I'm rather new to the modding scene - I posted my first Oblivion mod a little over a month ago. I've been eager ever since then to get feedback from players - improvements, suggestions, etc. I've also put a lot of effort into advertising the existence of the mod.

Unfortunately, it just hasn't attracted all that much attention. About 70 unique downloads, 2 comments, 1 endorsemant. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining - I just thought there'd be more of a response, and was counting on feedback from the community to make improvements.

In the meantime, a similar mod - which was posted a mere two weeks before mine, and which only does about one fourth of what mine does (albeit well), has nearly 400 unique downloads, 30+ comments, and 17 endorsemants. That's on a similar number of views. And that author hasn't done any advertising.


So, I'm wondering - what goes into your decision of whether to download or try a mod? What are the greatest influencing factors?

If it is a Unique Landscape...it is definitely popular with me.

The main thing for me is a mod that doesn't add too much. Most mod authors seem to think "more is better" and they wind up putting a bunch of crap in their mods that I really don't want. I think I'm probably in the minority though, but that's my main criterion. The other main criterion is that the mod has to be something I'm interested in - obviously! It has to have a good premise and be something I'm looking for. That could be quests or content or even game tweaks. Lastly I do take the mod author into account. There are some crappy mods out there and I'm tired of having a 100+ hour game ruined due to a crappy mod. I've had some that were uninstallable. So I've become a lot more picky and will look at a mod quite carefully before downloading or installing it.

One of the best things you can do is to have a solid readme to start with. That is your introduction to your mod and if you don't create a good impression with the readme, then people are unlikely to try it out. A readme with crappy English turns me off immediately... I haven't looked at your mods at all, so I'm not directing my comments at you, btw. Why haven't I looked at your mods? Because those are things that I'm not interested in - at least judging by their titles.

It must be something I'm interested in or I won't download it, no matter its "popularity".
If what it does attracts my interest, I'll give it a try. If not, then not.

But when I read "advertising"... it might be just me, but I don' t think that's the idea behind modding. I for example am creating my mods because there's something I want to have in my game. If then somebody wants what I did, I'll share. If then there come requests for additions, changes, improvements, I'm more than open to any suggestions, as long as it doesn't clash with my original idea.
But download counts, comments, rating or endorsemants mean nothing. There was one person who asked me to upload it, so I did. This one person is happy now, so am I. Let's go on modding.
If I don't get much feedback, then there will not be much support from my side. A mod apparently no one's interested in does not make much sense to care for. I have other things to do.

Granted, while I'm currently unable to test my creations myself I'm dependent on users' feedback. But I couldn't care less anyways, because when there's no feedback, then there's nothing I need to do, and I can continue development when I'm able to do that again.

However, just my 2 cents. :shrug:

A quick review.

1) Older mods will always have an advantage - so don't sweat it. The longer it's out, the more time it has had to be discovered and for people to recommend it to friends.

2) Images and Descriptions. If the mod promises any graphical changes, I want to see them (or I won't download). This might be meshes, textures, buildings, name it. If it doesn't (maybe its a quest or physics changing mod) then it better describe it. In fact, a good description is a plus for me. I don't need vague text promising surprises or anything like that - I want to know what I'm downloading and why.

3) This will vary by your audience so you need to decide who you're pitching the mod to. Perverts will want super-bodies, six-mods, skimpy outfits and other silliness (like angel wings like a Victoria Secret model). I prefer Roleplay - I bought the game for a setting (otherwise I should just buy a medieval action game) - so I like body mods, but my equipment mods need to be functional (I end up deleting stupid bikini-armor and the wings - but I kept some other armor that was new yet functional and realistic). I don't bother with mods offering me mansions as a home, but I totally download unique landscapes or new dungeons that add to the setting.




So don't be discouraged. Give it time. As long as your Images are interesting, your Description is filled and you know your target Audience then you should be fine.

I don't download anything that doesn't have a picture (besides things like pluggy and resources obviously). Must have a detailed list of things it changes. If the readme is not available on the mod description page (ie only in the mod package itself), I won't download it.

A mod is popular if it does something a lot of people want and does it well. The numbers you mentioned are still small enough that it's hard to say why the other mod would be more popular than yours. The mods linked in your sig give a good first impression, though I wasn't very interested in what they do. Give it some time.

What catches my attention is when it modifies and hopefully fixes aspects of the game that desperately need improving.

