Indifference and demotivation

[HeewetSheldon]

Indifference and demotivation

I will speak only for myself; and I'm sure other moders will understand me.

I have created ten MODs. On the usefulness and valuation that each one of them has, it is not up to me to comment. Some have thousands of downloads. However, when it comes to endorsements, none exceed 5% of unique downloads.

Skyrim without MODs is not the same game; neither better nor worse... I don't think about it either; yes, surely, with MODs, much more trained and varied.

Creating a MOD is not an easy task even when, as in my case, it is fun. In addition to the well-known difficulties in relation to the tools available, creating a MOD requires a lot of study and a lot of time.

I have many new projects. On my desk is the script of those MODs already published that I have the idea of ​​improving... But I really feel a certain indifference and devaluation, in general, towards the task of the moderator and I wonder if it's worth continuing to publish.

Each download, I insist, each one of them, I feel like a prize. After all, that is the goal of the task. It was worth it, I tell myself.

What is an endorsement for Nexusmod?

"An endorsement is the easiest way for users to show their appreciation for a mod. These endorsements are counted and prominently displayed on every archive page, which can help users find files that the community has found useful or pleasant." https://help.nexusmods.com/article/45-what-are-file-endorsements

And I want to note the last part of the Nexusmod definition: "...which can help users find files that the community has found useful or enjoyable."

I wonder: why does someone who downloads a MOD and uses it for months or even years, not endorse it? Is it decision, disinterest, indifference? Is it good in my game but not good enough to be in someone else's game? Is it good but not good enough to endorse it? Is rare. I think it's just decision.

Recognizing the work of endorsed moders should be an act of good coexistence. If a download motivates the moder, an endorsement doubles that motivation. Creating and continuing to create MODs requires that those who dedicate their time and effort to it, be highly motivated.

Those who enjoy community MODs should think that with an endorsement they benefit themselves.

[anjenthedog]

I'm not an author, so I can only speak as a random player. I agree. It's the least we non mod authors can offer, even if we can't offer more (coffee tips, etc)

 

I think I have about a half dozen I just can't endorse up OR down, and most of those are disabled and on their way to uninstallation. It's not that they're bad or broken (which would get my downvote), they just don't suit me. As for the rest, I try to faithfully endorse anything I install (even some I've since uninstalled for whatever reason).

 

my two bits. Thanks to all the authors for your creativity and work (both time and mental energy)

[HeewetSheldon]

Thanks for your answer. Perhaps I have generalized in my post and it is not correct. I know that many like you endorse the MODs they use. :)

[anjenthedog]

NO... you did just fine. As I said in my reply, I agree. I took no offense.

[Sedition1111]

It's a little difficult sometimes (at least for me) to be able to endorse a mod. Most mods are obvious and change the game in a noticeable or radical way. Those are easy thumbs up or down. Then there are the subtle mods...tweaks, patches...little background mods. Those sometimes slip through the cracks either because they aren't in-your-face noticeable, or you're honestly unsure if it's having an effect on the game or not.

Personally, 95 to 98% of the mods I use are endorsed...a few didn't work as expected or caused other problems and were deleted, and still a few others I'm researching to see if they actually did what they were suppose to do. Hell, I haven't been able to get a character above levels in the 50s due to having to start over so many times because of updates, mod conflicts that corrupted saves, quests that for whatever reason broke...blah blah blah.

But to get to the main point, users of mods should be grateful for the time and effort put into these mods by folks like you who do it purely for the love of the game. You are absolutely justified in questioning this. It can be difficult to gift the modders monetarily with the jobs and economy on such shaky ground today, but all it takes is a mouse click to let these modders know that we really appreciate what they do for us all.

Know that there are those of us out here that appreciate modders more than you know. This game is our escape from a crazy, stressful "real world" into some place that makes more sense.

[Gorgopis]

We're two modders and mod authors, who might have a bit of a divergent take on this discussion. First of all, we have made about 17 mods, that are not popular or noteworthy, but we are proud that there have been no irreparable bugs posted.

 

We don't make the mods to get votes, actually, because to us it's like making music. Very few if any people are going to like the music you like. We like jazz, for example, but jazz is not popular music. So we think of making mods as a different kind of way of "playing" Skyrim, by "playing Creation Kit" and by making modifications to our personal gameplay, that amuse us or add some element of surprise. Like NPC followers who have powers and AI packages that make gameplay kind of like, "Hey, lets play this cell or stage again!" Or weapons that confer surprising benefits and risks and results.

 

We may improve our experiments and publish, after doing a lot of research, and hard-work, but it's like making a drawing where everyone may just go, "meh."

