The UT mod scene is starting to warm up with some kick ass projects! First, a bit of self pimpage. I'm working with CRT on putting together Rocket Arena for UT. C0mpile from Unloaded is developing a Voting system for the mod that mod authors will be able to use themselves and I've recently added Eavy to the programming team. Check out our site.
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Remember, if you have a cool mod or project, don't just sit on it. Talk to people about it and take some initiative. The most successful projects come from the mod authors with the most drive. The mod scene is a microcosm of the gaming industry with a very large number of mod authors making it into real jobs (especially map designers).

Epic largely consists of people drawn from the community. The Unreal engine has a large number of licensing companies that are always interested in skilled developers (regardless of whether they are saying it out loud or not). If you are talented and aggressive in marketing your talents, you will get noticed. Producing a successful mod indicates that you already have a familiarity with the engine technology.
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