WARNING: Do not upload "fixed" mods to Nexus!

[TechAngel85]

Posting this here so all can benefit from it. A couple months ago I fixed a couple mods that STEP uses by creating FOMODs for them. I sought out to upload them to Nexus as fixed versions. I made every attempt to contact the authors of these mods and after over a month of no responses, I sought out guidance from the Nexus staff to request permission to upload these mods. Here was the response from Dark0ne:

Hi Jeremy,

 

Unfortunately it is covered under the TOS in the form of:

 

"All files uploaded must have been created by the uploader or used with permission from the original author of the content. Such permission must be indicated in the Readme text attached to the file and/or on the Description page (or in the Description field for images), and must be obtained in advance, before uploading the file. If you cannot provide proof of consent then your file will be removed and your account is likely to be banned."

 

This also means for fixes.

 

While the idea makes total sense, unfortunately quite a few mod authors get bitter about this subject and don't like the idea of their work being touched or reuploaded at all. No questions asked. No ifs, ands or buts. We've worked on this premise for the past 12 years and if we were to change our minds now then it would be a stab in the back to many authors who have used us because of this rule.

 

Frankly it's a real shame some mod authors cannot lighten up and make some exceptions, but this is one of our rules and it isn't going to change any time soon.

 

Robin Scott

Site owner

In this I made it known that I was the Release Coordinator for STEP and sought no recongition for the mods. I even made it clear that I would immediately remove the mods if the original author requested it so. There are many "fixed" mods on Nexus that also do this. Dark0ne has made it clear that, without express permission from the author, these types of mods are not allowed...even if the author is MIA and hasn't logged in over a year and there is no hope of contacting that author. The mod according to Nexus, is just dead. The only way around this is to rebuild the mod from the ground up (not copying it) as a new work based on the original mod.

 

Unfortunately, the only way around this for the work I have done is to only upload the FOMOD files with instructions on how to restructure the mods for the FOMODs to work. This defeats the purpose of making the mods more user friendly because users are still having to do some of the work themselves. This seems to be my only choice unless I set out to rebuild the mod completely from scratch....which I am no script artist; however, I might just teach myself to be able to continue upon the work of these "dead" authors/mods.

 

Do you guys think it's worth it to upload only the FOMODs to Nexus or just keep them hosted where they are until I can see if I can reconstruct them?

[WilliamImm]

...and yet somehow I was able to make three "fixed" mods (technically) without anyone complaining. Maybe because 2 of the 3 authors came back and complimented me on what I've done. I did had to hide a mod once - but it was a patch, believe it or not. (Dual Sheath for JaySuS - had to be hidden because DSR patches involve tweaked versions of the existing meshes)

[kryptopyr]

Yeah, I've certainly seen a number of other fixed/updated mods that I question whether proper permission had been obtained. Not to mention the various other TOS rules that are frequently broken. But I suppose all it takes is one person to report the mod so it's risky.

 

I don't know whether it would be worth it to upload your FOMODs. If the mods you're fixing are fairly popular, then there would almost certainly be some people who would go to the effort to restructure them for the FOMODs. How extensive is the scripting work you need to do to rebuild the mod(s) from scratch?

[z929669]

Yep, lots of rules get broken, and they are not enforced with regard to mod permissions unless the original author comes crying to Nexus staff ... it is too much maintenance for them to police mods proactively, so they are reactive. This means that any mod author with a grudge could go complaining about somebody and likely get them banned or closely scrutinized without providing much beyond their word.