How will mods on console work and not be a train wreck?

Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 11:58 am

Ahh, the developers might, but do the moneymen? (Zenimax in general)?

No they likely don't.

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Darren
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 8:18 am

Not many who corrupt saves, this was an issue in Morrowind as you could destroy the dialogue system, but few in later games.

Note that the same issue applies to pc players most has no idea that they are doing except adding cool stuff. The smarter ones understand that adding two mods who both radically change something complex will not work well together, so say two mods who radically change the behavior of shotguns or raiders will crash. the shotgun and raider mod will probably work well together but even here it might be issues if mods are dirty.

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TOYA toys
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 2:11 am

I always buy 2 versions of Bethesda games

1. A console version to first play the game on without distractions

2. A PC version to get distracted with mods

With the crafting and housing systems Beth are applying it will reduce my desire for mods as I experiement with all the variations in game first - at least for the first 6 months

Likely the mod tools won't be released for 6-9 months after the game anyway so anyway crying to Beth that the bought their game on console just for mods will need their expectations reset

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daniel royle
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 1:32 am

I didn't say console users are stupid, I said they don't really have much experience with mods. Some of them are indeed stupid but I also gave an example as to how stupidity is NOT just a console gamer attribute. PC gamers have their share of stupid people also.

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Tom
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 7:49 am

I will just repeat the point I made on the first page. Bethesda have repeatedly shown that they have no interest in moderating or overseeing mods and they've mentioned several times that the console versions are just as capable of reading .esp/esm files as the PC version. Thus this system is probably going to be limited to uploading those kinds of files to your console and adding them to the load-order. Then the game will load the mod in exactly the same manner as the game loads the official DLCs, sans the official DLCs inclusion of a title patch to add DLC features that are impossible to add by .esp/esm.

The versatility of these kinds of mods is dependent on the capabilities of the new GECK/Creation Kit and the built-in scripting system.

Custom assets such as textures would be possible but carry the risk of degraded performance but nothing more and Bethesda would wash their hands of that as it is all the user's doing. Modern consoles have robust enough safeguards that games can't actually trash them. The Xbox One runs three damned OS's virtualised simultaneously, with the dedicated game OS only having access to 5,5 GB of the console's 8GBs of memory. If it tries to use more the hypervisor is just going to throw a memory access violation and shut the game down and return the user to the dashboard.
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Chloe Lou
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 4:14 am

Won't every Mod be subject to EULA screening? To determine for each Mod released what rating it will be, like M for Mature ect...

If not, are sixually explicit Mods going to be allowed? Plus. Will there be a warning, that use of this mods will terminate are warranty for

ones Xbox One? As if a mods not built right could lead to a blown a CPU or ect.

Edit: Technically they are add-Ons.

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Kit Marsden
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 12:14 pm

We will be working on the Fallout 4 Script Extender (F4SE). I expect that we'll have some tighter integration with Steam like we are seeing with SKSE right now. But while technically possible, I seriously doubt we'll ever have F4SE on the consoles. At least not without some serious support from Bethesda to make it happen. This is mostly because some of the things we have to do to add functionality to the game require hooking the application, which I can't see happening on the consoles. So unless there are hooks provided where we need them, I don't believe that will happen.

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Carlitos Avila
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 10:08 am

Just curious; are there any other PC & consoles games that can share mods?

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Del Arte
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 12:26 am

I personally believe that there'll be tools specially for Console + PC modding, aside from the usual G.E.C.K.

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tannis
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 12:16 pm

All I know is that I will be able to have mods.

I am sure there will be some things that conflict. But, I am assuming this would happen just as easily on PC as well?
There may be issues with some mods needing more power than a console can handle. I think this would also be a consideration with the modding tools, before they are given to us. Perhaps the mods spell out requirements, and if you don't meet them for console, they won't be available.

Not too worried abut it either way. I wasn't anticipating mods, so the fact that I can look forward to them is just icing.

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Ellie English
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 6:46 am

I am probably one of the stupid console users, and as such I am not that interested in mods for my game because I know so little about how these things work. I use a Macbook because it makes my life easy.

Unless there is a way for Bethesda and Microsoft to guarantee the mod won't mess with my game, I won't be downloading any to my console. It would have to come with a tag like "Tested safe for Xbox One" or some such thing for me to even think about trying it, and even then I will wait and see if any one reports any issues with the mod before I try it.

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OTTO
 
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Post » Thu Nov 26, 2015 9:26 pm

I think your going to have to rely on the mod creator testing the mod to make sure it works fine on xbox one however I'll imagine most mod developers won't test it with a variety of mods on the xbox like they do with the PC so if you want to take the approach where you don't want to or can't learn about the effects of mods and how it will affect your system (nothing wrong with that) then you'll have to use one mod at a time or hope that mod devs test out a variety of mods and the mods you want are compatible.

