Modding Bethesda Games on Game Pass - What we know so far

[showler]

In response to post #92235353.

Moksha8088 wrote: What does this mean for PC users who purchased their games on Steam and use mods from the Nexus?

Nothing.  Absolutely nothing.

[Saggaris]

In response to post #91947883. #91948568, #91948623, #91948758, #91949048, #91949223, #91949548, #91949748, #91950453, #91959448, #91963258, #91966083, #91966758, #91967388, #91967558, #92067498, #92237383, #92242808 are all replies on the same post.

StopGap11 wrote: I'm not entirely sure what this announcement means as I'm not particularly familiar with Microsoft's game stop system. Does this mean that we will now be unable to use mods with the games we paid for unless we now pay extra for for a new service? I hope some one who is more familiar with their services can tell me that interpretation is wrong here.  Of course, if that is the incorrect  interpretation ( and I really hope it's incorrect) I'm not blaming anyone at Nexus for this, they didn't have anything to do with this, they're just the messengers here.

irinotecan wrote: This only applies to people who purchase the games in the Xbox/Windows store ("Game Pass").  If you bought the game(s) through Steam, GOG, or physical disc, this does not apply to you, nothing has changed.

Also, you can continue to purchase these games through Steam et al., and avoid the modding headaches associated with an Xbox/Windows store purchase.

Pickysaurus wrote: I'm not really sure what you're upset about here? The games are already out on Game Pass and it does not have any kind of impact on Steam/GOG installs. It's just another option for people who want to play these games. If you're worried about game updates causing problems in your setup there are plenty of guides/tools around to prevent that or back up your current version. 

gyrofalcon wrote: I am confused as well. This "change" from Microsoft, does it force all current owner of Skyrim SE, to also have the game on GamePass?
Or can current version of Skyrim SE, be modded and played the old fashion way, that we do now?
If all futured copies sold, only are available with MS GamePass, (no new sales on Steam, etc) it will be a shot in front of the baug to the community, but I do belive old-fashioned Skyrim (and Oldrim) will survive.
Edit: Answered by others in thread. "My" Skyrim will not change. :) So moral is; Stay away from MS GamePass.

Fyrcynn wrote: Might be a naive question, but does this even impact that many people? I'd think Steam is by far the larger platform with Microsoft's barely being used. Anyone who'd experience the joys Windows Live would stay away from them as a rule.

Saggaris wrote: Well StopGap, I felt a bit like a doom monger myself when I jumped miles ahead with some 'what Ifffff's'

What if Microsoft only allow the future of Bethesda games on Game Pass?
Then..
What if Microsoft close the holes and disallow modding/manipulation of their content?
Then...
What if Microsoft then provide a range of customisable features... for a price?

Oh hell, I'm glad I'm old and senile so's not to have to suffer 'naked' games for too long.

Blackread wrote: Judging by the number of gamepass related questions on r/skyrimmods recently, I'd say this does affect a fair number of people. Obviously the majority of modders will be on Steam still.

StopGap11 wrote: Cool! I'm glad my first interpretation was wrong. Honestly, I'm totally unfamiliar how Microsofts game stop service works, though we'll have to see where this goes in the future. 

showler wrote: Xbox was the console that actually gave people the ability to install half-decent mods.  It seems unlikely they will just up and kill modding on PC after working to implement it on the console.  Crying "Doomsday" is incredibly premature.

ralexpdx wrote: For the existing games yes, but what about Fallout 5 or Elder Scrolls 6. Microsoft is already talking some exclusivity here in the future, so there may NOT BE Steam versions/GoG versions, etc...

ff7legend wrote: The day Micro$oft locks Bethesda games behind the Micro$oft Store is the day I cease playing Bethesda games period.  Folks are going to simply have to start speaking with their wallets.  Look at the utter DISASTER that was Windows Live...  Windows Live was so bad it ended up being discontinued & relegated to the dustbins of history.  If it weren't for mods, Bethesda games wouldn't be remotely relevant a year or two after release.  Micro$oft had best tread carefully in this regard...

PancakeGoon wrote: Well, Game Pass is on PC as well, and is probably the vast majority of those GamePass Reddit threads.

Unfortunately, gaming has come to the point where you almost need a dedicated Launcher Drive in order to play all the games you want on your PC. Because of this, and M$ offering that 3-Months of 'GamePass for PC' for only $0.99, I grabbed it as a way to play & try games that I never could have otherwise afforded, especially all together, essentially for "free" (or a measly entry fee, in the grand scheme) and for that I'm thankful.

Unfortunately, this is still Microsoft and it has been recently riddled with different issues and annoyances, like the topic of this post. Also, super inconsistent compatibility problems, like these new Bethesda games not being able to run in Fullscreen without being surrounded by a huge grey box. Or, for some reason, no native controller support (how friggin' hard is it to patch in support for YOUR OWN controllers, on a game that's been successfully ported ON YOUR OS for years, after you just BOUGHT THE ENTIRE DEVELOPER & THEIR PARENTR COMPANY!? Get it together for Talos' sake...). Or this god awful launcher we're forced to use with NO graphics settings (other than Resolution, generic Low-Ultra "Quality" presets, and 2 types of AA, and On/Off parameters for pretty important settings, etc.). On a PC game...through their PC App.

Actually, I want my dollar back, Bill.

