To the users of my mods

[JRICH604]

In light of recent changes I have decided to take time to write this to communicate to users of my mods why some may be down and may soon be or already are removed from this site. This is not done to open heated discussion or debate the change itself for those that feel strongly one way or the other. It is done so that users of my mods may be informed and I speak only for myself in a very personal way on how this change has impacted me and my mods here. I ask only to be heard. I am not here to change anyone's mind or in turn have my own changed. If you feel strongly please use another new or existing thread to express it. In order to understand you will need to first read for yourself the recent news post from the site titled "An important notice and our future plans for collections"

When I joined Nexus my experience was very positive. I found overall a community to include staff that was actively supporting both content creators and users of said content. Whenever I looked to use or share content for games Nexus was always the first stop and in fact the only place users could access some of the content I have made. Before deciding to share my own content I took care to see what the limitations were for creative control should I choose to host my mods here. What I found was satisfactory, the limitations I did see of which I agreed to were in place to prevent harmful and illegal content from being hosted and of course to agree to staying within set standards for communications with others to mitigate and help prevent abuse of other members. Perhaps I was naive but I really felt that so long as the content was permissible, and I was not outside community standards in regards to communications with other members the site would more or less take a hands off approach in order to allow the freedom to manage my own content. One of the most important aspects of creative control for myself is the freedom to add or remove my content that is hosted on the site. Being able to add but not remove makes me feel like I am now in a Hotel California setting in regards to my mods hosted here.

While not the only reason given for this change it is atleast admitted that the new collections system planned is one. A system that will be compulsory to partake in regardless of whether or not my content is even suitable to be included in it. In the past whether it was as simple as a site makeover to change layout or the Donation Point program I always felt that others were taken into consideration. In the case of DP for those that did not wish to partake it was not forced. I chose not to participate and was allowed to make this choice. By simply allowing me this choice I felt that the site still cared about and compromised for all its members not just those in the new program. With this change and the way it has been done I have a choice but it is not one I wish to make. If there is content I do not wish to be a part of this new feature the only choice I have been given is to remove all my work and in a way that feels to me uncaring. It feels like a damned if you do damned if you dont. Either I end up with content included that I do not wish to be or I lose everything. I do not understand this. I am having a hard time processing this. I am not against collections for those that wish to participate. If this is the future of modding for most then so be it. It will happen with or without me. I am distressed by the way in which it has and will be implemented. The way in which it has been forced with very little notice and mandatory participation in any that choose to remain.

I read collections news post and read it again trying very hard to understand why it is a necessary thing for this site to take away the ability to remove my own content and the necessity for inclusion of all and not what I permit. Failure to communicate this very serious change with the creators on this site prior to implementing it is the core problem atleast for me. There are many valid reasons why the creator of content may wish to remove some or all from a site that hosts it and this is not limited to modifications for games. It is especially unfortunate for me as after reviewing the content I have shared there is some that I may have chosen to allow to remain in the new system and some that I would not but I have not been given the option to choose. Had I been given some kind of warning, that after a certain date files would no longer be able to be removed from the site, it would have been as simple as reviewing what was currently shared and being able to choose which ones to leave up.

It seems likely I may request to have my content removed. Only then will I again have freedom to choose which content is hosted and suitable for the new collection system. If this happens I of course will lose all my current pages here. Some of which have been here for years. This is not a simple loss of data. My pages here retain comments by others, images shared etc. For myself and many others the value in modding and sharing mods was never money, the value was always in the connection and engagement with others of which the pages serve as a record. By losing them I feel like something of value will be lost that cannot be restored or replaced. As a member of the community I wanted to express how this decision has impacted me and in that sense speak for myself only. I hope that in the interest of the community as a whole that future changes to the site are reflective of past, where the site takes time to clearly communicate and engage with members prior to making a change as impactful as this has been. It is the role of the site to ultimately decide on what changes are made, but there is a huge difference on the impact to the community on when and how that change is made. When members have a chance to be informed, when there is time to express concerns and have them addressed prior to the change taking place is vital to be able to keep trust and support of all those that will be impacted by it.

