GamingPC GamesMODS

What PC games under $10 have the best mods?

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Battle for Wesnoth vs Dwarf Fortress vs Fallout 3

 vs Dungeons of Dredmor vs Half Life 2

Specs

Multiplayer

Yes

Graphic design

2D

PvP

Yes

Singleplayer

Yes

PvE

Yes

Platforms

-

Steam Rating

-

Multiplayer

-

Graphic design

-

PvP

-

Singleplayer

-

PvE

-

Platforms

Windows, Linux, Mac

Steam Rating

-

Multiplayer

-

Graphic design

-

PvP

-

Singleplayer

-

PvE

-

Platforms

-

Steam Rating

Mostly Positive

Multiplayer

-

Graphic design

-

PvP

-

Singleplayer

-

PvE

-

Platforms

-

Steam Rating

Very Positive

Multiplayer

-

Graphic design

-

PvP

-

Singleplayer

-

PvE

-

Platforms

-

Steam Rating

Overwhelmingly Positive

Pros + Cons

Pro
 Even portable

Has a portable version
Comment

Pro
 Single-player and multi-player

Battle it out against the game's advanced bots or go the online/hotseat route.
Comment

Pro
 Great graphics

Easily one of the most beautiful FOSS TBS games around.
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Pro
 Endless replayability

A large assortment of maps, classes, units and campaigns. Community addons available ingame for download, as well as a random map generator.
Comment

Pro
 Lots of ways to die, no ways to win

Starvation, riots, goblins raiders stealing your babies, goblin war parties stealing your lives, elephants, vampires, werewolves, werebears, werebadgers, carp, digging into an aquifer, digging into lava, digging into the nesting area of a Forgotten Beast, selling wood to hippies, insanity, drowning in knee-deep water, and being attacked by your own dismembered finger. There are a lot of ways for dwarves to die. Age really isn't one ever heard of. After playing this game long enough, you'll realize why dwarves don't like going outside. Everything from harpies to dangerous man-eating carp is everywhere. Some of them are humorous, but most are a lesson. The entire game acts as a massive learning experience. Don't tell your dwarves to fish; they don't know how to swim. Wall off your fortress or a necromancer will make your lunch attack you. Don't dig too far down, or something scary will follow you back up. There is no victory, only glorious deaths. What goals you set in the game are up to you. Make small, simple goals that you know you can complete. "Surviving for 100 years" is like "curing cancer". Not technically 'impossible', but it might just be easier to settle on building a bridge for now.
Comment

Pro
 Massive randomly-generated worlds persist across multiple games

Estimating one meter per tile, the smallest possible Dwarf Fortress world is roughly 13 kilometers on each side, and about 400 layers deep. The largest world is about 197 kilometers (123 miles) on each side. Each world has its own randomly-generated history with thousands of notable figures, warring factions, and numerous settlements of various races. Any number of fortresses and/or adventurers can be played in a particular world, though only one at a time.
Comment

Pro
 Renowned for depth of simulation and emergent gameplay

The ultimate goal of Dwarf Fortress is no less than a total fantasy world simulator. Its simulated systems include geology, metallurgy, fluid pressure, temperature, combustion and phase transitions (melting, evaporation, etc.), shear and tensile strength, ballistics and gravity, anatomy and tissue damage, growth and maturation of animals and plants, emotional states, life goals, and alcohol dependence.
Comment

Pro
 Base game is free (supported by donations)

From the Bay 12 Games donations page: Bay 12 is dedicated to providing original games free of charge, but that doesn't mean it is free for us to make them. We've been online since December 2000, and you can help Bay 12 Games continue to thrive. If you've enjoyed any of our games, and you are able to give, we accept financial support.
Comment

Pro
 Continuous active development is planned for decades to come

Dwarf Fortress was started in 2002 and first released in 2006. Tarn and Zach Adams, its creators, have estimated that version 1.0 will be done in "about twenty years" and development will continue beyond that point.
Comment

Con
 Controls are complex and often counterintuitive

New players are advised to read the Quickstart Guide. Dwarf Fortress takes a lot of patience to learn. Even something as basic and early as world creation might take a guide to understand the first time around. It doesn't really matter how experienced of a gamer you are; if you try to play this game without a guide, you're going to have a hard time.
Comment

