Valve/Bethesda announce paid modding for Skyrim, more games to follow

[badiyee85]

In response to post #24588269. #24588304, #24588364 are all replies on the same post.

Ventry wrote:

badiyee85 wrote: how would piracy even happen?

let's take for example "purity", or god forbid those "sange and Yasha" or "butterfly" items that were inspired from DoTA.


You pay for it, then have your money refunded, managed to get the items pirated, but sites like Nexus won't host it because of the rules set in the first place (no stealing)

So where?

sc0608023 wrote: Some underground places on the internet. The nexus is not the only place you can download mods from...

well, let's just say, okay, its pirated.

now you've found a place.


But how about other modders? it won't stop them from having the mindset "hey let me milk the money out of these suckers".

There has to be a better way that both sides win, but in these cases we users are at the ransom of these mods..



heck, you know what? LET'S CALL THEM RANSOMMODS! :D


we'll buy NO RANSONMODS!

[Modslave]

I am less worried about this than I am about the potential for this evolving into "free mods = outlaw mods" in the future.

 

With enough profit potential, its only a very small leap of imagination to imagine the next Bethesda game only allowing content overrides from assets with network authorized md5 hash ID's or some other User ID based salt string.

 

So then the only way to mod for free, and share your creations with anyone that wants them....is to become an outlaw...find a way to crack the authentication process and develop a generic hash string that allows your mod to be played on a client that ignores the mod authentication server.

 

This is a very bad scenario to even imagine...but this step through the gate Bethesda has made today is the first step on the path to it.

 

And then they can not only control your access to mods, they can control who gets to produce mods at all, and even control the content of mods based on some absolutely ridiculous but completely legal (because everyone at Zenimax is a lawyer) end user license agreement that specifically restricts various types of content based on the companies agenda.

 

As I said in the forum post, this is a very dark road we're on....it always starts with good intentions..."Hey now you can directly support your favorite mod authors!" but...in the end, even the mod authors are being paid less than chinese art house slaves and Bethesda and Valve for some reason get to profit off the authors work.

 

And if theres enough money in it...they'll be sure to ensure that the next generation of mod authors have no choice but to be willing sheep in the pen.

 

I respect all serious mod authors and artists that have been part of this community, I truly hope that when evaluating whether you want to be part of the SWS program, that you take a long hard look at the road it can eventually drive us all down.

 

TES has always been Bethesda's...but the mods were ours. Once we start signing the mods over to Valve and Bethesda....which is exactly what this does, the mods are no longer ours.

 

I suspect we will see a bit of a legal kerfuffle in the very near future where a mod author is going to find out that they no longer own their mods once they make them into a workshop product.

[Deleted2806759User]

In response to post #24588024.

alazox wrote:

Lol, how super relevant!

[boulegue]

In response to post #24587774. #24588374, #24588409 are all replies on the same post.

Faralai wrote:

badiyee85 wrote: I have to agree, seeing the amount of hype, then the update brought... but you have to pay. The price is ridiculously expensive too. In my country's currency that's enough to buy a full dinner meal.

Faralai wrote: Yeah also steams says the reason they are doing this is to to encourage better mods...yeah right, they do because they get 75% of the cash.....

you can go as little as $1 thats still a full meal in some countries but steam caters to the majority not everyone
the wet&cold version on the nexus is working fine and if he wouldnt have released an update ever noone wouldve complained about it

[hafizlordfeast]

Why does every big corporation have to do something that make them look bad, and make others look bad in the process (modders who already commit to the paywall)? As if they are worshiping chaos and make everything and everyone fall apart, like prolonging for Armageddon or something.

[lycante]

I've always supported Steam. Sure, there are downsides, but it's always been my go to place to get games. This crap just killed it for me.

 

Mods keep games alive. Paying for mods will kill the modding community. I'd rather buy a game than a pair of boots in a game and anyone sane would think the same. Add an option to donate straight through steam? Awesome, do that instead.

