Creation of a Mod Page Guide

[TheTokenGeek]

Creation of a mod page

Introduction

Please note: This article/guide is likely to change and update as the site evolves over time. If you spot any omissions or things that are no longer correct, please drop me a message and I'll change things over. Thanks in advance!

Your mod page is important for many reasons, users trying to locate installation instructions, check that they have the latest version, find out compatibility issues and see the change logs amongst other things. So we’ve put together this guide to help you create a page that provides the user with decent and appropriate information whilst also being aesthetically pleasing.

The easiest way to begin, is to get the following items ready within a folder on your computer:

• The mod file(s)

• The Readme file in .txt format

• A banner image that is 1400px x 396px in size.

• A number of images that are 16:9 ratio that show off your mod.

• Links to any videos on YouTube that you want to show.

• A text file that has the following content:

  • Brief summary of the mod that you are uploading

  • Description of the mod and how it works

  • Installation instructions

  • FAQ section

• Any graphical elements that you would like to include within the description of the mod page.

Once you have all of these items within the folder, setting up your mod page is going to be very simple. So let’s get started.

First things first

The first thing you are going to need to make sure of is that you are logged into the website. You cannot upload a mod anonymously on Nexus Mods. If you want your mods to be hosted but are not going to be around much to look after them, please consider getting in touch, our ‘Caretaker’ account can handle the process for you.

Once you are logged in you will need to click the ‘Add A Mod’ button that can be found within the Mods section of the navigation bar.

Image 1: Add a mod link

This will take you to the ‘Add a mod’ section of the website. The mod upload is broken down into 8 sections, some of which are optional. We’re going to breakdown each section and show you how to get the best out of each one.

Section 1: Mod Details

This is the what makes up 90% of how the final page will look and it is worth spending a good amount of time, checking and double checking here to avoid mistakes and misunderstanding further down the line. The page is broken into a number of sections that we will detail below:

Adding a mod to the Nexus

Choose a Game - We have a huge selection of games on Nexus Mods that have already been created and contain mods. Begin typing the name of the game that your mod is for here and see if the game tile appears below. If it does select it:

Image 2: Select a game

If we don’t have it within our selection you will see the following appear:

Image 3: Add a new game to Nexus Mods

Enter the name of the game within the text box and click add game. All games are manually approved so it may take up to 5 working days to have this checked and activated.

Type of file - Please select whether this mod is a new file or a translation of an existing one.

Mod Category - Some games may contain hundreds of categories, others may only contain a couple. Please select the category that closest represents the mod that you are submitting. If you cannot see a category that you believe fits with your mod file then you can suggest one in the text box titled: Suggest a new category for your file. Please note, this will need to be approved by an administrator of the site.

Mod Details - The ‘meat and potatoes’ of the mod page. This is where you are going to enter details to entice our users to download your mod.

To start with, enter a mod name that gives the user an understanding as to what the mod does, good examples would be mods such as ‘Lowered Weapons’, ‘Darker Nights’ and ‘Homemaker - Expanded Settlements’.

Once you have the name in place, go ahead and select the language of the mod and the current version.

We would highly suggest that you use semantic versioning when you come to creating your mods. Semantic versioning uses the format: major.minor.patch. Which would give you versions such as 1.0.0 for a full major release, 1.1.0 for a minor release and 1.0.1 for a major release containing a patch.

The Author name is where you enter who created the mod, if this was you then simply enter your name here. If you were part of a team, then enter their name here instead.

The next section, Brief Overview, is very important as it is the description that will appear below your mod in all search results and also head up your mod page in the About this Mod section. An example of a well written overview is:

“A F4SE plugin that allows you to disable the hardcoded, vision-obscuring shader effect at various workbenches so you can actually see what you're crafting.

Also allows you to change the shader effect for the Power Armor station and robot workbenches to a outline-only shader instead of a full shader.”

Detailed Description is where you can go to town with detail on your mod, people use this section in many different ways but we would suggest that you go down the route of:

• Brief summary of the mod that you are uploading

• Description of the mod and how it works

• Installation instructions

• FAQ section

You will see a lot of people add banner images and section breaks to their detailed description. This can be done by adding images to the page via a URL.

Some examples of well created Mod descriptions are:

Calientes Beautiful Bodies Enhancer - CBBE- (NSFW)

Extended Dialog Interface

Once you have complete your mod description it’s time to move onto the classifications of your mod.

Image 4: Creating a description for a mod

The Classifications are a mixture of game and non-game specific options that quickly allow you to specify certain attributes to your mod. Read through each of these and check those that apply to the mod you are uploading. They are pretty self-explanatory as to what they mean, but some of the global classifications are as follows:

• contains content relating to anime or cartoons - The mod relates to anime, manga or anything cartoon based.

• Extreme violence/gore - The mod will contain blood, bones and scenes of extreme violence.

• contains nudity - The mod shows genitalia and/or nipples.

• Is a saved game - The mod is a saved game that a user can install and use themselves.

• contains "skimpy" outfits (bikinis, underwear, armour or clothes that show lots of skin) - The mod contains characters wearing very little (though not nude or showing genitalia/nipples).

• is a translation of another file - Is a mod that has been converted into another language.

• Adult only content - is a broad category that includes sexual content, nudity, vulgar language and extreme violence/gore. More information can be found here: http://help.nexusmods.com/article/19-adult-content-guidelines.

Please know that failing to label your submitted content appropriately may result in staff administration.

Once you have checked all those that are applicable to your mod you are ready to move to the next page.

Section 2: Media

This is the section where you will add images to your mod page. They will appear in the following locations:

Image 5: The Mod page header image and some mod images.

The Mod Page Header Image is the large banner that will appear at the top of your mod page, this should be upload to the site at a resolution of 1400x400 for the best results.