SteveB88 wrote: Thank goodness I bought my games on GOG and Steam. 

pndragon65 wrote: If it weren't for mods, Bethesda games would be unplayable

ff7legend wrote: Steam/GoG may not be an option for ES6/future Bethesda releases now that Micro$oft has gotten their GREEDY TENTACLES on Bethesda/Zenimax.  It will not surprise me to see ES6/future Bethesda games locked behind either the Micro$oft Store or Bethesda's crappy launcher...  This is why I absolutely DESPISE all these corporate mergers/buyouts.  In the end, it is the consumer who gets the shaft in the form of a lackluster watered-down product.  Look at what happened to WoW after Activision bought out Blizzard...  It TANKED HARD while WoW has lost millions of subscribers in the aftermath of said merger/buyout.

EnaiSiaion wrote:

What if Microsoft only allow the future of Bethesda games on Game Pass?
Then..
What if Microsoft close the holes and disallow modding/manipulation of their content?
Then...
What if Microsoft then provide a range of customisable features... for a price?

Then Microsoft will make a lot of money because most people just want extra content for their game, not "mods" per se. Mods are a primitive form of DLC that is much harder to use but saves the price of a coffee (you get what you pay for).

Niche <<< majority.

Saggaris wrote:

What if Microsoft only allow the future of Bethesda games on Game Pass?
Then..
What if Microsoft close the holes and disallow modding/manipulation of their content?
Then...
What if Microsoft then provide a range of customisable features... for a price?

"Then Microsoft will make a lot of money because most people just want extra content for their game, not "mods" per se. Mods are a primitive form of DLC that is much harder to use but saves the price of a coffee (you get what you pay for).

Niche <<< majority."

A further what if...

What if Microsoft fire a truck load of Gold at a certain (Dark0ne) for control of a site that has (to date) 25 million users that have 4 billion Bethesda game mod downloads? 

Lock
Stock
and Barrel.

Yeah, I guess that's a bit tongue in cheek, but stranger things have happened, and Microsoft has made some pretty unpredictable buyouts in the past.

The future of gaming is not at all how we'd like it... unless you're not a gamer.

showler wrote: That would be foolish considering they just bought Bethesda.net which is already a mod distribution service for Bethesda games.  Buying the Nexus would simply duplicate that system while adding in mods for a bunch of games Microsoft does not own.

I didn't indicate that I figured it would be left as is... after all, the Microsoft arrangement with Bethesda will probably exclude Sony in the future and a trimmed down Nexus would see all mods here tightly controlled.

Control is everything in the market.

[praxis22]

In response to post #91947883. #91948568, #91948623, #91948758, #91949048, #91949223, #91949548, #91949748, #91950453, #91959448, #91963258, #91966083, #91966758, #91967388, #91967558, #92067498, #92237383, #92242808, #92245988 are all replies on the same post.

StopGap11 wrote: I'm not entirely sure what this announcement means as I'm not particularly familiar with Microsoft's game stop system. Does this mean that we will now be unable to use mods with the games we paid for unless we now pay extra for for a new service? I hope some one who is more familiar with their services can tell me that interpretation is wrong here.  Of course, if that is the incorrect  interpretation ( and I really hope it's incorrect) I'm not blaming anyone at Nexus for this, they didn't have anything to do with this, they're just the messengers here.

irinotecan wrote: This only applies to people who purchase the games in the Xbox/Windows store ("Game Pass").  If you bought the game(s) through Steam, GOG, or physical disc, this does not apply to you, nothing has changed.

Also, you can continue to purchase these games through Steam et al., and avoid the modding headaches associated with an Xbox/Windows store purchase.

Pickysaurus wrote: I'm not really sure what you're upset about here? The games are already out on Game Pass and it does not have any kind of impact on Steam/GOG installs. It's just another option for people who want to play these games. If you're worried about game updates causing problems in your setup there are plenty of guides/tools around to prevent that or back up your current version. 

gyrofalcon wrote: I am confused as well. This "change" from Microsoft, does it force all current owner of Skyrim SE, to also have the game on GamePass?
Or can current version of Skyrim SE, be modded and played the old fashion way, that we do now?
If all futured copies sold, only are available with MS GamePass, (no new sales on Steam, etc) it will be a shot in front of the baug to the community, but I do belive old-fashioned Skyrim (and Oldrim) will survive.
Edit: Answered by others in thread. "My" Skyrim will not change. :) So moral is; Stay away from MS GamePass.

Fyrcynn wrote: Might be a naive question, but does this even impact that many people? I'd think Steam is by far the larger platform with Microsoft's barely being used. Anyone who'd experience the joys Windows Live would stay away from them as a rule.

Saggaris wrote: Well StopGap, I felt a bit like a doom monger myself when I jumped miles ahead with some 'what Ifffff's'

What if Microsoft only allow the future of Bethesda games on Game Pass?
Then..
What if Microsoft close the holes and disallow modding/manipulation of their content?
Then...
What if Microsoft then provide a range of customisable features... for a price?

Oh hell, I'm glad I'm old and senile so's not to have to suffer 'naked' games for too long.

Blackread wrote: Judging by the number of gamepass related questions on r/skyrimmods recently, I'd say this does affect a fair number of people. Obviously the majority of modders will be on Steam still.

StopGap11 wrote: Cool! I'm glad my first interpretation was wrong. Honestly, I'm totally unfamiliar how Microsofts game stop service works, though we'll have to see where this goes in the future. 

showler wrote: Xbox was the console that actually gave people the ability to install half-decent mods.  It seems unlikely they will just up and kill modding on PC after working to implement it on the console.  Crying "Doomsday" is incredibly premature.

ralexpdx wrote: For the existing games yes, but what about Fallout 5 or Elder Scrolls 6. Microsoft is already talking some exclusivity here in the future, so there may NOT BE Steam versions/GoG versions, etc...

ff7legend wrote: The day Micro$oft locks Bethesda games behind the Micro$oft Store is the day I cease playing Bethesda games period.  Folks are going to simply have to start speaking with their wallets.  Look at the utter DISASTER that was Windows Live...  Windows Live was so bad it ended up being discontinued & relegated to the dustbins of history.  If it weren't for mods, Bethesda games wouldn't be remotely relevant a year or two after release.  Micro$oft had best tread carefully in this regard...

