Valve Ends Steam's Controversial Paid Mod Program
- Thread starter Conrad Zimmerman
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Yes, let's encourage fan made DLC where the big winners are the corporations. Are you so thrilled with current DLC that you want another source of it? Maybe we can begin pre-ordering (season pass) fan made DLC too.Skeleon said:
Can't wait to see modders fix the next Bethesda game and Bethesda gets paid for it.
Steam = social experiment. Steam users = test subjects. Valve = crazy people with too much money fucking with the lesser folks witholding things like tying up loose ends in HalfLife by not releasing pt. 3, insane price drop sales, and the occasional abuse of consumer goodwill here and there because fuck you! We're Valve.
Darknacht said:
Guys, guys, I was joking.Silentpony said:
I really do appreciate Gabe's involvement at this point, doing the AMA and then actually listening to his customers, but I know that he, just like any business is in it for the money. I don't think he backed out on this from the goodness of his heart, but the point is that he did back down. That's more than what we get from most CEOs or corporations.
I'm really hoping that this will be a lesson they don't forget soon. Valve has lost a lot of respect from me because of Early Access, but I still understand and sympathize with their limitations. Still, the fact that they aren't acknowledging what those limitations mean before attempting something this stupid is very frustrating.
I don't know that it was the modders themselves who were upset with the program. While there were certainly weaknesses that needed addressing, I very much doubt modders hated the option to charge a price for their efforts.
This is almost entirely, and I'm going to borrow someone else's comment for my own purposes here, anger from people who didn't want to pay money to give their horses photo-realistic vaginas.
This is almost entirely, and I'm going to borrow someone else's comment for my own purposes here, anger from people who didn't want to pay money to give their horses photo-realistic vaginas.
The one thing I didn't think to ask is if the mod that's showcased in the article's picture is a reference to The Tick's Chairface Chippendale.
Aside from that, I'm good.
As for the vageen mods you mentioned, I doubt that interested players, AKA the types who consider that Skyrim is more of a giant runway or a porn dungeon than a sprawling RPG, would even give the Workshop a glance.
"Damn, man, look at the poly count on those labia! What; five bucks for the shaved version?! HERESY! NONE SHALL IMPEDE THE COURSE OF MY DESIRE FOR FREE THREE-DIMENSIONAL POONTANG!"
Aside from that, I'm good.
I'm guessing you had one or two community juggernauts who refused to stick a price on their work out of some sort of personal principle, but I also have a hard time imagining that anyone would turn money down, even if it's just a measly percentage from the total sales.irishda said:
As for the vageen mods you mentioned, I doubt that interested players, AKA the types who consider that Skyrim is more of a giant runway or a porn dungeon than a sprawling RPG, would even give the Workshop a glance.
"Damn, man, look at the poly count on those labia! What; five bucks for the shaved version?! HERESY! NONE SHALL IMPEDE THE COURSE OF MY DESIRE FOR FREE THREE-DIMENSIONAL POONTANG!"
Huzzah. The deafining screech of whiners has saved modders from the dreaded scourge of financial compensation for their labours on their own terms! Rejoice! Now Bethesda can enjoy all the benefits brought by modders without feeling obligated to pay anything.
Skeleon said:
You said:
There is no inch, there is only the mile. That model, either you accept it all the way or you don't because you know the game industry will run it into the ground.
Exactly. What we had before, and now have again, is a no-profit option. People bitching about them only getting 25% really pales in comparison to the fact they currently get 0%.Olas said:
So, because you think "to a degree" isn't an actual possibility, you think I'd be "thrilled"? That's quite a leap.WeepingAngels said:
Let me put it this way: I'm almost certain Valve will try something like this again, but with a game that's designed to employ this model from the start. It will happen.
My hope is that it won't spread to all games, because I wouldn't be happy if this model became the norm. I'll accept the inevitability of the model being implemented at all, but I'll be very unhappy if this model actually becomes the new normal for games.
It's not like me not accepting the inevitable will somehow prevent it from happening. Valve is determined to do this and they will. Best case scenario, it'll be limited to select games.
That's what a de-facto monopoly of Valve through Steam got us; but at least we'll have GOG and some others to fall back on.
You don't get it dude, modders didn't WANT the option to be compensated for their work. We as a community all agreed they don't. It was just too much freedom for them. They just want to make us free content and be rewarded with praise and admiration.MonsterCrit said:
Here's my thoughts on the matter:
If you spend weeks, nights, and weekends creating a mod for a game, you have the right to ask for money for it. On the other hand, if you refuse to pay some tiny amount of money for that work, the modder isn't the entitled one. You are.
To me, this is about respect for the content creators. Basically, if you're a modder, regardless of how much you think your work is worth, what's just happened is an angry mob has risen up and shrieked "No screw you, your work and your time are not worth a single penny to us and you don't have the right to say otherwise."
If you spend weeks, nights, and weekends creating a mod for a game, you have the right to ask for money for it. On the other hand, if you refuse to pay some tiny amount of money for that work, the modder isn't the entitled one. You are.
To me, this is about respect for the content creators. Basically, if you're a modder, regardless of how much you think your work is worth, what's just happened is an angry mob has risen up and shrieked "No screw you, your work and your time are not worth a single penny to us and you don't have the right to say otherwise."
Valve and Bethesda allowed donations on the Steam Workshop and Robin at The Nexus saw this and contacted Bethesda and got the OK to implement Paypal donations on The Nexus. Valve and Bethesda then decided to try and sell mods and removed ALL the Paypal donation buttons from the workshop. To get donations on the workshop at this point meant selling your mod if they did manage to add the pay as you want minimum price of 0 and you had to upload the mod again because you couldn't change an old one to the paid model. Luckily they shut down the paid for mods but still removing Paypal donation buttons was a dick move.Shinkicker444 said:
If anyone cares about mod makers then please quit using the workshop now and use another place The Nexus or if you want more sexual mods then LoversLab.
The overwhelming majority of mod authors were against this. So you are incorrect, users of mods didn't stop this, both makers and users did because it was the wrong way of making it happen.renegade7 said:
There were too many holes in it. Copyright protection, legal defense, vetting the mods before they hit the store, unfair pay balance, unfair payment system, the list goes on and on as to why it wasn't a good deal.
Just think you name you mod Uber Sword of greatness and some AAA publisher hold IP for a game called Uber Swordsman and decides to sue how is the mod author to defend against that? Valve and Bethesda setup the workshop so that all legal responsibilities rests squarely on the shoulders of the authors. And before you say that wouldn't happen Bethesda sued another game company for 1 word. Scrolls. Is that the kind of marketplace you want to be in where you net only 25% of the profits? I for sure as fuck do not. That 75% better cover legal protection from litigious claims. And that's just 1 reason it was bad for all mod authors.
Wait we what now? I do not recall that article coming up for vote at the Modder's Local Chapter 2#27 Meetings.Olas said:
