cstarkey42

Realistic Aspen Trees

RAT has an update to 3.2 and now has billboards available on their site. Woo-Hoo!

I also switched to LOOT a while back and have been happy with the v7 version. I was really skeptical when LOOT first came out and didn't care for it at all but I finally tried it again ( after getting sick of Skyre and the load order voodoo that it brings with it. I couldn't believe it but LOOT cleared my issues right up. Go figure... ) with the beta version and have only had to make a few rules, which I've found are really easy to do, once you get used to it. For the most part it does a great job now.

There's a new patch out for SIC and Warmonger which I thought you might be interested in. I haven't looked at it beyond the description but it sounds promising. Morrowloot 4E Expansion Patch and Guide

It's strange that after 8 years that that was his only comment. I was surprised it got him banned but I support the Nexus getting tough with harassing posts. The one on the WC page, however, is beyond unacceptable. It's bad enough that it's racist but to follow that up with "kill yourself" is just insane to me. No offense to the MAs here and I certainly do love my video games but isn't there a point that you have to seriously question somebody's mental state when they're making comments like that to people whose hobby/career is modding video games? Hatred like that should be reserved for the worst humanity has to offer ( which, ironically enough, is a category that that commentator would fall into ). It just absolutely blows my mind. I understand about it messing up the page but maybe they could block it out or something? That comment is so vile I'm not even concerned about not seeing the "proof" of their banishment; at that point I'm happy to take the Nexus moderator's word for it. Sorry, I know I'm just venting but that guy on the WC page really pissed me off.

Do any of the moderators or modders here have any contact with the Nexus moderators, beyond just going through the basic "contact" links on the site? If so, could you encourage them to not only ban the offending members but to remove their comment as well? I think it's great that they're quickly banning people for harassing the authors ( such as adadadada for his comment on the Campfire page ) but some comments are just too vile and disgusting to be left up. Check out 31Fox's comment on the Wet and Cold page to see what I mean.

And Art of the Catch is scheduled for a NEXUS release on May 6th. Yes, it would appear that the master is back! Throw in the fact that Isoku is planning on updating soon and maybe we can finally put this whole mess behind us.

Ummm...check this out: https://skyrimsurvival.com/home/frostfall/ ( Damn it, was this emoji menu there this whole time? I'm so blind... )

Props to the SkyUI authors though, they're being really cool about it and offering advice ( which mainly consists of uninstall it and wait for the official version but said in a very nice and professional manner ). After what they've been through I'd think at the very least a passive-aggressive, sarcastic quip would be understandable. They're certainly handling it much better than I think I would be able to.

Today's moment of Zen: People seeking support on the SkyUI Nexus page for what are obviously pirated versions of 5.0. Bethesda's debacle is a gift that truly keeps on giving.

I'm only guessing but I would say that the intense reaction to Isuko and Chesko wasn't so much the fact they were a part of the workshop but was more due to which mods were behind the paywall and, even more importantly, due to the fact that Wet and Cold, iNeed, Frostfall and, to a lesser extent, Art of the Catch and Arrisa had all been "hyped" and "promised" for weeks, if not months, by the authors themselves. I know I had been putting off a new playthrough for those updates specifically and had seen numerous comments from others that had been doing the same. Many seemed to feel that SkyUI was a finished product that hadn't been updated in ages and the authors only released a 5.0 after seeing an opportunity to "cash in" on it. Arthmoor, on the other hand, AFAIK hadn't been promoting his mod and, again, AFAIK the mod he had on the workshop was new or at least one that I wasn't familiar with. If it was instead an update of Open Cities or USKP, or any of his well known and very popular mods, for that matter, I think the reaction would have been very different, especially if he had been promoting the update, minus any info on the paywall, of course. Still, it would have had to have been quite the update to be on the same level as what WC or FF were promoting. These weren't just minor updates with a couple of new features and bug fixes, these were updates that were being hailed as huge improvements to speed and stability and which undoubtedly had people salivating at their potential. These aren't necessarily my views, mind you, but the way I was interpreting the events as they played out. I'm very happy to hear of the reports that Isuko is fine and returning and that the SkyUI crew have no hard feelings and are updating. The fact that Chesko is logging in and seeing the many posts of good will is encouraging, I think, especially since they seem to be overwhelmingly outnumbering any negative posts. I'm sorry to hear that Artmoor feels that way, however. My only other observation right now is that the longer this plays out the more it seems that many of the negative and immature posts were made by the same people ( I'm so sick of seeing certain icons and, when I do see them, have a good idea of what is being posted before I even begin to read it ) or people that hadn't posted much before and are either opportunistic anarchists looking to fan the flames or recent Skyrim buyers who were "promised" a game backed by free mods and had the whole paradigm changed before they even got a chance to play ( of which I'm sympathetic but is certainly not an excuse for attacking any of the authors in any way ). My point is that, by and large, I think the majority of the Nexus users were actually mature and supportive with a small, small minority being an immature and brash bunch of 12 year old ****wads. The Steam workshop community, however, is like an unmonitored grade-school from a Simpsons episode. I'm not as familiar with things over there but, judging from the past few days, I certainly don't ever want to have to be either.