When I go back and visit my pages before they may be gone I do not see numbers. Numbers of downloads are impersonal and the only function they served was of course to say how many but they do not say who. For those that endorsed, commented, shared images of your game using them, I saw you. You are not a number, you are your own person and the value and joy for me in sharing my mods was knowing you also enjoyed them and took the time to show it. Regardless of how this site or any other changes now or in the future, if you make or use mods I encourage you never to allow yourself to become an impersonal number. A personal post from you expressing gratitude will always be worth more then a million downloads or any other impersonal number.

For now I will remain a part of this community, how long I do not know as that depends on many factors that have yet to be determined. In the event that all my content is removed it may be necessary for me to become less active atleast for a while in order to protect myself from doing or saying something that would be distorted by negative thoughts and feelings due to the loss. If I return I will as always seek out the positive and ways to engage with and encourage others especially new authors. Trying out and endorsing someone elses work as a user, helping others in forums if I am able etc

For my time here as a member of this community until now. To all the impersonal numbers thanks for nothing. To all the users that have used, enjoyed and supported my mods, to the authors who shared and supported their own of which I have used and enjoyed, and the staff members that have helped me when I needed it to do both I can honestly say without reservation...Thank YOU for Everything

[LeelooMinai]

NO U!!! You put everything in words, that had to be said! I appreciate your work and you, the person so much! Thanks for sharing your thought, feelings and worries!

 

*hugs*

[xrayy]

very well and peacefully written. there should be no one with a minimum of reading compehesion who get this wrong. i feel the same!

all the best for you!

[Deleted31005User]

I feel the same as well, they should have just announced it beforehand and given us time to put our own ducks in order instead of this situation we are in now.

Also, I've hidden all my mods and in the last few days I've had more personal contact with users telling me how much they appreciate my work than I had in the last several months, sad but true, I wish users could just leave more nice words on my comment section when mods are actually there.

Edited July 17, 2021 by Guest

[isaaclvz1]

Damn, I needed a mod and it was removed yesterday :(

[Rosvinar]

So, wait... these mods are now permanently unavailable?
if i'm wrong and am missing something please explain.

Edited July 23, 2021 by Rosvinar

[re2147483647]

BBLS taken down

More and more huge mods are leaving

[odashikonbu]

Sorry, but I can't agree you. so tired of people removing/hiding mods for own claim.

[Syliar]

I have to admit, I find the whole thing confusing. It's basically NexusMods attempt at creating the ability to make mod packs like CurseForge ones for Minecraft, which break entirely if a mod is deleted outright. They definitely phrased it weirdly but owner's still have control over the accessibility of their mods, all they've really tried to add is legacy protection for collections (AKA mod packs) that require specific versions. As the policy of archiving, deleting or leaving old versions for download is far less standard on the Nexus than it is for other games, again Minecraft especially showcases that.

 

EDIT: Actually the larger part of the problem is Vortex, if a mod is deleted on the site or locally it just deleted the installed copy of a mod. Breaking installs, if they added an argument in the code to stop the deployed mods being removed if the duplicate vortex moanaged install folder/site link was removed that would have also fixed it for collections. As modpack creators could provide version files as is from their master install.

Edited July 28, 2021 by Battleclad

[JRICH604]

Update. As you can see I did opt to have all my mods removed. Reason for this is explained in OP. Undecided which of my existing or future mods will be hosted/re-hosted here. I do know that any would be sometime after collections goes live. In the meantime I have been looking for alternative to keep them up for you. Some may be hosted at multiple sites and others may only be at one. This will depend on the mod, community, terms and technical restrictions. Example some sites only permit one file per page others have file size restrictions etc. Please know I have limited windows when I can upload so will be done as I am able to. Updated profile to list where I am also currently a member. Some I already have content up, others may in the future

Many are sadly still down but here is what is up for you as of now

Vampire Facial Reclamation

afkmods-moddb-bethesda

Cosmetic Vampire Overhaul

moddb-bethesda

Note: Nexus is not the only with major change happening. Bethesda is shutting down forums. This is very unfortunate and will make it hard to support as an author. Even so since beth is the only way for xbox to get mods I know of they will stay for now and I will see if I can redirect support for them

Cosmetic Vampire Overhaul HD

vectorplexus

For those who may have been worried I would disappear and my mods with me, this lets you know that is not the case. Thanks again for all your support and I will hopefully have more up for you soon

Edited January 7, 2022 by JRICH604