Mod Browsing Overhaul Discussion

[agent2x]

I tried to embrace change and accept this new interface, but I tried to use it in the same ways i'd use the old one and its simply not as functional in the ways I like. Its also much slower. I also echo others sentiments that there is a LOT of wasted space, as organized and clean as it looks.

The most egregious issue I've experienced is with filtering by date. Modding is very sensitive to updates. Updates are released on specific dates. I would consider it a critical feature to be able to find mods released or updated after a specific date, not just a set of fixed timelines.

Additionally, the "filter by updated" option is nearly useless. With that option enabled, it will display all mods that have ever been updated, not just updated recently, or updated since the last game update.

In this instance, the top results were last updated over 3 years ago. Before the 1.0 release of the game, or its subsequent DLC, all of which broke different mods. I do see that I can sort by 'last updated', but I'd prefer to sort by endorsements or downloads, then have a cutoff date for recently updated.

 

The search function has also been made more cumbersome. I already have a game selected, I want to search for mods for that game. I don't see why it should be defaulting to 'All Content'. It adds an extra click for me and everyone else for every search.

 

EDIT: I was critical without any positive comments, so here they are. I do feel like the new filter bar could have some excellent utility. I like that I can select multiple categories. Personally I'd prefer if the filter bar was on the right, but that is preference, not a complaint.

Edited Friday at 03:28 PM by agent2x

[ZOleg73]

God, punish these stupid designers! Especially the stupidest web designers!

Edited Friday at 03:29 PM by ZOleg73

[ProbablySolus]

I'm aware the team has made several responses saying that they are simply refusing to add the mere option to have people prefer the old/legacy UI and I genuinely think this is a mistake.

I understand that this feedback section is for 'genuine' feedback and that's what I'm looking to state.

The new style/UI feels clunky, spaced apart, and genuinely difficult to look at and focus. As someone with imperfection vision, these 'features' in the new style make it difficult to easily browse for mods and can give me a headache at times.

I had read and can understand that the changes were made initially to better the code and experience for new users, however as someone in their 20s that needs glasses, this only affects me negatively.

I'm not suggesting a complete reversal to the legacy style/UI, however, a plan to give users the option or even an new style/UI that is more in line with how compact things were would be greatly appreciated to the members of the community who use the website who do not have 20/20 vision or who do not have compatible vision with the intent of the new style/UI.

I, also, understand that some people feel a need for change and some don't like the new UI while others like it. However, I believe simply alienating people who are not comfortable/do not like the new changes is not a productive method going forward.

So, please, consider a future optional layout that individual users can enable that resemble the legacy style/UI so that people with imperfect vision can, at the very least, use the website without struggle.

---

This is a post I had made to the Feedback Discussions sub-page of Nexus several days ago, it had amassed around 100 upvotes and had several dozen comments stating how people agreed with my sentiment.

It has since been deleted with no notification, resulting action, nor was it flagged for any violation.

Why is it that hundreds, if not thousand, of people are rightfully upset with the changes made, as well as people like myself who are rightfully complaining that the visual changes is actually harmful to our eyes, that our opinions and complaints are being disregarded and cast aside?

For every twenty posts, comments, and discussions complaining that the new visuals and interface look bad, are poorly designed, and are harmful to the user, there is maybe one or two statement in support of the change.

My original post was not advocating for the complete reversal of the interface back to the old/legacy version, simply an option that it may be applied visually or a less-updated-version available. Many websites, application, and brands provide this as to satisfy/accommodate as many users as possible. I, for one, get consistent headaches while trying to use the new interface and I know I am not the only one.

That's not to say the the new UI Interface is.. Almost disgraceful of what truly popularized Nexus Mods; Skyrim. The removal of the background images of from the home page and subsequent mod pages is a direct disrespectful action to the game that solely made Nexus Mods the main place to go for game modding. Speaking aesthetically, Nexus Mods is now bland, lifeless, and can cause actual pain to use.

I am, again, not saying to simply revert all changes. I can understand that the website might function better than before as well as there are some, if small amounts, of people who enjoy the changes.

