wikipedia stated that there's something called, "Console Crashing" leading to something called, "The Green screen of Death" if not, the game will freeze.

Bungie takes action
This has become such a widespread problem in the "Matchmaking" system that Bungie was forced to resolve the problem by releasing auto-updates which ban hackers from the system and terminate their accounts. Bungie has banned thousands of players and is working to clean up the rest, earning in the process the moniker 'Banhammer.' Several sites offer a list of cheaters and hackers.

Although there used to be several ways to mod, Xbox Live and Bungie have collaborated to rectify the programming mistakes and prevent the game from being modded as much. They are also reinforcing much stricter punishments for cheaters, such as instant bans and longer suspensions.

Demo Modding
Modding maps in the Demo/Trial version of Halo: Combat Evolved is also possible, although there are a few differences: The Demo does come with every gametype though. You can access them through modding.
 * Limitations: Slayer/CTF Only, Silent Cartographer (Level)/Blood Gulch Only.
 * The maps are in a compressed format, contrary to that of the paid version. You need to uncompress the maps or use a special editor that handles Halo Compressed Maps (though they both have the same extension, .map)

Modding for Everyone's Enjoyment
Sometimes, though, people mod for fun by making the mods on the maps able to be used by everybody in the game. This is what modding was originally intended for: fun and messing around. Often modders make a map with a theme, such as a snowy version of a normal map, a night time version of a normal map, a SWAT type map, or anything you can imagine. Some mods add player models from a Campaign map to a Multiplayer Map, including Heretic Elites, ODSTs etc. Sometimes people make mods just to see what kind of new and innovative things they can do such as "Active Scenery" which allows objects, like Pelican Dropships, to move around the map without AI or anyone controlling it. An example of Bungie made active scenery is the Train on Terminal or the Monitor, 2401 Penitent Tangent, on Backwash.

Modding isn't limited to the Xbox. Halo PC is easily modded, given the right tools, and Halo: Custom Edition even encourages user-created maps. Many popular maps available for Halo: Custom Edition are Yoyorast Island, which is basically a twisty racecourse, Extinction, a very large map set between a large UNSC ship resembling the Pillar of Autumn and a large crashed ship resembling a Covenant ship, and Coldsnap, another very large outdoors map that relies mainly on vehicular combat.

Some also mod to make nice screenshots like those seen at Halouvre, or even to create machinima.

It should be noted, however, that this type of modding can still result in a ban from matchmaking, and is still considered illegal, although Bungie doesn't appear to mind it as long as the modder does not go onto Xbox LIVE.

Halo 3 Mods
Like Halo 2, and Halo: Combat Evolved before it, Halo 3 has already gained some notable mods, provided by community members unaffiliated with Bungie or Microsoft. Though not always used for cheating or providing one player or team an advantage, the use of modded content on Xbox Live in any regard is still considered illegal, and can result in a ban.

Softmods and Hardmods
Contrary to common belief, getting a chip installed in your Xbox is not the only way to have mods. Many popular mods are retrieved through what is called "soft" modding.
 * Soft modding does not require a chip; it is done through a special file and an Action Replay.
 * "Hard" mods are done by acquiring a special chip and installing it on to your Xbox.