PancakeGoon wrote: Well, Game Pass is on PC as well, and is probably the vast majority of those GamePass Reddit threads.

Unfortunately, gaming has come to the point where you almost need a dedicated Launcher Drive in order to play all the games you want on your PC. Because of this, and M$ offering that 3-Months of 'GamePass for PC' for only $0.99, I grabbed it as a way to play & try games that I never could have otherwise afforded, especially all together, essentially for "free" (or a measly entry fee, in the grand scheme) and for that I'm thankful.

Unfortunately, this is still Microsoft and it has been recently riddled with different issues and annoyances, like the topic of this post. Also, super inconsistent compatibility problems, like these new Bethesda games not being able to run in Fullscreen without being surrounded by a huge grey box. Or, for some reason, no native controller support (how friggin' hard is it to patch in support for YOUR OWN controllers, on a game that's been successfully ported ON YOUR OS for years, after you just BOUGHT THE ENTIRE DEVELOPER & THEIR PARENTR COMPANY!? Get it together for Talos' sake...). Or this god awful launcher we're forced to use with NO graphics settings (other than Resolution, generic Low-Ultra "Quality" presets, and 2 types of AA, and On/Off parameters for pretty important settings, etc.). On a PC game...through their PC App.

Actually, I want my dollar back, Bill.

SteveB88 wrote: Thank goodness I bought my games on GOG and Steam. 

pndragon65 wrote: If it weren't for mods, Bethesda games would be unplayable

ff7legend wrote: Steam/GoG may not be an option for ES6/future Bethesda releases now that Micro$oft has gotten their GREEDY TENTACLES on Bethesda/Zenimax.  It will not surprise me to see ES6/future Bethesda games locked behind either the Micro$oft Store or Bethesda's crappy launcher...  This is why I absolutely DESPISE all these corporate mergers/buyouts.  In the end, it is the consumer who gets the shaft in the form of a lackluster watered-down product.  Look at what happened to WoW after Activision bought out Blizzard...  It TANKED HARD while WoW has lost millions of subscribers in the aftermath of said merger/buyout.

EnaiSiaion wrote:

What if Microsoft only allow the future of Bethesda games on Game Pass?
Then..
What if Microsoft close the holes and disallow modding/manipulation of their content?
Then...
What if Microsoft then provide a range of customisable features... for a price?

Then Microsoft will make a lot of money because most people just want extra content for their game, not "mods" per se. Mods are a primitive form of DLC that is much harder to use but saves the price of a coffee (you get what you pay for).

Niche <<< majority.

Saggaris wrote:

What if Microsoft only allow the future of Bethesda games on Game Pass?
Then..
What if Microsoft close the holes and disallow modding/manipulation of their content?
Then...
What if Microsoft then provide a range of customisable features... for a price?

"Then Microsoft will make a lot of money because most people just want extra content for their game, not "mods" per se. Mods are a primitive form of DLC that is much harder to use but saves the price of a coffee (you get what you pay for).

Niche <<< majority."

A further what if...

What if Microsoft fire a truck load of Gold at a certain (Dark0ne) for control of a site that has (to date) 25 million users that have 4 billion Bethesda game mod downloads? 

Lock
Stock
and Barrel.

Yeah, I guess that's a bit tongue in cheek, but stranger things have happened, and Microsoft has made some pretty unpredictable buyouts in the past.

The future of gaming is not at all how we'd like it... unless you're not a gamer.

showler wrote: That would be foolish considering they just bought Bethesda.net which is already a mod distribution service for Bethesda games.  Buying the Nexus would simply duplicate that system while adding in mods for a bunch of games Microsoft does not own.

Saggaris wrote: I didn't indicate that I figured it would be left as is... after all, the Microsoft arrangement with Bethesda will probably exclude Sony in the future and a trimmed down Nexus would see all mods here tightly controlled.

Control is everything in the market.

GamePass is amazing, value wise for what you get, but anyone who's a regular here will already own Skyrim, etc. There are more details in the sticky on r/skrimmods on reddit.

[praxis22]

In response to post #91947883. #91948568, #91948623, #91948758, #91949048, #91949223, #91949548, #91949748, #91950453, #91959448, #91963258, #91966083, #91966758, #91967388, #91967558, #92067498, #92237383, #92242808, #92245988, #92251563 are all replies on the same post.

StopGap11 wrote: I'm not entirely sure what this announcement means as I'm not particularly familiar with Microsoft's game stop system. Does this mean that we will now be unable to use mods with the games we paid for unless we now pay extra for for a new service? I hope some one who is more familiar with their services can tell me that interpretation is wrong here.  Of course, if that is the incorrect  interpretation ( and I really hope it's incorrect) I'm not blaming anyone at Nexus for this, they didn't have anything to do with this, they're just the messengers here.

irinotecan wrote: This only applies to people who purchase the games in the Xbox/Windows store ("Game Pass").  If you bought the game(s) through Steam, GOG, or physical disc, this does not apply to you, nothing has changed.

Also, you can continue to purchase these games through Steam et al., and avoid the modding headaches associated with an Xbox/Windows store purchase.

