With the cancellation of the Steam Workshop Paywall it looks like, for now, our fears of mod control is at ease. But that only leaves us with new questions.

It was obvious from the start that some of the big modders out there, some who that had even stepped away from modding, were interested in putting more time and energy into mods, to even give us things that they had originally put aside (SkyUi 5.0). Some saw this as a bad thing while others were indifferent or saw it as a good thing. I see it as a possible opportunity to truly support these authors who have given us great things in the past and to possibly motivate others into the modding scene.

Let me make this clear I AM NOT TALKING ABOUT ANY KIND OF PAYWALL! I am talking about a backer/supporter program. A system where a modder/modding team can step forward and present a project or major update (not bug fix updates) to previous projects and get support for it. For example the team behind SkyUi could step forward and present the 5.0 update and list all of its planned features , put up pictures, or show alpha/beta footage of what they have.

People can then back them with an investment to show their support. The mod authors would not get all of the donation amount up front though. Maybe 10% up front while the rest would be "banked". When the project is finished and approved by the backers then the modder/team will get the rest.

If a backer decides to pull out of the investment they are guaranteed to get their "banked" amount back. This insures that they do not get ripped off but also puts them where they need to be sure if they want to invest.

The mod / update will be released publicly for free.

Post release donations are still accepted

Benefits for backing author/team could be anything from timed exclusive access to the mod (backers get it before others do) to getting their name added to a backers list. It would be up to the author / team.

I think that this would be a far better system than what was originally brought to the table. I dont have confidence in Steam to uphold such a system though and would rather see it done on the Nexus who already has donation options available.

This is a system I have thought up that will financially support mod authors while also protecting the interests of the modding community.

If you have any thoughts on a better system or the one I presented please share.

A genuine "thank you" will do for me.

Then, Thank you.

The whole 'idea of a better system' is going to be nothing but hot air in the end. Mod users have showen they want free Mods, and they want us to make it without any compensation.

If the protest against payed mods was successful, can we now start to protest against any form of endorsemant or like system? Not that anyone gets the impression Modders are all high for recognition and not to be taken serious...

Well, the endorsemant system is itself a result of protests against a rating system, soo...

The system proposed in this thread doesn't seem "better" at all to me. It's far more convoluted for both the author and supporter than a straight payment or no payment. A better, communtiy driven system is hopefully going to result from increased donations. Mods that are upgraded regularly can and should look into patreon, it's pretty much what it was designed for.

Oh I agree with you, but I'm looking at it this way. Some mod authors do want monetary compensation or are motivated by such compensation. This is obvious by Chesko, Isoku, Arthmoor and the SkyUi team. If they are willing to do more things for a little pocket money then why stop them? Why not allow people, who are willing, to support them? I'm not against people givig mod authors money and I'm not against mod authors being motivated by money. So long as the end result is free for everyone and can be shared freely then I'm good with it and I'm sure others would be too.

Mods users and mod makers have shown they want free mods, please.

Now shall I post here the rude comment I just posted on the blog? About working..? It's vital that modding remains a free pleasure.

And, in fact, I would be happy if any form of "like" or "thumb up" or "rating" was removed from sites that host mods. Comments are more than enough.

We have? Not to reignite anything, but there were (and are) modders who are definitely interested in being compensated monetarily. Like me. Heck, I jumped into the CK this weekend and put together a new Skyrim mod just for the sole purpose of testing out the paid-mod section of the Steam Workshop.

The idea of a "bank" style system is interesting, but it certainly isn't feasible - there is no turn-key system in place (that I know of) that would support something like it.

I was under the impression that mod users and mod authors didnt want mods behind paywalls. There are plenty of people who would like to invest/donate and plenty of authors who would like compensation.

^Exhibit A

No exclusive access to mods. Just say thank you to the modder and if you enjoy playing her mod or his mod donate how much money you want to that (Those) modders.

Let mods be 100% FREE for all PC gamers to try.

That is my view.

Looking at the current donations system at the Nexus, there appears to be some issues regarding the Nexus TOS, specifically highlighted in http://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/topic/605097-nexus-donation-system-for-users/ forum post by Dark0ne in 2012. Of course, that information could easily be out of date, considering what has happened in the past few days.

Unfortunately the donation system doesn't work either.

And if you read my post it would remain 100% free. The point would be to motivate mod authors to create more work that they normally wouldnt feel the need to do. I'm using SkyUi 5.0 as an example because they actually said that they probably never would have started it without the thought of compensation.

Pretty much this. Support and stimulate donations. And for modders for whom money is a concern: make it clear.

Introduce a patreon system. Patreon works very well for many streamers, youtubers, music artists, etc. You don't have to be a big time entertainer/artist to generate a decent income. All you need is a following of decent people who respect you and your work. Go ask a guy like https://www.youtube.com/user/GophersVids/videos, who is far from a big youtuber. Patreon and donations keep him afloat thanks to a close following of fans.

