headlesswonder

I'm so pleased that this debacle was so quickly resolved! Another example that proves voices actually can be heard. It's a shame that people don't often unite so fiercely to enact change for real world problems. Let this be a lesson, folks, and be proactive IRL, as well! :) As for the authors who pulled their mods and made them purchase only or those who essentially inserted popups into their remaining free mods, I don't believe the damage done is irreparable. With a little humility and sincerity, I'm sure the modding community will welcome them back gladly. And I don't think Valve will be so bold as to interfere with the future of those mods. All in all, cheers! Well done!

In response to post #24681829. #24686464, #24687639, #24689534, #24690734, #24694409, #24695224, #24696659, #24697089, #24697214, #24702624, #24708044, #24708509, #24714889, #24718764, #24719639, #24730014 are all replies on the same post. "You however forgot that multiple authors can sell a mod as a group and split the profits." The point that you (seemingly intentionally) miss is just how many mods are created using assets from multiple authors who may or may not wish to participate in the selling of their content. Considering how many modders have voiced their strong opposition to the principle of it, it's fair to say they would be furious when they found that someone had sold a mod that contained their assets, not because they didn't get a cut, but because (let's see again if you can grasp the concept) they do not agree with the principle of monetizing mods. For that matter, please don't speak for mod authors. For most the vast majority of us, simple thanks (or endorsements) are more than enough payment for doing something we are passionate about. That having been said, I guess you can get your clicking finger ready if donation options become available for your favorite mods, huh? http://www.pcgamer.com/valve-has-removed-paid-mods-functionality-from-steam-workshop/ Time will tell what the lasting effect will be within the community.

In response to post #24681829. #24686464, #24687639, #24689534, #24690734, #24694409, #24695224, #24696659, #24697214 are all replies on the same post. Your notion that the concerns which have been voiced regarding this debacle are being issued by "all of the crybabies that expect everything for free" is ignorant, at best. Many well-known modders have made very clear that they will not take part in it for various reasons. Do they fit your image of crybabies who just want to get everything for free? They're the ones creating the mods and are refusing to participate in something that they feel will ultimately taint the spirit of the community. As I mentioned in a more general post, perhaps coming from an old-school mod community mentality contributes to my opposition of charging for mods. I was one of the more well-known modders for Morrowind. I also assisted a few mods for Oblivion and Skyrim. I worked on projects that took hundreds of hours to complete. I loved it. It was not a job. It was born of love of the game. It was sharing something I love with others who also it. It was commonplace to see great modders offering suggestions, unrequested, to other great modders, and being "paid" in kind because the general mentality was that it was a community of people who shared a common passion. It was possible to accept donations at the time and most of the modders outright refused the notion. I don't begrudge anyone accepting donations (although I was never comfortable doing so, myself), however, outright charging for mods is something I find disgraceful. In addition to that, complications regarding the selling of others' assets abound, regardless of whether or not the original author is pro or against selling their own content. It isn't even just the blatant theft of another's work which is still readily available. It is that plenty of mods which do not include express wording regarding profit as it was never necessary due to legal issues (and the overall sharing mentality of the community) are stored on many a hard drive even if they have now been removed from future public access. The ramifications of it are far-reaching in terms of good faith in the community. It was never about greed. This is absolutely greed on the parts of anyone who participates. Everything does not have to be about money. I realize that some feel that modders should be compensated for their "work" which is not in and of itself a negative intention, however, I would like to point out that modding has never been seen as an additional job. For that matter, there are plenty of modders who do still reap the benefits of modding as they are able to build a portfolio in doing so. The exception to that, my opinion, is the potential for the game developer to legitimately purchase a large scale mod for a fair price to include in future games and/or DLC (with credit, to the originator, as well) which would be an amazing opportunity for any talented modder. What really gets me about your rant is that in the same breath, you condescend to those who are in support of donation buttons rather than fees because they'd "never use it anyway" and immediately admit that you have never done so, yourself. If you were truly concerned for all of us poor, neglected modders rather than just taking the opportunity to behave like a donkey's rear in assuming you understand why such a large chunk of the community is unhappy with this decision, you'd have donated to those of your favorite modders who accept compensation long before now. All talk, no action, isn't that what you said? Since when is a simple upvote, endorsement, comment singing a mod's praises or a "thank you" not enough for doing something you already love doing? This reminds me of all those little bastards who go door to door in elderly neighborhoods, asking the old folks to pay them $10 for shoveling their walks. Perhaps some younger people don't understand the concept that money should not be the most important thing in everything you do. At the very least, make note that the opposition is about much more than whiners wanting everything for free.

This is a very disappointing trend. It has always my opinion that modding is a pleasure, not a job. I expect that the majority of Skyrim players have no idea who I am or what mods I've created, as I was a modder for Morrowind (and have dabbled in some for Oblivion and Skyrim in a behind the scenes manner) so it may be that my opinion on this matter will amount to less than a can of beans. That having been said, perhaps it is coming from an old-school mindset that I find the idea of charging for mods to be a disgraceful one. To be clear, I spent over a year on one of my mods. It was a massive undertaking. I was not well-off financially and certainly could have done with more coin. Considering that said mod tallied nearly two million downloads among the various sites where it was hosted, if this sort of thing was available at the time, I could have made a killing had I chosen to charge. However, it never would have crossed my mind to wish I could make money off those who used it. I did not ask for, nor did I want donations. In short, I was doing something I loved and sharing it with other people who also loved it. That, in and of itself, was satisfaction enough, and the words of those who took the time to praise it (and even those who offered constructive criticism) were thanks enough. It is sickening to me that we are now in a world where even those pleasures become about money. There is also the matter of compilation packs and otherwise dealing with people submitting your work as their own and profiting from it. As have other modders, I have been in the position of having my work credited to someone else, sometimes due to honest mistakes and other times due to dishonest people attempting to pass my work off as their own. Being so against the idea of charging for mods, I can assure you that I would be furious with someone charging for my work in any fashion - not because the funds would be going to someone else rather than to me, but because they would be including my work in something I am adamantly opposed to. I don't see that there is any reason to be "torn" about whether or not to charge for mods. For me, it's about retaining the integrity of the modders and the community as a whole. I can't tell anyone what to do, and there are plenty of people who jump at the chance of money regardless of the consequence, but I do encourage both modders and users to consider what this situation ultimately leads to in terms of what has made the modding community so awesome. Low participation is the only thing that will tell these companies, "We will not tolerate your greed in this way." Do with that as you will. And, I have to say - shame on Valve for starting this and also on Bethesda for taking part in it.