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NeverStopThe
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 8:01 am

http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/06/16/e3-2015-bethesdas-todd-howard-talks-about-fallout-4-mod-support?abthid=5580aed56e26b16764000028&utm_source=IGN%20hub%20page&utm_medium=IGN%20%28front%20page%29&utm_content=1&utm_campaign=Blogroll

More at the link.

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Andrew
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 4:23 am


I think we're all putting too much thought into the wrong vein of this whole mod thing. Sure it's probably going to be rough now but just imagine how it's going to change console gaming. Kids who have never used any kind of mod will be blown away and suddenly Bethesda just put the pressure on everyone to make mods a new thing for games. Sony and Microsoft are already making their consoles more "PC" like. And with the whole Windows 10/Xbox One merge we'll continue to see diminishing differences between PC and console.

Bethesda just pushed videogames into the golden age. It won't be rapid but it's definitely on it's way.
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StunnaLiike FiiFii
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 9:54 am

Mods on console? Well I don't play on console but this is bringing one of the major reasons I really enjoy Bethesda games to other platforms and that can only be a good thing. I can't wait to see what kind of models modders are able to make for that base building thing, and consoles will finally have as much customization for their roleplaying and building that I have enjoyed on PC for so long.

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dell
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 5:43 am

There will be huge issues with graphical overhauls and anything performance intensive, which is really my major concern. Compatibility issues are another thing, too.

But what might be the most important part of this is that unofficial patches will be on consoles! That alone would have been freaking huge.

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jessica breen
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 3:08 am

I see a lot of mention about the script extender (which Is an awesome addition to the game, btw). But some pretty awesome mods can be made without it. After all, the vanilla game itself is made without it. I assume we will have a new iteration of Papyrus, which even in it's vanilla state for Skyrim is much more versatile than the scripting engine in previous games.
As a mod maker, I don't see a problem with my mods being available to console users. Talk of people loading up on mods and burning up the console is silly, I think. If they brick their game with too many mods, how is that any different than low-end PC users doing the same? I think though that mods for consoles will have to be inspected before released.
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Lucky Girl
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 5:49 am

Is it even possible to brick a PC with mods, though? Especially ones made solely within the Creation Kit. I'd imagine the game would just crash before anything could actually happen to the console.

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Quick draw II
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 12:20 pm

Not really possible with mods alone. Malicious software is usually required to temporarily render a PC useless and require an reinstall of the operating system. Faulty firmware updates (like a BIOS flash) more or less permanently render a piece of hardware in a PC useless.

With older consoles, some games could totally screw up the machine, but as for PS4's and XBox Ones. I don't think they could be bricked by a mod, either. I am not saying the current generation of consoles are as immune as PC, but the only ones I have heard of that got bricked were ones that shipped from the factory that way or got nailed by something going wrong during a firmware update. (Note: the only ones that I have heard of).

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Nitol Ahmed
 
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Post » Thu Nov 26, 2015 9:34 pm

Considering the tidbits of interview questions slipping out Bethesda is fully expecting broken game states. And that is perfectly fine. Bethesda's only concern are issues from a legal standpoint and that is how it should be.

Typically I Buy Bethesda games on console for release and purchase A Goty edition for PC to play mods on. I think it is cool to try out Mods on console.. hell I would be happy if they opened up console editor for consoles. It would be easy to do and I have fixed a lot of little quest/gameplay annoyances on my own with that.

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Josh Sabatini
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 8:11 am

Well, it looks like they're pretty much looking to allow everything that isn't nudity/porm or stolen assets, even if it burns the One down to a lump of plastic. I get more and more excited with every little scrap of information that is coming out.

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mishionary
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 12:53 am

'Brick' your game - screw up your save or install stuff to the point that the game won't function at all. Not damage the PC/console itself.

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Clea Jamerson
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 11:12 am

And in the interview Chip linked to, he says that there are safety precautions for mods that could "wildly break your game", and that players will be creating another version of their save game. So unless they somehow allow a mod to break the title screen and prevent a "restore to vanilla" failsafe, I'd say you'd have to actively try to brick your game to actually do it.

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Michelle Serenity Boss
 
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Post » Thu Nov 26, 2015 11:57 pm

I agree RickerHK. With each new game BGS takes more ideas from mods and puts them in the game proper. With each new version of the scripting engine more function that we provide in the Script Extenders are included as well. That is great and certainly gives me hope for some more versatile mods in the base game - which will also mean being available for consoles.

I still believe that we'll need a Script Extender to do certain things. It is unlikely that they have provided access to input control (button and mouse clicks), and UI overhauls will likely still need our support. I can't wait to see what our new baseline will be.

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CArlos BArrera
 
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Post » Fri Nov 27, 2015 9:11 am

The problem with mods usually is that the issue can arise after many hours, bricking the save and wasting hours of play.

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Trevor Bostwick
 
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