What catches my attention in a mod is if it adds new quests and dungeons to explore (which is why I downloaded "The Lost Spires"), new magic spells (why I downloaded "Midas Magic), new landscape changes within Cyrodiil (Which is why I downloaded all but 1 "Unique Landscapes" mods, all in 1 single OMOD, btw), new providences to explore in without entering thru a door or portal that adds new life to the Cyrodiil game (which is why I have the "Elsweyr Deserts of Anequina" and "Tales from Elsweyr" mods), and the occational portal/door required to enter into new land area mods (which is why I have "Nascosto Isles"). I'll also get the occational clothing and hairstyle mods and pose pack mods, too, I'll admit! But those ones are for use only when I'm making a Machinima episode on either of my 2 Machinima series! Then I go to delete the clothes mods if I don't need them anymore! But my main mods I like are quest, land (both in Tamriel and world separated island lands) scenery changing (so the Cyrodiil game don't look like the Chesapeake Bay woodlands), and dungeon crawls!

Plus, the ones I listed, I'd highly recommend getting these three (if you haven't played them already!)
-Nascosto Isles 3 (it adds a new Island to the game, although you need to go into a ship and walk out the other door to access it! It also adds tree root caves to explore)
-The Lost Spires (just for the exploration of new dungeons and the cool looking dungeon meshes/textures)
-Elsweyr Deserts of Anequina (A true desert and jungle experience awaits within that mod's zones! Perfect for the true desert or jungle dwelling roleplayer)

I tend to go for ones which change the game, but don't take me too far away from the immersion I'm looking for. I don't want skimpy big-busted women rolling around me, I don't want the super-sword from hell found in a crate outside A Fighting Chance.

I want mods that add new content which I will stumble upon at a later date, new things for me to explore which are well made, supported and balanced.

I also like general gameplay tweaks, so I've currently got OOO and supreme magicka. Just to keep things fresh!

Also, ambient changes which make the game more real. So tamriel travellers is a nice one for me.

for me, i have to say less is more. i use small mods not large mods that edit the entire game. i have 1 big mod active at the moment and that is Kvatch Rebuilt. its the biggest i have active.

Possibly not in the minority. I also reject mods for having too much that I don't want. Especially true for anything that changes the way the game works, because those are the things that affect your play all the time. Less true for something like a house mod, where if you don't like what's in one room, you just don't go in there.

Quality is key, the "finish" you add to your mods is very important. Certain teams, BC, UL, and certain modders (not going to embarress anyone) have become by-words for quality. So mods associated with certain people/teams are going to be more popular.

Restraint - this one is more complex. Super-duper house mods with a shack on the outside and a Castle/dungeon on the inside are a turn-off for me, as are castle mods that insist on adding a Necromancer's Lair, six trainers and enchanting alters. In terms of loths armour, using a body mod as base and chowing a little cleavage on the female shirt is one thing, making the top just a pair of nipble tassels is something else. I don't mind these sorts of outfit personally, but what sort of female adventurer goes dungeon crawling in a bikini, and what sort of man can fight effectively in bondage gear. Lore-breaking is also usually a turn off.

Snobbishness is another pet hate, and is the flip side of what I have just said. look people, some woman actually "H-cup" briasts, that could easily be as little as a 38 inch bust, and if you think women like that only appear in anime; you don't get out enough. Also, Lore-Facism is not a lot of fun either, even Beth doesn't engage in it - and they write the lore.

So I'm not going to get upset if a mod includes a seedy Tavern with a busty and scantily clad dancer, but I won't be impressed if she expects to go adventuring with me wihtout some proper armour and a decent bra.

Finally, anticipation - wipz threads are your friend here I think, but don't do a good wipz and then not release, because someone might scalp you! :wink_smile:

I think it will always remain a mystery to me what makes mods popular. My Bravil Sea Domes mod for example has almost 50k unique downloads and 338 endorsemants despite being a rather simple house mod with simple meshes I made when I was very new to modeling. I still like the mod, but I have no idea why it is that popular. On the other hand I released a gameplay mod a month ago (Phighting Phixes, with the help of Tejon) and it's a mod I could never play without. A must have in my opinion. Yet it has only 320 downloads and 8 endorsemants. The same thing applies to many of my mods. Some that I don't like much have lots of downloads, others that I really love personally have only few downloads.

For other mods it is the same. Some of the most popular mods of all time are really crappy in my opinion and other mods that are absolutely great don't get that much attention. I can't see a pattern, sorry. You just have to release and see what happens. Except if you release skimpy clothing. That will always be popular.

Hi ^____^

The novelty factor is a big one. I don't go crazy for custom homes, but you built something that isn't the 23523rd castle / mansion / ayleid ruin.

Plus you took up a void space - Underwater regions are rather lacking, as in Vanilla Oblivion they are so sparse. Rare fish, very few ruins or trash, etc. The submerged ones (like that Knights of the Nine dungeon) fixes this, your mod fixes this, etc.

