I thought i'd open this topic for those of us who would like to know how to mod,but don't know where to start.
Hopefully some of the regular modders out there can add to this,and give some information,and tips on how to get started.
I've alwways been interested in how things work,one of the reasons i became a pc engineer,taking things apart as a a child etc.(not always successfully i might add to my parents dismay!-my bad)
But i've always wanted to make some of my own content for games or other software apps.
So i guess the big question is where do you start?

Number 1 rule for just about anything on the internet lol - http://www.google.com

Seriously and without sarcasm.Over at http://www.mycallofduty.com joker has put together some tutorials I believe.Other sites keep nice wikis on modding.
blank (Censored:jock that is so funny roflmao)has a very well kept wiki
Download the map and mod tools from those sites.It might be a good idea to spend time in the forums.Without speaking for joker I do believe his forums are very welcoming and you may ask questions there.

It is also a good idea to unzip the games and take a peek inside and see whats in there.An IWD file when renamed .zip at the end will give you a pleasant surprise.The FFs open a bit differently i think.

If you are a sane individual and like to learn with others I would be willing to work with you on the beginning process for the hell of it.
Steam id: bleed
Skype: ibleedv20
xfire: ibleedalot

Har Har Har ragequit,i think most people know google is there friend,lol.

But on a more serious note, and i'll explain why i opened this thread.
The way i see it at present is that cod4 servers are taking a steady decline in the number of visitors they are recieving due to the launch of mw2.I think that the future of cod4 will rely heavily on new maps and mods to keep the game running.
People always like new,and thats one of the reasons why cod4 is struggling at the moment.
As i've stated before there is still a lot that can be done with it,but people like myself just don't have the knowhow to get involved with modding.
And seeing as bash is a community site,it would be good for others to share the knowledge,and get the most from the game,creating new content,and renewing interest.

Ideas are one thing but puttng them to action is another,and not often easy if you don't have the sources.

i'm going to now go and grab some mod tolls and have a play with them.

Thanks for the info bleed.

a cple of good sites with friendly helpful people i found:-
http://www.codutility.com/index.php
http://www.modsonline.com/index.php


hope they help..

my post wasnt our of sarcasm btw, people should use google first before asking questions.. its better to learn yourself than to copy from something else.. only really need tutorials if you are really really stuck and have no idea what to do.

http://www.moddb.com/

One of the better resources out for mods. Even if you don't plan on making any. You should check out the 2009 winners for MODDB site. Mech warriors using the cryengine is pretty amazing.

Ive thought about modding and/or level designing for CoD for some time myself. I have made over 20 maps in the Unreal Tournament community and modded some gametypes there too.

The reason I spent a hell of a lot of time modding in UT was because UT release their titles and then let their community take over. You will struggle to find any stock servers in UT land. Most servers are modded to some degree, with almost all servers running custom maps and mutators.

The reason I have not spent any time modding in CoD is because of ranked servers. UT does not share that concept and so modded servers thrive, where as modded CoD servers seem very hard to populate because people care too much about ranking up. Ranked servers kill modding communities which is an incredible shame as it's modders who make stock games better imo.

If I ran a studio who were creating a new title that had ranking at it's core, a very high priority for me would be to find a way to allow mods to work with stock ranks.

So for example, the scoring system would have to remain untouched by the mod for it to be eligable to effect a players normal rank. I am sure it's not that simple, but you get where im coming from I hope It seems these days that game studios do everything they can to screw over the modders, when deep down they know it's the modders who prolong the shelf life of any game. I dare say that if the powers that be weren't hell bent on releasing a new CoD title every damn year, the modders might get a bit of extra thought thrown their way?!