With plenty of mods already being planned and animals created it would be awesome to see some at least being vetted and added properly into the game. They way it could work is that:
The creator uploads the content.
The community download it and test it.
A vote (perhaps weekly) occurs for a new animal and item (or whatever) and the top 1 from each category is then vetted by the Devs and added into the game for all to enjoy.
Not only will this allow more content to be added to the game faster and still at a high quality level (due to the voting vetting system) but peoples creations will be enjoyed more as a result. A more realistic world will be created with every animal type included. An example. The user Decho has created a Squirrel.
With it designed and animated it could be added into the game if it was voted to be as high quality, as the animals already in the game, and in keeping with the game. After being voted for the developers can then say the community have said this is worthwhile being added they get the final say as to if it is added or not and then in this case Decho would be credited for Squirrel creationist in the games credits.
Just my 2 cents of a way the best user content could be used. However, what do you think should happen and what are your thoughts on this idea?
I like the idea. Make it work like Steam Greenlight, where the community upvotes mods and creations and the developers give the final âyesâ or âno.â
This would have to be a separate tab of the downloader system the developers are talking about to âinstallâ your mods. Keeping it all in one place is preferable.
An upvote system like greenlight would work perfectly and creating a steam workshop style mod place worked well for Skyrim and games like that. I just think some users will shy away from mods so this would enable them to get the best content still, give the devs more time to design or fix things and bonus content for all
I like the idea, although I do see some âbureocratic problemsâ in it. Like crediting the final game upon release or the way the mods were done. (Was every mod made with an original copy of Qubicle/3DMax/etc?)
But my greatest worry is the game crediting. Not only I think itâs a space Radiant deserves to have for themselves but also because releasing the game with user content (and having to include them on the credits) would then pop the question: why doesnât every other mod creator deserve a place on the gameâs credits after launch?
The only way to solve this would be for the modders to allow their mods to be âabsorbedâ without crediting and live with that. Iâd have no problem to have my stuff included in the final game without even mentioning me but I canât speak for everyone.
And, once again, itâd have to suit Radiantâs wishes and⌠Well, I donât know.
I think that a far easier solution (and better for everyone) would be to just release some specific notes on how will modding work as soon as this info is final. That way people can prepare their mods for day one.
As an example: Spore Galactic Adventures made SO MANY videos and guides on how to create adventures that the moment I got the game on day one I was able to put a complex, story-telling adventure together in a few hours. I had all the assets prepared and it felt like I was using a program that Iâm used to because they really prepared people for it before launch.
Why not do it all legal and proper and buy the created assets from their creators?
The Unity Asset Store works like that.
Radiant then owns the license and any complications with voting or crediting are stopped cold.
That could lead to having tons of âflavourâ flora and fauna at a bargain price.
The devs could even post a list of objects that will be needed anyway. If something does make the cut, good deal. If not, so what?
I find the idea that Radiant should buy created assets from the community a bit odd and potentially expensive - I mean these people have voluntarily made these assets for a game which, without Radiant, they would not have,
I completely get where youâre coming from but as of yet the mod platform hasnât been confirmed, if anything I can see something like (ignoring all the issues surrounding it) the Technic launcher working quite well?
Different packs of mods, bundled all in to different experiences, credit where credit is due, and is easier for those who want to have a load of mods in their game, without manually adding these things themselves.
Also you have to think that firstly, whilst the community might like the mod - ultimately weâre gonna be voting for the best out of a selection, so unless we have a vote for âI like none of theseâ you leave the potential for a bad mod or asset to be considered good enough for implementation.
And would these assets fit in with the vision that Radiant have, or the quality that Radiant are wanting to put out? I could understand an asset being reworked or remade by Radiant so that itâs how they want it to be, but I think implementing these things straight from the source could be a bad idea for the main game itself.
I donât think buying the material will work either.
My thought on a system: We upvote awesome mods. The developers look over the top ones and decide to implement them into the full game. They contact the Mod Maker with a contract that says:
âYou are awesome. We want your mod. We will make it an update of content. Sorry, you wonât get credit anywhere. If you have an update, we will update it! Sign below!â
If someone doesnât like that, then they can just tell the Developers No.
Giving each mod credit in the âcreditsâ seems⌠hard.
They could add their name to a page on the website thoughâŚ
Radiant would only approve mods to be a part of the game that they believe fit their vision. Greenlight works the same way. Sure, the people get a vote, but its the steam administration that chooses whether or not it joins the library.
Paying for the mods i think is not something they will want or be able to do. Perhaps the content creators have to put their mods forward for voting removing the paying as they know they wonât get anything other than some recognition. Perhaps credit wise it is just mentioned hen added and then added onto a special credit list in game.
Buying the content is the legally safe solution.
Itâs not based on some click of a button or some promise of not suing Radiant over the rights after the game has been released packaged with that content.
If this were an issue between modders I wouldnât mention it. Worst case thereâs a cease & desist and some mod gets taken down by the host. No big deal.
If Steam and other distributors take Stonehearth off the catalog and the people who pledged for it canât download it - big deal.
This is reality and you canât ignore it just because itâs not nice. =)
Years ago in the Neverwinter community there was a very talented modder who was working on a complex script system.
I was waiting for him to make a final update of his mod to correct some of the bugs and add some requested feature to make it a working system.
At that point Bioware liked what he was doing and offered him a paid job to do some scripting for them. And he had to sign a No Disclosure Agreement.
The result is Bioware benefited from his work but we, the customers, lost access to his Mod system which he couldnât finish because of the agreement.
For Stonehearth Mods:
I would prefer if all the mods made by the community stay as independent work stored and graded on a database somewhere. (Similar to Nexus) And users can pick and chose to support their favorite mods.
paying for mods is not a good approach, in my humble opinion⌠and i dont think an overly bureaucratic approach is necessary either⌠mods that are freely accessible to the community will then be commented on and approved or shunned by the same community⌠its all a democracy here, and the best of the best will rise to the topâŚ
Totally agree! And that works fine if Radiant releases an âofficial mod packâ as a separate package.
Casually integrating such mods into the core game is a no go, just like using a game engine that you donât have a license for.
I think keeping it similar to how minecraft is handled (we always keep ending up there donât we?) is a good idea. The official game is kept separate and is constantly updated, mods are community made, rated by the community (and staff) and can be compiled by the community into modpacks.(with permission).
Itâs a tricky one, and we do have to keep waiting to see what Radiant have in mind, but in my opinion no money should change hands at any point in the mod making process.
an âofficialâ mod pack or mod of the week would work well.
If modders had to put their mods forward to being added to the final game it would then be only those that were happy to give their content for FREE. Meaning no need to pay them I know there are some whoâd be overly happy just to see their item make it into the game without paymentâŚ
Yeah, all it takes is to talk to the modders. Most are making an already great game better by modding and giving them a line in the game credits might suffice for many.
Another possibility would be a page like Wowhead where you collect all the mods, give the mod devs a couple of lines to talk to the community and place a âdonateâ button.
@Gridian A donate button has worked perfectly for mods of other games great shout. However for little additions such as a new animal I donât think it is important but if someone has added a new race with events then they probably deserve a donate button.
The unity store works because the mods can be used for multiple games. ie, itâs a unified system. Unless mods for Stoneheath can be used copy/paste in other games, then they should be treated more like Minecrafts mods.
I do like the idea of mods being automatically added to the game if they are just background or immersion based. Perhaps having mod âsubscriptionsâ where if a mod is added to a styled list then itâs added without having to manually select them individually.
