STEP:Mod Stewardship Service: Difference between revisions

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{{PageTitle|title=Mod Stewardship Service|subtitle=A mod "stewardship" service for mod authors by Step Modifications}}[[Category:Reference]][[Category:Administration]]
{{PageTitle|title=Mod Stewardship Service|subtitle=Mod maintenance for mod authors|author=Step Modifications}}[[Category:Reference]][[Category:Administration]]


Step's Mod Stewardship Service is very similar to Nexus Mod's "The Care Taker" service, with some differences. The main difference being around licensing. Since Step operates under "[[Guide:Open_Modding|cathedral modding]]" principles, mods provided for stewardship are converted to "open permissions."[[CiteRef::CC BY-NC-SA]] By contrast, "The Care Taker" will retain the mod's license "as is," which could lock these mods into the "parlor modding" paradigm forevermore. Which service to choose is for individual authors to decide; however, Step encourages Authors to open their mod permissions when retiring to allow others in the community to benefit from their efforts. If Step's stewardship service is chosen, Step reserves 'stewardship' rights of the original mods in order to keep them relevant and accessible after mod author retirement.
Step's Mod Stewardship Service is very similar to Nexus Mod's "The Care Taker" service, with some licensing differences. Since Step operates under "[[Guide:Open_Modding|cathedral modding]]" principles, licensing for mods/assets/IP (herein termed 'Creations') provided for stewardship are converted to a cathedral-friendly license.[[CiteRef::CC BY-NC-SA]] By contrast, "The Care Taker" will retain the mod's license "as is," which could lock these mods into the "parlor modding" paradigm forevermore. Which service to choose is for individual Creation Authors to decide; however, Step encourages Authors to "open up" their mod licenses when retiring to allow others in the community to continue using these mods and to service/support them as necessary.
: {{fc|salmon|Step will always make every effort to preserve the original intent of a given Creation.}}


Finally, choosing Step's mod stewardship services over the Nexus Care Taker program allows Step to benefit from Nexus Mod's reward system. Step Modifications is a legally registered non-profit, which relies on donations and other forms of community support. Therefore, Step-stewarded mods will be opted-in to this system. Step refunds these points from time to time to help cover server and software operating expenses. Which may include expansions to our services as needs arise.<br>
Step Modifications is a legally registered nonprofit, which relies on donations and other voluntary forms of community support. By using Step's Mod Stewardship Service over the Nexus Care Taker program, Authors allow Step (and the larger modding community by proxy) to benefit from Donations and Nexus Mods' rewards system.<br>
: {{fc|salmon|All Staff members under the Step umbrella, including board members, are volunteers and are never paid.}}
: {{fc|salmon|All Step staff and board members are unpaid volunteers, and Step never collects any membership or advertising revenues. All donations are used for operational and maintenance expenses, and any surplus is retained indefinitely until needed or allocated to another worthy nonprofit.}}
 
==Current Mods Under Stewardship ==


===Current Mods Under Stewardship ===
=== SkyrimLE ===
=== SkyrimLE ===
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/11 Step Skyrim Legendary Edition Guide]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/11 Step Skyrim Legendary Edition - SLE - Guide]


{{fc|red|'''''Retired'''''}}
{{fc|red|'''''Retired'''''}}
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* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/51135 Aspens Ablaze Add-On - DynDOLOD 3]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/51135 Aspens Ablaze Add-On - DynDOLOD 3]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/40989 Aspen Realism]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/40989 Aspen Realism]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/54754 Better Dynamic Ash SE]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/9121 Better Dynamic Snow SE]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/9121 Better Dynamic Snow SE]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/30917 Dragon Glyphs HD - Fixed]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/30917 Dragon Glyphs HD - Fixed]
* Enhanced Lighting for ENB (ELE)
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/54635 Enhanced Landscapes - Dilon Vul - DynDOLOD 3D Hybrids]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/59540 Enhanced Vanilla Textures - Shrines]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/31632 Functional Windmills - Mill Stones]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/31632 Functional Windmills - Mill Stones]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/56907 Happy Little Trees Add-On - DynDOLOD 3]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/30166 Just In Time - Remastered]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/30166 Just In Time - Remastered]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/44272 Lore-Corrected Races]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/44272 Lore-Corrected Races]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/64890 Majestic Mountains Creation Club Landscape Patch]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/54141 Morekvior-Myrkvior Visual Enhancement-DynDOLOD]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/54141 Morekvior-Myrkvior Visual Enhancement-DynDOLOD]
* Relighting Skyrim
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/54565 Myrkvior - TFoS Add-On - 3D Hybrid Trees SSE - DynDOLOD]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/31054 Step Skyrim Special Edition Guide]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/8586 Relighting Skyrim SE]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/56573 Smooth Shores Patches]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/57446 Snow Elf Ruins Resource Pack]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/64738/ Snowy Landscapes in Snowy Regions]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/31054 Step Skyrim Special Edition - SSE - Guide]
 
=== Other Games ===
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/newvegas/mods/73236 Step Fallout New Vegas - FNV - Guide]
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/nomanssky/mods/1622 Step No Man's Sky - NMS - Guide]


=== Other ===
Mods not eligible for stewardship include, but are not limited to:
* [https://www.nexusmods.com/nomanssky/mods/1622 Step No Man's Sky Guide]
* Mods containing nudity or sexually explicit content
* Mods containing content not relevant to the game subject (e.g., political mods)


==Terms & Conditions==
==Terms & Conditions==
# {{fc|salmon|An Author who elects to place his or her creation into Step's Mod Stewardship Service agrees to transfer control or 'ownership' of the distribution source[[CiteRef::Source mod ownership]] to Step.}}
===Transfer of Ownership===
#* This allows Step to service the mod and information pertaining to the mod at the original source if possible. Step is not a CDN, so it is always preferable that Step have authority to service all aspects of the mod at the distribution source or even to change that source if/when necessary.
{{Fc|salmon|Authors who elect to place their Creations into Step's ''Mod Stewardship Service'' must authorize the "transfer of ownership" of their administrative rights to any <u>distribution source</u>[[CiteRef::Source mod ownership]] to Step Modifications, herein referred to as "Step".}}
#* For mods hosted by Nexus Mods, the stewardship transaction is complete when Nexus-specific "ownership" of the mod page is transferred from Author's Nexus Mods user account to the "StepModifications" Nexus Mods user account.
: Transferring the distribution source to Step allows Step to service the Creation and information pertaining to the Creation at the original source. Step does not utilize or operate a content delivery network (CDN); therefore, it is essential that Step have authority to service all aspects of the mod at the distribution source or even to change that source if/when necessary.
#** This allows Step to govern the Dontaions and other owner-specific administration.
# By transferring ownership to Step, Authors affirm that they own the Creation and may enact such Transfer of Ownership.
#** Nexus Mods will not complete such transfers without written permission from the Author.
# For any Creation hosted by Nexus Mods, the Transfer of Ownership is complete when the mod page is transferred from Author's Nexus Mods user account to the "StepModifications" Nexus Mods user account.
#** The Author will be added as an administrator of the mod page once ownership is transferred to Step.
#* Nexus Mods will not complete such transfers without written permission from the ''Page Owner'' (Instructions below).
#* Mods hosted on other websites will be "handed off" to Step on a case-by-case basis and documented in writing via email and/or any relevant private messaging system that can be used to verify correspondence sources.
# Creations hosted by other distribution sources will complete Transfer of Ownership to Step on a case-by-case basis, and documented in writing via email and/or any relevant private messaging system that can be used to verify correspondence sources.
# {{fc|salmon|Mods placed into Step's Mod Stewardship Service shall be licensed under the Creative Commons "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike"[[CiteRef::CC BY-NC-SA]], effectively applying a cathedral-like policy to the mod.}}
# Step gains the right to transfer the Creation to a distribution service other than that of the original service, if:
#* This is done to protect Step (and everyone, including the Author) from any legal harm that could otherwise potentially be invoked by the Author (due to the capacity for any human to behave emotionally and irrationally).
#* original distribution service does not allow the Transfer of Ownership, or
#* Once the Creative Commons license applies, the mod is irrevocably tied to this license, granting Step's (and everyone's) right to irrevocably "... remix, adapt, and build upon your work non-commercially, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms."
#* original distribution service is no longer available
#* All Step-mediated derivations of said mod(s) will retain the Creative Commons licensing and will follow Step's [[STEP:Versioning|Versioning Scheme]]
# The Author will be added as an administrator, if possible, to distribution page once Transfer of Ownership is complete.
# {{fc|salmon|Mods placed into Step's Mod Stewardship Service will be opted into Nexus Mods "Donation Points" system.}}
{{Alert|text=For Nexus Mods Transfer of Ownership, send a private message to the [https://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/user/31179975-pickysaurus/ Nexus Community Manager], stating your intent to transfer your page(s) to [https://www.nexusmods.com/Users/123998143 StepModifications] (or PM ON Nexus user 'StepModifications', and we will assist.)}}
#* Step refunds these rewards to help cover server and software operating expenses.
 
