Steam and Bethesda remove paid modding from Skyrim Workshop

[thestoryteller01]

Another comprehensive (and quite lengthy) article on gamersnexus from yesterday:

http://www.gamersnexus.net/gg/1926-steam-paid-mods-postmortem-analysis

 

The most interesting point (which I wasn't aware of) is this one:

The last, glaring problem erupting from the mods fiasco was the simple fact that eight of the nineteen mods showcasing the system were not made by known Skyrim modders – or by Skyrim modders at all, for that matter. The three Dota 2 swords, the mod “Lambda Locator,” the Blazing Ringsword, Scrib Crusher, the Shadowscale Armor mod, and The Watcher were all made by individuals who created models and textures for Dota 2, Team Fortress 2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive; to our knowledge, none of these modders have clout in the Skyrim mods community.

Which raises 2 questions:

 

1. How can these 19 (lets assume there have been 20) modders have been contacted - as stated - by Bethesda when nearly half of them didn't mod for Skyrim before?

2. Wouldn't the paid mods Workshop have just become another outlet for content creators with TF/CS/etc. background turning it into an "item shop" for hats and helmets instead of a place for Skyrim mods of all sizes and varieties?

Edited May 1, 2015 by thestoryteller01

[CaladanAnduril]

Look here, how the subject is discussed...

 

http://www.moddb.com/news/the-uncertain-future-of-paid-mods

 

A more rational and calm way of debating about modding and community.

Mean time people... watch the numbers, Nexus is bleeding mods and authors EVERY day and the numbers of hidden mods are growing at a frightening rate.

 

And don't tell me that that ALL those authors are money hunger... they are just disgusted about what happened this days and it still continue.

Among other, Fallout 3 lost an extraordinary quest and adventure series...

 

Endless walls of words, meaningless words, just watch the numbers and maybe you will begin to understand what is ALREADY happening.

 

What a victory...

[ramccoid]

In response to post #24852949.

CaladanAnduril wrote: Look here, how the subject is discussed...

http://www.moddb.com/news/the-uncertain-future-of-paid-mods

A more rational and calm way of debating about modding and community.
Mean time people... watch the numbers, Nexus is bleeding mods and authors EVERY day and the numbers of hidden mods are growing at a frightening rate.

And don't tell me that that ALL those authors are money hunger... they are just disgusted about what happened this days and it still continue.
Among other, Fallout 3 lost an extraordinary quest and adventure series...

Endless walls of words, meaningless words, just watch the numbers and maybe you will begin to understand what is ALREADY happening.

What a victory...

@CaladanAnduril
Well said.

It's time to give it a rest, why keep trying to flog a dead horse. What's done is done, let's move on and see what can be salvaged from this whole sordid mess. Edited May 1, 2015 by ramccoid

[Xavathos]

In response to post #24852949. #24853204 is also a reply to the same post.

CaladanAnduril wrote: Look here, how the subject is discussed...

http://www.moddb.com/news/the-uncertain-future-of-paid-mods

A more rational and calm way of debating about modding and community.
Mean time people... watch the numbers, Nexus is bleeding mods and authors EVERY day and the numbers of hidden mods are growing at a frightening rate.

And don't tell me that that ALL those authors are money hunger... they are just disgusted about what happened this days and it still continue.
Among other, Fallout 3 lost an extraordinary quest and adventure series...

Endless walls of words, meaningless words, just watch the numbers and maybe you will begin to understand what is ALREADY happening.

What a victory...

ramccoid wrote: @CaladanAnduril
Well said.

It's time to give it a rest, why keep trying to flog a dead horse. What's done is done, let's move on and see what can be salvaged from this whole sordid mess.

Well said.

It is indeed sad to see the damage that has been done in the last week, but it is not too late. :)

[aegiltheugly]

In response to post #24852949. #24853204, #24853924 are all replies on the same post.

CaladanAnduril wrote: Look here, how the subject is discussed...

http://www.moddb.com/news/the-uncertain-future-of-paid-mods

A more rational and calm way of debating about modding and community.
Mean time people... watch the numbers, Nexus is bleeding mods and authors EVERY day and the numbers of hidden mods are growing at a frightening rate.

