FAQ - 505e06b2/MW2-GSC-Documentation GitHub Wiki

What is GSC?

GSC is the file extension given to the scripts of MW2. Since the game engine is assumed to be based on Quake, the scripting language is also assumed to be based on QuakeC. Many things differ between generations of GSC, but keywords typically don't change too drastically.

Strengths of GSC?

Since it's C-styled, it can be relatively easy to write if you've used a similar language before. In the author's opinion, it seems to most closely resemble C++, but if you've used Javascript in any capacity, it should come naturally. It's also heavily object-oriented, so if you want experience writing scripts for future games, it may be useful. The standard library should include almost everything you need for scripting, but there's some core engine functionality that cannot be changed. With a little creativity and little more ingenuity, any hurdle can be overcome.

Weaknesses of GSC?

Since it differs so greatly between versions, it can be frustrating to transfer scripts from one CoD title to another. It also means that there aren't many standalone compilers - even if you have a simple error, you need to reload the mod every time. Of course, there's no publicly available official documentation.

Why MW2 over games like GMod or ROBLOX?

While learning GSC may be a challenge, it does derive from languages prior. Lua scripting, however, may be completely new to a novice and has the possibility to be less transferable in future endeavours. It may also help rookies to use a compiled language to start, as it can help them debug errors before runtime, but this may just be conjecture.

MW2 being strictly an arcade-y FPS has allowed the developers to focus their efforts, and maximise the performance of the game. This is in contrast to both ROBLOX and GMod - MW2 can just about chug along on an ancient integrated graphics card, and on an operating system that it was never intended to run on, while both GMod and ROBLOX struggle to maintain 30fps. It is also worth noting that ROBLOX, currently, has no way to natively run on Linux (not even through WINE).

Why MW2 over CoD4 or BO3?

The official versions of CoD4 and BO3 on PC are extremely accommodating to modders. They come with a map editor, you can import custom assets, and write your own scripts for them.

The author believes that CoD4's weaknesses occurred when they attempted to monitor the input of players for more complex mechanics - the script writer may only check for Use, Melee, both grenades, ADS and Attack. The default assets in the game aren't very suitable for use in mods either, so Console scripting didn't seem particularly fruitful.

Where BO3 is concerned, it is only suitable for modding the Zombies mode. This is quite limiting, but definitely the best alternative to WaW. If you're looking for a more arcade-y Zombies mode, go try Ai-Zombies or even some of the older Ai Zombies modes for MW2 (if you can find them)