2018 in review and 2019 in the view

[AL12]

Thank you very much for this write up, really appreciate these reports and updates, it shows of your openness to the community.

[denzel4444]

So much great news, Keep fighting the good fight! :thumbsup:

[wfc964]

In response to post #67939196.

Shadohz wrote: Well it's finally confirmed. Dark0ne is rogue cleric that likes using Wall Of Text spell. :)

These stats will be very useful in the future. Some seem to be under the delusion that modders are making a killing in the Paetron game. Despite my breaking down "actual cost to gamers", some use it as a weak defense against paying for mods (or donating for that matter).

What are the chances on U2F support as well? Also I'd like to see more realworld usage data. Knowing the number of downloads is nice, but knowing what the players are doing with the mods would be even better. How long/how often are they actually using the mod in their game? Are they downloading then deleting soon after? Do they prefer sword 1 over sword 2? Which FOMOD options are they choosing during installation? Have they been on a long hiatus and reusing your mod again? I know this sounds very "big brother" to some so players should be allowed to opt-out of usage collection/reporting.

If these mod packs are meant to be "compilation mods" then... "That's going to be a no for me, dawg." If the process is automated in such a manner it respects the individual modder usage rights and gives them credit for unique/non-unique downloads I'd be okay with that. A portable user profile would be more useful, IMHO, as a good archival and diagnostic tool. I can't begin to tell you the number of times I've had to request a user's modlist or go hunting through their endorsement list trying to figure out what mod(s) they have installed that's causing an issue not related to their own.

Three things other things I'd like to see added "Mute", "Feature Requests", and "My Updates".
1) Mute. Sometimes you don't want to block a user from download but you also don't want to disable comments just because of a couple of bad apples. A "mute" feature would allow MA to temporarily disable individual users from posting comments on one (or all) mod(s) created by a specific author/team.
2) A feature/enhancement request tab is needed alongside the Bug Report tab. Users use the comment section for making enhancement requests when it'd be easier to track from a single page.
3) "My updates". Simply put this view will tell users which mods they have installed have updates available for them. Nexus allows you to sort by trending, download, file size, etc but there's no option to only show you which mods you've installed recently or in the past that have new update (if it does I must be blind as h*ll).

Be kind to your guide dog.. please.

Hover over 'MODS' (top of screen), go down the list to 'My download history', display all the mods you've downloaded, then click on 'updated' twice to sort by date descending. Blindness cured.. Though I admit it could do with a short cut, plus some highlighting when Updated > Last DL.

[Shadohz]

In response to post #67939196. #67949471 is also a reply to the same post.

Shadohz wrote: Well it's finally confirmed. Dark0ne is rogue cleric that likes using Wall Of Text spell. :)

These stats will be very useful in the future. Some seem to be under the delusion that modders are making a killing in the Paetron game. Despite my breaking down "actual cost to gamers", some use it as a weak defense against paying for mods (or donating for that matter).

What are the chances on U2F support as well? Also I'd like to see more realworld usage data. Knowing the number of downloads is nice, but knowing what the players are doing with the mods would be even better. How long/how often are they actually using the mod in their game? Are they downloading then deleting soon after? Do they prefer sword 1 over sword 2? Which FOMOD options are they choosing during installation? Have they been on a long hiatus and reusing your mod again? I know this sounds very "big brother" to some so players should be allowed to opt-out of usage collection/reporting.

If these mod packs are meant to be "compilation mods" then... "That's going to be a no for me, dawg." If the process is automated in such a manner it respects the individual modder usage rights and gives them credit for unique/non-unique downloads I'd be okay with that. A portable user profile would be more useful, IMHO, as a good archival and diagnostic tool. I can't begin to tell you the number of times I've had to request a user's modlist or go hunting through their endorsement list trying to figure out what mod(s) they have installed that's causing an issue not related to their own.

Three things other things I'd like to see added "Mute", "Feature Requests", and "My Updates".
1) Mute. Sometimes you don't want to block a user from download but you also don't want to disable comments just because of a couple of bad apples. A "mute" feature would allow MA to temporarily disable individual users from posting comments on one (or all) mod(s) created by a specific author/team.
2) A feature/enhancement request tab is needed alongside the Bug Report tab. Users use the comment section for making enhancement requests when it'd be easier to track from a single page.
3) "My updates". Simply put this view will tell users which mods they have installed have updates available for them. Nexus allows you to sort by trending, download, file size, etc but there's no option to only show you which mods you've installed recently or in the past that have new update (if it does I must be blind as h*ll).

wfc964 wrote: Be kind to your guide dog.. please.

