So I was reading http://gamecareerguide.com/features/1216/the_1_difference_between_amateur_.php about what separates professional game devs from amateurs and the answer seems to be basically a pro finishes the game

I've had a large quest mod I've been banging away at for years and have twice blown it away and restarted it - I've been toying with the idea of just building it for me and continuing to release the resources separately as that might give me the motivation to finish it - yet there is something very satisfying

I personally never made an official WIP for it as I knew it was going to take years to make and that I might lose motivation and not complete it - yet the article I read suggests that WIP threads can inspire us to carry on

- so hence this poll

Please let me know what you gain or don't from WIP's

I may end up sounding like a jerk for saying this but I find WIP threads to be a waste of the author's time and imagination being taken away from the mod's progress and a waste of my time to read. Most WIP threads never see REL. And those that do are a great surprise. Call me cynical but I've lost count of how many times I've been disappointed because there was a WIP I really wanted and then the author either lost it to a HD crash and never backed it up or simply lost interest and abandoned it. Because of that, I rarely click on WIPs and when I do, it's usually because I'm asked to look at something.

I've also found that if an author spends their time talking about the mod instead of just doing it, they can lose momentum and not able to finish because they poured the energy into talking instead of doing.

To be honest, I don't want to see WIP. I want to see results. Don't tell me how great your new mod is going to be. Do a REL and thrill me with something to play with. This is why I don't do WIP threads. I would rather impress with something for people to play with then just say, "Oh, I got this idea but it's not done yet."

Do you have unfinished mods that you have stopped working on?

I had mods that I used to be working on (past tense). More than I can count now. They included two major projects (one, "The Great Odai River Project," was an extension of the Odai up to Khuul and across to Azuras Coast and amounted to a complete reworking of the landscape of Vvardenfell) and many smaller projects.

Did your unfinished mod/s have a WIP thread?
No. I've never made a WIP thread. Like Denina, I think WIP threads are mostly a waste of time.

If you finished your mod/s did you have WIP Threads?
I didn't make WIP threads either for the mods I finished or for the mods I didn't finish.

If you finished your mod/s and used WIP threads did you find?
N/A

If you have unfinished mods and have had WIP threads did you find?
N/A

If you have unfinished mods was it because?
I didn't finish my mods because I moved across the United States to live with my fellow Morrowind modder Brash Endeavors. I left all of my belongings behind in Georgia when I moved, including the computer I used for modding. By leaving my computer behind I left a year-and-a-half's worth of work on mods behind as well. But - and this is the important part - it's not something I want to cry about because what I gained was worth far more than what I lost.

I was pondering on how I would reply to this topic, then I was struck with a realisation- all of the mods that I released (not many, but that's not the point) lacked a WIP thread, while all of the mods that I had a WIP thread have yet to be finished(?).

However, that's most likely purely coincidence, as the main reason for having so many unfinished mods is because of lack of time and mental energy because of RL (work) or lack of interest in modding when I do have the time and mental energy. If that makes sense and is on topic.... sorry, I've been feeling waayy out of balance lately.

Unfortunately, I believe the biggest reason for lack of feedback/assistance in any of the WIP threads that I may have started is because I have built a reputation of not finishing what I start on. I don't hold it against other people, as I believe that I have avoided helping/ paying attention to a few other people for the exact same reason.

I'm sure WIP threads can help some people plan, trouble-shoot, put the word out, or finish the mods that they are working on, but (I can't believe that I'm saying this) your mileage may vary.

I have WIPs, and I have dead-WIPs.

Don't ask me about my WIPs!



From what I've seen and experienced here, almost everyone is supportive and interested in all WIP threads.
Sometimes the modder, or the community, just slowly looses interest.

I have one unfinished mod and one that I haven't started on yet, neither of which have had a WIP thread created for them. All of my other mods have either had a WIP thread or were too small to make one (e.g. Morag Tong tweak). Now that Elaura's going to be playing again, I may actually finish that one mod and start the other one.

As for WIPs: they can be a mixed bag. It's nice to see new ideas, but it's disappointing when the author(s) loses interest. I do check out WIP threads for mods I find interesting and will try to leave a note of encouragement or answer questions, but most I ignore.

I think it depends on why one makes the mod.-) I make them because I like the challenge, and I do admit, feedback (most of the time) is encouraging and helps me rack my feeble brain to:

1) Come up with an idea for something that one else has addressed, has done in a mediocre fashion (i.e. updating a mod to reflect increased CPU and GPU power and game resolutions), or the mod simply needs some good ole fashioned TLC.-)

2) Attempt learning new skills and refine the ones I have.

3) Improve the player's game atmosphere.

4) Help other modders who have similar interests in a particular area of modding.

Edit:

5) Accountablility. A WIP should tell a story, like viewing charting in a medical chart or performing a surgical procedure: There is a beginning, all sorts of procedural things in the body of the work, and an end. That's how I view my first foray into this modding thing, though I admit I did *not* have a discrete "WIPZ" thread. It was a bit more organic in approach but the general feeling was the same.-)

If I had to guess how many projects I've abandoned, which I do, I'd say there's been at least two dozen of them. The reasons vary, but the most common one is that I experience frustration in getting things to work right, from a lack of scripting skills. I also tend to exponentially increase my workload with all kinds of great ideas that come to me as I work on a mod.

But nowadays, I keep those ideas in check, and I've obtained decent scripting skills, so it's highly likely that at least one of my three landmasses will see the light of day, if not all of them. I'm able to keep myself interested by having three of them. Any time I get a little tired of one type of interior in one of the projects, I move onto a different kind of interior in one of the others. They have completely different design setups, so I'm bound to not get bored. Still going to take awhile to finish even one though. A year, minimum.

I don't think WIP threads are pointless, it's just that most people start them before they have anything substantial to show. When Trainwiz started the first thread for SSE, he had quite a few screenshots to show off, and they were all pretty impressive. That was a WIP thread done right.

This is why you won't see a WIP thread for any of my landmasses for at least six more months, because I won't have enough to show until then.

I have unfinished mods (not a lot).

Most are retextures/new textures/ and models fixes (and many still in the making) for the french Morrowind Overhaul version.

I have started to retexture somes creatures, plants, doing mods translation to french, etc... bref I have many ideas, many projects in my head, but little time now (moving in new places, relationship, life projects, etc...)

But I still and will still continue my 'work' on these many things, because I love doing it, I love what Morrowind make me feel when I work for it.

I like read WIP threads too.

I the project is already well advanced then the modder 'need/can' to create a WIP thread, it can really be an inspiration source/ideas/motivating and so on.

I think what it's the most important, is to mod for yourself first, for your pleasure, and then sharing it with the community ; because after all we are a big familly.

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/23627856/mods.JPG

All the older mods have "Wolli" somewhere in the name, which is really, really lame. (Wolli's castle? Ugh, blergh, yuck. [censored].)

Also, WIP threads are fun at first, like my Radiant Battles thread: sharing ideas, looking at other mods that have done similar things, etc. Then they get sour. It's done when I think it's done!