I have played sins off and on for a couple of years now and have grown tired of all the races in game.  Mods are completely new to me but I am very technically minded and have a little experience in programming.  Entity files dont look like rocket science so I figured I would give creating a custom race a try.  After reading the forums for about a week and seeing that things are pretty active with some very nice work floating around I think I should at least ask.  I have compiled a list of things I need to do and frankly it looks daunting but if people can pump out mods like crazy it cant be that hard, right?

Am I getting in over my head?

I have compiled a list of things I need to do and frankly it looks daunting but if people can pump out mods like crazy it cant be that hard, right? I need to learn:

1)What the hell .ENTITY files are and syntax involved?

2)The horrible world of modeling and come up with inspiration for cool looking space ships(in grinding progress)

3)OMG, what are these UV coordinates and how do people even make good looking textures?

4)How to import models into XSI(I have some old sketchup models I would like to use) and getting them into the game.

5)How to add new things to the game and creating an entity manifest file.

6)How to fix problems that will inevitably pop up.

While this list seems daunting for an absolute beginner, I believe it can be done; I got through engineering school after all.  I find that planning out large projects like this is beneficial so here is my list of things to do:

1) Create a spreadsheet of desired ships with attributes and abilities so I have something to shoot for(half done).

2) Start writing entity files to support desired ships and structures.

3) Make some basic models for ships and structures

4) Import ships into game as extra TEC ships or something to get basic functionality working.

5) Actually create a new race for everything to fit into.

6) Refine models so they dont look like crap and I dont get laughed at.

7) Finishing touches, balancing, and bug hunting.

Am I missing any big steps?  Am I totally crazy for wanting to do this on my own?  Am I going to get pissed off and quit five minutes from now?  Will this even be worthwhile?  Any insight from someone experienced would be beneficial.