publicizing your mod?

[davidlallen]

Modders, how do you publicize your mods?

Players, where do you look to find out about new mods?

 

I have put my first FNV quest mod up on newvegasnexus. The first week or so, it got 200 downloads and for the next month it gradually rose to 500. The more popular mods such as New Vegas Bounties have > 10K downloads. My mod was added to nvamp, which generated another 700 downloads so far but no feedback comments. I added a thread in the bethsoft forum New Vegas Mods page but that didn't seem to generate much traffic.

 

Are there techniques I can use or other places to advertise, so that more people see my mod and give feedback? I have worked in Civ 4 modding for 3+ years, and it is easy to get a lot more feedback on Civ 4 mods. This is probably because it's replayable; a player may spend 100 hours playing my mod 10-20 times, and generate a lot of good ideas. On the other hand, my quest mod is maybe 2 hours long and unless you want to see the three endings, you'll never play it again. So among these 1200 downloads, I have gotten about *five* actual comments with feedback.

 

Any suggestions on how to get more feedback?

[Jagermh]

!!!!!ULTRASNIP!!!!!!

Are there techniques I can use or other places to advertise,

snip

 

If your mod is an armour one you can do something like post an image in the image post section so that it pops up on the homepage

then post a link to the file on the photo description

 

If you want more feedback try asking for a specific type of feedback

like if people want to suggest something to add to the mod.

[Lanceor]

Since I already have an unpublished article about my thoughts on this topic, I may as well post it here.

 

Credentials and Disclaimer

 

I'm not an experienced modder at all, but I do come from a sales and marketing background and my first ever mod (Anduril Reforged) was at the top spot for two consecutive weeks at TES Nexus.

 

Finding Niches

 

• I believe that the key to a popular mod lies in appealing to your target users rather than advertising. The first gen iPhone wasn't necessarily technologically superior, but it gave users exactly what they wanted. If there were a universal, cheap method of marketing that makes everything sellable, everyone would already be using it!
  
• I look for average mods that received more attention than they should have. For example, there are two Anduril mods that just dumped the sword on the floor somewhere, but they received 30 and 49 endorsements respectively. That told me a well made Anduril mod would be well received.
  
• It's a good idea to tap a built-in fanbase. LOTR is well known, and the player will get a good idea what they're getting when they download, reducing the "what's in it for me?" doubt. Hot items at the moment (for Oblivion anyway) include Twilight-style vampires and werewolves, Assassin's Creed style assassin-y stuff and - I dunno, I'm not a teenager any more. :D
  

 

Quest Considerations

 

• 
   
  
• Wherever possible, include a quest. Rewards only feel like rewards if they have to be earned. Anduril Reforged consisted of 1 NPC, 1 letter added to an existing chapel, one extra room added to an existing dungeon, and a tiny new dungeon. That's all it took to make the sword feel like it was earned.
  
• Use everything sparingly. Combat, investigation, dialogue, exploration... use bite sized pieces of these throughout the quest (except the end boss of course).
  
• Likewise, don't make the quest too long without some kind of reward- balance the length of each quest section to the potential reward. I think that KOTN was well received because the player received an item reward at regular intervals.
  
• For the smart players, make the quest "intelligent" so that they have to use their brains instead of relying on god mode.
  
• For the average players, make sure that the quest starts easily before ramping up the difficulty. This gives them enough time to get "hooked" on the mod to decide using their brains is worth the reward.
  
• And for those who don't want to think too hard, include a downloadable hint or walkthrough file.
  

 

Other Tricks

 

• I always make items that auto-level with the player. This makes players feel that the item is useful for their character (regardless of what level they may be) and greatly increases the length of time that the mod stays installed.
  
• Freebies - oldest trick in the book used by countless infomercials. Find some neglected items mods on Nexus, email the author for permission and then throw them in as bonus items.
  
• Make a title image with the mod name - you'll be very glad you did if the mod becomes a hot file.
  
• Longer Readmes inspire more confidence. Start creating it as soon as you start your mod and every time you get a brainfart, add it to the readme. By the time you finish, it should be huge.
  
• Spend a LOT of time on the short description - they are hard to write but will determine whether or not the player clicks. (Think of how easy it is to write an essay about running shoes, compared to the genius needed to think up "Just Do It")
  
• I could go into search engine optimisation, YouTube marketing etc. etc. but if you're really going that big, then you probably should recruit someone just to market the mod!
  