And don't tell me that that ALL those authors are money hunger... they are just disgusted about what happened this days and it still continue.
Among other, Fallout 3 lost an extraordinary quest and adventure series...

Endless walls of words, meaningless words, just watch the numbers and maybe you will begin to understand what is ALREADY happening.

What a victory...

ramccoid wrote: @CaladanAnduril
Well said.

It's time to give it a rest, why keep trying to flog a dead horse. What's done is done, let's move on and see what can be salvaged from this whole sordid mess.

Xavathos wrote: Well said.

It is indeed sad to see the damage that has been done in the last week, but it is not too late. :)

I keep seeing that claim (mostly from the same people) but I haven't seen any data to back it up. How about some verifiable information rather than some generalized claims.

[np11]

In response to post #24852889.

thestoryteller01 wrote: Another comprehensive (and quite lengthy) article on gamersnexus from yesterday:
http://www.gamersnexus.net/gg/1926-steam-paid-mods-postmortem-analysis

The most interesting point (which I wasn't aware of) is this one:

The last, glaring problem erupting from the mods fiasco was the simple fact that eight of the nineteen mods showcasing the system were not made by known Skyrim modders – or by Skyrim modders at all, for that matter. The three Dota 2 swords, the mod “Lambda Locator,” the Blazing Ringsword, Scrib Crusher, the Shadowscale Armor mod, and The Watcher were all made by individuals who created models and textures for Dota 2, Team Fortress 2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive; to our knowledge, none of these modders have clout in the Skyrim mods community.

Which raises 2 questions:

1. How can these 19 (lets assume there have been 20) modders have been contacted - as stated - by Bethesda when nearly half of them didn't mod for Skyrim before?
2. Wouldn't the paid mods Workshop have just become another outlet for content creators with TF/CS/etc. background turning it into an "item shop" for hats and helmets instead of a place for Skyrim mods of all sizes and varieties?

1. They were contacted by Valve I think, not Bethesda.
2. Apples and golden potatoes, too.

[CaladanAnduril]

In response to post #24852949. #24853204, #24853924, #24853949 are all replies on the same post.

CaladanAnduril wrote: Look here, how the subject is discussed...

http://www.moddb.com/news/the-uncertain-future-of-paid-mods

A more rational and calm way of debating about modding and community.
Mean time people... watch the numbers, Nexus is bleeding mods and authors EVERY day and the numbers of hidden mods are growing at a frightening rate.

And don't tell me that that ALL those authors are money hunger... they are just disgusted about what happened this days and it still continue.
Among other, Fallout 3 lost an extraordinary quest and adventure series...

Endless walls of words, meaningless words, just watch the numbers and maybe you will begin to understand what is ALREADY happening.

What a victory...

ramccoid wrote: @CaladanAnduril
Well said.

It's time to give it a rest, why keep trying to flog a dead horse. What's done is done, let's move on and see what can be salvaged from this whole sordid mess.

Xavathos wrote: Well said.

It is indeed sad to see the damage that has been done in the last week, but it is not too late. :)

aegiltheugly wrote: I keep seeing that claim (mostly from the same people) but I haven't seen any data to back it up. How about some verifiable information rather than some generalized claims.

Xavathos who could know how late it is ?

Tnx the storyteller01 I read an excellent article ( link in his post below).
You should read it...

Quote

" It's common to see the community tear at itself over Valve’s policies, but the users persecuting the modders was new, and has created a rift that is still fresh and may remain here for a long time".

[WightMage]

In response to post #24852889. #24854019 is also a reply to the same post.

thestoryteller01 wrote: Another comprehensive (and quite lengthy) article on gamersnexus from yesterday:
http://www.gamersnexus.net/gg/1926-steam-paid-mods-postmortem-analysis

The most interesting point (which I wasn't aware of) is this one:

The last, glaring problem erupting from the mods fiasco was the simple fact that eight of the nineteen mods showcasing the system were not made by known Skyrim modders – or by Skyrim modders at all, for that matter. The three Dota 2 swords, the mod “Lambda Locator,” the Blazing Ringsword, Scrib Crusher, the Shadowscale Armor mod, and The Watcher were all made by individuals who created models and textures for Dota 2, Team Fortress 2, and Counter-Strike: Global Offensive; to our knowledge, none of these modders have clout in the Skyrim mods community.

