Yeah man he's right. Launch FT tools and use the level editor. I think the path is campaigns, missions, then choose say, i dunno, the first mission and maybe plant yourself some goodies.
You could deepen this and maybe add other stuff down the line. The modding side is'nt too technical and easy to pick up. It's all just trial and error gains experience and before you know it, your modding the game.
Any other questions or problems you run into, be sure to ask.
Good luck.