Hover over 'MODS' (top of screen), go down the list to 'My download history', display all the mods you've downloaded, then click on 'updated' twice to sort by date descending. Blindness cured.. Though I admit it could do with a short cut, plus some highlighting when Updated > Last DL.

I've used the D/L history before which is why I made this suggestion. As you admit yourself it's not very intuitive. I have to rely on 3rd party apps to tell me which of my mods are outdated. You can see from the main search page if an update is available because it's highlight as "update" but there's no way to filter those mods.

[Hoamaii]

Congrats on the great news!.. :)

 

I was a little bit concerned too that Bethesda games' modding might start to decline and that this might affect the Nexus, considering that their latest moddable game is over 4 years old now, but it is amazing that the number of these mods are in fact still increasing - on top of your efforts to continuously add more and more new games to the Nexus catalog!.. Thank you and all you staff for all the wonderful work you've done over all these years and for successfully maintaining one of the very rare, truly respectful and friendly website.

[Tannin42]

In response to post #67937096. #67941336, #67941861, #67942656, #67944211 are all replies on the same post.

Madcat221 wrote: I am really hoping that "Mod Pack" is a poorly chosen term for this, because "Mod Pack" means, to me as a modder, "Loose collection of mods accumulated often without concern for permissions, credit, compatibility, or upkeep".

Arthmoor wrote: This ^

I can't tell for sure if it's just bad terminology being used or if you mean actual real mod packs. That needs to be one of the first things that gets clarified.

Zaldiir wrote: This is partially covered in the third paragraph of that section:
"It has caused some controversy in the past due to various reasons, including it taking downloads away from mod authors, the worry it would increase false support issues for mod authors caused by bad mod packs and because others who have attempted to do this have basically created a "mod piracy" platform that completely ignores (and breaks) copyright laws because they did not have permission to distribute the mods contained in the mod packs. Whatever we come up with will ensure none of these are a realistic issue."

Sacremas wrote: Not entirely sure if it's even possible, but instead of an actual collection of mods to download like these usually are, how about a profile of mods to download into Vortex, you activate the profile and Vortex automagically downloads/updates the mods in the profile, with notifications and instructions if anything needs to be done manually, and a pre-set load order included? That way individual author pages still gets the individual download counts, and users not quite ready to start picking things on their own (the main thing I hear from my friends and in youtube comments alike on why they don't use mods) will still get a done install out of it.

jaydawg55 wrote: If what Dark0ne means by "Mod Pack" is offering a single archive for download and installation that includes the primary mod and all its mod dependencies or options in a single plugin, with an installation menu like some FOMODs have, that (1) would be more convenient than multiple downloads/installs and (2) would greatly help users like me stay within the 255 plugin limit. By the time I obtain all the mods that fix game problems for my favorite Bethesda products, I don't have a lot of plugin slots available for quests, new locations, or new characters. Since we can't directly fix game engine design, maybe this is a way to optimize mod design.

This could and should be done in a collaborative way. It seems that as some games "mature" more modders get together to combine their work into larger compilations. Fallout New Vegas seems to have a lot of these partly because the game has been around a long time and partly because it has a lower plugin count (135ish?). Done right, this could work out well for everyone.

Assuming the collaboration/permissions issue gets fixed, then the next question (to me) is who does the work of compiling the package? And related to that question, how would conflicts be resolved? I keep thinking of other questions, so I will stop now.

I admire Dark0ne's ambition. It looks to me like a way he is looking for a way to compete with Creation Club with a free (as in no charge), better quality alternative. I wish Bethesda well, but I also like the idea. Also, you guys have enough standing in this community to influence the direction of this idea.

Hmm, I don't feel like it's unclear:

> Mod packs are, quite simply, a system whereby a user's mod profile is turned into a "mod pack" in such a way that they, or another user, can download that mod pack and all the mods contained (or referenced) in the pack will be installed in the exact same way, in the exact same order, as the original profile.

and

> It has caused some controversy ... taking downloads away from mod authors, ... increase false support issues for mod authors ... created a "mod piracy" platform ... ignores (and breaks) copyright laws .... !!! Whatever we come up with will ensure none of these are a realistic issue. !!!

So it says, pretty clearly: No, it's not going to take away downloads, not "pirate" mods that haven't been given permission to redistribute, not ignore copyrights.

