Hello everyone,

So as we are all aware, there is not a very good infrastructure for people who want to play your mod. If I want to add a new mod to my install of Oblivion, I need to use one of various tools out there to determine if this mod is "safe" to use with my existing mods. The mods may make conflicting modifications, may create duplicate objects, or otherwise not play well together. Some mods may also not be entirely safe to use at all if they ship with an executable installer (who knows what that EXE is really doing?). Expecting most players to go through this process for every mod that they add and make a correct determination is unrealistic.

I'd like to get feedback on an idea to streamline this problem.

What I propose is a mod certification authority similar to Underwriter's Laboratory. This organization would certify mods and release a badge which you may place on your website or on your forum posts, delineating what certificates the mod has earned. For instance, a new release of ModY would be submitted to this organization, requesting certification under COBL. We would then anolyze the mod using the various tools out there to check that they are making correct use of COBL and that, as a result, they are compatible with all other COBL mods. Different types of things we could certify on include asset-sharing (like COBL), worldspaces (mods that don't conflict in how they modify the world), and addition-only (does not substantially remove or modify anything from the game). Another kind of certification, the 'basic' certificate, would be required for all submissions. This would be to check to verify that the mod has a reputable and verifiably clean install and uninstall process. We would also certify that the mod is safe, i.e. that it fully documents all changes to the file system, passes a reasonable 'sniff test' at not being a virus or spyware, etc.

Once it passes certification, the mod author would be provided with a badge to display a list of all certifications that have been awarded and would provide a link to a website with detailed information about the certifications that it received and any caveats (eg, mods that it is definitely not compatible with and why). If your mod fails to pass certification then you would receive a detailed description of why it failed so you can make the appropriate changes.

Now the most important thing about setting up such a system is that we are trustworthy. If people find that our certifications are bad or that we don't enforce usage of the badges then it will be useless to players. Basically we need our certification teams to do their job well. We can either crowdsource this work through volunteers and complaint-investigation or we could have a more formal approach with a dedicated team, or both. I think that using both approaches is probably the best. So the idea is that when you create a mod you can (if you want our certification) pay a small fee to have it certified by our board. This would buy you a page on our site with a detailed compatibility anolysis and (if you pass certification) a badge that you may display. Such a badge could be a very powerful reassurance for players, potentially increasing the number of downloads significantly. Right now I'm imagining that if we did charge a fee it would be around $10/certification (eg, $20 for basic+COBL) . Certifications would be issued per each version of your mod that you want certified.

I know that the price will be the most controversial aspect of this, but I think it's reasonable considering the massive number of mods that may need to be certified. This money would go toward paying our certifiers and toward maintenance of the website.

So I want to know what you think of this idea.

Or we could all just quit modding, as this is a hobby not a money making venture for us all AND we are not here to cater to users, we do not get paid by the download.

At this point I will just say, no. If you think for one moment a modder will spend masses of their free time to create a mod and then pay for the privilege of giving it to complete strangers for free, then I think you need to rethink that. I certainly know that I will not be paying people to test my mod and I will not be submitting my mods for 'evaluation' or 'certification' in any form.

A few days too early, this...

Oh boy, thank you for this. I did laugh heartily.

Edit- Some confusion thanks to me, I know this is not a joke but it bloody well should be.

I just don't see that happening, even if it was free. One tester, no matter how thorough, cannot compare to a few dozen regular users when it comes to finding problems.

Edit: Well, if it is a joke, you got me. :meh:

Oh I get it now, this is a joke. Lol, good one!

Wow, just wow. I'm not even a modder and my jaw just dropped to my desk. :blink:

Wait a sec ... a joke? Okay, I guess I'm the fishy stick of the day!

Wait...what?

This seems a bit ilogical to me. Why would I pay you for a mod I want to release for free? No offense, but I'd rather just stop modding.

If you're that worried about mod conflicts, why not just download said mods and then play them? There are few mods that would be considered "legendary", and if they're that important, you can just look them up on the wiki or web.

Sorry man, but I find your idea a bit too money centered.

Thanks

Kroot

"29th March, 10" 3 days early.

Seriously though, this is a stupid idea. The only people who have trouble installing and with conflicts are the people who wouldn't understand this system in the first place.
And the idea to charge, and to pay people to certificate, and unilaterally declaring yourself to be an authority figure deserving of our time and respect and to whom we should kowtow...
It's difficult to find words to express quite how spectacularly arrogant and wrong that is without getting another warning.

E: This isn't actually a joke, Fourthgeek is one of the COBL contributors despite his 1-post forum account.

I certainly hope this an early April Fool's. Otherwise, I'm having trouble finding the words to express how distasteful and even insulting the whole idea is. :thumbsdown:

Bethesda does not charge us to use their tools to make our mods. We do not charge our players to use the mods we make but YOU want to charge us to have an untrustworthy, unproven stranger who insults the integrity of modders to tell US whether our work should be allowed to be used?

Oh this better be a joke.

The arrogance of this aside, I have serious doubts as to whether this would even be legal.

Besides, those of us who want our mods tested by outsiders can just go to TESA and have the Beta Testers' Guild do it for free.

Though like everyone else I'm hoping this is a joke, if it's not it needs to be said. No one can make money from mods, it's illegal, and that includes getting money from certifying mods. :facepalm:

Closed and will remain closed for reasons stated by other posters. This is contrary to the license granted with the Construction Set and likely to cause disputes and divisiveness in the modder community.