Pickysaurus wrote: I'm not really sure what you're upset about here? The games are already out on Game Pass and it does not have any kind of impact on Steam/GOG installs. It's just another option for people who want to play these games. If you're worried about game updates causing problems in your setup there are plenty of guides/tools around to prevent that or back up your current version. 

gyrofalcon wrote: I am confused as well. This "change" from Microsoft, does it force all current owner of Skyrim SE, to also have the game on GamePass?
Or can current version of Skyrim SE, be modded and played the old fashion way, that we do now?
If all futured copies sold, only are available with MS GamePass, (no new sales on Steam, etc) it will be a shot in front of the baug to the community, but I do belive old-fashioned Skyrim (and Oldrim) will survive.
Edit: Answered by others in thread. "My" Skyrim will not change. :) So moral is; Stay away from MS GamePass.

Fyrcynn wrote: Might be a naive question, but does this even impact that many people? I'd think Steam is by far the larger platform with Microsoft's barely being used. Anyone who'd experience the joys Windows Live would stay away from them as a rule.

Saggaris wrote: Well StopGap, I felt a bit like a doom monger myself when I jumped miles ahead with some 'what Ifffff's'

What if Microsoft only allow the future of Bethesda games on Game Pass?
Then..
What if Microsoft close the holes and disallow modding/manipulation of their content?
Then...
What if Microsoft then provide a range of customisable features... for a price?

Oh hell, I'm glad I'm old and senile so's not to have to suffer 'naked' games for too long.

Blackread wrote: Judging by the number of gamepass related questions on r/skyrimmods recently, I'd say this does affect a fair number of people. Obviously the majority of modders will be on Steam still.

StopGap11 wrote: Cool! I'm glad my first interpretation was wrong. Honestly, I'm totally unfamiliar how Microsofts game stop service works, though we'll have to see where this goes in the future. 

showler wrote: Xbox was the console that actually gave people the ability to install half-decent mods.  It seems unlikely they will just up and kill modding on PC after working to implement it on the console.  Crying "Doomsday" is incredibly premature.

ralexpdx wrote: For the existing games yes, but what about Fallout 5 or Elder Scrolls 6. Microsoft is already talking some exclusivity here in the future, so there may NOT BE Steam versions/GoG versions, etc...

ff7legend wrote: The day Micro$oft locks Bethesda games behind the Micro$oft Store is the day I cease playing Bethesda games period.  Folks are going to simply have to start speaking with their wallets.  Look at the utter DISASTER that was Windows Live...  Windows Live was so bad it ended up being discontinued & relegated to the dustbins of history.  If it weren't for mods, Bethesda games wouldn't be remotely relevant a year or two after release.  Micro$oft had best tread carefully in this regard...

PancakeGoon wrote: Well, Game Pass is on PC as well, and is probably the vast majority of those GamePass Reddit threads.

Unfortunately, gaming has come to the point where you almost need a dedicated Launcher Drive in order to play all the games you want on your PC. Because of this, and M$ offering that 3-Months of 'GamePass for PC' for only $0.99, I grabbed it as a way to play & try games that I never could have otherwise afforded, especially all together, essentially for "free" (or a measly entry fee, in the grand scheme) and for that I'm thankful.

Unfortunately, this is still Microsoft and it has been recently riddled with different issues and annoyances, like the topic of this post. Also, super inconsistent compatibility problems, like these new Bethesda games not being able to run in Fullscreen without being surrounded by a huge grey box. Or, for some reason, no native controller support (how friggin' hard is it to patch in support for YOUR OWN controllers, on a game that's been successfully ported ON YOUR OS for years, after you just BOUGHT THE ENTIRE DEVELOPER & THEIR PARENTR COMPANY!? Get it together for Talos' sake...). Or this god awful launcher we're forced to use with NO graphics settings (other than Resolution, generic Low-Ultra "Quality" presets, and 2 types of AA, and On/Off parameters for pretty important settings, etc.). On a PC game...through their PC App.

Actually, I want my dollar back, Bill.

SteveB88 wrote: Thank goodness I bought my games on GOG and Steam. 

pndragon65 wrote: If it weren't for mods, Bethesda games would be unplayable

ff7legend wrote: Steam/GoG may not be an option for ES6/future Bethesda releases now that Micro$oft has gotten their GREEDY TENTACLES on Bethesda/Zenimax.  It will not surprise me to see ES6/future Bethesda games locked behind either the Micro$oft Store or Bethesda's crappy launcher...  This is why I absolutely DESPISE all these corporate mergers/buyouts.  In the end, it is the consumer who gets the shaft in the form of a lackluster watered-down product.  Look at what happened to WoW after Activision bought out Blizzard...  It TANKED HARD while WoW has lost millions of subscribers in the aftermath of said merger/buyout.

EnaiSiaion wrote:

What if Microsoft only allow the future of Bethesda games on Game Pass?
Then..
What if Microsoft close the holes and disallow modding/manipulation of their content?
Then...
What if Microsoft then provide a range of customisable features... for a price?

Then Microsoft will make a lot of money because most people just want extra content for their game, not "mods" per se. Mods are a primitive form of DLC that is much harder to use but saves the price of a coffee (you get what you pay for).

Niche <<< majority.

Saggaris wrote:

What if Microsoft only allow the future of Bethesda games on Game Pass?
Then..
What if Microsoft close the holes and disallow modding/manipulation of their content?
Then...
What if Microsoft then provide a range of customisable features... for a price?

"Then Microsoft will make a lot of money because most people just want extra content for their game, not "mods" per se. Mods are a primitive form of DLC that is much harder to use but saves the price of a coffee (you get what you pay for).

