Outdated/abandoned mods

[DexLuther3]

This seems to happen more often with armor mods for Bethdesda games, and especially with armors designed for particular body mods. Here's a scenario I've seen to illustrate the issue:

 

• 
   
  
• CBBE body mod is developed for Skyrim
  
• Armor mods are developed for CBBE
  
• CBBE updates to CBBEv2
  
• Certain mods are updated to adjust to changes made in CBBEv2 while other mods seem to have been abandoned forever using outdated body mods
  
• CBBE updates again to CBBEv3
  
• Some mods update, but many still use CBBEv1 or CBBEv2
  

 

This is just one example. I'm sure there are cases of this happening with all body mods. There are probably some weapon mods out there practically unusable because they haven't been updated to work with the latest updates for the game. I've sent PMs to one of two authors politely asking if they had plans on updating their mod and if not asking permission to try and update it myself or find someone to help me do it. In one case the author hasn't been active in over a year, so naturally I've yet to get any replies.

 

My idea is rather than letting the author's hard work go to waste why not have a system that allows for the adoption of mods? Especially those who's author has been inactive for an extended amount of time. The site could automatically send out an email to warn the author "Hey you've been away for a long time. Please come back or your mods will be sent to the orphanage." (probably worded differently, but you get the idea.)

 

Mods in the orphanage can be adopted by someone that wants to maintain it. There would be a delay so that someone can't adopt 50 mods and then do absolutely nothing. Since most mods only seem to need a little tweak here and there to return them to functioning status, a week delay seems fair.

 

Obviously, the mod's original author would still retain credit for the mod. The mod page would read something like "Super Uber Sword by Bob Stevenson (adopted by John Smith)".

 

Authors could also choose to put their mod up for adoption if they no longer have any interest in maintaining it or whatever reason.

[Thandal]

... Authors could also choose to put their mod up for adoption if they no longer have any interest in maintaining it or whatever reason.

The above portion of the suggestion is the only part that could apply here.

 

The position of the Nexus on this issue throughout over a decade of experience has been 100% consistent. We will never unilaterally take away an author's rights.

 

Unless and until the original author affirmatively declares material to be a "modder's resource", or otherwise gives others rights to the mod, it remains that author's.

[DexLuther3]

... Authors could also choose to put their mod up for adoption if they no longer have any interest in maintaining it or whatever reason.

 

The above portion of the suggestion is the only part that could apply here.

 

The position of the Nexus on this issue throughout over a decade of experience has been 100% consistent. We will never unilaterally take away an author's rights.

 

Unless and until the original author affirmatively declares material to be a "modder's resource", or otherwise gives others rights to the mod, it remains that author's.

 

Makes sense. I didn't really see letting someone update a mod who's author has been inactive for a year as taking anything away from them. Then again they would get the warning by email. I think it would be safe to assume that if they don't respond, then they must not care.

 

Then again the initial idea is just that. An idea. It can be molded to Nexus. If an author decides to come back after their mods have been put up for adoption, they'd still have all their rights over them. It'd be like your neighbor taking in your mail, mowing your lawn and watering the flowers while you were away on vacation. When/if you come back, they're all still yours. Better than coming home to 6 foot tall weeds, dead flowers and a pile of moldy letters.

 

I just think it's a shame that there are so many beautiful mods available that can't be used because the author hasn't been around for ages.

[Thandal]

No, it would be like your neighbors going into your house, taking your furniture back to theirs, recovering it to fit their décor, sitting or sleeping on it, and then when you returned to discover what had happened, having them claim "Well, you weren't using it anyway..."

 

As far as the Nexus is concerned, mods belong to their authors, and their authors alone, unless and until their authors say otherwise. :armscrossed:

[Niborino9409]

No, it would be like your neighbors going into your house, taking your furniture back to theirs, recovering it to fit their décor, sitting or sleeping on it, and then when you returned to discover what had happened, having them claim "Well, you weren't using it anyway..."

 

 

Getting that reply would hurt deep in my heart :sad:

 

This sounds like a great system(even though its not doable), but it would probably become like Thandal said above. And on top of that you´d get arguments between the Original author and the Member that agreed to continue the mod. And it would never end :mellow:

Edited January 21, 2013 by Niborino9409

[bben46]

It would be great if more authors did release their mods for others to update when they abandon them. But many just don't realize their mods can be released in this manner.

 

For an author to do this (Can't be done by anyone else) , go into the Mod attributes (originally set when the mod was first released) and scroll down to 'Distribution Permissions' - Change the permissions to allow changes by others. Then scroll down to "Submit" and click. :thumbsup:

[JimboUK]

Something like that would have been ideal for Morrowind where a ton of mods have been lost over the years, I still have a load from way back that I've not seen online in years. But the files still belong to their authors and as such it just isn't possible.

[DrakeTheDragon]

Wasn't the free-text permissions field in existance already even back then? If so, there still could be mods the authors of which gave free reign for adoption long ago already, even without such a feature implemented into the site functionality.

I know "I" would do so through the free-text field, if there was no other option... but I'm already giving free reign anyways, so...

 

The free-text permissions authors can type in already gave, give and will give all options we could ever need. Any fixed options introduced into the site will only "streamline" this. It cannot 'add' to something which already had no bounds.

 

However, this cannot be applied after-the-fact. If there was no mentioning of "free to adoption after my leave" in the permissions before now, that implicitly means "no" automatically chosen for whatever options might now be implemented after the author is gone.

 

And even if there was no free-text permissions available far, far back in the past, there still was the author's readme for this. Nexus permission options, used or unused, can never override an author's expressed wishes inside the readme.

If I gave free reign through permissions in my readme but forgot to check the option in the mod settings here, what moderator is going to argue the case, if the adopter showed my written consent taken from the readme? Seriously?

[DexLuther3]

I could be wrong here. It's my understanding that as soon as you make a mod for a game, the company that made that game owns your mod. If the company lets you mod the game that they own, then I'm pretty sure you can also mod the mods that they also own.

 

If You distribute or otherwise make available New Materials, You automatically grant to Bethesda Softworks the irrevocable, perpetual, royalty free, sublicensable right and license under all applicable copyrights and intellectual property rights laws to use, reproduce, modify, adapt, perform, display, distribute and otherwise exploit and/or dispose of the New Materials (or any part of the New Materials) in any way Bethesda Softworks, or its respective designee(s), sees fit. You also waive and agree never to assert against Bethesda Softworks or its affiliates, distributors or licensors any moral rights or similar rights, however designated, that You may have in or to any of the New Materials.

Source: http://store.steampowered.com/eula/eula_202480

 

I don't understand why this idea wouldn't work because of an IP that the author doesn't even have (at least in the case of TES and other Bethesda games).

 

If it's about respect, then I'm sure that the author that's been inactive for over a year and doesn't respond to PMs doesn't mind someone else updating/modifying their mod.

 

Even so, I'm sure there's some way of working within the confines of maintaining respect for an inactive mod author, and breathing new life into the ever-growing list of outdated, unmaintained and unusable mods.

[DrakeTheDragon]

For one, that's the Steam Workshop EULA, which means squat outside of the Workshop, though Bethesda's one is quite similar, of course.

edit: Of course, you're right, it's the CK EULA, not just the Workshop's. I assumed from the url containing "steam". My bad for assuming.

 

-snip-

 

Don't know what mood I was in I even responded to you on this. I usually don't pay attention to assumptions coming from others. They mean squat. Let them believe what they believe, I know what I know. It is a moot point discussing it.

Edited January 30, 2013 by DrakeTheDragon