Pro
 "Starter Pack" offers a streamlined introduction

The DF Starter Pack, formerly Lazy Newb Pack, is a collection of community-created enhancements to the interface and visual presentation of Dwarf Fortress. Find it here.
Comment

Pro
 Sim-like "Fortress" and roguelike "Adventurer" modes

Dwarf Fortress offers two primary ways to play. In Fortress Mode, the player oversees a small group of dwarves who embark to build a new settlement. Individual dwarves cannot be controlled directly; instead, the player supplies objectives and constraints and the A.I. decides exactly what is done by whom. Adventurer Mode presents a more classic roguelike experience, wherein the player controls a single character and can explore the entire world (including previous player-made fortresses). Two secondary modes are also provided: Legends Mode, which allows you to browse through all of the notable people, places, objects and events in a particular world's history; and the Object Testing Arena, where AI combat scenarios can be played out with any arbitrary combination of creatures and weaponry.
Comment

Con
 No inherent goals or objectives

Simulation, and the resulting emergent stories, are (by design) all there is to the game. Adventurers can die and fortresses can fall, but there is no such thing as winning.
Comment

Con
 ASCII text-based display (alternatives available via mods)

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Pro
 Venerable engine with a community of seasoned and prolific modders

Bethesda has released their own content-creation tools free to the public since Morrowind (2002), and this tradition has continued through Oblivion, Fallout 3, and Skyrim. Though some aspects of the tools and engine have changed between games, the similarities are stronger than the differences. Because of this, many modders have created content for most or all of these games, refining their skills and design sense along the way. This has also fostered a strong core community of Bethesda game modders, which welcomes and encourages newcomers.
Comment

Pro
 New Vegas expansion was designed by a former modder

Jorge Salgado, the creator of Oscuro's Oblivion Overhaul, was hired by Obsidian Entertainment for the quality of his work on that mod.
Comment

Con
 Many mods require external tools and don't support Steam Workshop installation

The Bethesda modding community has overcome many engine limitations by means of a series of Script Extender utilities (one for each game). These are third-party executable applications and not available through Steam Workshop; however, Valve has officially endorsed them and, if present, they will automatically be activated when launching through Steam. Limitations of the mod file format can cause mods to conflict if they attempt to make unrelated changes to the same object (e.g., one mod changes an NPC's hit points while another changes hair color). Many popular mods have large areas of overlap and will not work together (or at all) if installed through Workshop. Wrye Bash is a third-party application which resolves such conflicts by merging mods together.
Comment

Pro
 Combines punishing roguelike game mechanics with silly and satirical humor

The core mechanics of Dungeons of Dredmor are roguelike, but added on top of that is a silly humor that creates and endearing atmosphere.
Comment

Pro
 Several community mods were bundled as a free official expansion pack

In a testament to the quality of the Dungeons of Dredmor modding community, one official expansion pack consists almost entirely of user-created content. It was released for free, since they're not total capitalist jerks.
Comment

Pro
 Skill-based class system improves replay value

A character has seven selected skills, which effectively define that character's class: they have access to every skill selected, and no others. The base game contains dozens of skills, with many more available through both mods and official expansions.
Comment

Pro
 Configurable difficulty accommodates both casual and hardcore play

In addition to basic difficulty adjustment, the player can choose whether death is permanent (in classic roguelike style) or merely resets the current level. There is also a mode called "No Time to Grind" where experience points are increased from all sources, but in compensation, levels are smaller.
Comment

Con
 Minor interface issues

The interface feels very unintuitive with aspects such as having to change the default action feeling overly complicated and unecissary.
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Pro
 Many mods will run with just the free Source Engine installed

A total conversion which does not directly use any assets from Half Life 2 can be played without even purchasing the base game.
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Pro
 Supports total conversions

The Source SDK allows mod creators to build new game content from the ground up, leaving no trace of Half Life 2.
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Pro
 Some Half Life 2 mods were later released as stand-alone games

Examples include Garry's Mod, Dear Esther, and The Stanley Parable.
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