A trend I suggest avoiding...

[ziitch]

This is a developing trend I see with some modders - They leave the scene and don't want to maintain their mods anymore. They remove them, leaving members and future members either wondering what they did wrong or why they can no longer have the mod, causing a frustrated memberbase and increase the demand of those mods, which can result in backhanded distribution. My suggestion, as modder-to-modder? If you are leaving or quitting, don't remove your mods, but let members who you trust the most inheirit them! I mean, don't you think removal is a bit lose-lose for everyone?

 

"How do I do this," you ask? Well, there's this one little option that I think several modders overlook that they do not realize its full potential - The ability to give editing access to other members. Here's how you can do it and continue to have other people enjoy your mod after your departure knowing someone else will maintain it for you:

 

1. Go to the file you wish to "pass on". Under Admin, select the "Edit File Details", and hit Go.

 

2. Go down until you see the User Permissions section. Underneath here, you will find a text field underneath "Give editting access to other members". (This has a 0 in it if there are no members but yourself with permission.)

 

3. Type in the member(s) who you wish to give access. Who you choose must be someone you can trust very well; it's best that before giving them permission that you have a good conversation with the person or persons who you pass the mod to, talking about how you worked on it and how much it means to you, and if they're ready to accept the responsibility they are about to receive.

 

4. Update the description. The member(s) you have chosen now have access. Now all you have to worry about is if you left the mod in good hands!

 

Have nobody you can pass it on to? Do the next best thing - set permissions to freely modify and distribute. With the new permissions page to the file information, you can change permissions here, so that your PM box and email aren't as stuffed with permission requests. (It's also a good idea to update the readme so that the readme and permssions page matches.) Another option is if you ask some staff members to maintain the file, as I'm certain they would be able to help; don't forget that file maintenance and moderation is one of their responsibilities in the first place.

 

But I suggest removal be a last resort move...

Edited February 16, 2011 by ziitch

[kato85]

I agree with this, it's a bit disconcerting when you find a mod, try it out and decide you like it but there are a few bugs that could be worked out, so you go to look and see if it was updated and instead of an updated mod there's simply nothing, the mod disappears completely.

 

I can somewhat understand the original modders wanting to remove their work if they're leaving the modding scene, however in the same breath you could argue why should they care? Since they're no longer contributing, at the very least leave the mods for people to use (and modify for personal use without redistributing). But the best option I think is to leave the mod with open access for further modding by the community with the stipulation that no one assumes full credit for the mod, the mods become "open-source" in their own way. That way I think everyone wins rather than everyone losing.

 

My two cents on the issue.

[evilneko]

I've never upped a mod to Nexus, but I have made a few (a few in response to requests--I never bothered submitting them here because they were so simple to do in GECK I just didn't think them worthy--and a few for personal use that it would probably be too much hassle to ask permission to distribute here (Blaze's Pyrokinesis, for instance)) and if I were to up one someday, I'd definitely leave it up. I'd also explicitly allow re-up and re-host and just ask that credit be given, because that's how I feel all mods should be.

[Deleted1848331User]

Too late for most of my mods :P I deleted around 13 of my useless ones lol

[SavageArtistry]

I'd definitely leave it up. I'd also explicitly allow re-up and re-host and just ask that credit be given, because that's how I feel all mods should be.

 

You say that with such certainty now (very similar to my thought processes back in the day) but sometimes once you get a taste of what people can dish out you don't feel so generous any more.

[Pronam]

As Savage says, people leave places for a reason. What people tend to forget it's that (most) modders create mods and choose to share their own work. It's (usually) not the sole purpose to create it for downloaders and as they didn't get involved in the process of hours, days or months of work, they don't really have the claim to be able to download the mods just because they liked them. You'd be surprised how many modders already keep the majority of their mods to their own in the first place (small or big). If an author feels secure enough they know perfectly well how to change permissions or to leave it to someone else. There's already a service to put your own mods under an account called the 'Caretaker account'.

 

Most modders retract their mod as either someone has been trolling them too often or because they are unable to support them for a particular reason. As they are the authors they usually know well enough what trash is to be expected if they don't update their mods. Especially when certain patches of the game or other mods would make their own incompatible. Others just don't feel the old trash they got would deserve anyone to play their mods. Some modders stop playing a game and thus stop supporting their mods, as most people that respond to a filepage haven't read the readme or similar. It'd be unfair for the people with genuine issues not to be helped properly by the one that knows exactly how their mods fits together. Another thing is that even how much you can trust someone, they will never have the same vision as you and might turn your mod into something you don't like, the same accounts for anyone that'd be able to download your mod in the first place. People don't forever 'have' to contribute to the community, they usually gave more than they received (if any) so why should they?

 

I understand and support the appeal to think about it, but it's not the way anyone owns anything to anyone here. It's appreciated, not permitted :).

[Eiries]

Good thread, ziitch. It's very true: although the modder has every right to remove mods if they want to, an inevitable side effect by doing such is people uploading your mod elsewhere without your permission. People start asking, sharing links privately, and before you know it, there's a whole network of people exploiting your hard work, just because you decided to take down your own link. It's usually better to know your mods are in good hands than in the hands of people blatantly going against your wishes, y'know?

[bben46]

If people are going to steal the entire game (pirates) then they will have no compunction over stealing a mod when the author decides to remove it.

 

Their thought process seems to be that it is OK to steal because I wanted it and couldn't get it free any other way. Of course if it is their property then stealing is wrong.

[FlyingHigh10000000]

When did piracy get into this? Last I saw it was a discussion about why people remove their mods. No need to jump into that pit for no reason.

[Pronam]

It's a correct comparison. People that pirate the whole game wouldn't even a think a second about 'stealing' a mod as in 'doing unauthorized stuff'. A pirate justifies his actions by 'wanting it' and not being able to get it free in any other way. Of course, if someone would steal stuff from the pirate instead.. the pirate would suddenly say stealing is wrong.

 

In both cases the author's materials are taken without permission and reuploaded. In essence you'd steal a mod as it'd have been a game, in basics it's exactly the same...just on a lower level. Why would a simple modder be less protective than a game owner? It's not that drastic as in copy protection and law suits, but as in...don't share it as you don't have or will get permission? The fact an old game isn't sold anymore as the developer can't support the game with its current state vs the new standard technology or just because they see fit to move on, doesn't mean you're allowed to reupload it elsewhere. 'Just because I want to be able to download it and others might'. If they've decided to release it freely, they'd already have done that :).