Paying for game mods

Maybe but with bigger companies will try and squeeze all as much they can.
 
Tsar said:
Maybe but with bigger companies will try and squeeze all as much they can.
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Maybe. Modders don't have to create paid for mods. They have created free ones for years and many will continue creating free ones.

But imagine the creator of Audiosurf 2 says he will give the maximum percentage to the mod developers. Imagine the incentive! Imagine the works we will see! It makes me want to fire up MODO and create something awesome. Just because it takes less time than creating a game. Much less. And I don't need to worry about marketing. I can create something because I love creating and yet have a monetary incentive! It's awesome! :D I mean currently my time in the evenings are spent working on websites. I used to be a game developer though and I love creating stuff. But part time it's hard! Especially if you want to make money and still have a full time job.

This is a chance. A chance for people like me.

Hell it may never work out but like I said, it's worth the try. Why not try this at all? If it doesn't work then they can stop it. But to not have tried at all. Why would you want that?
 
Solitude said:
I think Valve did more for PC gaming than any other company out there.

Why is Valve destroying pc gaming?
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"the greatest trick the devil pulled was convincing the world he doesn't exist"

that's what's happening here, create a "benevolent monopoly" then BAM off world slavery.

that's what they are doing, they entrenched themselves so much. now they have the most control, nearly every game out there uses steamworks, the closest competitor can't figure out what the hell they want to do with their platform and keep spinning their wheels (origin).

and the worst part is? as a community we are letting it happen.

neg rep and hate me all you want, but no good can ever come from this. not now. not ever
 
Tank said:
"the greatest trick the devil pulled was convincing the world he doesn't exist"

that's what's happening here, create a "benevolent monopoly" then BAM off world slavery.

that's what they are doing, they entrenched themselves so much. now they have the most control, nearly every game out there uses steamworks, the closest competitor can't figure out what the hell they want to do with their platform and keep spinning their wheels (origin).

and the worst part is? as a community we are letting it happen.

neg rep and hate me all you want, but no good can ever come from this. not now. not ever
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I'm not neg repping you and I most definitely don't hate you. :)

It is concerning that Steam has such a big monopoly, I'll give you that.
 
Solitude said:
But imagine the creator of Audiosurf 2 says he will give the maximum percentage to the mod developers. Imagine the incentive! Imagine the works we will see!
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That is a good way of looking at it, it might make more ppl buy the game to play the mod perhaps, thus sending some pennies to the game dev. The only problem I see is trigger happy lawyers who will treat the modders the same as say some Chinese company selling World of Witchcraft of StarCraftBattle 2.

CEASE AND DESIST YOU LOWLY GREEN YELLOW POND SCUM! :mad:

*swallows caviar with champagne drank from the sculls of modders*
 
Here's a good article:
http://gamasutra.com/blogs/ErikWaan..._of_Valves_New_Steam_Workshop_Storefronts.php

The past 24 hours have been an absolute frenzy for the PC modding community. With the announcement of Valve’s new Steam Workshop storefronts, both creators and players have taken to the web either to defend or attack this new feature, with the majority of voices seeming to overwhelmingly disapprove of the change (or perhaps it’s just the “vocal minority,” it’s so hard to tell these days). “Valve just wants more money,” they claim. “This can be nothing but awful for modding, both for creators and players.” But this is a knee jerk reaction, akin to the types of public outcry we see when gas prices skyrocket or when Netflix starts charging $8.99 instead of $7.99. The difference here is that not much is really changing. In fact the only thing that this new storefront actually provides is the one thing that Valve has continued to give its community over the past 11 years since Steam’s inception: more options.


Edward Percy Moran's "Battle of Steam Workshop," circa 2015.

I’m a modder. I’m currently working on a mod right now. I’ve been planning to release my mod for free once it’s done. And guess what, I’m still planning to release it for free, even in light of this recent news. But as a creator, it’s also nice to know that there may be an option to make some income off of future projects. Modding is tough work, sometimes even harder than actual game development (what with the lack of funds, smaller team sizes, and the inevitable need for hours and hours of teaching yourself skills). There’s a lot of time and effort that goes into making good mods. So why is it so unfair to now suddenly provide an option for modders to start charging for their work if they choose? Especially when the option to release your work for free (or as a pay-what-you-want product) still exists.

Ultimately, the debate here seems to boil down to a matter of perspective. If you’re a mod creator, or you’ve ever created a mod, or you even just understand how mod creation works, then there’s a good chance that you'll view this as a positive change. But for most players, especially ones who have only ever played other people’s mods, of course this probably seems terrible to them. What was once always free may now cost them money. Forget whether creators should have the option to be compensated for their time and hard work. “If it used to be free, but now its isn’t, then all bets are off. Oh yeah, and Valve is officially the worst compant ever!” Let’s not forget that last part, of course.