Also, they could introduce a way to commission modders for requests.

But, please don't forget: there's only a limited amount of money to go around. With 20.000+ mods on the workshop and 40.000+ mods on the Nexus and thousands of other mods in mod db's all around the world, most mods will generate little revenue with or without a pay wall.

For me compensation does not matter.

If I didn't have this theft paranoia I would release all of my mods I have been making since 1998 for free publicly on the internet for all PC gamers to download. Yes I have been making mods for the PC versions of video games since 1998 it all started with Unreal when Epic Games released it for sale that I got into modding PC versions of video games.

Then in 2002 when Bethesda Softworks released the PC version of The Elder Scrolls III: Morrowind for sale for PC I decided that I should learn programming.

I don't believe in getting paid for making mods for the PC versions of video games. I want everyone to enjoy my work for free.

But as I said the theft of mods and other PC gamers claiming that they made those mods is what scares me. Legal disputes, etc. VALVe showed this on Thursday when they allowed Steam Workshop to sell mods.

And that is fine. The goal of this system is to bring attention to modders that would like support. I dont plan on every modder out there jumping on board with this as many have stated that they dont want money involved and that is perfectly fine . The system is not forced and completely optional. At the same time though if your a author, unless you've proven your merit your going to have to work to get backers.

And I agree with you also. This system would only be for people who want to help mod authors who are wanting compensation. It's not forced and completely optional. Unfortunately though theft will always be a problem but I dont see this system making it any better or worse. Think of it as a type of "kickstarter" for mods.

I am happy for anything that would appeal financially to people who want it, that doesn't impede on the spreading of free mod content.

I don't know how much Bethesda will allow it now though. That's something that needs to be considered.

The way I look at it is if they REALLY want to support modders and bring more talent to the table then what's the harm? That is if "supporting" mod authors was their real goal to begin with.

Yeah, that's what is worrying. Everything I have to say on the matter is in my signature.

If they care about modders they'll let us donate to the modder directly through paypal. No hassle no cuts no [censored].

If Valve wants stand out mods to become full games it can always do that or another publishers. Valve has made its name on that. It hasn't developed its own internal original IP since Half Life.

I'm not sure I understand why you'd be against such a system.

Mod authors who want to get compensated start up the project ivestment - 100% optional

Mod users who like the idea of the project can invest and support that mod author - 100% optional

If mod user decides to back out they can and get back their "banked" investment - 100% guaranteed

Finished products would be uploaded like normal and be FREE - 100% guaranteed

Because the money was only used as investment to motivate the author assets should be able to be shared freely - 100% guaranteed

If there is a team or approved borrowed assets then the investment can be split up between them based on personal agreement between all parties of said team or lender of assets. The way the modding community works now is pretty much the same way where if you use unapproved assets from another author you can get banned and your work removed. - 100% guaranteed.

If modding is only about sharing, all mods should be open source, free to be edited and distributed by anyone, at any time, in any way, anywhere without any input from the author. How do you feel about the majority of modders putting rules in place about modifying and distributing their work?

If modding is only about sharing, how do you feel about modders removing their work from the internet? Should we continue to share it despite the modder's wishes?

If modding is only about sharing, is everyone who mods but doesn't release their work not a modder?

Is a modder who mods primarily to get a job in the games industry, even if they release a huge and good mod, no longer a modder because sharing was not their primary motivarion?

Outside of Tamriel Rebuilt, Stirk, and Hammerfell, my contributions within the community have all been no-strings-attached modder's resources, art, and writing. I don't care who uses them, or how. If someone wants to use them in a a paid mod, or a paid game, it's totally fine by me. But I recognize that most people want ownership and control of their work... which goes against this whole "all sharing all the time" thing. Yet those people are still modders, because they have modified a game. That's all the word means. Please stop telling people what their hobbies are about. That's something people can determine for themselves.

You really want to be paid for indulging your favourite hobby? In what kind of world are we living? Oh I know, money is the only thing that deserves respect nowadays; what a shame!

Not everything on this planet has to be sold for money. Some things in life should be enjoyed for free by every person on this planet. While still earning money some other way like through donations.

While I agree with most of what you say...

Artists, sculptures, singers, song writers, musicians, poets, novelists, cartoonists, music producers, video artists, graphic designers, Web designers, game developers, bloggers, youtubers, twitch streamers...

All hobbies. All hobbies that can be turned into jobs. That's what the arts are, something you love to do in your spare time, that you find a way to do as your job, or at least make some part time money.

It's 2015, perhaps modding is the new artistic hobby turned job many people are looking for.

But again I don't want to deviate from the need of free mod content which I'm certainly all for.