Niche <<< majority."

A further what if...

What if Microsoft fire a truck load of Gold at a certain (Dark0ne) for control of a site that has (to date) 25 million users that have 4 billion Bethesda game mod downloads? 

Lock
Stock
and Barrel.

Yeah, I guess that's a bit tongue in cheek, but stranger things have happened, and Microsoft has made some pretty unpredictable buyouts in the past.

The future of gaming is not at all how we'd like it... unless you're not a gamer.

showler wrote: That would be foolish considering they just bought Bethesda.net which is already a mod distribution service for Bethesda games.  Buying the Nexus would simply duplicate that system while adding in mods for a bunch of games Microsoft does not own.

Saggaris wrote: I didn't indicate that I figured it would be left as is... after all, the Microsoft arrangement with Bethesda will probably exclude Sony in the future and a trimmed down Nexus would see all mods here tightly controlled.

Control is everything in the market.

praxis22 wrote: GamePass is amazing, value wise for what you get, but anyone who's a regular here will already own Skyrim, etc. There are more details in the sticky on r/skrimmods on reddit.

I didn't indicate that I figured it would be left as is... after all, the Microsoft arrangement with Bethesda will probably exclude Sony in
the future and a trimmed down Nexus would see all mods here tightly
controlled.

Control is everything in the market.

MSFT are playing a different game to the monopoly of old. They want bums on seats, they're not equipped to do what Sony does, any more, so they're going all out to make the xbox ecosystem the better value. As such anything that drives people away from GamePass is to be avoided at all costs. MSFT want to be Valve. They want to be the place people come to play. Valve has essentially cornered MSFT's PC market, they want it back. You don't do that by alienating your customers. Give them the best of the old world with a smattering of the new every so often, and people will stay. This is a long rentier game, not a winner takes all monopoly play IMO.

[Calistin]

In response to post #91947883. #91948568, #91948623, #91948758, #91949048, #91949223, #91949548, #91949748, #91950453, #91959448, #91963258, #91966083, #91966758, #91967388, #91967558, #92067498, #92237383, #92242808, #92245988, #92251563, #92251803 are all replies on the same post.

StopGap11 wrote: I'm not entirely sure what this announcement means as I'm not particularly familiar with Microsoft's game stop system. Does this mean that we will now be unable to use mods with the games we paid for unless we now pay extra for for a new service? I hope some one who is more familiar with their services can tell me that interpretation is wrong here.  Of course, if that is the incorrect  interpretation ( and I really hope it's incorrect) I'm not blaming anyone at Nexus for this, they didn't have anything to do with this, they're just the messengers here.

irinotecan wrote: This only applies to people who purchase the games in the Xbox/Windows store ("Game Pass").  If you bought the game(s) through Steam, GOG, or physical disc, this does not apply to you, nothing has changed.

Also, you can continue to purchase these games through Steam et al., and avoid the modding headaches associated with an Xbox/Windows store purchase.

Pickysaurus wrote: I'm not really sure what you're upset about here? The games are already out on Game Pass and it does not have any kind of impact on Steam/GOG installs. It's just another option for people who want to play these games. If you're worried about game updates causing problems in your setup there are plenty of guides/tools around to prevent that or back up your current version. 

gyrofalcon wrote: I am confused as well. This "change" from Microsoft, does it force all current owner of Skyrim SE, to also have the game on GamePass?
Or can current version of Skyrim SE, be modded and played the old fashion way, that we do now?
If all futured copies sold, only are available with MS GamePass, (no new sales on Steam, etc) it will be a shot in front of the baug to the community, but I do belive old-fashioned Skyrim (and Oldrim) will survive.
Edit: Answered by others in thread. "My" Skyrim will not change. :) So moral is; Stay away from MS GamePass.

Fyrcynn wrote: Might be a naive question, but does this even impact that many people? I'd think Steam is by far the larger platform with Microsoft's barely being used. Anyone who'd experience the joys Windows Live would stay away from them as a rule.

Saggaris wrote: Well StopGap, I felt a bit like a doom monger myself when I jumped miles ahead with some 'what Ifffff's'

What if Microsoft only allow the future of Bethesda games on Game Pass?
Then..
What if Microsoft close the holes and disallow modding/manipulation of their content?
Then...
What if Microsoft then provide a range of customisable features... for a price?

Oh hell, I'm glad I'm old and senile so's not to have to suffer 'naked' games for too long.

Blackread wrote: Judging by the number of gamepass related questions on r/skyrimmods recently, I'd say this does affect a fair number of people. Obviously the majority of modders will be on Steam still.

StopGap11 wrote: Cool! I'm glad my first interpretation was wrong. Honestly, I'm totally unfamiliar how Microsofts game stop service works, though we'll have to see where this goes in the future. 

showler wrote: Xbox was the console that actually gave people the ability to install half-decent mods.  It seems unlikely they will just up and kill modding on PC after working to implement it on the console.  Crying "Doomsday" is incredibly premature.

ralexpdx wrote: For the existing games yes, but what about Fallout 5 or Elder Scrolls 6. Microsoft is already talking some exclusivity here in the future, so there may NOT BE Steam versions/GoG versions, etc...

ff7legend wrote: The day Micro$oft locks Bethesda games behind the Micro$oft Store is the day I cease playing Bethesda games period.  Folks are going to simply have to start speaking with their wallets.  Look at the utter DISASTER that was Windows Live...  Windows Live was so bad it ended up being discontinued & relegated to the dustbins of history.  If it weren't for mods, Bethesda games wouldn't be remotely relevant a year or two after release.  Micro$oft had best tread carefully in this regard...

