Planning Your Case Mod

If You Build It, They Will Come...

I won't talk too much about building your mod, as this article is about planning: the stuff you're supposed to do before you start hacking away at expensive cases or materials. Once you get into the build, however, there are a few things to consider.

Plan Time vs Mod Time

However much you plan, always keep in mind that getting out into the garage or workshop and working on your project is the most important thing. Plan what you are going to do, but don't spend so much time planning it that you lose your focus on actually doing it.

There should be a balance struck between the two. It can be easy to put off a difficult part of your project by writing lists and drawing things - don't fall for this. Keep your focus and remember that good planning is not an end unto itself, but a means to facilitate you getting your hands dirty and creating something cool.

Flexibility

There is a saying that "the first casualty of war is your plan". This could equally apply to modding. A good plan is a flexible one, or I should say, a good modder is a flexible one. Be prepared to find out that Part A doesn't actually fit with Part B, and be prepared to alter your drawings or change your design accordingly. No plan should be set in stone and a good one will adapt to changes. Heck, you may simply decide you don't like the look of something and want to change it. Keep an open mind and know that things will go wrong and you'll need to go to a Plan B (or C, D and E!).

Of course, in all that thorough planning you've done, you've minimised the chances of anything going wrong anyway. You've anticipated what little might go wrong, to the extent you now have a Plan B (and C, D, E!).

The Best Laid Plans of Mice.

There can be as much or as little to planning a modding project as you want. You'll know if you haven't planned enough, when lots of unexpected things start cropping up during your build, like parts not fitting, or you keep kicking yourself for mistakes you should have thought of.

You'll know you've planned enough when every comment in your project log thread that starts with "but what about..?" and every suggestion is something that you've already thought of, taken into account and discarded for good reason or already incorporated into your project somewhere along the line.

Unexpected is the word that really sums it up, with planning being forethought i.e. thinking ahead, your plan is a tool which works out in advance of what you could encounter during the build, so you know what to expect, and any likely problems are ironed out with few nasty surprises.

However you plan your modding projects, the important thing is that you have a plan. Put the time and effort into planning and you'll be rewarded with a mod better than you would've thought possible, and the rest of us will be rewarded with the sight of another awesome creation.


Until next time, happy modding!