To be honest, I long for a world where pretty much everything is free... you know, the idea of a Roddenberry utopia where all of your basic needs are provided for you, which then leaves you free to pursue whatever makes you happiest in life. It’d be great if modders could just focus on their work without also needing some “other job.” Or a world where all games (and not just mods) were free for all players. But unfortunately, we still don’t live in that world (yet). So why is it such a bad idea to provide modders with the option to make a little more income to support themselves off their hard work?

And yes, there are of course some potential downsides to all of this. There’s the question of paying for content made for a game that you’ve already paid for (which, when you think about it, technically just makes this another instance of “user-generated DLC,” as seen in games like Dota 2). Then there’s the question of what happens when an update to a game breaks a mod that you’ve suddenly paid for. Who’s at fault? Who’s going to fix it? How do I get my money back? These are all legitimate concerns, and ones that will undoubtedly need to be ironed out in the weeks and months to come. There’s also been the call to “vote with your wallet” and simply not buy any paid mods as a show of solidarity. And that’s fine... actually I think that’s great idea! We should do that more often with industry practices that we don’t agree with. But why can’t the option to charge for mods still exist regardless? If a mod costs $1.99 at launch, and nobody buys it because everyone’s rallied together and urged others to not pay for mods, then maybe it will change back to being free. But there’s still nothing wrong with creators at least having the choice to set their own terms, and that’s all that Valve is trying to do here.

Many folks laugh at the paltry 25% revenue that modders will make off of their work through this storefront; as if it’s an insult that companies like Valve and Bethesda would take 75% of profits for themselves. But let’s be clear here, modders were previously making nothing for their work, and considering all of the logistics and legalese involved in setting up a system where modders can start making money immediately -- none of which the modder has to take care of themselves, mind you -- I think that 25% of profits sounds like a steal compared to the previous trend of 0%.

And that’s the reality of it all. Valve is simply doing what they’ve always tried to do: release a new system that provides users with more options. We complain about games like the new Battlefront having less than half the features of the previous one. Or about how AAA games are being released unfinished and with more bugs than they’ve ever had before. But when a company like Valve tries to make their systems more robust, even if those changes are mostly for content creators, then they’re immediately attacked as being greedy and against player interest. Sure these new options may seem to heavily favor creators, and maybe there’s an argument to be made that “paid mods” go against the very spirit of modding in general. But there’s a silver lining here for players too.

Some of the most popular games of all time started out as mods. But (for example) you’d be hard pressed to make an argument that Counter-Strike should suddenly be free just because it was once a mod. Which would you rather choose: to have to pay for Counter-Strike now... or to have never had Counter-Strike in the first place? Maybe someone with the talent to create mods -- but previously decided it was a waste of their time because they wouldn’t be compensated -- would now see the incentive to create what could become one of the greatest mods ever made. Maybe scores of people who have already made great mods can now sustain themselves off profits from their work so that they can focus even more time on… you guessed it… creating even more great mods. And let’s remember (yet again) that mod creators can still choose to release their work for free. No one is forcing every mod to have a price tag on it, and I suspect that a vast majority of mods will still continue to be free, both now and in the future.

But the point here again is that the option at least exists now, and that’s really all that matters. Because at the end of the day, Valve isn’t actually taking anything away from players, but it is giving something to creators. And in a world where more and more people are starting to create mods and content for games, I think that’s a pretty great thing.
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The comments there are also good.
 
Not a big fan tbh.

3rd party DLC in disguise...

And yeah the steam platform is slowly turning to sht...way too much shovelware on there now.
 
Tsar said:
Maybe but with bigger companies will try and squeeze all as much they can.
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This got me to think atm the people that support mods brings out the modding tools for free but what if now with this pay for mod the modding tools would now rather be sold than given out free.


 
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Crzwaco said:
This got me to think atm the people that support mods brings out the modding tools for free but what if now with this pay for mod the modding tools would now rather be sold than given out free.


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Becomes a subscription service. Getting money from modders and mods. Why pay people to do dlc when you can get paid for letting people do mods.
 
Solitude said:
Game developers often work together even though they are competitors. In fact Dares, events and competitions have actually led to an increase in game development productivity. There will always be free mods. There will always be free games. There are paid games and now there are paid for mods too. I mean, why not? It's most definitely worth the try.

We can however see how drastically the modding landscape changed in a year... and that is the beauty of it.

We will also see how havoc will be created because 50 mods are incompatible because they no longer have the same dependencies.... or will we? See you here in a year, Graal. :)
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Modders are not game developers and the modding scene has never been the same as game development. I've been participating in the modding community since 2004 and I'm telling you now, a shitstorm is coming. There are already dozens of fights from modders and modders are actively pulling their previously free modders resource packs because they don't want other people monetizing their work.

I appreciate that you're trying to remain positive, but if you don't see why this is a problem for the modding community then you don't understand the modding community at all.

Modders are not going to share their pennies. They're not going to get stinking rich off this.
 
