What is all the fuss on modding about?

[Kristoffer O]

I believe there are two kinds of modders. The balance modders who have come across balance issues in MP games, and the thematic modders who makes new nations mainly for SP use or their own pleasure.

Some of the thematic modders are concerned with game balance, but as long as the nation is used in SP only balance will not be an issue.

Thematic mods will probably never be tested as much as balance mods. If they are to be tested for balance they must be played in MP and until they are balanced no one will have them in an MP.

I think a MP-balanced nation mod would need two or more developers. Balance and vision would both benefit from this i believe.

I would personally prefer to play a modded MP game if all nations were modded by the same team of modders. The chance that the mod is unbalanced would probably be lesser.

I would recommend that you use score graphs if you play with a modded nation. This way it becomes obvious if the modded nation becomes to strong and the other players can gang up on him as is common in score-graphed games.