Which raises 2 questions:

1. How can these 19 (lets assume there have been 20) modders have been contacted - as stated - by Bethesda when nearly half of them didn't mod for Skyrim before?
2. Wouldn't the paid mods Workshop have just become another outlet for content creators with TF/CS/etc. background turning it into an "item shop" for hats and helmets instead of a place for Skyrim mods of all sizes and varieties?

np11 wrote: 1. They were contacted by Valve I think, not Bethesda.
2. Apples and golden potatoes, too.

1) Because money.

2) If you had the chance to go through the pending mods section, it already had.

[woodrobin]

In response to post #24852949. #24853204, #24853924, #24853949, #24854139 are all replies on the same post.

CaladanAnduril wrote: Look here, how the subject is discussed...

http://www.moddb.com/news/the-uncertain-future-of-paid-mods

A more rational and calm way of debating about modding and community.
Mean time people... watch the numbers, Nexus is bleeding mods and authors EVERY day and the numbers of hidden mods are growing at a frightening rate.

And don't tell me that that ALL those authors are money hunger... they are just disgusted about what happened this days and it still continue.
Among other, Fallout 3 lost an extraordinary quest and adventure series...

Endless walls of words, meaningless words, just watch the numbers and maybe you will begin to understand what is ALREADY happening.

What a victory...

ramccoid wrote: @CaladanAnduril
Well said.

It's time to give it a rest, why keep trying to flog a dead horse. What's done is done, let's move on and see what can be salvaged from this whole sordid mess.

Xavathos wrote: Well said.

It is indeed sad to see the damage that has been done in the last week, but it is not too late. :)

aegiltheugly wrote: I keep seeing that claim (mostly from the same people) but I haven't seen any data to back it up. How about some verifiable information rather than some generalized claims.

CaladanAnduril wrote: Xavathos who could know how late it is ?

Tnx the storyteller01 I read an excellent article ( link in his post below).
You should read it...

Quote

" It's common to see the community tear at itself over Valve’s policies, but the users persecuting the modders was new, and has created a rift that is still fresh and may remain here for a long time".

There was anger at Valve and Bethesda for taking 75% of the money for mods were, other than releasing the Creation Kit, they did 0% of the work. The only fault that could be laid at the feet of modders there was in choosing to participate in such an obviously imbalanced system. But far worse than the 75%/25% split was the NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement)

There was a lot of general anger at modders for participating, but I think it was spilled over from legitimate problems Valve and Bethesda created. Here were the main problems:

1. Lack of communication between modders and players. This was 100% caused by Bethesda's and Valve's requirement of a NDA, which prevented modders from sharing information. The modders know their communities of users, have trust relationships with them, and shouldn't be cut off from the communication that created those bonds.

Fault: Valve and Bethesda.

2. Lack of preparation, explanation and communication from Bethesda/Valve. This compounded the first problem. If they weren't going to let the modders handle public relations, they needed to step up and do it properly themselves. They didn't.

Fault: Valve and Bethesda.

3. Lack of curation, policy and policing. Lack of curation allowed buggy, ugly one or two item mods to debut alongside works of art like Purity. Lack of policy allowed modders to upload mods that included works they didn't have clear rights to (as with the fishing mod and FNIS, for example) because they were given bad advice, and were prevented by the NDA from contacting other modders to ask for permission, as it normally works in this open community. Lack of policing allowed people to upload mods they in fact had no hand in writing at all, and the process of catching and correcting such action was nearly non-existent.

Fault: Valve.

4. Modder misbehavior. This was rare, but given the already poisoned atmosphere around the launch, the backlash spilled over to modders who didn't, for instance, taint or withdraw free previous versions. The NDA and shoddy PR don't excuse putting game-interrupting, immersion-breaking pop-up ads in the older free version of a mod, for instance. That's just going to rub some people the wrong way.