#* Authors who do not wish for Step to earn rewards from any mod(s) they provide for Mod Stewardship must state so in writing when the transfer of ownership is complete. Step will honor all such requests.
===Transfer of License===
{{Fc|salmon|Creations opted into Step's Mod Stewardship Service shall immediately adopt ''Creative Commons (CC) "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike"''[[CiteRef::CC BY-NC-SA]] once the Transfer of Ownership of the distribution source page(s) is completed.}}
: Transferring to this license effectively facilitates "cathedral-friendly" governance of the Creation(s) by Step and the modding community at large. This is done to prevent legal harm to all parties involved, since the Creation(s) themselves are inherently the property of the Author and licensed accordingly prior to the Transfer of License by proxy of the Transfer of Ownership.
# Any existing licensing will become null and void upon Transfer of Ownership of the distribution source. If the existing license is incompatible with transfer or 'remix' to CC licensing, the Author must modify or re-license any existing Creation license(s) accordingly prior to Transfer of Ownership.
# Note that the Creation Author can license a separate version of the Creation under any licensing desired, but the version under Stewardship will diverge at that point. In such cases, it is prudent to delineate the official name of the Creation in addition to the versioning.
# The Creation(s) is irrevocably tied to the CC BY-NC-SA license, granting Step's (and everyone's) right to irrevocably "''... remix, adapt, and build upon your work non-commercially, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms.''"
# All Step-mediated derivations of said Creation(s) will retain the CC licensing and will follow Step's [[STEP:Versioning|Versioning Scheme]]
# All derivations by third parties of said Creation(s) will inherently and irrevocably retain the CC licensing
 
===Donations===
======Nexus Mods======
{{Fc|salmon|If the distribution service is Nexus Mods, the Creation(s) will be opted into Nexus Mods [https://www.nexusmods.com/news/13611 Donation Points system].}}
# Author(s) authorize Step to receive 100% of Donation Points from Creation(s); unless other arrangements are made prior to Transfer of Ownership
# Step will convert Donations to cash at its discretion and only to cover business expenses relating to maintenance and upkeep of Step's public services. In the event that Step dissolves or otherwise ceases its services, all Donation Points will be converted to cash and/or awarded to another qualifying nonprofit of Step's choosing.
# Authors who do not wish for Step to earn Donation Points from their Creations must state so, in writing, before the Transfer of Ownership. Step will honor all such requests.


==Signup for Mod Stewardship Service==
======Other Sources======
# [mailto:admin@stepmodifications.org?Subject=Request%20for%20Mod%20Curation&body=LINKS%20TO%20MOD%20PAGES Contact Step via email] with your desire to provide mod(s) for curation
{{Fc|salmon|As applicable, donations to Creation(s) distribution page will be redirected to the Step Modifications business account.}}
# For mods hosted on Nexus Mods, private message the, [https://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/user/31179975-pickysaurus/ Nexus Community Manager], who is aware of the StepModifications Nexus Account.
# Author(s) authorize Step to receive 100% of Donations from Creation(s); unless other arrangements are made prior to Transfer of Ownership
#: Inform Nexus Community Manager of your intent to transfer your mod(s) to [https://www.nexusmods.com/Users/123998143 StepModifications]
# Step will refund Donations at its discretion and only to cover business expenses relating to maintenance and upkeep of Step's public services. In the event that Step dissolves or otherwise ceases its services, all Donations will be converted to cash and/or awarded to another qualifying nonprofit of Step's choosing.
# Authors who do not wish for Step to earn Donations from their Creations must state so, in writing, before the Transfer of Ownership. Step will honor all such requests.


