198 replies to this topic

[yhwhwarrior]

Does Bethesda make money off of the donations since they own all rights to mods made with the CK?

Edited by yhwhwarrior, 10 March 2012 - 12:14 AM.

[Quetzlsacatanango]

How much does Bethesda get off of the donations since they own all rights to mods made with the CK?

Nothing since no one is paying for mods. Sheesh, read.

[tyron1234]

@Dark0ne, You made a great call, and I am glad you got out in front. One thing that could have really hurt Nexus long term was users and mod authors migrating to new platforms like steam. Given the great Nexus community that would be a tragedy and I think your choice helps keep parity and balance.

Mods are and should always be free, they come as they are take them or leave them. But it is nice for mod users to be able to give back, and modders to see the communities appreciation.

A couple suggestions I hope will help the system.

Add a Mandatory pop after the user clicks on the donation link before they are redirected letting the user know the basic terms of donations such as:

1. Donations are strictly voluntary all mods, and components are free
2. Donations do not gain any additional support or help.
2.a. A sub note to this would be it would be great if you could give mod authors a way to set a help policy.
3. Donations are non-refundable once you donate don't come asking Nexus or anyone else for money back so think TWICE!

Also place an easy button to report abuse, and track donation abuse separately from other types of abuse.

I also second the Anonymous donations.

I've only done a few mods on Nexus so far, mostly done them other places, but I've used Nexus for years and years. I doubt I'll ever place a donation button on my mods, I do them for myself and the community the Best donation a user can give me is to endorse my mods and leave a comment on my comments page telling me what they liked.

[sirchet]

The amount of time that goes into creating anything substantial is ridiculously disproportionate to any amount of money we, the end users might contribute.

On the average in a quest driven mod, it's hours of work for minutes of game time.

It's my personal opinion that any kind of incentive we can give to further the development of all this free extra content is a positive thing.

We now have the ability to do more than merely say we appreciate the work, we can prove it buy adding an actual physical reward for the efforts that go into these wonderful works that are freely given to us.

[LaoArchAngel]

I recommend a level of leniency for mod authors (not me) who have already requested donations. I know you've already thought about that, but there are some super large mods out there (2k Skyrim is one, I believe) that had requests for donations prior to the change in ToS. I don't think everyone reads the messages, so they may not realize they're infringing right away.

[blackjackgarry]

Playing since Arena the Elder Scroll games, the mods - starting with morrowind - made up the game in a way Beth never (I think) really anticipated.

So, most of the famous mods (and also infamous like Galadriels - modders and mod player know what i mean) are the drivers behind the game critics and 'hypes'. And this comes out of the community. Beth did and is doing a great job, no question about this. But, the long term playing and also 'holding the game alive' IS DONE BY THE COMMUNITY! And not by Beth or Steam!
Last one is a money-making plattform, thats ok. Its the way, even if a lot of the older players do not like it. And do you (the player's) really think, morrowind or oblivion would had such an long-term-impact, if only steam was available as modding-'nexus' - Answer clearly NO!

So, to open nexus to give modders not only credit (endorsing) as also now the possibility to donate was a step long overdue. I rather give a modder a small donation than be bound to a commercial company where I DO KNOW that THEY are only looking for maximised profits. And when they (the mods there at steam) do not achive enought 'activity', (whitch means addvertisment-traffic as well) they will be 'cleaned'.

I like nexus, planetelderscrolls, sharesoft, etc.. These modder driven communities are the best solutions in case of long-term playing experience. Steam will and cannot be this - hint: look around for mods for 4-6year old games eg. Sins CivIV,... - they're mostly gone!
Here at nexus i can still find mods from years ago.

So, even when you only can donate 'steam-things' at steam (ha, ha, ha...) - to open nexus to donate was a very good move. And a bold one. Would - here at nexus - really think one, that eg Neherim would be available if people didn' contribute?
(In germany its quite easier to do it, than in the US - Neherim comes from germany. The law-issues are more - well - pragamtic and user friendly.)
Or, in case of CivIV the mod Fall from Heaven (whitch was then officially integrated into CivV!).
Or, see at the oblivion-nexus mods, Beth really 'copied' several of the ideas into Skyrim.

These examples only show what' can be achieved if a donation system is working hand-in-hand together with a modder community. Even nexus will benefit, when these mods are located here.

Another point: Inside games, today the cross-marketing eg. for softdrinks, is quite common. And this is done by the companies. So, now saying - modder you should not do so, seems - well - hypocrite. I think you know whitch modder and mod I mean!!!

[Sharlikran]

I am all for having a donation button here and on Steam Workshop. I feel they deserve it as well. I tried to make some modifications myself and the learning curve is ridiculous for novice modders. However, I would like to see an addition for in game requests as well. I may not prefer this but I'd like to see what the consensus is on this matter even if it's deemed acceptable. I also hope that the policy is addopted across the board and not just on Nexus or Steam workshop.

Edited by Sharlikran, 10 March 2012 - 02:08 AM.

[Natterforme]

I would like to have help with some clarification with a problem that I foresee. Since the release of the game, I have had several nonpaid commissions for armor and clothing mods. I have had several offer some sort of PayPal donation but I refused at the time both because I had known about the Nexus policy on donations and I didnt want money to corrupt the issue. I am worried that, if someone is willing to make a donation based on a free commission, what legal ramifications this might have. Also, I dont want to accept donations for my commissions and then give those commissioners the potential to abuse that relationship.

For example, lets say I take a donation for a free commission that I have done for a user here. I want to make sure that that person can not use money as leverage to get what they want or put them ahead on my commissions list based on the size of their donation. I.e. I dont want unsatisfied commissioners to yell "What am I paying you for?"

Forgive if I am not making much sense. I just dont want people to use money as a carrot to get what they want from mod authors. Right now mod authors can say that they are doing this for free on their free time and that you should be grateful that they are listening at all. What happens when money gets involved?

And what about SW? If we upload files there do we lose the right to accept donations on our Nexus pages? I just know that someone will try.

-Natterforme

[Triaxx2]

The last thing I want is donations. I realize that's an attitude that might not sit well with some and that might be down right offensive to others. However I have reasons for my thought on the matter.

First of all, I mod for the enjoyment. I mod to make the game, and the community better. I mod because making the mod is my donation. I don't have the money to donate, so the only thing I can do is give back by modding myself. Monetary donations make me feel like my contribution is somehow worth less than it was before. I will continue to do it, because I still enjoy it.

Second, modding is a hobby. I do it in my free time and while I try my best to fix any issues noted as quickly as I can, I've seen many times where money turns a hobby into business, and then it's no longer fun and enjoyable. What happens? First creativity suffers as you slowly stop caring at all. And then you quit. And I don't want that to happen.

Do I think you should scrap the idea? Of course not. It's a good one and I know you'll do it well. I just won't be using it. I did feel my concerns and reasoning needed airing.

Now for a positive thought. All donations should be anonymous. 100%, always and forever. Donations should be listed as Nexus Member donating X amount. If someone wants a commission fine, but they should be absolutely separate from donations.

[REZ01]

Very Nice... Thanks for this..