 

Now most games are still alive, many years after release, because of the modding community. Skyrim is likely the best example. Kill the modding community you kill the game.

 

https://www.change.org/p/valve-remove-the-paid-content-of-the-steam-workshop

 

Nearly 20,000 now. Not sure how much good this petition will do but at least we can TRY to do something. Please sign it. And spread the word.

 

PS: Might be the death of Nexus too.

[boulegue]

In response to post #24588269. #24588304, #24588364, #24588424 are all replies on the same post.

Ventry wrote:

badiyee85 wrote: how would piracy even happen?

let's take for example "purity", or god forbid those "sange and Yasha" or "butterfly" items that were inspired from DoTA.


You pay for it, then have your money refunded, managed to get the items pirated, but sites like Nexus won't host it because of the rules set in the first place (no stealing)

So where?

sc0608023 wrote: Some underground places on the internet. The nexus is not the only place you can download mods from...

badiyee85 wrote: well, let's just say, okay, its pirated.

now you've found a place.


But how about other modders? it won't stop them from having the mindset "hey let me milk the money out of these suckers".

There has to be a better way that both sides win, but in these cases we users are at the ransom of these mods..



heck, you know what? LET'S CALL THEM RANSOMMODS! :D


we'll buy NO RANSONMODS!

what if the modder would never have the oppurtunity to create a mod because he can't afford the free time?

[jonman122]

In response to post #24588269. #24588304, #24588364, #24588424, #24588514 are all replies on the same post.

Ventry wrote:

badiyee85 wrote: how would piracy even happen?

let's take for example "purity", or god forbid those "sange and Yasha" or "butterfly" items that were inspired from DoTA.


You pay for it, then have your money refunded, managed to get the items pirated, but sites like Nexus won't host it because of the rules set in the first place (no stealing)

So where?

sc0608023 wrote: Some underground places on the internet. The nexus is not the only place you can download mods from...

badiyee85 wrote: well, let's just say, okay, its pirated.

now you've found a place.


But how about other modders? it won't stop them from having the mindset "hey let me milk the money out of these suckers".

There has to be a better way that both sides win, but in these cases we users are at the ransom of these mods..



heck, you know what? LET'S CALL THEM RANSOMMODS! :D


we'll buy NO RANSONMODS!

boulegue wrote: what if the modder would never have the oppurtunity to create a mod because he can't afford the free time?

It still needs to go in to the data files, so you download the mod, copy the files, refund, voila. That or torrent sites, whatever you want to do really.

[Rekiara]

To be frank, if a Mod author wants to ask for donations, great. There have been a few that I've been absolutely thrilled to support in the past. In the future, as more stunning mods are developed and shared, I'll gladly continue doing so.

 

If a multi million dollar corporation wants to ask me to pay for content that was free yesterday, cost them literally nothing to produce, and for which they explicitly state there will be no quality control or support, then no. I will not buy into that "business model". Not even when they tell me they'll give a pittance to the "content creator" (here meaning "the person who uploaded the content, regardless of whether or not they actually created it"). To hell with that company and to hell with anyone intentionally supporting the most vile business practice we've ever seen in gaming.

[GenBloodhorn]

In response to post #24587774. #24588374, #24588409, #24588444 are all replies on the same post.

Faralai wrote:

badiyee85 wrote: I have to agree, seeing the amount of hype, then the update brought... but you have to pay. The price is ridiculously expensive too. In my country's currency that's enough to buy a full dinner meal.

Faralai wrote: Yeah also steams says the reason they are doing this is to to encourage better mods...yeah right, they do because they get 75% of the cash.....

boulegue wrote: you can go as little as $1 thats still a full meal in some countries but steam caters to the majority not everyone
the wet&cold version on the nexus is working fine and if he wouldnt have released an update ever noone wouldve complained about it

Soon enough, Bethesda will regret this decision. just like Elder Scrolls Online paid subscription, that became Elder Scrolls Online: Tamriel Unlimited.