Mods not accepted for stewardship include, but are not limited to:
{{#scite:Source mod ownership
* mods containing nudity or sexually explicit content
|type=ref
* mods containing content not relevant to the game subject (e.g., political mods)
|citation text=If a mod is hosted on a CDN like Nexus Mods or some other source for distribution or sharing, then Step will need irrevocable authority to govern that source in place of (or in addition to) the Mod Author. Since source policies may differ, transfer of control methods and outcomes may vary and must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
}}
{{#scite:CC BY-NC-SA
{{#scite:CC BY-NC-SA
|type=web
|type=web
|citation text=See Creative Commons licenses: "[https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike]. Thus, upon the licensed authority of proprietary content allowing --in a written statement-- Step to host said content, said content automatically adopt(s) the CC BY-NC-SA license to override any previous license that may pertain. Thus, there will be no restrictions placed on use of said content outside of this license.
|citation text=See Creative Commons licenses: "[https://creativecommons.org/licenses/ Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike]. Upon the licensed authority of proprietary content allowing Step --in a written statement-- to host said content, said content automatically adopt(s) the CC BY-NC-SA license to override any previous license that may pertain. Thus, there will be no restrictions placed on use of said content outside of this license. [https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwjIo7eE0tvyAhVIZ80KHWQ1DUIQFnoECAkQAQ&url=https%3A%2F%2Fcreativecommons.org%2Ffaq%2F&usg=AOvVaw0D4a_j4jxjwPCCIW1ZuiIv CC FAQ]
}}
}}

Latest revision as of 16:03, September 23, 2022

Delta c.png

Mod Stewardship Service

Mod maintenance for mod authors

by: Step Modifications

Step's Mod Stewardship Service is very similar to Nexus Mod's "The Care Taker" service, with some licensing differences. Since Step operates under "cathedral modding" principles, licensing for mods/assets/IP (herein termed 'Creations') provided for stewardship are converted to a cathedral-friendly license.CC BY-NC-SA By contrast, "The Care Taker" will retain the mod's license "as is," which could lock these mods into the "parlor modding" paradigm forevermore. Which service to choose is for individual Creation Authors to decide; however, Step encourages Authors to "open up" their mod licenses when retiring to allow others in the community to continue using these mods and to service/support them as necessary.

Step will always make every effort to preserve the original intent of a given Creation.

Step Modifications is a legally registered nonprofit, which relies on donations and other voluntary forms of community support. By using Step's Mod Stewardship Service over the Nexus Care Taker program, Authors allow Step (and the larger modding community by proxy) to benefit from Donations and Nexus Mods' rewards system.

All Step staff and board members are unpaid volunteers, and Step never collects any membership or advertising revenues. All donations are used for operational and maintenance expenses, and any surplus is retained indefinitely until needed or allocated to another worthy nonprofit.

Current Mods Under Stewardship[edit | edit source]

SkyrimLE[edit | edit source]

Retired

SkyrimSE[edit | edit source]

Other Games[edit | edit source]

Mods not eligible for stewardship include, but are not limited to:

  • Mods containing nudity or sexually explicit content
  • Mods containing content not relevant to the game subject (e.g., political mods)

Terms & Conditions[edit | edit source]

Transfer of Ownership[edit | edit source]

Authors who elect to place their Creations into Step's Mod Stewardship Service must authorize the "transfer of ownership" of their administrative rights to any distribution sourceSource mod ownership to Step Modifications, herein referred to as "Step".

