Paid mods are now available on the workshop

[Nozzer66]

To say nothing of opening the whole post up to issues cause it can then be argued that the pirated mod versions are not the ones that are on SW. (Probably a stretch, TBQH, but the argument could be made.)

[Shadriss]

To say nothing of opening the whole post up to issues cause it can then be argued that the pirated mod versions are not the ones that are on SW. (Probably a stretch, TBQH, but the argument could be made.)

Maybe not so outlandish a thought - several full games in recent years have deliberately released thier own 'pirated' versions with key features messed up or left out deliberately. Not a stretch to think some mod authors (or even Valve?) doing the same here.

[cstarkey42]

Maybe not so outlandish a thought - several full games in recent years have deliberately released thier own 'pirated' versions with key features messed up or left out deliberately. Not a stretch to think some mod authors (or even Valve?) doing the same here.

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.

Edited April 27, 2015 by cstarkey42

[TehKaoZ]

Quote from one of the authors of the Shadowscale Armor via the mod page comments, Doesn't look like he lied to me.

 

"Hey all,

Sebastian has been trying to update the armour today but unfortunately it keeps trying to create an entirely new workshop page instead.

To answer questions about the update:

1. They are all in separate pieces
2. They are found in the world space now
3. Weighting issues have been fixed so there is no longer strange distortion
4. Gender support will be the next hot fix :)

 

Of course I don't condone him pirating them either

Edited April 27, 2015 by TehKaoZ

[Nozzer66]

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.

Have heard that one too. However the story I hear is that the 4chan people have fixed that, too.

Edited April 27, 2015 by Nozzer66

[cstarkey42]

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.

[Neovalen]

Speaking of entertaining, check this one out. The mod review video is absolutely hilarious and made my laugh out loud.

 

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/65187

[cstarkey42]

Speaking of entertaining, check this one out. The mod review video is absolutely hilarious and made my laugh out loud.

 

https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/65187

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

[cstarkey42]

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

[aaltair]

Robin (Dark0ne) just posted that the Nexus will be upgrading their donation system. In the short term, mod authors can add a pop up to their downloads with a donation link. I would not be surprised if at some point an optional auto-donate-on-endorse system is added in the future.

Optional auto-donate would be great. There is also a way you can set up your paypal so that your donation is a gift, waiving the fee they normally take.

[torminater]

That racing chair mod surely needs convenient horses implementation with follower support!

Ramp up speed and stamina and go for the maddest race that side of Nirn!

[Nozzer66]

Cant use that racing chair mod. They don't come in red. Everyone knows red ones go faster.

[keithinhanoi]

Okay, for consideration, here's a small case study of my own personal situation in how the introduction of paid mods is throwing a monkey wrench in my desire to give back to the community by way of my time and skills.

 

As you know, I've been helping LoRd Korn, author of AOS (Audio Overhaul for Skyrim) for over a year now - building a FOMOD all-in-installer, updating and building new compatibility patches, and more recently, making fairly significant changes to the under-the-hood functionality of the mod.

 

I'm near the end of putting together a fairly comprehensive update to the mod, and now, two of the mods for which I've made compatibility patches have been updated with Skyrim Workshop exclusive versions.

 

Without naming names, one of the mods I use personally, and the other I do not. In neither case am I interested in purchasing the mod on Steam, because I completely disagree with their terms and the way the curated workshop was released, as I've mentioned, and for the mod I don't use myself, it seems unfair that I pay for it just to support - in my uncompensated free time - the users of a mod I didn't make myself. I've just been doing this as a way to give back to the community in some small way, you know?

 

What's the result? Even for people who can do the hoop jumping between the Skyrim Launcher method of mod management and NMM or MO, etc., they are still completely on their own when it comes to compatibility. Now I'm all for everyone and their cousin learning how to use TES5Edit, but it's just not happening.

 

Since I am volunteering tech support for AOS, what are my options? Until a paid mod needing an AOS patch becomes available free on Nexus, not much. I will have to refer the users to the paid mod's author, I suppose. If that author refuses to make compatibility patches (each of which has to be published as a separate Steam Workshop item, by the way,) then I guess I will potentially have to deal with unhappy AOS users. I sincerely hope it doesn't come to that, but who knows?

