MO support and the closing of comments on the Nexus

[Uhuru]

First, welcome to MO support on STEP
This is a little (If you know my usual posts, you would agree) post giving some details of what you can expect from us, and what we expect from You
 
Why the Nexus comments were closed down
The final decision to close the comments on the Nexus was Tannin's.
His inclination was to keep it open, but he doesn't provide the actual support.
We had kept up support in the original Posts Tab/Forum Thread, and made it clear that, the best support was on STEP.
Then a week ago I discovered a Forum Thread that was saying the opposite.
Bug Reports posted here
It was 18 months old, and had over 200 posts. the last one was my reaction to the thread, and I had no power to either close it down, or even Sticky my post, it remains the last only because comments were closed.
The user who created it may have thought it was a good idea, not for MO, which has a bug tracking system for real bugs, most users don't know what is a bug, if they don't RTFM in the first place
Every post made after that was hidden in a thread, none of the Support Team looked at, until I accidently opened it by clicking on a link.
Amother 100 threads existed in the forums, with one or two exceptions, all were one or two posts long, and made by users who didn't RTFM
They may have thought adding a new Forum topic would be better than, using the huge Posts Tab/Forum Thread, I don't blame them, I would do the same.
In the case of MO, these Forums never existed when it moved, so what may work for mods on the Nexus, actually hid their posts from MO support
 
After a short discussion here, where all those providing support, said the Nexus comments should be closed. Tannin decided to close the Nexus Comments.
 
One or two pre-emptive responses are required, comments from the Nexus community on this topic, including any complaints should appear here in this thread.
Here making new threads is fine, but we can and will move any we decide should be moved, to where existing threads exist.
We are open to reasoned criticism, and won't remove them. Spam  and personal abuse are unacceptable, check STEP's terms which are standard forum rules.
 
Quoting unnamed User(s)

I haven't got time to register on STEP to get help

Said more than once, ironically last time in the huge unanswered Bug Reports Posted here thread.
Well maybe if you read the description, and posted in the Posts Tab, instead you may have got the standard responce.
If as with 90% of user questions, you had simply read the Description* page, you would have found the answer to your question without even posting here.

 
* See the How to RTFM with MO heading below for variations on this.

If you are one of the 10% who have genuine unanswered questions, I would add;
You think Tannin, or we users who volunteer our help, have time, to go running around finding your randomly placed posts, when you can't be bothered to do a one time registration process that takes a minute or two.
You want our help, you find that time, after spending 18 months helping, it was this sort of attitude that made it stop being fun for me, yes we can enjoy helping you, but it grows tiresome when no one can be bothered to help themselves.
I spent a year away from MO support due to this sort of thing wearing me down, I've returned and I'm enthused to provide help once again, but I have little tolerance left for this sort of self centered attitude.
 

I've done the RTFM thing, but I don't understand this part..

Then ask away, we will make sure you understand, or at least as far as you need to, to use MO.

Most users don't need, or want to know, how MO's magic staff works, they just want to use the staff to zap skyrim into shape.
We build thje staffs, so you can use them to cast MO's magic on the game,
 
THat's all we ask, you try to find the answers yourself, you have no need to register with STEP, if you do, but you can.
 
Bullet points of main facts.

• MO will be hosted on the Nexus Mods site, that will not change.
• Nexus mods is designed for in game mod support, not a mod manager.
• NMM isn't listed as a mod, for the same reasons that MO moved to STEP.
• Complicated tools need more than the one thread support available.
• MO has one author Tannin, he works full time and codes MO as a hobby,
• Tannin provides little to no help to users, he makes MO awesome, and has no time to help you.
• Other users volunteer to provide that help, so Tannin can make MO much better.
• We volunteers can't provide that Help on the Nexus, we have no control.
• STEP offers full moderator privileges to the volunteers, Nexus doesn't.
• The most important part is that, STEP's rigorous testing standards, is based only on ingame results
• STEP's Testing methods have become the main MO Testers, the QA team, it has vastly improved MO for everyone.

Who is in charge of MO Support

• STEP is a big part of MO Support, and the site is their site.
• MO Support must obey the site rules, here just like on the Nexus,
• Tannin has full control of MO Support, within the site rules
• Tannin has chosen MO Moderators, like myself, we are not part of the STEP Staff
• STEP Staff can moderate the entire site, so they are also MO moderators

Games Supported

• MO Support's four 32-bit games, in order of usage/age
  • The Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
  • Fallout New Vegas
  • Fallout 3
  • The Elder Scrolls: Oblivion
• MO2 is 64-bit and is designed to support Fallout 4
  • It will support all the 32-bit games as well.
  • MO is currently, and may always be the best choice for the 32-bit games.
  • MO2 is in Beta at this moment, only Fallout 4 is currently actively working.
  • This is changing, when released, MO2 will work with all four 32-bit games.

We are few, you are many

• Simple fact is few users provide support regularly.
  • Who they are can change, but at most they can be counted on one hand.
  • Less than ten volunteers, for MO and STEP combined, and they do that work here.
  • We haven't got either the time or numbers, to provide help everywhere.
• When Support moved here, we the volunteers wanted Nexus comments closed.
  • Why, the one huge thread was unmanageable, and inadequate.

What RTFM actually means

• For in game mods it means, read the installation instructions, before you install the mod.
• Often that is all that's required, unless you have a problem, then you read everything.
• Starting with the Nexus Mods Description, Sticky Posts, ReadMe, Articles etc.
• Then search the linked Forum Thread/Posts Tab, and the new Forums Tab.

How to RTFM with MO

• The first user to help you, must be Yourself, you need to RTFM first.
  • ​Read the Nexus description, all of it, MO isn't a simple mod, you can't install and forget with MO
  • Beginner's Guide is included inside MO.
    • Use the Built-in tutorial.
    • Read the pop-up tool tips.
    • Use the ? Button and then click on the part you want to know about.
  • Intermediate Guide is the main MO Documentation Wiki.
    • ​​​This is the Full documentation for users of MO
    • What a User needs to know, is the focus here
    • It's a reference Manual, not a book, refer often, and never assume things are unchanged
    • It's a Wiki, so it's kept updated, constantly, MO is stable, MO2 will require rapud alterations with each new release
    • It's a Wiki, if you see an error, even a simple typo, fix it if you can (you can if registered), report it otherwise
  • Advanced Guide is the Advancred MO Documentation Wiki
    • This is only for those who want to know how MO really works
    • This is the guide for those inclined to help others, and the "Power User"
    • It's far from complete, as we tend to go and find this info ourselves
    • I intend to work on this section, but it's not the main priority.
    • MO2 documentation in the main guide will come first
    • It's a Wiki, see above.

Questions are welcome, if I haven't covered yours, already, in this little post, I tried, but ask away