However, it is abundantly clear that is not the case for the majority of users.

 

I ask that a option be added to apply a sort of.. Overlay in the aesthetic of the Legacy/Old interface, or a less-updated version that more aligns with what the users of this website have been using for literal decades.

And please, do not remove this post like my last one. It is incredibly disrespectful and.. Childish to simply delete structured criticism when faced with it. 

[Simale]

15 hours ago, WndMll said:

Pointless? Yes. However, if we stop that'll boost their ego's and I cannot have that. Especially Iluviel's.

Maybe people that know how to do this, should make a new and better site, so Nexus will get some competition. Competition is after all what capitalism and the law of the jungle is all about. 

[WndMll]

Just now, Simale said:

Maybe people that know how to do this, should make a new and better site, so Nexus will get some competition. Competition is after all what capitalism and the law of the jungle is all about. 

As cool as that would be, modders will not all suddenly flock to a new website especially with Nexus' backlog and own mod manager. Not to mention the data storage required for mod websites is immense it's pretty unfeasible from the ground up. Back when mod mod websites started there was a niche for it, a need for it. Now they're everywhere and already popular thus hard to start.

[HadToRegister]

One very important example I'd like to give about being able to search by a range of dates, is the game No Man's Sky, which is one of the best candidates for being able to search by a range of dates now.

Back at the beginning of the year, No Man's Sky, (referred to as NMS from now on), had the 5.5 update, and mods were updated, and some weren't, so people using mods, had to search for NMS mods, published ON and AFTER January 29th, 2025.

After that, NMS was updated AGAIN, and Hello Games, abandoned the PAK file format, and went with just EXML, MBIN, and MXML to be packaged in mods, instead of PAK.

So NOW, mods published before January 29th, 2025, will NOT work. Including “Collections”, (which for certain games such as NMS that require Merging of Mods etc, aren't worth using anyway), as more often than not, the way mods are put together and packed, only the last mod in the load order will actually affect the game, thus rendering most of the mods in the collection useless, plus, anybody making collections out of NMS MODS that still use PAKs, are making the Collection for a Pirated version of the game, as of Update 5.58, because as I said, PAKS are no longer used, unless someone is using a pirated version of the game, something that this site stood against and hopefully still does.)
So, the ability to search for mods made only after or ON, January 29th, 2025, is paramount to searching for working mods for NMS, as I'm sure is the case with many other games who may have had their modding schema changed and updated. Which makes the “Search by date range” an invaluable, (and now), necessary feature.

[ZOleg73]

27 minutes ago, ProbablySolus said:

My original post was not advocating for the complete reversal of the interface back to the old/legacy version, simply an option that it may be applied visually or a less-updated-version available. Many websites, application, and brands provide this as to satisfy/accommodate as many users as possible. I, for one, get consistent headaches while trying to use the new interface and I know I am not the only one.

Ok. Just return the display to the list.

[AlphaSaluno]

Here's my genuine and constructive feedback; I'm disgusted by the behaviour of the mods. Deleting valid feedback you don't like because it goes against what you're trying to shove down our throats is the behaviour of despotic losers. You say you're open to feedback? You've had it. You now know a vast majority of your userbase hates what you did. Are you going to be smart enough to listen before your entire income stream comes crashing down? Or will this website fall, like so many websites before it, due to ego?

[ZOleg73]

16 minutes ago, WndMll said:

As cool as that would be, modders will not all suddenly flock to a new website especially with Nexus' backlog and own mod manager. Not to mention the data storage required for mod websites is immense it's pretty unfeasible from the ground up. Back when mod mod websites started there was a niche for it, a need for it. Now they're everywhere and already popular thus hard to start.

Well, it would be nice to ask old users before introducing something new.
Young people may be important, but older users are no less important.

[showler]

5 minutes ago, ZOleg73 said:

Well, it would be nice to ask old users before introducing something new.
Young people may be important, but older users are no less important.

If only they had invited people to join a design feedback group more than two years ago.  Or had betas of the new design before introducing it here or on the Collections pages.  Or literally had a domain called "next.nexusmods.com" for years to test new things on.