Don't focus just on the label and what it means to you/how it's been used by others in the past but on how Dark0ne described the system.

[amsgre]

Thank you for the annual overview. It was informative (yes, I read it all the way through) and I'm keenly waiting to see all the goodness that comes this year.

 

Cheers

[CyborgArmGun]

A great read, and thanks Dark0ne.

 

It's only 7:25am CST where I am, so I will try to form a better-caffinated response later ?

[RoyBatterian]

In response to post #67937096. #67941336, #67941861, #67942656, #67944211, #67955146 are all replies on the same post.

Madcat221 wrote: I am really hoping that "Mod Pack" is a poorly chosen term for this, because "Mod Pack" means, to me as a modder, "Loose collection of mods accumulated often without concern for permissions, credit, compatibility, or upkeep".

Arthmoor wrote: This ^

I can't tell for sure if it's just bad terminology being used or if you mean actual real mod packs. That needs to be one of the first things that gets clarified.

Zaldiir wrote: This is partially covered in the third paragraph of that section:
"It has caused some controversy in the past due to various reasons, including it taking downloads away from mod authors, the worry it would increase false support issues for mod authors caused by bad mod packs and because others who have attempted to do this have basically created a "mod piracy" platform that completely ignores (and breaks) copyright laws because they did not have permission to distribute the mods contained in the mod packs. Whatever we come up with will ensure none of these are a realistic issue."

Sacremas wrote: Not entirely sure if it's even possible, but instead of an actual collection of mods to download like these usually are, how about a profile of mods to download into Vortex, you activate the profile and Vortex automagically downloads/updates the mods in the profile, with notifications and instructions if anything needs to be done manually, and a pre-set load order included? That way individual author pages still gets the individual download counts, and users not quite ready to start picking things on their own (the main thing I hear from my friends and in youtube comments alike on why they don't use mods) will still get a done install out of it.

jaydawg55 wrote: If what Dark0ne means by "Mod Pack" is offering a single archive for download and installation that includes the primary mod and all its mod dependencies or options in a single plugin, with an installation menu like some FOMODs have, that (1) would be more convenient than multiple downloads/installs and (2) would greatly help users like me stay within the 255 plugin limit. By the time I obtain all the mods that fix game problems for my favorite Bethesda products, I don't have a lot of plugin slots available for quests, new locations, or new characters. Since we can't directly fix game engine design, maybe this is a way to optimize mod design.

This could and should be done in a collaborative way. It seems that as some games "mature" more modders get together to combine their work into larger compilations. Fallout New Vegas seems to have a lot of these partly because the game has been around a long time and partly because it has a lower plugin count (135ish?). Done right, this could work out well for everyone.

Assuming the collaboration/permissions issue gets fixed, then the next question (to me) is who does the work of compiling the package? And related to that question, how would conflicts be resolved? I keep thinking of other questions, so I will stop now.

I admire Dark0ne's ambition. It looks to me like a way he is looking for a way to compete with Creation Club with a free (as in no charge), better quality alternative. I wish Bethesda well, but I also like the idea. Also, you guys have enough standing in this community to influence the direction of this idea.

Tannin42 wrote: Hmm, I don't feel like it's unclear:

> Mod packs are, quite simply, a system whereby a user's mod profile is turned into a "mod pack" in such a way that they, or another user, can download that mod pack and all the mods contained (or referenced) in the pack will be installed in the exact same way, in the exact same order, as the original profile.

and

> It has caused some controversy ... taking downloads away from mod authors, ... increase false support issues for mod authors ... created a "mod piracy" platform ... ignores (and breaks) copyright laws .... !!! Whatever we come up with will ensure none of these are a realistic issue. !!!

So it says, pretty clearly: No, it's not going to take away downloads, not "pirate" mods that haven't been given permission to redistribute, not ignore copyrights.

Don't focus just on the label and what it means to you/how it's been used by others in the past but on how Dark0ne described the system.

As long as it's opt-in I don't particularly care.

[auburnsred]

I liked reading it all, so I hope you keep writing these summaries. I feel like the site has managed to involve users a lot more in the past 2 years. I enjoy reading the mod author interviews. I feel like staff and moderators are a lot more present, very often giving us updates on the site/vortex and future plans. So I'm not surprised the community is growing. Queuing downloads excites me a lot..I'm often browsing the site on my phone and adding everything to my tracking list..eh..it's a much too long list already.

And the bounty rewards for developing a certain vortex function sounds great too. Hopefully that won't lead to competition.