 

We publish to weakly express our "thanks" to the community in ways that don't require us to engage in unsafe online payment protocols to acquire a premium membership. [We have long recommended a "prepaid" Nexus card, like a STEAM card, which could be bought in cash, a code redeemed, and then the owner could direct funds to membership or to individual mod authors, or to both.]

 

We have endorsed every mod that we use repeatedly in our enabled mods list. Frankly, for example, we depend on SKSE and have endorsed it, and we downloaded UUNP, but have never used it yet. Not once, though we intend to. Like some, we're guessing, we have downloaded UUNP NPC followers, but never enabled them.

 

We can't honestly endorse UUNP, though we could dishonestly endorse it, simply because we have owned it for so long, and we wish to respect the hard work of the authors and of the vast number of users who greatly enjoy it.

 

Some mods we have tried, as mentioned by an OP, that did not help our game, and rather broke it in some way, but we didn't feel it was fair to downvote it, simply because we likely did not have an enabled mod list that might allow that mod to work. We don't even know if there is such a list, so we didn't feel it right to vote.

 

So, though we have disabled those mods, or uninstalled them, we have deferred our votes to those who "know better."

 

We don't know what these words add to the discussion, or to incentives, but we have thought about this stuff.

 

 

G/M₇₃

[Ondrea]

Endorsement to download ratio has always been low. Ten percent at most typically. Most mod users just want to download mods and play their games, not spend additional time here to endorse or even read this post. That's just how it is and maybe a reflection on society in general. I mod for myself and then share for anyone else who might get use out of it. If one person endorsed or shared a kind word of thanks, then it was worth my time to upload. No sense being bothered by it because I don't see that situation improving.

[HeewetSheldon]

Ondrea, I identify with every word of your post. For the most part, and to be honest me too, as soon as I started playing Skyrim my main interest was playing the game. Then I started creating MODs for myself and later, I thought that someone else could help them.

As you say, it is still a reflection of society in general... each one immersed in their own bubble as a simple user.

Sincerely.

[HeewetSheldon]

 

 

[HeewetSheldon]

We're two modders and mod authors, who might have a bit of a divergent take on this discussion. First of all, we have made about 17 mods, that are not popular or noteworthy, but we are proud that there have been no irreparable bugs posted.

 

We don't make the mods to get votes, actually, because to us it's like making music. Very few if any people are going to like the music you like. We like jazz, for example, but jazz is not popular music. So we think of making mods as a different kind of way of "playing" Skyrim, by "playing Creation Kit" and by making modifications to our personal gameplay, that amuse us or add some element of surprise. Like NPC followers who have powers and AI packages that make gameplay kind of like, "Hey, lets play this cell or stage again!" Or weapons that confer surprising benefits and risks and results.

 

We may improve our experiments and publish, after doing a lot of research, and hard-work, but it's like making a drawing where everyone may just go, "meh."

 

We publish to weakly express our "thanks" to the community in ways that don't require us to engage in unsafe online payment protocols to acquire a premium membership. [We have long recommended a "prepaid" Nexus card, like a STEAM card, which could be bought in cash, a code redeemed, and then the owner could direct funds to membership or to individual mod authors, or to both.]

 

We have endorsed every mod that we use repeatedly in our enabled mods list. Frankly, for example, we depend on SKSE and have endorsed it, and we downloaded UUNP, but have never used it yet. Not once, though we intend to. Like some, we're guessing, we have downloaded UUNP NPC followers, but never enabled them.

 

We can't honestly endorse UUNP, though we could dishonestly endorse it, simply because we have owned it for so long, and we wish to respect the hard work of the authors and of the vast number of users who greatly enjoy it.

 

Some mods we have tried, as mentioned by an OP, that did not help our game, and rather broke it in some way, but we didn't feel it was fair to downvote it, simply because we likely did not have an enabled mod list that might allow that mod to work. We don't even know if there is such a list, so we didn't feel it right to vote.

 

So, though we have disabled those mods, or uninstalled them, we have deferred our votes to those who "know better."

 

We don't know what these words add to the discussion, or to incentives, but we have thought about this stuff.

 

 

G/M₇₃

 

Thanks for sharing your opinion.

It is not my intention to make a complaint about the low percentage of endorsements that MODs receive in general. It is surely what it should be. I do believe that if some MODs received more endorsements, more people would be able to find and enjoy them.

Part of what I enjoy about the game is creating MODs for myself. Whenever I considered them safe and interesting for the rest, I have shared them. I do it for simple pleasure... but also as a challenge. Not long ago I discovered Skyrim and it's been a long time since I tried to create MODs. I truly enjoy researching, studying, and most of all learning from other mods.