PancakeGoon wrote: Well, Game Pass is on PC as well, and is probably the vast majority of those GamePass Reddit threads.

Unfortunately, gaming has come to the point where you almost need a dedicated Launcher Drive in order to play all the games you want on your PC. Because of this, and M$ offering that 3-Months of 'GamePass for PC' for only $0.99, I grabbed it as a way to play & try games that I never could have otherwise afforded, especially all together, essentially for "free" (or a measly entry fee, in the grand scheme) and for that I'm thankful.

Unfortunately, this is still Microsoft and it has been recently riddled with different issues and annoyances, like the topic of this post. Also, super inconsistent compatibility problems, like these new Bethesda games not being able to run in Fullscreen without being surrounded by a huge grey box. Or, for some reason, no native controller support (how friggin' hard is it to patch in support for YOUR OWN controllers, on a game that's been successfully ported ON YOUR OS for years, after you just BOUGHT THE ENTIRE DEVELOPER & THEIR PARENTR COMPANY!? Get it together for Talos' sake...). Or this god awful launcher we're forced to use with NO graphics settings (other than Resolution, generic Low-Ultra "Quality" presets, and 2 types of AA, and On/Off parameters for pretty important settings, etc.). On a PC game...through their PC App.

Actually, I want my dollar back, Bill.

SteveB88 wrote: Thank goodness I bought my games on GOG and Steam. 

pndragon65 wrote: If it weren't for mods, Bethesda games would be unplayable

ff7legend wrote: Steam/GoG may not be an option for ES6/future Bethesda releases now that Micro$oft has gotten their GREEDY TENTACLES on Bethesda/Zenimax.  It will not surprise me to see ES6/future Bethesda games locked behind either the Micro$oft Store or Bethesda's crappy launcher...  This is why I absolutely DESPISE all these corporate mergers/buyouts.  In the end, it is the consumer who gets the shaft in the form of a lackluster watered-down product.  Look at what happened to WoW after Activision bought out Blizzard...  It TANKED HARD while WoW has lost millions of subscribers in the aftermath of said merger/buyout.

EnaiSiaion wrote:

What if Microsoft only allow the future of Bethesda games on Game Pass?
Then..
What if Microsoft close the holes and disallow modding/manipulation of their content?
Then...
What if Microsoft then provide a range of customisable features... for a price?

Then Microsoft will make a lot of money because most people just want extra content for their game, not "mods" per se. Mods are a primitive form of DLC that is much harder to use but saves the price of a coffee (you get what you pay for).

Niche <<< majority.

Saggaris wrote:

What if Microsoft only allow the future of Bethesda games on Game Pass?
Then..
What if Microsoft close the holes and disallow modding/manipulation of their content?
Then...
What if Microsoft then provide a range of customisable features... for a price?

"Then Microsoft will make a lot of money because most people just want extra content for their game, not "mods" per se. Mods are a primitive form of DLC that is much harder to use but saves the price of a coffee (you get what you pay for).

Niche <<< majority."

A further what if...

What if Microsoft fire a truck load of Gold at a certain (Dark0ne) for control of a site that has (to date) 25 million users that have 4 billion Bethesda game mod downloads? 

Lock
Stock
and Barrel.

Yeah, I guess that's a bit tongue in cheek, but stranger things have happened, and Microsoft has made some pretty unpredictable buyouts in the past.

The future of gaming is not at all how we'd like it... unless you're not a gamer.

showler wrote: That would be foolish considering they just bought Bethesda.net which is already a mod distribution service for Bethesda games.  Buying the Nexus would simply duplicate that system while adding in mods for a bunch of games Microsoft does not own.

Saggaris wrote: I didn't indicate that I figured it would be left as is... after all, the Microsoft arrangement with Bethesda will probably exclude Sony in the future and a trimmed down Nexus would see all mods here tightly controlled.

Control is everything in the market.

praxis22 wrote: GamePass is amazing, value wise for what you get, but anyone who's a regular here will already own Skyrim, etc. There are more details in the sticky on r/skrimmods on reddit.

praxis22 wrote:

I didn't indicate that I figured it would be left as is... after all, the Microsoft arrangement with Bethesda will probably exclude Sony in
the future and a trimmed down Nexus would see all mods here tightly
controlled.

Control is everything in the market.

MSFT are playing a different game to the monopoly of old. They want bums on seats, they're not equipped to do what Sony does, any more, so they're going all out to make the xbox ecosystem the better value. As such anything that drives people away from GamePass is to be avoided at all costs. MSFT want to be Valve. They want to be the place people come to play. Valve has essentially cornered MSFT's PC market, they want it back. You don't do that by alienating your customers. Give them the best of the old world with a smattering of the new every so often, and people will stay. This is a long rentier game, not a winner takes all monopoly play IMO.

Eh I will not ever buy a game from the MS store unless I have to because it only available there, even then I might just skip it, and that is the issue many see coming or fear will come eventually. It wouldn't be the first time MS force exclusivity to peddle their own platform.

We as gamers have been told far, far too many times that XYZ wont ever happen by gaming companies and then down the line after a few years it happens.......

I am an old whippersnapper so I wont get excited about it I will just talk with my wallet whether it changes anything or not Edited March 23, 2021 by Calistin

[RolfSteiner]

Hey there! I followed this discussion from the beginning!

 

Fact is ... some of us still feared! Another Fact is ... there are questions ... in the back of our secret mind storage ... that should be asked!

As i always say´n ... answers needs questions ...

I'm scared, too! Sure ... i know Microsoft is a kraken in specific things!

