I’d say nothing. :retard:
Go for it, I’d say!
What does the Black Mesa team need to release for the PC platform?
Patience, time and a cookie.
Ok, since none of you are able to explain exactly to the OP the difference between a mod on the Source engine and a stand-alone game using the Source engine, I figure I would step in and explain what’s what.
Black Mesa is being made as a mod to the Source engine using a set of tools that come included when you buy a Source game by Valve, like Half-Life 2 or Left 4 Dead. That set of tools is called the Source SDK and can be downloaded from the Tools tab on Steam, but like I said, you only have access to it if you buy a Valve game that uses the Source engine.
The Source SDK gives you access to a lot of things, like level design, plug-ins for 3D modeling applications, a face-poser, and a limited set of source code files which you can modify in order to change the gameplay mechanics to your liking, code new weapons, game features, among other stuff. While this allows you to make a very complete game experience, you can’t modify the core engine stuff, like the rendering, sound and physic sub-systems. Basically you have to make the mod around the current limitations of the host engine.
You can’t sell a mod and whoever wants to play your mod has to own a Source engine game from Valve.
Now if you want to make a commercial game using the Source engine, you gotta buy a license from Valve, which gives you the complete source code and tools. Now you can modify anything you want and sell your game as a stand-alone title, but this requires that your team has the necessary funds and means to do it.
Ah ok thats good to know about the cross platform, thanks.
If you start out as a mod, you can build a fan base, work out the bugs, improve your skills, see how popular your product would become, and then if the numbers are behind it, find someway to raise money to buy a license and sell your product on steam. Similar to Garry’s mod. Several games started out as mods: Day of Defeat, Team Fortress, Counterstrike, etc., and when Valve saw they had something they hired the individuals into their company and purchased the rights to the game from the individuals. Don’t count on Valve to do that though, I just used that as an example of mods making the leap to an industry title.
Man, to a lot of people, mattemuse’s mum now has one Hell of a price on her head.