many inaccessible Skyrim mod pages :-(

[bitoolean]

Any chance to get my hands on the files for Skyrim 44541 mod "Audio Overhaul for Skyrim - Patches", referenced on the "Smooth Blade Draw and Sheathe" 1117 mod page? The note says they're upgrading all files to the newest version and will be back in 5 minutes, but I doubt that it's a current situation, considering how old these are.

 

Regarding the general URL move Nexus made years ago that's made old mod URLs / links fail and hasn't been rectified (through a server-side redirect rule), it can be implemented in the browser as a workaround if other people are browsing many mods like I am, through a browser add-on such as Redirector - the one I'm using on Firefox - you just need to set the template to https://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/* and the redirect to https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/$1 - and the browser will always take you to the new Nexus add-on mod page location instead of the legacy links / addresses. I can come up with a regex to make a single rule work for all games, if people are interested.

 

Otherwise, things are going well for me, I've reached over a hundred mods installed and they even work I think with very few issues if reports are right, without having even tested... I just added tens of them in the past few days. I did encounter a couple more of these mod pages that are no longer available, since I posted, but they were not very significant ones - SkyComplete, HQ Paper, and maybe one or a couple more, less significant ones. I have to say, Skyrim is not what I knew it to be - it feels immersive like a dream, and that's not overstating things.

[M48A5]

The only legitimate way to get the mod would be from the mod author. Otherwise it is piracy.

[baloney8sammich]

 

Regarding the general URL move Nexus made years ago that's made old mod URLs / links fail and hasn't been rectified (through a server-side redirect rule), it can be implemented in the browser as a workaround if other people are browsing many mods like I am, through a browser add-on such as Redirector - the one I'm using on Firefox - you just need to set the template to https://skyrim.nexusmods.com/mods/* and the redirect to https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/$1 - and the browser will always take you to the new Nexus add-on mod page location instead of the legacy links / addresses. I can come up with a regex to make a single rule work for all games, if people are interested.

 

Thank you very much for this. I'm sure it's been explained somewhere, but I never understood why the old URLs were just abandoned rather than configured to redirect.

[bitoolean]

:-) I'm glad it helped.

 

Yeah, maybe there is some basis / good reason for not redirecting the old URLs. Or maybe it was just not that much of a problem, or people would've complained more on the forums and I imagine a redirect would've been set.

 

Hey, I should lend a hand more often - it feels great to feel a little useful for a change!

[Arthmoor]

It could be that Nexus wants search indexing to be focused on the way the nexusmods.com domain is structured now. Redirects would allow Google and other search bots to continue to pass SEO through the redirected domains - they will never update the index to point to the new one no matter how long you give them.

 

In this way, Nexus is forcing the issue.

[bitoolean]

Hey, aren't you legend around here? I feel nervous haha. I thought you might not even be around anymore, I've seen your name in so many old posts. I'm probably using some of your mods, I imagine. Thank you!

 

Well but even so, there must be a better way than the generic unavailable page message we get.

[baloney8sammich]

It could be that Nexus wants search indexing to be focused on the way the nexusmods.com domain is structured now. Redirects would allow Google and other search bots to continue to pass SEO through the redirected domains - they will never update the index to point to the new one no matter how long you give them.

 

In this way, Nexus is forcing the issue.

I know next to nothing about the SEO, but this page about SEO and redirection indicates that with a 301 redirect "engines will carry any link weighting from the original page to the new URL." And regardless, from a user perspective it's a bit demoralizing to think that SEO is given precedence over user-friendliness.

 

Admittedly, my only real gripe is the fact that the decision resulted in broken links in mod descriptions. It just seems to me they could have [and should have] done something about that.

 

---

 

By the way, thanks for everything you've contributed to the modding community over the years, particularly the Unofficial Patches!

Edited June 28, 2020 by baloney8sammich

[Arthmoor]

Search engines may pass link weight through to the new URL, but they don't delist the bad one in the process, which leaves a lot of old links that a site may no longer want to have any validity at all.

 

Even if you completely neuter a domain, it takes far too long for their index to drop the links that are now entirely gone. It's almost as though they expect 404 errors to eventually lead to something useful so they don't remove any links that present those to people.

 

And you're welcome. Always nice to hear when one is appreciated :)

[M48A5]

It has been stated previously, only mod authors or their designated substitute can edit mod pages.

 

That is why only a small percentage of the links have been updated.

[baloney8sammich]

It has been stated previously, only mod authors or their designated substitute can edit mod pages.

OK. I just got a different impression from the ToS is all.

 

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