The main thing of them, is to gain control of the money flow ... in their wallet!!! Keep this in mind!

So let´s figure out ... what´s their (master) plan on that!

 

And keep in mind never ever do purchases their platforms ... if you want to stay in freedom!!!

 

Greetings AND A BIG THANK YOU to all the GREATEST MODDERS here on NEXUS!!! YOU ARE FABULOUS!!!

THX for YOUR GREAT WORK to make the games ALIVE!!!

[showler]

In response to post #92288163.

RolfSteiner wrote: Hey there! I followed this discussion from the beginning!

Fact is ... some of us still feared! Another Fact is ... there are questions ... in the back of our secret mind storage ... that should be asked!
As i always say´n ... answers needs questions ...
I'm scared, too! Sure ... i know Microsoft is a kraken in specific things!
The main thing of them, is to gain control of the money flow ... in their wallet!!! Keep this in mind!
So let´s figure out ... what´s their (master) plan on that!

And keep in mind never ever do purchases their platforms ... if you want to stay in freedom!!!

Greetings AND A BIG THANK YOU to all the GREATEST MODDERS here on NEXUS!!! YOU ARE FABULOUS!!!
THX for YOUR GREAT WORK to make the games ALIVE!!!

Y'know what?  Five minutes before this purchase was announced people were declaring that Bethesda was so greedy that they were going to block all modding in order to make people buy Creation Club content.  Or that they were going to shut down the Nexus so everyone had to use Bethesda.net.  Or that everything was going to have to be bought through microtransactions and the game would have very little actual content.

So, really nothing has changed.  If all corporations are evil and out to destroy modding then it will get destroyed.  If not, then Microsoft is just as likely to work with the community to keep modding going as Bethesda was.

Just buy as you want, play as you want and mod as you want.  Stop complaining about things that haven't actually happened.

[Dravond]

In response to post #91967003. #91979463, #91980208, #92042283, #92067333, #92140103, #92149073 are all replies on the same post.

TXChannel34 wrote: This is the predictable end of gaming. The general rule for a successful business is to find something that makes money and scale it. This is just Microsoft scaling it. They know that something that is this popular and the bygone conclusion is that there will be enough subscribers that will stay with it, they don't care about the odd ones out. When I bought games from a brick and mortar store for my new alienware laptop was like seeing my kids born, only to find out when I installed them on my computer and then launched it, it said I had to get this "steam" thing to run the game I bought on the computer I paid for. this is nothing more than money grabbing as many have noted. I don't buy a bunch of games, I don't play a bunch of them, there are a few that I have and like, and if there is a game that comes out that looks cool I will buy it, and if I don't like it, I stop playing it. I paid the developers for the privilege of trying it out. If I like it, I buy more of their games, more of their DLCs, etc. I am not going to go on down this road, you all know what I mean. Games like Fortnite and the like, sure, make em subscription stuff. Games like Fallout, Skyrim, etc, they are for refined gamers, they aren't plug and play shoot em ups. If you've ever had a problem with windows, and tried their customer support for a fix, you already know what sort of an invironment we find ourselves in now. Only in the corporate mind would anyone be ok with being turned from a player into a payer and expect the customer to be happy about it.

If they were serious about their plan and keeping us happy, they'd offer us the ability to pay a small one time charge for a game, and subscriptions would be optional with an "in app purchase". I'm still fuming about having had bought a game and have to run it through the steam client. I believe that it causes a lot of the crashes that I experience in the game. I can be playing, the game crashes, won't start back up again unless I go to task manager and force quit the 13 steam apps running in the background. But that's a different thread. I spent the last week downloading a bunch of mods and dlc and working the bugs out, and am still not done to my satisfaction, but it;'s getting there. Heck, on the microsoft platform, all you get is the vanilla game and No DLCs, no popular mods, nada. Just the opportunity to pay Microsoft $50 per month for the privilege of playing the vanilla game using their game client which is required to play at all.

Saggaris wrote: Have a Kudos for your 'rant' TX

I and a good few 'older' others feel the similar about being corporately stuffed.

GamingZacharyC wrote: Hold on a minute there: As far as we know, most Bethesda titles will be on the MS Store, yes, but we don't even know if they'll be on Steam, like Skyrim.  Personally, I'd prefer Bethesda releases their titles on Steam instead of the Bethesda.net Launcher because, honestly, that's too much bloat for my system. Bethesda titles, in my experience, are buggy and unoptimized. I don't need a buggy and unoptimized launcher running in the background, taking nibbles at my potato rig. Steam is very well optimized and well cared for.

As for the taskkilling the Steam processes: That is the game's fault. Steam provides a bunch of APIs for a game developer to make use of. If a game crashes and the game process isn't entirely dead, Steam provides an option to force quit a game if it is being stubborn. Personally, I've never had problems with Steam, only the games published on the platform. If the game crashes a lot, that's a very nieve answer to just blame the retailer service. The launcher is almost never the problem with a retailer; The problem is almost always with the game itself.

To top it all off, Game Pass is an *optional* thing, and it is $15 a month (for Ultimate), not $50. You can outright buy a copy of the game if you wish, or you can rent it and a bunch of other games for $15 a month. Personally, I would go Game Pass, but buy my Bethesda titles on Steam.


If there's one good thing I can see coming out of the MS-Zenimax deal, I do believe that Bethesda games will get better in terms of performance and bugs.

Kel1978 wrote: most Bethesda games are already on steam.  Also you can mod just mine with games from the Microsoft store. You just need to take ownership of the folder.

EnaiSiaion wrote: If the consumer rewards Microsoft for this move, it means game ownership, mods and so on don't really matter in the grand scheme of things.