Underneath you have the Your Mod Images section, which looks best when at least five images are uploaded to it. When uploading, please be aware that this area is designed for images that are 16:9 ratio and full HD (1920x1080px).

The last stage on this section is the Videos section. Here you can add the URL of YouTube videos that either demonstrate or show how to use your mod. Simply add a Video Title and then the YouTube video URL. In order for the user to understand the reason that you have linked the video, you will also find an area that you can add a description.

Section 3: Documentation

This area is where you can add an optional ReadMe file in .txt (text) format. This will often contain some of the following:

• Configuration instructions

• Installation instructions

• Operating instructions

• A file manifest (list of files included)

• Copyright and licensing information

• Known bugs

• Troubleshooting

• Credits and acknowledgments

Within this page you can also detail any changes that you have made to your mod within the add new changelog section. Again, we recommend using semantic versioning here.

Section 4: Permissions

This section details who can access your mod page, whether users are able to interact with you via the mod page and if so, how.

The commenting and discussions part of the page will determine how users are able to interact with you on your mod page.

• A single comment topic and no discussion tab -

• A single comment topic and a discussions tab -

• Just a discussions tab -

• No comments -

Within the User Permissions section you are then able to give certain give users access to edit the mod page, this will let them change anything on the page so only give access to those within your team.

The following options on this page are applicable to all users and not just those that you have granted access in the previous step. They are all self explanatory, but if you have any trouble with these or don’t understand any aspect then please get in contact with one of our moderators/administration.

The Distribution, credits and permissions are incredibly important and something that we take serious interest in here at Nexus Mods. We DO NOT condone any form of usage without explicit permission from the original author or those given on a mod page, with that in mind please read through each option on this page thoroughly and ensure that you check those permissions applicable to your mod. If you would like to write your own permissions and not use those that are predetermined by Nexus Mods then please put a check in this box:

And enter your own permission rules in the box below:

The credits section is where you can enter the names of anyone who’s work you have used. Please note that you should always credit work that isn't yours. If you have received permission to use someone else's assets in your files you should always credit them. If you don't credit assets you've used from other users you are likely to be banned.

If you are adding a mod that has been created for a game published by Bethesda (Skyrim/Fallout series), the likelihood is that you will be bombarded with questions as to whether the mods will appear on bethesda.net so that it may be download on consoles. We have also seen some nefarious users uploading other peoples mods to the Bethesda.net site, so this next section Console modding can help ensure that anyone who comes across your files being used on Bethesda.net can quickly and easily identify whether it's legitimate (e.g. uploaded by you, or with your permission) or not.

As mod creators it’s always nice if someone is willing to pay for your mod, with this in mind we have the feature that will allow you to accept donations from kind users. Just put a check in the option you would prefer in the Donations section.

Section 5: Requirements and Mirrors

This section lets users know whether they need to have any DLC or specific mods installed in order to use your mod.

The first part of the page ‘Official Mod Requirements’ allows you to put a checkmark into any of the DLCs that are required to use your mod. For example, on Fallout 4, the user may need to have Far Harbor installed in order to use your mod. Simply place a checkmark within the appropriate box and it will be represented on your mod page.

The next section ‘Required mods on the Nexus’ will allow you to search for mods that are needed by your mod to function correctly. This uses predictive search, so please make sure you find the correct mods.

The final section for requirements allows you to specify any Other required resources, and can be added by simply adding the name, URL and any notes indicating why it is required.

We are very happy to share bandwidth with others to host mods, so if your mod is hosted elsewhere then please feel free to add a link into the Mod Mirrors section at the bottom of the page.

Section 6: Manage Files

This is where you are going to finally upload your files. The Manage Files section is where you will enter details regarding the file you are uploading and then add the file via the browser.

You will need to enter a unique to your mod page ‘File Name’, it is good practice to label the file with your mod name and the version you are uploading.

The file version is the version that you are uploading and you can place a checkmark in to show that this is the latest version of your mod.

The File Category is where you will specify if the mod is either a main file, an update, a legacy file, an optional file or something else entirely.

The next step is entering in a file description that will tell the user what this actual file is and what it does.

You can then either drag your mod file in .rar, .zip, .7z, .exe or .omod format onto the upload box or browse for it yourself using the system browser via the upload button.

When you have completed this, click the Save button and this will add your file to your mod page. You can now add any additional files by repeating the process.

Section 7: Articles

If you have any articles that you would like to publish alongside your mod, then you can create this within this section.

Simply add a title to the article and then add some content using the WYSIWYG editor, much the same way as when you add a description to your mod file.

You can then place a checkmark in the appropriate boxes to signal as to whether the article is visible to others, or as to whether you will allow commenting on the article.

As with the files for your mod, you can add multiple articles this way.

Section 8: Publish Mod

The final step… are you ready to publish your mod?

Please make sure that you read all of the text in the section thoroughly from start to finish:

What happens next?

During this process, any new files have remained hidden in our database so only you can see them.

Your file remains in this state until you publish. Once published your files become visible to everyone on the Nexus sites and gets added to our "new today", "new recently" and "latest files" sections. It's recommended that you take a look at your file page and ensure everything looks and reads exactly how you want it to before you publish your file.

When you're ready, publish your files, you will be taken to the manage your files area where you can make further changes and track the status of your mod.

Then if you are ready, click I’m ready, publish my mod.

[SirSalami]

:wub:

[DRGEndeavour]

Keep getting the error "You must provide a name for the game you are suggesting, or choose an existing game" even though i have selected the game im trying to create a mod for

[TyburnKetch]

In case anyone else has the issue posted above, I found the culprit of this error to be image size on the main mod page. Reducing the image sizes of any pictures you use actually on the page itself sorted the issue.