• Finally, always remember that any successful promotion puts the audience through the stages AIDCA - Attention, Interest, Desire, Conviction, Action
  

[WastelandAssassin]

well, each mod type is unique, and so will require different approaches in terms of appealing to the public

 

for example, mods that deal with modifying items are usually publicized by pictures (if you want a brilliant example, look at the mods by Antistar)

 

however, quest mods aren't as easy to publicize, as you would want to make the mod look awesome, but without spilling too much information

for this, making a video or two could really be your ticket to success

 

for example, look at the FO3 quest series A Quest For Heaven by Firelady, see the kind of videos she made there

such things have two advantages

first of all, it shows the people here some of what the mod has to offer, but if done well, still aren't spoiling the experience

second, since you upload the video on Youtube, if you include a link to the mod in the description, you may just get a lot more exposure, seeing as Youtube is crawling with gamers, not all of which are familier with the Nexus

 

another thing that i am usually looking for (and i guess others do too), is unique rewards

if, for example, when you finish the quest one way, you get an awesome looking gun (unique in appearance, like a retexture or even a brand new gun), this really catches up the eye

i know that the whole point of a quest mod is the quest, but it's still nice to know that you are getting something, like a memento, of the mod (like the gold bars from Dead Money)

this isn't necessary, and this by no means takes priority (i would rather play a brilliant quest mod with no rewards, rather than to play a bad quest mod with great rewards), but could be used as nice advertising

 

can't think of anything more to add, aside from wishing you the best of luck

and when i get around to New Vegas (to finally have a go at Dead Money), i'll be sure to check out your quest mod (and when i do, i promise to give proper feedback)

[TheTuna]

If you're looking to get your mod known more, look no further!

 

I have a subscriber base of 7k+ on Youtube (pretty much exclusively for Fallout stuff) and do a weekly mod special, as well as videos dedicated to single mods from time to time. Send me your mod, and it might get on! All you gotta do is shoot me the link. :)

Edited February 24, 2011 by TheTuna

[WastelandAssassin]

If you're looking to get your mod known more, look no further!

 

I have a subscriber base of 7k+ on Youtube (pretty much exclusively for Fallout stuff) and do a weekly mod special, as well as videos dedicated to single mods from time to time. Send me your mod, and it might get on! All you gotta do is shoot me the link. :)

 

look at the bottom of his profile

it has a link to the mod

[TheTuna]

Ohhh, that's the Decisions with Regrets guy?

 

I've been thinking of doing that, actually! Saw AIChestBreach's playthrough and it looked quite good; the voice acting was also very impressive (although unfortunately the playthrough has Mark's staticy old voice instead of the great new one, you might want to Youtube PM him about that).

 

I'm about due for some quest mods, so you've got pretty good odds at getting on in the next week or two. :)

Edited February 24, 2011 by TheTuna

[Glenstorm]

I guess it all boils down to rewards. NVB provides you with a new unique item every mission. And you also have to kill someone. Sorta like the Assassins missions in GTA IV, just with more rewards. Money or existing stuff is well, kinda crap because you can always get them elsewhere.

 

It should have a lasting effect on the user. I haven't actually played Decisions with Regrets, however from what I know, its a complex quest mod which is done when it is done (The toy car gun doesn't really count). NVB leaves you with a bunch of unique stuff at the end so its not like an install-play-delete style of quest.

 

It doesn't always have to be weapons, It could be perks, armor, regular clothing, adding new craft methods, new chems, heck anything as long as it has any value in FNV.

 

I havent released my first quest mod yet, so my knowledge on the subject is quite limited. The stuff given above is what would interest me in a quest mod. I got NVB coz that was the first major mod I saw with included voice acting.

 

Hope you'll get your mod to get more popular. From what I know, you have worked really hard on it and you deserve that kind of recognition.

[MadNuttah]

Hey,

 

I'm facing the same as david actually; no matter what I do, even I thought I've added "valuable" and "unique" items...

 

In between I was thinking about abandoning my mod but then Antioche and Oldspice2625 were posting such great comments that I was reconsidering that.

 

Those two and the few really kind people more are worth developing my mod ongoing despite I've expected more reactions actually.

 

It's just the way it is. May It's the topic of my mod?

 

Take care, all.

[davidlallen]

Ohhh, that's the Decisions with Regrets guy?

 

I've been thinking of doing that, actually! Saw AIChestBreach's playthrough and it looked quite good; the voice acting was also very impressive (although unfortunately the playthrough has Mark's staticy old voice instead of the great new one, you might want to Youtube PM him about that).

 

I'm about due for some quest mods, so you've got pretty good odds at getting on in the next week or two. :)

I had seen your sig, but it isn't clear if I make the video, or you do. I don't have any tools or experience in making game videos, so I stalled. How does it work? I'd love to get a video made and distributed, as long as watching it doesn't spoil the whole quest for new players.

 

Can you give a link or location to search for AIChestBreach's playthrough? (EDIT: nvm, even though I'm not too familiar with youtube, searching "decisions regrets fallout" brought it right up.)

Edited February 24, 2011 by davidlallen