Why No Mod Packs (ala Minecraft)?

[RooksGambit]

Maybe a silly question, maybe not. I honestly don't know and I have no hidden agenda, I am legit just curious.

 

Why no mod packs of multiple mods as in Minecraft?

 

For those that don't know, modpacks are bundles of multiple different mods that a person thought would work well together. In my humble opinion, it opens up a whole new level of artist, the modpack author

 

In the case of Skyrim, the modpack author would include multiple mods, tweak each individual setting, include necessary misc files, tweak ini/config files, and have it all in one single convenient download. Thus you would get "PlayerX's Lovely Yet Dangerous Skyrim" which might include a bunch of mods with graphics overhauls, combat mods, and monster mods all in one convenient download.

 

In my opinion, a good modpack author has spent countless hours making sure all included mods have gameplay synergy and countless hours ensuring that all of the mod configuration files are set to not conflict with one another, and finally, a bit of time ensuring that all additional files are included. The author will also ensure that there is no overly system taxing mod, so mods that demand a ton of system resources might be left out, or the pack might be thinned so as to account for system demand.

 

Yes, in Minecraft there are countless awful modpacks that are random mods with no permissions sewn have hazardly together. Yet, there are some true gems where modpack author did the due diligence, got permissions, and created a unique and compelling vision of the game.

 

Yes, the most important author is the individual mod author. Yes permissions are critical. Assuming both are acknowledged and granted, why did this sprout up as a thing in a game like Minecraft yet not in Skyrim?

 

The best modpack authors can create a truly unique experience that fits his/her vision, while never underplaying the work gone into the individual mods within the pack. It let's a user download multiple mods all in one single download that fits a vision of the game that the user may connect or relate with.

 

Ok, so TLDR; why did modpacks never become a thing in Skyrim? Was there a permissions issue? A system resources issue? A hosting site issue? All of the above?

 

Just curious. Thanks

 

 

[DoctorKaizeld]

Mod packs are not allowed here. Mod packs are also a nightmare to maintain and simply put, nobody got time for that.

 

 

Ok, so TLDR; why did modpacks never become a thing in Skyrim? Was there a permissions issue? A system resources issue? A hosting site issue? All of the above?

because of above, yes, no, no.

 

the issue is permissions and keeping the mod packs up to date, it is a nightmare of a project to work with. on top of that it removes views from modders mod pages. I could go into detail but this subject is brought up like every other day so I won't bother as it's been explained so many times already.

[cdcooley]

It's mainly about the fact that very many Skyrim mods are still being updated and improved. Even the unofficial patch still gets updated every few months.

 

Many mod authors don't want their mods included in a mod pack because they plan to continue updating and improving them. One of the most annoying things for mod authors is spending time improving a mod and then find that people keep complaining about old bugs or missing features that have already been fixed. People getting mods from secondary sources like unauthorized mod sites or mod packs (authorized or not) usually means they aren't getting the most up-to-date version but then they all too often find the official site and complain.

 

And on the other side being a responsible mod pack creator is a huge task since it means almost constant updates if there are multiple mods that get updated fairly regularly. When they realize how much work it would actually be things maintained over time the responsible people decide that creating a mod pack isn't really such a good idea.

 

There's also the problem that there are so many options. The more things you bundle together the more likely you are to include things people don't want.

[HermaeusPriest]

But there ARE mod packs. Some of them comes from one author, that combines severel mods into one download. Sometimes even cross-author things. For example Dragonborn Gallery includes some modes from different authors.

[agerweb]

The author of Dragonborn Gallery has permission of the authors of the various mods he has merged into his mod which are all now functionally connected. It is a single mod not a mod pack which is just a collection of individual mods merged into one convenient package.

 

Mod authors are generally not very keen on mod packs because the compilers of the pack are often not very good at asking permission and ignore the answer when they do. Mod packs are not allowed on the Nexus.