I used to care about owning games, too. Then I grew up. Adults don't have time to mess around with installing and managing games, they just want to hit a button and play.

This rant feels like a brick and mortar store owner trying to defend their business from online marketplaces. People will go where they want, and if they go somewhere else, you didn't have enough to offer in the first place.

I suspect most people could not care less about moddability, and by the next generation, the only games that can be modded are games that are designed as platforms for custom content, like Mario Maker and Trackmania, and only within the confines of their sandbox. People will like it because it eliminates much of the hassle (Skyrim mods are too clunky and unprofessional for the majority of users). And if their favourite game doesn't support mods, who cares? It will have DLC instead, and once the DLC runs out, play something else!

Saggaris wrote: You seem to be a bit mixed up there, have you noticed that here on Nexus there have been over four and a half billion mod downloads... so where are you getting the idea that most people don't care about moddability?
I personally feel that you are of the camp that doesn't care and are trying to convert the mod anointed.

I understand that priorities change as you age, but don't think for one moment it's about growing up, it's not, it's about choice and what you do with that choice, if you give that up willingly then you will never get it back as long as there is a buck to be made and a head to be patted... "Yes, clever boy, you've helped to make me a greater percentage on my investment, and it only costs the user... have a pat on the head"

HaltyRem wrote: @EnaiSiaion:
I do agree about existence of dendency toward declining of using mods in new games.
From my personal point of view the reasons are:
1) modern games are staying for much longer visually and gameplay-wise non-outdated, and less lacking of quality-of-life features, so the modern games need less fixes;
2) nowadays, there are very many games with different visual styles, roleplaying setting and options, gameplay modes, so there is less need for expanding with mods all of this in any particular ONE game;
3) it is much faster and easier to just use an additional game, which already has what is needed and is optimised for it;
4) those games, that provide extensive options to fine-tune almost everything in game, do not induce desire to mod it (OH WHY DEVELOPERS DO IT SO RARELY?!!!);
5) majority of the most profitable games are either multiplayer, or cooperative, and these types of games are much less moddable then singleplayer games.

Hey there is there a guide i can look at to use mods on ms store games?

[JP193]

In response to post #92288163. #92289693 is also a reply to the same post.

RolfSteiner wrote: Hey there! I followed this discussion from the beginning!

Fact is ... some of us still feared! Another Fact is ... there are questions ... in the back of our secret mind storage ... that should be asked!
As i always say´n ... answers needs questions ...
I'm scared, too! Sure ... i know Microsoft is a kraken in specific things!
The main thing of them, is to gain control of the money flow ... in their wallet!!! Keep this in mind!
So let´s figure out ... what´s their (master) plan on that!

And keep in mind never ever do purchases their platforms ... if you want to stay in freedom!!!

Greetings AND A BIG THANK YOU to all the GREATEST MODDERS here on NEXUS!!! YOU ARE FABULOUS!!!
THX for YOUR GREAT WORK to make the games ALIVE!!!

showler wrote: Y'know what?  Five minutes before this purchase was announced people were declaring that Bethesda was so greedy that they were going to block all modding in order to make people buy Creation Club content.  Or that they were going to shut down the Nexus so everyone had to use Bethesda.net.  Or that everything was going to have to be bought through microtransactions and the game would have very little actual content.

So, really nothing has changed.  If all corporations are evil and out to destroy modding then it will get destroyed.  If not, then Microsoft is just as likely to work with the community to keep modding going as Bethesda was.

Just buy as you want, play as you want and mod as you want.  Stop complaining about things that haven't actually happened.

Just buy as you want, play as you want and mod as you want.

Amen. There's zero word that Steam copies/one time purchase games are off the table, so I remain entirely unphased by the whole situation. If anything it's nice that Game Pass users can mod a little bit, considering you are sort of just renting the game in a sense. If someone is truly passionate about modding Bethesda games you probably own a permnanent copy and probably went to PC to use NexusMods if you could afford it.

(Oh, and I second the thanks to Nexus for intending to keep us informed and all that) Edited March 27, 2021 by JP193

[WaltC]

I can't advise anyone who wants to mod to buy through the Microsoft store.  I tried it--once, with The Outer Worlds.  First I rented the game through the Microsoft store and discovered I could not mod the game, and that even an edit would render the associated save unplayable--you'd have to start over.  So, I thought maybe that sort of copy protection was understandable for a rental--figured I'd do much better with a purchased copy--so I bought the game outright for $44.95, IIRC.  I was dumbfounded when I discovered that as far as copy-protection there was *no difference* at all between the $1 rented version and the full-price version--my God, it was festooned with copy-protection the likes of which I had never seen--and that's going back to old floppy-disk copy protection schemes.  This game was trussed up tighter than a nun in a strip joint...;)  No kidding, but when I explained to Microsoft I wanted a copy I could mod or else I wanted a full refund, Microsoft was nice enough to refund my money, no questions asked!  Got it all back, bought the Epic store version which had no copy protection and was fully moddable from the start--and I paid only $34.95 at the EGS, so I got the game for $10 less than Microsoft wanted to charge me for a copy I couldn't mod!  No contest.  Only wish I'd bought from the EGS first and saved myself so much trouble.

 

Rental games?--I understand Microsoft's restrictions--but for full retail pop?  No--I understand nothing of Microsoft's restrictions.  They aren't rational.  Who wants to pay full price for a copy of a game so wrapped up in copy protection that it cannot be modded?  Not I. I don't know if things have changed as of now, but this is the way they stood as of December 2019, immediately after the release of The Outer Worlds--sure hope it's different now!