@ Illiana: for tracking mods, my personal opinion is that the best way to go would just be a simple cell map that shows what mods alter which cells of Elsweyr. That way people can easily figure out what areas are free (both modders and mod users) I think anything more than that is a mistake. I really dislike the UL system, I don't see the need for a council that approves mods (and I'm not sure if any of them have ever produced a UL of their own). Now if you were to be managing it that would certainly be different, but it seems like a waste for you to have to deal with petty administrative stuff worrying what other people are doing with Elsweyr when you could be working with Elsweyr yourself. Given the scope of your mod I feel like it would be simplest to just let people mod it the same as they mod Cyrodiil, though a way to track the mods would certainly be nice like I mentioned above.
Brief thread hijack to provide some important knowledge:
Past UL Council Member Malachit created and released: ARRIUS CREEK, COLOVIAN HIGHLANDS, ROLLING HILLS
Past UL Council Member and Founder created and released: THE DARK FOREST
Current UL Council Member Arthmoor took over and released: BRENA RIVER RAVINE
Other UL mod-makers may have been past Council Members, I don't know.
The Council handles the map, (most of) the file uploads, the file mirrors.
The Council provides quality control - Unique Landscapes is like a trademark, it's recognised by those who like such mods as a title for quality landscaping. Allowing absolutely anyone to release their mod and name it a Unique Landscape could tarnish the good name of UL if the mod isn't as polished and complete as those which have been released.
The Council assists less experienced UL modders with problems, and ensures that the mods released are clean, bug-free, and don't overlap with other ULs or any other mods where an agreement has been made to be compatible.
The Council exists because modders allow it to - it's not like we can force people to our will. If modders don't want to be part of a large project, they don't have to be.
The Council never pressures UL modders to rush their work - modders can work at their own pace, even if it takes them years to complete. As long as they maintain contact with us, their mod is recognised as a UL WIP.
The Council provides publicity for the mod-creators without them needing to worry about promoting their mod themselves - they get downloads without being forced to put in further effort once they've completed the mod.
Projects need leadership, whether hands-on, hands-off, as an advisory role, or in firm control. Projects without any leadership or with everyone thinking they're the leader will collapse in arguments and anger due to lack of control, as different modders discover they're modding the same location.
» Fri May 27, 2011 9:30 am 
And the holy Lore is on my side, by the way.