Transferring the distribution source to Step allows Step to service the Creation and information pertaining to the Creation at the original source. Step does not utilize or operate a content delivery network (CDN); therefore, it is essential that Step have authority to service all aspects of the mod at the distribution source or even to change that source if/when necessary.
  1. By transferring ownership to Step, Authors affirm that they own the Creation and may enact such Transfer of Ownership.
  2. For any Creation hosted by Nexus Mods, the Transfer of Ownership is complete when the mod page is transferred from Author's Nexus Mods user account to the "StepModifications" Nexus Mods user account.
    • Nexus Mods will not complete such transfers without written permission from the Page Owner (Instructions below).
  3. Creations hosted by other distribution sources will complete Transfer of Ownership to Step on a case-by-case basis, and documented in writing via email and/or any relevant private messaging system that can be used to verify correspondence sources.
  4. Step gains the right to transfer the Creation to a distribution service other than that of the original service, if:
    • original distribution service does not allow the Transfer of Ownership, or
    • original distribution service is no longer available
  5. The Author will be added as an administrator, if possible, to distribution page once Transfer of Ownership is complete.
Info-Logo.png

NOTE

For Nexus Mods Transfer of Ownership, send a private message to the Nexus Community Manager, stating your intent to transfer your page(s) to StepModifications (or PM ON Nexus user 'StepModifications', and we will assist.)

Transfer of License[edit | edit source]

Creations opted into Step's Mod Stewardship Service shall immediately adopt Creative Commons (CC) "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike"CC BY-NC-SA once the Transfer of Ownership of the distribution source page(s) is completed.

Transferring to this license effectively facilitates "cathedral-friendly" governance of the Creation(s) by Step and the modding community at large. This is done to prevent legal harm to all parties involved, since the Creation(s) themselves are inherently the property of the Author and licensed accordingly prior to the Transfer of License by proxy of the Transfer of Ownership.
  1. Any existing licensing will become null and void upon Transfer of Ownership of the distribution source. If the existing license is incompatible with transfer or 'remix' to CC licensing, the Author must modify or re-license any existing Creation license(s) accordingly prior to Transfer of Ownership.
  2. Note that the Creation Author can license a separate version of the Creation under any licensing desired, but the version under Stewardship will diverge at that point. In such cases, it is prudent to delineate the official name of the Creation in addition to the versioning.
  3. The Creation(s) is irrevocably tied to the CC BY-NC-SA license, granting Step's (and everyone's) right to irrevocably "... remix, adapt, and build upon your work non-commercially, as long as they credit you and license their new creations under the identical terms."
  4. All Step-mediated derivations of said Creation(s) will retain the CC licensing and will follow Step's Versioning Scheme
  5. All derivations by third parties of said Creation(s) will inherently and irrevocably retain the CC licensing

Donations[edit | edit source]

Nexus Mods[edit | edit source]

If the distribution service is Nexus Mods, the Creation(s) will be opted into Nexus Mods Donation Points system.

  1. Author(s) authorize Step to receive 100% of Donation Points from Creation(s); unless other arrangements are made prior to Transfer of Ownership
  2. Step will convert Donations to cash at its discretion and only to cover business expenses relating to maintenance and upkeep of Step's public services. In the event that Step dissolves or otherwise ceases its services, all Donation Points will be converted to cash and/or awarded to another qualifying nonprofit of Step's choosing.
  3. Authors who do not wish for Step to earn Donation Points from their Creations must state so, in writing, before the Transfer of Ownership. Step will honor all such requests.
Other Sources[edit | edit source]

As applicable, donations to Creation(s) distribution page will be redirected to the Step Modifications business account.

  1. Author(s) authorize Step to receive 100% of Donations from Creation(s); unless other arrangements are made prior to Transfer of Ownership
  2. Step will refund Donations at its discretion and only to cover business expenses relating to maintenance and upkeep of Step's public services. In the event that Step dissolves or otherwise ceases its services, all Donations will be converted to cash and/or awarded to another qualifying nonprofit of Step's choosing.
  3. Authors who do not wish for Step to earn Donations from their Creations must state so, in writing, before the Transfer of Ownership. Step will honor all such requests.

{{#scite:Source mod ownership |type=ref |citation text=If a mod is hosted on a CDN like Nexus Mods or some other source for distribution or sharing, then Step will need irrevocable authority to govern that source in place of (or in addition to) the Mod Author. Since source policies may differ, transfer of control methods and outcomes may vary and must be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. }} {{#scite:CC BY-NC-SA |type=web |citation text=See Creative Commons licenses: "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike. Upon the licensed authority of proprietary content allowing Step --in a written statement-- to host said content, said content automatically adopt(s) the CC BY-NC-SA license to override any previous license that may pertain. Thus, there will be no restrictions placed on use of said content outside of this license. CC FAQ }}