Fault: A very small subset of modders, for which all modders unfairly took flack by association far too often.

Fault for that: 25% Valve, since the NDA was so corrosive to trust and communication, 75% us, for triathlon of pitching fits, casting aspersions and jumping to conclusions.

[Xavathos]

In response to post #24852949. #24853204, #24853924, #24853949, #24854139, #24856504 are all replies on the same post.

CaladanAnduril wrote: Look here, how the subject is discussed...

http://www.moddb.com/news/the-uncertain-future-of-paid-mods

A more rational and calm way of debating about modding and community.
Mean time people... watch the numbers, Nexus is bleeding mods and authors EVERY day and the numbers of hidden mods are growing at a frightening rate.

And don't tell me that that ALL those authors are money hunger... they are just disgusted about what happened this days and it still continue.
Among other, Fallout 3 lost an extraordinary quest and adventure series...

Endless walls of words, meaningless words, just watch the numbers and maybe you will begin to understand what is ALREADY happening.

What a victory...

ramccoid wrote: @CaladanAnduril
Well said.

It's time to give it a rest, why keep trying to flog a dead horse. What's done is done, let's move on and see what can be salvaged from this whole sordid mess.

Xavathos wrote: Well said.

It is indeed sad to see the damage that has been done in the last week, but it is not too late. :)

aegiltheugly wrote: I keep seeing that claim (mostly from the same people) but I haven't seen any data to back it up. How about some verifiable information rather than some generalized claims.

CaladanAnduril wrote: Xavathos who could know how late it is ?

Tnx the storyteller01 I read an excellent article ( link in his post below).
You should read it...

Quote

" It's common to see the community tear at itself over Valve’s policies, but the users persecuting the modders was new, and has created a rift that is still fresh and may remain here for a long time".

woodrobin wrote: There was anger at Valve and Bethesda for taking 75% of the money for mods were, other than releasing the Creation Kit, they did 0% of the work. The only fault that could be laid at the feet of modders there was in choosing to participate in such an obviously imbalanced system. But far worse than the 75%/25% split was the NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement)

There was a lot of general anger at modders for participating, but I think it was spilled over from legitimate problems Valve and Bethesda created. Here were the main problems:

1. Lack of communication between modders and players. This was 100% caused by Bethesda's and Valve's requirement of a NDA, which prevented modders from sharing information. The modders know their communities of users, have trust relationships with them, and shouldn't be cut off from the communication that created those bonds.

Fault: Valve and Bethesda.

2. Lack of preparation, explanation and communication from Bethesda/Valve. This compounded the first problem. If they weren't going to let the modders handle public relations, they needed to step up and do it properly themselves. They didn't.

Fault: Valve and Bethesda.

3. Lack of curation, policy and policing. Lack of curation allowed buggy, ugly one or two item mods to debut alongside works of art like Purity. Lack of policy allowed modders to upload mods that included works they didn't have clear rights to (as with the fishing mod and FNIS, for example) because they were given bad advice, and were prevented by the NDA from contacting other modders to ask for permission, as it normally works in this open community. Lack of policing allowed people to upload mods they in fact had no hand in writing at all, and the process of catching and correcting such action was nearly non-existent.

Fault: Valve.

4. Modder misbehavior. This was rare, but given the already poisoned atmosphere around the launch, the backlash spilled over to modders who didn't, for instance, taint or withdraw free previous versions. The NDA and shoddy PR don't excuse putting game-interrupting, immersion-breaking pop-up ads in the older free version of a mod, for instance. That's just going to rub some people the wrong way.

Fault: A very small subset of modders, for which all modders unfairly took flack by association far too often.

Fault for that: 25% Valve, since the NDA was so corrosive to trust and communication, 75% us, for triathlon of pitching fits, casting aspersions and jumping to conclusions.

@CaladanAnduril

I knew optimism was rare but.. this is breaking new ground.
Alright, I'm pulling back out of this entire "discussion".
Even a simple hope has to be immediately crushed under the pessimistic foot of the vocal community. More and more am I realizing why so few actually bother to post anything here. Disgraceful.