EpicCrab

I think you're mis-characterizing this when you say it's about authors whining their files aren't making it to hot files. I have no problem making hot files when I release, SimonMagus616 doesn't, and Arthmoor certainly doesn't. The issue I have is that as a user it limits what mods are shown to me. If I want to see popular new mods, it's nice to know that JK is doing Whiterun interiors now, but I really don't need half of the hot files to say JK's Whatever to find that out. I'd much rather have one panel for JK's hot files and the others to show me what else is new, so that I can see at a glance what else is new and popular.

I don't know if I want to assume the decision is based on getting more Donation Points, but yeah, that is an effect of splitting up the files.

When this was raised in the Nexus mod authors discord, one of the suggested solutions (I believe from Pickysaurus) was that if an author had several files that would qualify for hot files, one would be randomly selected for display. Another suggested solution is that authors would be limited to 2 or 3 files in the hot files at a time. I don't think either solution is perfect, but they seem like good starting points.

I think it's fascinating that a lot of people are saying "this is an objectively bad UI, and it's far worse than the previous version" and the response they get is "but it's free! why would you care if the site is objectively worse than it was a few days ago when it's free? in fact, why aren't you paying them for this?" I get why the reminders are there. I'm not complaining that they exist. The nexus exists as a business, and my uploads and downloads cost them money they will probably never recoup off of me or my users. However, replacing the existing download popup with a redirect that requires a secondary click is an objectively bad UI choice. It's annoying to all users - which is actually what you don't want when you're trying to convince them to buy your product - and it's a step down from the old UI. There is no reason the redirect was necessary instead of a popup with the exact same message. If Nexus wants to show people the reminder that they aren't premium users and that there are a number of benefits to premium - fine, do that, but do it in a popup that doesn't require additional clicks, the same way that the download experience worked a few days ago. Despite several years overhauling the site to make it feel like a website from 2019 instead of 2013, this single change makes it feel like a bad website from 2007.

anyone else notice that the only people defending the terrible UI change are the people who don't have to deal with it?

So with Fallout 4 implementing player voice acting, quest mods will have a problem with the player saying things. Yes, we all know the usual solution is to make the lines silent, but that would be much stranger to apply to the player than to NPCs. So here's my suggestion: a voice actor records every player line in the game. If you have a few different voice actors do this, then the player is able to customize their voice in-game, wherein I mean you get either the default or the modded one. The main benefit is that if someone makes a high-profile quest/DLC-sized mod (a la Falskaar, Wyrmstooth, Summerset, upcoming Maxwell's World), then a high-profile voice actor can do the player lines. That way the player gets a voiced character, which will presumably be much more immersive than being the only one in a scene not talking. A side benefit is the ability to rewrite lines you didn't like. Keep the general content the same so it makes sense, but change up delivery, phrasing, tone, whatever you want. Obviously this is a massive scope project, and there is little to no reward guaranteed for the VA. So that's a downside to this. On the other hand, doing something of this scope well is probably a good enough portfolio to get more VA work. Mind you, I don't actually own Fallout 4, so there's nothing I can do to help.