mothergoose729 Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 I posted my first two mods a few days ago on the nexus. The description is in the mod pages I will link below, essentially the first is a utility that creates custom mod packages, using a sort of pseudo scripting. I wrote the program in C, it unpacks mod archives and unites the files in a specific way. Its a bit technical, I didn't expect it to get a lot of attention because its way over the heads of most people and its only really useful to mod authors who want to build mod packages like STEP, SR, ect. http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/49367/?tab=1&navtag=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nexusmods.com%2Fskyrim%2Fajax%2Fmoddescription%2F%3Fid%3D49367%26preview%3D&pUp=1 The second mod I uploaded is essentially a replacement for the TPC. It uses the tool I created to make a super texture pack that covers pretty much everything in skyrim. The user downloads the mods from the mod authors pages, and then puts them in a folder, runs the tool, and it assembles everything into one archive. A better description is on the mod page: http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/49352/?tab=1&navtag=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nexusmods.com%2Fskyrim%2Fajax%2Fmoddescription%2F%3Fid%3D49352%26preview%3D&pUp=1 When I wrote this mod I expected I would probably get a moderate response, because tools like TPC already exist and because the skyrim modding scene has slowed down some over the last six months. After about five days I have one endorsement and only couple hundred Dls though, which seems pretty low. Perhaps this is a bit arrogant but I thought I made something pretty cool that folks would really like. I was hoping to get some feedback on my mods. Does anybody have any ideas on how I could improve the mod? Is there a problem with the description, the screenshots, ect that I could to help people find it and use it? In short, why do you think my mod is getting so little attention. Feel free to be honest, I won't get my feelings hurt. Thanks for any help. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djjohnjarvis Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Well there was no actual pictures of the mod/software itself only of the folder and in game pictures of textures therefore I'm not sure whether it has some kind of user interface. I didn't really understand how the texture thing works. It relies on the mod packager but I'm not even sure what that is. How do mod packages work? I think you need to explain as most people either just drag and drop into the data folder or download with NMM. I could probably figure it out if I spent long enough reading but for the average person it's just not clear enough and I kind of lost concentration. It needs to be much more clear whilst keeping the description relatively short and simple and if necessary a longer more detailed description at the bottom of the page. If I don't understand something then I won't download it and because I may be looking at a lot of mods I need to know and make decisions quickly or risk wasting a lot of time. The mods sound like an interesting concept but the descriptions just don't grab me, too much rambling without explaining anything. So yea potentially good mods, bad descriptions. I've noticed that a lot of the top mods also use some coloured text and banners and stuff to liven up their page which may also help but not too over the top of course. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhowington Posted January 4, 2014 Share Posted January 4, 2014 Your tools, which are a worthwhile addition to the modding community, are a bit too technical for the average mod downloader. Keep putting them up in the Edited Files section for a month and you will probably get a few more endorsements. Then, if they start spreading word-of-mouth by users in the forums, I would expect them to show more interest and endorsements. The main thing to keep in mind at the start is, your user base will be very limited. Good luck and I wish you a better response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mothergoose729 Posted January 5, 2014 Author Share Posted January 5, 2014 In what way could it be made easier to use? I wanted to keep the utility, AMP, separate from the package itself because I was hoping other people might someday use it to make their own mods. Was that a mistake? djjohnjarvis. all you do is download the user version of AMP, which is a folder called "user - put mods here". You put the mods in user folder in addition to the source folder from MGT, and run the utility. Its actually simpler to user than TPC in that regard, which requires you to put specific mods in specific folders and extract them before hand. If you were writing the descripting, who would you word it? Thanks a lot for the feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myztikrice Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 The first one isn't that useful at all for the same reason you don't see people uploading their mod configurations; you need permission to upload other people's work and there's no real reason to put a bunch of mod archive files into one archive. The second you said is more powerful than TPC but don't mention how and as far as I could tell and can tell now does the same thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mothergoose729 Posted January 5, 2014 Author Share Posted January 5, 2014 The differences between TPC and MGT are technical ones. Essentially they serve they same purposes. Functionally, my pack just includes more mods and in my opinion is more complete and a better selection of content. That is subjective though, and of course I would think that I selected them after all. Also, MGT doesn't include the content of any mod author in its download. It directs the user to download the content from the author themselves. Its the same way with TPC, STEP, and other similar compilation projects. As for the purpose of the tool, you cannot get the same file state that MGT offers using a mod manager (at least not without manually deleting and moving files). The idea was to save people time and provide a better quality of game then what is available with any one texture mod, or any one linear combination of texture mods. It seems I have done a poor job explaining what the program does and why anybody should care. I am running up against a bit of paradox here. It would take some time to explain the program and the project in technical terms, but it seems that if I post a wall of text I can expect people to lose interest and not read it. I am thinking it might be a good idea to put together a video, because people will spend a few minutes watching a video but seem to be allergic to reading even a small quantity of text :/. Any one have any other thoughts? Thanks a lot for the feedback. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhowington Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 Yeah, a video is a good Idea. You should still add an in depth readme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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