Just now I was pondering the concept of an in-game menu through which you can select different mods to download and apply automatically - similarly to the systems found in Garrysmod's toybox and Civilization V's mod menu. Of course, websites like TESNexus would still serve a purpose, but especially for newer and less experienced players who may find installing mods daunting (or console players, them being the demographic Bethesda are aiming Skyrim at), a few dozen mods handpicked by the devs that allow for one-click download and installation would be a great way of introducing them to the massive world of modding. If there were just a few (by that I mean no more than about sixty-odd), it'd be easy for gamesas to code in what mods conflict with each other in their current versions, so as to keep everyone from experiencing problems with the mods.

What do you all think of the idea? What ways do you think it could be implemented? As an addon to the traditional .BSA ticker? In the main game launcher?

I dislike this idea due to the fact that it would limit the potential complexity of mods; any that did not follow a preset format (such as those that require script extenders in Oblivion and Morrowind) would not work.

Hopefully script extenders won't be necessary. :3 If so, the particular script extender could be included as a seperate set of files within the mod which, if already detected on your system, are not redownloaded.

Repository?? What?!

It's a nice idea

But with so many different types of mods, different ways of packaging, plus the use of script extenders and other tools, I just don't think its viable.

BRING MODS TO XBOX 360!

I'd rather not have the Bethesda devs work on something like this when we've already got several very good mod sites and a large modding community. I'd much rather them work on the DLC or next game. The best way to introduce more people to mods would be to have all the magazines/games webstiks do a feature about the modding capabilites of Skyrim .

I tried downloading a couple mods for Civ V one of which being the simple clock to show the time. Even that didn't work, and the new civs I downloaded didn't work either. I've been using mods for years and thats the first case where I couldn't get it to work.

tesnexus is such a good single place for all mods. they can be sorted by popularity or size or theme. It's a great system. I do agree that some mods were a little hard to install (ones that required OBMM or the script thing) and even harder to uninstall (texture packs and the like).

I don't know much about making mods so I don't know if this would help or hinder but it's probably too late in the development cycle to do anything about it.

Its a nice concept, but after release I'd prefer the developers to focus of official DLC and patches.

Packaging is easy to solve .
Far larger issue is conflicts, locations, npc and leveled lists, even Bethesda had issues here.

Valve did it way back in 1998 with Halflife. You could download the latest mods right from the main menu.

Ha, he original Halflife. Haven't played that in a while. :3

Nope. Unless Sony and Micro$oft become BFFs.

Yup

Its too close to Bethesda (or any other authority) deciding what mods are good and which are bad by virtue of being excluded. I don't like personal opinions as to what is good becoming fact by virtue of endorsemant within the game.

For consoles, this would be a necessity in order for mods to work.

No reason to fix what aint broke.

Script extenders will always be made - no matter what scripts a game includes, the mod makers will dream up more.

The problem with having an automated mod system is that.... well, you can have alot of mods that modify the same things. How shall the auto-system resolve conflicts? And there's a number of other complications that can arise as you start shuffling mods around.


(Personally, I do a clean install of the game for every set of mods I try - removing or altering them in the middle of a playthrough is just asking for trouble. At least for anything more complicated than adding a new armor, or a new weapon.)

Bare in mind that I wasn't suggesting that every single mod developed should be pushed through the system - just a few handpicked for cross-platform usage and such. If it was only a small (well, relative to the total amount), logging which mods are incompatible would not be too difficult, thus long as they're tested through beforehand. And also that websites like TESNexus would, of course, still exist - this concept would just bring a few extremely popular mods to the masses - many of whom who may not even know of the existence of mods. The way I see it, it could work better as a gateway to the modding scene than a replacement to it.

I take it when you say "the masses" you really mean the consoles, because the PC crowd is well aware where to get their mods.
And no, it wouldn't work as a "gateway to the modding scene".

I have said it many times before, and I will reiterate yet again, before script extenders, before mod management, there is a steep learning curve to the whole game modding concept, one curve that has taken us PC modders some time to learn. Sure changing a texture is simple, but no one is contempt with just changing textures anymore.

Just the simple act of testing a mod... To me, and I think most modders would agree with me, the most tedious part of making a mod, is testing it.... working on your texture, mesh, quest script, etc is one thing... but then you have to fire up the game, and test your mod, see how it works, what's failing, what doesn't look right. And depending how extensive your mod is, you have to do this 10, 20, 50, 100 times. Since a modder wouldn't be able to use any of the tools required for modding directly in the console, the modder would have to transfer the mod to the console and test it, every time the modder wants to test it. Now, this may not sound as much to you, but believe me, doing it directly in the computer is a PITA. I personally wouldn't bother trying to test my mod on a console.

Then you have the capabilities of a PC vis a vis the capabilities of a console, which can severely hinder the creative process of a mod. Mods such as high-res textures, or mods that spawn a large number of enemies, etc., I don't believe modders would tend to port those mods to the consoles because in order to do so, they would have to "cripple" their own mod to make it work on consoles, and not present it the way they want to present it.

wouldnt they only not work for the consoles?
you could still do anything you wanted with mods if you were making it with PCs in mind couldnt you?