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There was massive internet backlash toward it but I still truly think Valve's "paid mods" idea is the way forward for this. Back in the day, when Unity/Unreal/G

There was massive internet backlash toward it but I still truly think Valve's "paid mods" idea is the way forward for this. Back in the day, when Unity/Unreal/Godot weren't freely available for anyone to use, people would put a lot of their own personal time into making mods, without any expectation of pay. Now, even if the mod tools were there for modern games, why would anyone make a "total conversion" mod instead of just making the game themselves using free modern tools? Creating incentives for game developers to add mod tools to their games by creating the incentive for potential mod-makers to make some money off their work seems like a solid strategy for me. (I think I heard a rumor somewhere that Valve is going to bring back the "paid mods" idea again soon, possibly in a retooled form.)

trq_ 8y ago
Yeah I think paid mods was off in execution not idea. Would love to see it come back. The main thing that mods give developers is a distribution network and that is invaluable if you ask me. Getting someone to install your game is the biggest hurdle.
tomc1985 8y ago
I disagree. As soon as free, small communities get monetized they soon become overrun by sharks and profiteering. They become hotspots for fraud, and troublemakers cause a nuisance to existing community-members. Sure there is some of that already, but not to the kind of scale that monetization inevitably brings. Your other major problem is that much of the audience for mods are kids or teens who don't have a lot of money. Keeping modding free is what keeps content generation gated to those who intend to truly intend to better the community. As an example, I now continually get fraud warnings on my Epic account, which I keep for UDK access, because Fortnite blew up. It's really annoying :(
- lodi 8y ago
  Ahh, so that's what that is... I was wondering why I was getting so many 2fa alerts.
ohithereyou 8y ago
>Why would anyone make a "total conversion" mod instead of just making the game themselves using free modern tools? A TC mod for a game gives you some distinct advantages, especially if distributed through the Steam Workshop: 1. One click installation - the Steam client takes care of everything for you. 2. Community forums and news feeds already set up - you can get instant feedback from players 3. Easier to get a foothold on someone's machine - it's easier to get someone to install your game knowing that it's a TC for a game they already have (so they may have some notion about the quality of the assets and engine) as opposed to trying to convince someone to install a completely new game.

trq_ 8y ago

Yeah I think paid mods was off in execution not idea. Would love to see it come back. The main thing that mods give developers is a distribution network and that is invaluable if you ask me. Getting someone to install your game is the biggest hurdle.

tomc1985 8y ago

I disagree. As soon as free, small communities get monetized they soon become overrun by sharks and profiteering. They become hotspots for fraud, and troublemakers cause a nuisance to existing community-members. Sure there is some of that already, but not to the kind of scale that monetization inevitably brings. Your other major problem is that much of the audience for mods are kids or teens who don't have a lot of money. Keeping modding free is what keeps content generation gated to those who intend to truly intend to better the community. As an example, I now continually get fraud warnings on my Epic account, which I keep for UDK access, because Fortnite blew up. It's really annoying :(

lodi 8y ago
Ahh, so that's what that is... I was wondering why I was getting so many 2fa alerts.

ohithereyou 8y ago

>Why would anyone make a "total conversion" mod instead of just making the game themselves using free modern tools? A TC mod for a game gives you some distinct advantages, especially if distributed through the Steam Workshop: 1. One click installation - the Steam client takes care of everything for you. 2. Community forums and news feeds already set up - you can get instant feedback from players 3. Easier to get a foothold on someone's machine - it's easier to get someone to install your game knowing that it's a TC for a game they already have (so they may have some notion about the quality of the assets and engine) as opposed to trying to convince someone to install a completely new game.