Here's someone whose heart is in the right place: https://steamcommunity.com/app/72850/discussions/0/611704730328798977/?tscn=1430234103#p1 ( Here's where it ultimately leads: https://www.change.org/p/chesko-skyrim-modders-chesko-and-skyrim-modders-please-come-back ) Of course, reading the comments will make you feel like last weekend never ended... You've been warned.

Well said, Teabag. They new system was horribly implemented with far too many details that weren't addressed, or even properly considered, but it's hard to feel like it's a "victory" after what we all witnessed over the past few days. Worst of all I feel terrible for Chesko and Isuko, not only because of the probable loss of two of the most talented modders and their essential mods but also, and much more so, the betrayal and dismay they must be feeling right now. They obviously loved to mod, were damn good at it, and were viciously attacked, both personally and professionally, by an unimaginably large contingent of users, both on the nexus and off. I'm happy that the STEP community and a few very vocal members on the Nexus forums rose above it and were much more thoughtful in their words and manners but, unfortunately, it is clear that this group is a small minority of the users out there. What's even more insulting are the people who are posting that "hey, it's over, no more pay mods so when is that update coming out" or already bitching that they need troubleshooting on their mods. Some men just want to watch the world burn.

Mods seem to be unique in the perspective that they should be expected to be made compatible with many, if not all, other mods out there, irregardless of how bad of a fit they may be together. I can't, for instance, expect to buy certain items for my car, such as doors that open vertically or 68 inch tires ( those are big, right? I really don't know... ), or even reasonably expect the manufacturer to replace all of the nuts and bolts with a standardized measure instead of metric, since I'm an American, damn it. My tv doesn't work with most remotes that aren't designed for it, comcast won't make their service compatible with any dvr, just the ones you have to rent from them...hell, my ps3 won't play xbox games and, as I understand it, the new generation of consoles won't even play the old generation's games. Looking around my house I'm hard pressed to find any item that I can reasonably, or unreasonably, as the case may be, be expected to be made compatible with other items, even if it would seem that they should "mesh" well together. Mods, however, have been treated differently but I don't think that obligates the author to make their mod work well with others, paid for or not. I think it has been a great and valuable service that many authors have provided, both in an act of kindness and, no doubt, in an effort to expand the popularity of their mod by making it work in as many different load orders as possible. If an author wants to have a good name in the paid mod community they might find it in their best interest to supply patches and, in many cases, it would only be good business sense to do so. However, looking at the quality of many of the mods being offered, good business sense might be in very short order on the workshop. Obviously the barriers created by the implementation of the workshop make this even more difficult as authors might not be able to simply add optional download buttons and other authors are unable to simply make a patch for the community and send it to the author or even host it on their own site. Of course I'm sure this was something that was discussed in the Valve meetings so we can rest assured that it's all under control... ( really with I knew how to do the eye roll emoji here... )

Wow, you weren't exaggerating about Vividian 7, it looks amazing. I was not expecting that big of a change. The new official alpha version, 7.4, went up sometime today if you haven't seen it yet. I just noticed it and haven't checked it out yet but it sounds like he changed the nights so they're not as dark but a dark nights option is in the works.

Alright, as long as I've officially hijacked the thread ( thanks Neo! ) I'm going to throw these up here. If you're still depressed, these are so brilliant and funny they're guaranteed to get you to crack a smile. If they don't, well, I promise not to post any more so maybe that will cheer you up instead. :P ( Hey, at least they're video game related and the video, at 1:20 and 2:05, is Skyrim specific...ie ) The 7 Biggest Dick Moves in the History of Online Gaming The Insane World of Video Game Health Care

That video is awesome. If that mod isn't worthy of SRLE I don't know what is!

https://www.pcworld.com/article/2602876/10-hilarious-brutally-devious-ways-pc-game-developers-punish-pirates.html https://www.cracked.com/article_19162_6-hilarious-ways-game-designers-are-screwing-with-pirates.html https://www.cracked.com/article_20482_5-hilarious-ways-game-designers-are-messing-with-pirates.html https://www.cracked.com/article_22222_6-hilarious-ways-game-designers-are-screwing-over-pirates.html Just some entertaining reads while we're on the topic. They're pretty funny and clever game designs so it might cheer you up a bit after this whole paywall fiasco.

I've read that there's a SkyUI 5.0 version that causes a CTD if you press M. Rumor is they released it that way to piss off the pirates.

Ouch. I stand by my belief that the market will sort it out but those are beyond bad, which really makes me wonder what Valve/Bethesda were thinking. They had months to set it up, NDA agreements in place, and this is what they thought should be the initial representation of what the new workshop was about? At least having a stellar weapon/armor mod, an amazing location mod and Isuku and Chesko would have given them something to point to, something to allow them to argue these mods were worth a dollar or two. I could understand the next wave of mods being ****, when they're open to anyone and everyone to make a cash grab, but the initial 17?? What a clueless and out of touch bunch these companies are turning out to be. Hell, even Belethor would be embarrassed to try and sell these ( though I wonder if anyone at Valve or Bethesda would even get that reference... ).

Thanks. I've always understood and appreciated their position but in the past few days everything has changed. And I don't think that that's an overstatement. Think about games ten years ago and everything that has changed since then that gamers hated, thought would go away and never did. Pay for play, preorders, not-quite-dlc content, tokens...the industry is all about nickeling and diming their customer base and the consumer becomes immune to it and eventually accepts it as the way it is and, soon, can't remember what it was like before then. Kim Kardashian is expected to have made $85 million on her iphone game. Let that sink in for a second. Kim Kardashian is expected to have made $85 million on her iphone game AFTER earning her 45% of the $200 million in profits it earned. Things are not going back to how they were and the best we can hope for is a reasonable solution that accommodates everyone and doesn't tear modding apart. Personally I would love to see no only the Nexus Wallet with the ability to make quick and easy micro-transactions but also a separate chat forum for those who have donated to a mod. If people don't want to donate they can still easily download the mod, use it and post feedback/look for help in a forum. The author would now receive a signal, however, to prioritize users who are really into the mod and trying to make it work in their set up vs others. The free forum will still have plenty of users helping each other out and the author can receive valuable feedback while not wasting as much time with "I installed duel combat, ultimate combat, skyre combat, requiem, enhanced ai and combat evolved and now my trees are purple! Your mod broke my game! UNENDORSED!!". The motivation to donate $5, $10 or $20 a month to their Nexus account ( which is still WAY less then I spent as a kid at the local video arcade. Goggle it kids. ) and pass it on to the modders they claim to love and support would significantly be strengthened by this while still providing mods and support to those who cannot or will not donate. Trust me, I'd rather things just went back to how they were a week ago but that is never going to happen. The sooner Nexus realizes this ( to be fair they have, to an extent, but need to do much, much more ) the better. Thanks.

