Steam workshop EULA

[Shantih]

There is a reason over 30 million people use steam. Valve is also imo the best company around in the gaming industry in terms of quality, and customer service.

 

The reason is not the quality of the service but the FACT that we can't play some games without using Steam. If it wasn't for that fact I wouldn't have Steam installed on any of my computers.

[3AMt]

I think Steam is doing many things right, and has gone to extra effort to please customers, and no service or company is perfect.

But seriously, lay of the water. What other games have "paid" mods that have been destroyed by steam?

 

If you create a mod for TF2, valve will sell it for 9.99$ or more, if they like it and see profit in selling it. They will give you a smile in return. I don't say the integration have a direct effect now, it may will take more time. I think the next Fallout or TES game will be more like this. With Skyrim they are doing the first test run to integrate such a system. They want to find out how the community reacts. It's with everything you konw, many small changes are less noticeable than one big change.

Edited January 19, 2012 by 3AMt

[Lachdonin]

If you create a mod for TF2, valve will sell it for 9.99$ or more, if they like it and see profit in selling it. They will give you a smile in return.

 

First, this is incorrect. They give you 25% of generated income, not a smile.

 

Second, i feel i should point out that the current Steamworkshop EULA pertains to contributions to Valve games. The current agreement does not accomidate contributions for third party games, and as such i expect to see a specific EULA for CK based contributions. Under the current contract, they can't charge for mods to Skyrim because it is not a Valve product.

Edited January 19, 2012 by Lachdonin

[throttlekitty]

Plenty of people have received royalty money for TF2 items. Some people in the polycount pack got up to $30-40k. Sure they're looking to turn a profit, but screwing the content creators isn't something they're very likely to do.

[TheElderInfinity]

^ This is Bethesda we're talking about, not Valve. Plus Bethesda is a subsidiary of a larger corporate entity, which might go ahead and say "Hell yeah screw over the customer...In fact, put a clause in the Creation Kit terms of use that states all content generated in it that doesn't belong to third parties belongs to us, so we can just take their work as our own regardless of whether or not they approve, and sue people who try to make alternative tools."

[TheElderInfinity]

and before you say it...

 

"Oh, there's custom meshes and textures in this mod? Well, it could turn a huge profit, so let's remake them ourselves and change them just enough so that the creators can't possibly sue us. There's voice acting to? Well its s***, so let's rerecord it with some C list VAs."

[3AMt]

I just thing this all is not doing any good to the community. Paid mods will have a negative effect to the creativity of the community, that's fact. I know the EULA is not for 3rd party games, but I expect something similar

You may not noticed that they have the right to "edit" your work and then it's not a copy of your contribution anymore. Textures for example: a simple high pass filter (one click in PS) will do the trick and they don't need to pay you anymore.

 

EULA:

...You also acknowledge and agree that other users, and Valve itself, may create other works that are similar to Your Contribution(s), and that Valve’s payment obligations under this Section 3 only apply with respect to the distribution of actual copies of Your Contribution(s).

[sajuukkhar9000]

I just thing this all is not doing any good to the community. Paid mods will have a negative effect to the creativity of the community, that's fact. I know the EULA is not for 3rd party games, but I expect something similar

You may not noticed that they have the right to "edit" your work and then it's not a copy of your contribution anymore. Textures for example: a simple high pass filter (one click in PS) will do the trick and they don't need to pay you anymore.

 

EULA:

...You also acknowledge and agree that other users, and Valve itself, may create other works that are similar to Your Contribution(s), and that Valve’s payment obligations under this Section 3 only apply with respect to the distribution of actual copies of Your Contribution(s).

 

You do know the Morrowind EULA lets Bethesda come into your home and take your Morrowind disk + box at any moment they so choose?

 

Did they ever do it? NOPE.

[TheElderInfinity]

^ That's not really comparable, I can' think of any situation where they'd profit from doing that...Stealing someone's work, making a miniscule edit, then selling it as DLC, then suing the creator to force them to take down the original uploads?

 

That'd definitely be profitable. In fact, since consoles can't have mods, they might not even need to do number 3 to turn a hearty profit.

Edited January 19, 2012 by TheElderInfinity

[Lachdonin]

^ That's not really comparable, I can' think of any situation where they'd profit from doing that...Stealing someone's work, making a miniscule edit, then selling it as DLC, then suing the creator to force them to take down the original uploads?

 

That'd definitely be profitable.

 

Its short term profitable, but long term its damning. For the most part, corporations differ from governments in that the former form long term strategies, the latter aim for short term results. Bethesda, and Zenimax (I hope thats spelt right, don't need a corporate hit squad after me) by extention are more likely to do what keeps people buying games. If charging people for peer-made content wouldn't impact future sales, they;d probably do it. I think we cna conclusively say, however, that it would impact future sales.

 

As such, i think its unlikely they will.