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Graal said:
Modders are not game developers and the modding scene has never been the same as game development. I've been participating in the modding community since 2004 and I'm telling you now, a shitstorm is coming. There are already dozens of fights from modders and modders are actively pulling their previously free modders resource packs because they don't want other people monetizing their work.

I appreciate that you're trying to remain positive, but if you don't see why this is a problem for the modding community then you don't understand the modding community at all.

Modders are not going to share their pennies. They're not going to get stinking rich off this.
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Can you post some links to where free modders packs being pulled? Did you read that Gamasutra article that I posted?

I must say that I don't know the modding community. I know the game development one, and we are perceiving this as mostly a good thing.

What I see is an opportunity that didn't exist before. And if things do not work out then they can just stop it. The only way to have progress is to test the waters. And the only way to see how things will turn out is to give it time.
 
Nexus news item

...many modders release their mods as "modders resources", essentially saying to people "take whatever you want from my mod and use it in yours". The introduction of paid for mods changes that. Some mod authors have already taken their mods down because they're afraid their assets or even their entire mods will be stolen and added to the new Steam Workshop without their permission. Many more have said they are now unsure if they'll ever release another modder's resource again.
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And yes, I did read the Gamasutra article and I think the modder in question has stars in his eyes for a future that isn't going to be. He's under the misguided impression that people will be making a career out of this and get stinking rich, which is very unlikely. What's instead going to happen is it will become another Google Play store, with dozens of clones and a race to the bottom model. Hell, we've even got in-game adverts for 'free' versions of paid mods. I wonder where I've seen that before. :rolleyes:

6y6XF2n.png


I watched Robin Scott build the modding community up to what it is today from the humble beginnings of TESSource up until it became multi-game modding site that the Nexus is today. And Valve just single-handedly tore down everything Robin did in more than a decade so that they can monetize user-created content. I don't have a problem compensating people for their mods. I once donated $15 to the author of Requiem when he still accepted donations because his mod gave me about 50 extra hours of fun in Skyrim. The entire issue with this system is the implementation. It should have been free mods with the option to donate if you want, because people who don't want to pay for mods won't do it anyway. People who would pay, would have donated anyway. Now we're seeing the rise of mod piracy. I honestly never in my wildest dreams thought mod piracy would be a thing.

Like I said, sit back and watch as Valve destroys modding as we know it. What we're seeing now is totally against the spirit of a modding community that has been flourishing for more than a decade. Give it time and you'll see how the face of modding will change.
 
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Sure lets give it time and see what happens. :)

And yes, I did read the Gamasutra article and I think the modder in question has stars in his eyes for a future that isn't going to be. He's under the misguided impression that people will be making a career out of this and get stinking rich, which is very unlikely. What's instead going to happen is it will become another Google Play store, with dozens of clones and a race to the bottom model. Hell, we've even got in-game adverts for 'free' versions of paid mods. I wonder where I've seen that before.
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However it doesn't look like you read the Gamasutra article and its comments. The writer of the article specifically mentions that he is writing a mod and that he will be releasing it for free. Also that now one has an option of charging money for a mod should one now choose to. He specifically uses the word "option". I don't see where you get the idea of him "has stars in his eyes for a future that isn't going to be. He's under the misguided impression that people will be making a career out of this and get stinking rich, which is very unlikely."

In fact he doesn't say anything like that. Can you please quote what he says to give you that impression?

As for the Nexus article that you posted. I believe this reply answers it quite well: "The guys from Nexus mods have invested so much in their community and their site that they will have no choice but to take the side of everything staying the way it was."

Now you specifically say that you have the following problem:
The entire issue with this system is the implementation. It should have been free mods with the option to donate if you want, because people who don't want to pay for mods won't do it anyway. People who would pay, would have donated anyway. Now we're seeing the rise of mod piracy. I honestly never in my wildest dreams thought mod piracy would be a thing.
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Mods can still be given away for free. Mods can still be released on other platforms. Or:
Free, Paid, or Pay What You Want
With over 24,000 free mods available for Skyrim in the Steam Workshop, there will always be lots to do and explore for free. Now you can also find mods with a specified price, or mods where you can choose how much you wish to support the creators. The price is up to the mod creators.
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So if that is your issue then it's taken care of. Since there is a pay what you want option. Isn't that exactly the same as donation?

*edit*
Oh and [MENTION=4467]Graal[/MENTION] since I didn't include your name in the quotes.
 
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damn, when the internet gets upset...its gets upset.

Eager to see what Gabe will do now. Prolly make a weak reference to HL3 to take the internets attention away from paid for mods and add HL2 and Team Fortress to it as well.

Also interesting to see people for the first time in greater numbers getting angry at Valve, esp with some mentions about the long HL3 no show. I think Valve needs seriously think about what made them what they are today....but its kinda hard to hear us gamers over the money machines counting money.

I miss the good old days, showing my age and what not...esp the late 90's, all this monetizing of games with DLC's, day one content, a bazillion different special editions...blah blah... :(
 
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