Hey all. I want to quickly say "thanks" for such a well thought out, informative and, most important of all, civil discussion in regards to the paywall. I've spent the last couple of days reading this and considering all of the points made, which was a very welcome change from trying to keep up with the flow of events on the nexus mod's posts, which had become quite a disheartening and embarrassing display of human nature at its worst. Honestly, I can't help but feel torn either way on the issue. Yes, the Steam workshop is horribly implemented, with numerous problems, but that doesn't seem to deal with the main point of whether or not mod author's should be able to charge for their mods. And while many of the mods being offered on the workshop are of terrible quality that alone doesn't seem to be an argument against the paywall. Those mods will surely be overlooked and, eventually, forced so far down the list that they will barely make any money, if any at all. That's how markets work and that's what we're witnessing now. Really great mods, such as Wet and Cold and Frostfall (RIP?!?! Say it ain't so... ), however, do seem to add such a huge amount to gameplay and system mechanics that it seems unfair for the author to spend countless hours on them and be condemned if they so much think of charging for their work. Yes, there is the "donation" button but, as anyone who has been following this forum or listening to the authors can tell you, that system is seriously broken and under-utilized. Worst yet, if the numbers are to be believed, too many people point to this system as the solution, implying that they have donated before, when the truth is most have not. Instead the battle cry is the pathetic "unendorsed!". Ironically enough it is the authors who proclaim their mods as always being free that are further complicating matters. Please follow me here before you freak out: I love their dedication and commitment to what they love to do and, obviously ( I hope ) do not think they are bad for offering their time and energy for free to the community. My point is that their love and dedication shouldn't be used against authors who also share their love and dedication but would also like to make a career out of it, if not, at least, a simple part time job. Both parties are in the right and that paradox is a huge part of the problem. We don't think less of Michelangelo because Banksy is willing to put his work on every street corner for free. My point isn't to rehash what we all know but it's to point out that this discussion has run its course. STEP is the premier league, the best modders, both authors and users, and it's time for solutions. Pretending that civil unrest is going to change the course is futility at its best. We all understand both sides and what is really needed now is the best compromise that can be devised. Reading through this two things jumped out at me: Keith's economic analysis and the idea of tying endorsements to a donation. I don't fault Valve. As Chesko pointed out, they provide the infastructure and the marketing and certainly deserve a cut. Bethesda, however...well, it seems insane to me that they can now be motivated to release an unfinished/subpar game and not only rely on the modders to fix/improve the game but earn a cut as well. The community really should be focusing their energy on taking care of the authors and paying for the infastructure, while protecting against outright exploitation. As I see it, it's the Nexus that needs to change. Maybe tying donations to endorsements isn't the best solution but, perhaps, displaying a "endorsement and donated" counter is at least a step in the right direction. First, it would provide a statistic people can actually point to when they cite donations as the solution, or, as has unfortunately more often been the case, the cause of the paywall. Additionally it would provide a more substantive measure of a mods popularity. Sure, it has a lot of endorsements but how many people have actually donated to it, really proving its worth? Now we would know. Finally it removes the small mental block of donating: I'll get to it later, Paypal is going to take a large cut, I can't really afford to throw what seems like a fair amount, say $5, to every mod I love, etc... Say what you will about the Steam Wallet a form of it would be great on the Nexus. Say I could add $20 to my Nexus account. Paypal would take their cut, reducing the problem of "micro" transactions being further minimized by Paypal. Then I could easily endorse and donate to mods as I see fit. Maybe I feel Frostfall is worth $1 and Footprints, as great as it is, is worth $0.25. Alone a quarter seems terrible but, we have to be honest, a small donation is better than nothing and, in comparison to the price of the game is actually a fair deal. This is especially true if others are motivated to pursue this solution as well. What went from maybe a couple donations of a few dollars is now several hundred, if not thousands, of ten cent and 25 cent donations. It could, possibly, add up very quickly. Throw in the occasional multi-dollar donation and we seem to be headed towards a more stable and long-term solution. I really didn't want to make this long of a post so I'm going to stop here. My goal is simply to get the discussion moving towards looking for solutions instead of lamenting the inevitable. We can either try to get out in front of the changes we are seeing or we can stand by and do nothing. Either way, things are going to change, whether we like it or not. It is my sincere hope that this group, a group of professionals and enthusiasts, can find a solution that works for everyone and, perhaps, moves modding to a level we've never seen before or dared to even imagine. Thanks.

Wow, I go to class for two hours and all hell breaks loose. I guess I can stop checking the Nexus all day waiting for the updates...

Speaking of Dragon Age, were you still working on the Dragon Age: Origins guide Neo? I've been burning through a few games in my steam folder while I'm waiting for updates on some Skyrim mods and was thinking about finally giving Origins a go but I wasn't sure how complete the guide was. Thanks.

Ok, maybe it's not as easy as simply running the patch for every merge, in the case of conflicting navmeshes, but following keith's instructions from earlier in this forum and/or MissJenna's on the ETAC page and, yeah, I'd still say it's incredibly easy to do yourself. Load it in WB, right click and select an option, open CK, open file, save, de-emsify and done ( not meant to be a guide, just a gross simplification of the process ). ETAC has great pics to help along the way and keith did a great job laying out the steps in his description. I was a little intimidated by using the CK, mainly due to it's reputation, but, seriously, all you do is open the file and save it. To keep ETAC simple I made two patches, one with navs and one without, in order to cut down on the work that needed to be done in WB. Throw the REGS patches in with the ETAC patches and it's even better! Hell, if I remember right, I also have the You Hunger and RS Children patches for ETAC, Interesting NPCs and Inconsequential NPCs in there as well. Honestly, if you're really interested in cutting down on your esps then you really are much better off making your own merges and seeing what else you can fit in with each particular merge. You'll be up to 400 esps in no time! :)