Which file do I need???

[Skintimate]

Ok, first off let me say that this is probably going to sound like a rant. That's not my goal. I've been really impressed by the mods here, and I'm already enjoying a lot of them. I just want to make all of the modders aware of a difficulty that I've been having as a mod-user. So here goes:

 

Most of you have multiple files up for each mod - 3-5 seems to be about the norm. This is good. It indicates that you're supporting your mods, and maybe adding new content as well. However, it also causes some problems. When I go to snag a mod I have to try to figure out which files I'm supposed to DL, and which ones I should skip. Sometimes there's only 1 necessary file, and all the rest are previous versions. Other times there are 2-3 early versions of a mod, followed by a final version and a patch. On occasion there are even 4-5 versions of the same mod, each one with slightly different compatibilities, features, textures, etc.

 

Unfortunately the mod descriptions and the file names almost never make it clear which files I need and which ones I don't. Sometimes it's fairly obvious, but frequently I have to puzzle it out. I've often had to DL every single file, just to see if they contain Readme texts that will clarify things. Occasionally I've even been forced to sort through individual mesh and texture files to see if there are duplicates, and if so which one is the newer version. As a quick example:

 

The description for Jaysus' Commonwealth of Modders says that it applies to version 06, but then the Changelog mentions a version 06-08. Hovering over the COMM HSC V08 file shows that it has a higher ID number, so it must have been uploaded most recently. From there, I guess it stands to reason that COMM HSC V08 is the most current version, which also makes it the version 06 mentioned in the description. Or a typo. The rest of the files, including COMM HSC V06, appear to be earlier versions of the same mod, and are therefore obsolete. At least that's what I've surmised from looking at the available info. I'm fairly certain that I'm right.

 

My goal there isn't to pick on Jaysus. He has some great mods, and I'm looking forward to trying COMM. My point is simply that I clicked the "files" link, and from there it took me another 5 minutes of investigation to figure out which file I needed. I've had that same difficulty with half the mods I've downloaded, and I've occasionally missed a key file and had the game crash as a result. For example, I love the BABE mod, but I still can't figure out if the softer ribcage portion is supposed to go along with the A, B, C, or D cup and the additional textures, or if it's supposed to replace one of them. My goal here is to make all modders aware that we mod-users can't always figure out what you want us to do - sometimes you really need to spell it out.

 

So when you post multiple files for one mod please include a line in the description telling us which ones we need. It also really helps to include a description under each file, just to clarify whether a file is an old version, or a patch, or a new stand-alone, or some optional content, or whatever else it could be.

 

And as long as I'm making requests, please give your files names that clearly tell us which mod they are associated with and what they contain. If the file contains the missing chest texture for JoeBlow's Snazzy Retextured Recon Armor then "JoeBlowSRR Texture Patch" is a much, much better name than "textures" or "patch."

 

Thanks you for reading this without getting pissed at me, and Thanks very much for all your hard work. You guys (and gals) have really added to my FO3 experience.

 

Cheers!