[keithinhanoi]

On the positive side, I notice there's a third mod which hasn't been updated in a long time which has been added to Skyrim Workshop as a paid mod Under Review: Better Vanilla Hairs by kebrus. (The other two are SkyUI and SMIM, though those are not yet listed on the workshop.)

 

Kebrus makes it very clear that the reason he has considering continuing work on the mod, which was left "abandoned" in an unfinished state back in 2013, is because of the recent turn of events. He's made it clear that this is an experiment to see people's response with a suggested price of $0.99 US, but it's "Pay what you like" pricing with a lowest price of FREE (something Gabe N added after his Reddit "Ask anything you want session", if I understand things correctly.) Kebrus explains things a bit more in a comments thread sticky on the Nexus page for his mod.

 

This is a mod I've personally had in my load order since the time it came out, and it would be really nice to see it completed. But what is it worth to people, and how many people who originally downloaded the mod would still be using it now, like myself?

Edited April 27, 2015 by keithinhanoi

[mikegray]

Edit: I see that I've said pretty much the same thing as keithnhanoi, only from a user POV. I left the edit window open pretty long to tend to some other stuff!

 

* * * * *

 

After buying a couple of the new Steam mods, I wrote down a few observations yesterday (as opposed, you know, pirating them and trashing them!) - the gist being that using Steam Workshop is (currently) right up there with modelling sting-nettle underwear.

 

In the meantime I've become considerably more aware of another issue that may be a death-blow for the new for-pay mods, unless the situation REALLY improves.

 

One fatal word: Compatibility

 

The most obvious example is Purity. I REALLY like what I see there. It wants to be a one-stop solution for all my water and weather needs. It builds on AND considerably advances three recognized, high quality mods (Pure Weather, Pure Waters, Pure Waters - Waterfalls). What's not to like??

 

Well, soon as I had the thing up and going, I trotted over to the Vividian page to ask whether new versions of Vividian will work with Purity. (Note: Vividian is designed to work with Pure Weather.) No dice - and I completely understand Mangaclub's standpoint here. (I mean, geeze: why should you pay Modder X so X can sell more mods? And depending on how you make a patch, you could even end up getting arrested for grand theft moddery.)

 

In the meantime, I also noticed that, while Purity has some SWEET waterfall stuff, it doesn't replicate all of Skyfall's functionality. So ... I trot over to Sykfall world, and, well, yeah. Sjoert has taken a stance on the paid mod issue - again, a stance I respect - and has actually stopped work on a patch for Pure Waters. So ... were actually makign backwards progress here. 

 

Then I asked Laast - the Purity dev - about stuff, and didn't get very far either. Which I ALSO understand. He's billing Purity as "better than ENB" - which is sort of BS but also sort of your only strategy unless you're going to make your own ENB or know that someone will make one for your (paid) mod. In passing, he also said no to a modular version of his mod, which would let the user mix and match. At first I was irritated by this - but then I realized that modularity probably isn't even possible at the Workshop now stands. So what's he supposed to do - try to sell TWO or even THREE mods?

 

Now, I see some potential fixes for the specific Purity situation. For starters, since the weather sections of Purity are basically Pure Weather with a lot of settings changes, I can probably just keep PW in the load order and let it overwrite Purity. Pity to lose the new developments in weather, but that maintains the status quo and lets me play with his new water stuff. If I'm feeling ambitious, I could even use tes5edit to make a homebrew, single .esp hybrid of Purity and PW. Also: Since DynDOLOD replicates most of what Skyfalls does, this might be a good opportunity to sacrifice another child to Lord Sheeson and get my pretty waterfalls that way.

 

However, this kind of situation puts the paid mods in a very bad place - and I think it's a situation A LOT of the new Steam mods are going to be stuck in. 

 

I think, also: People who are going to have long term success selling mods are going to have to be VERY proactive about getting other modders to support their ventures. (Something the initial Valve rollout made completely impossible!)

Edited April 27, 2015 by mikegray