And well - it's not a super complex mod. But these first two concerns (novelty & empty region) are a big one - the novelty makes it worthy of further modding (if you want) and the empty space nearby gives ample room for that. If I want to, for instance, I could mod skeleton-servants picking up wreckage from the bay floor - maybe some ships or pirates who get attacked and fight - dunno. Your mod is pretty neat, and interesting enough to use as a "base" for more.

My tip is work on your presentation of the mod. Even if changes aren't graphic, it's good to have at least one picture. For example, for your Oblivion Gates thing, take a cliche screen of the gates. Then go to a simple photo editor program (i recommend Picasa), maybe change some basic settings like contrast and similar stuff, place a title and your name in a fancy (but still representable) font, and maybe even a catch phrase. Like "Scum of Oblivion - now under control". I'm sure you'll think of something better.

Put the chapter titles in your description in bold. Avoid chapters you don't need. For example, if there are no conflicts, then you don't need a paragraph for that. If you must, name the things a user needs to know (Conflicts, License, Contact) as briefly as possible. So instead of explaining how your mod alters the main quest, and a user needs to have Unofficial Oblivion Patch installed and blah blah blah, i recommend the following; instead of all this crap, just have one paragraph named "Other" or "Fine Print" where you will, line under line, briefly name the importnats (- Recommended UOP installed, - No known issues, - Contact: you@gmail.com, - ...). Long readings of stuff that is not content related is not appealing. Don't forget about a short description of your mod. I also recommend a "Features" paragraph, where you should state line under line what this mod does (- Simple On/Off control for your gates, - Kitten friendly, - ...).

And yeah, i totally get your frustration. Sometimes you work really hard and passionately on your project, and people just don't find it hot material. You give them hard work, and in return you want them to at least apprecate it and give some suggestions and constructive criticism. And all you get is a handful of comments, where 69% of them being patch requests. Been there, mate. If you just look at my Friendly Animals mod: simple mod, 4kb download, almost 4k of downloads on Nexus and PES, nearly 60 comments ... i swear, i haven't worked more than 30 minutes overall on it. ICP on the other hand, hundreds of hours put into it. Sure, it has much more downloads and comments, plus 20 pages of forum posts. But in ratio with the energy put into it ... ugh.

Another point that's going unmentioned here is that the number of downloads doesn't necessarily indicate usage. I frequently download clothing mods and never install them in the game, but I'll take the boots from one mod, and the gauntlets from another etc. and put together something I will use - for a while. I may download a mod to look at how they wrote a script, but never run it. I use a Cyrodiil map that uses Thacadian's as a base, adds the trails from WillieSea's and some cities from Eleven Redux.

Phitt just confirmed a point I made. If it's something you can ignore in use, like a player home, there's no impediment to downloading and using it. If it changes the way the game works, you're more careful about whether that fits your own style of play. Whether you download it, try it, and then remove it again is another matter.

A good description of a mod that changes gameplay may ensure that those who wouldn't use it don't even download it in the first place (is that Phitt's problem?). It may still get more actual use than one that's vaguely described, so you have to try it to find out what it does. So download numbers aren't the whole story.

well hello there. Bravil Sea domes is one of the first mods I downloaded before I found this site.

Simple, "sixy" (or, um, sixy) names help, I think. Something, er, "skimpier" than BFG's Swap Broken Armor or Weapons, & Item Health Scales Enchantments, perhaps?

Also, timing and/or just flat out age. You know - luck. : /

I like that mod, by the way. But yeah, the name doesn't do it any favours, IMO.


edit: But, oh, what goes into *my* decision, wrt downloading mods, or not? I don't think I'm particularly representative here, but anyway, I simply read about them, and decide whether it's anything I might like to try. I also keep an eye on threads that do - or might - contain info/advice/warnings/impressions about the mod in question. Honestly though, I think a fair few people download "blind" (in general; not just with mods) and therefore, what I said about names will hold true, broadly.

Personally I shy away from mods that are a "first mod" for a creator, until it has been out for a while and there is talk of it on the forums. For more complex mods I wait to see if there is an update which tells me that the author is actively supporting it.

The number one factor for me to download a mod is whether it adds something to the game I am interested in to make my experience better.

Agree completely with Peter ID, the moment you read "this is my first time modding" your mind shuts down until it is either better or more well known. Screenshots are a must and a full description detailing all the effects of the mod. Also serious names for the mods are a requirement, no one wants to download a mod called "Killer Oblivion Dude" or "Dudesville", it is usually a good idea to have a title that shows a good general knowledge of Oblivion or no one is going to believe that that person knows what makes a good mod. Those are really the factors which influence me into deciding about a mod and you usually can sum up a mod in a few moments depending on the depth they go into describing it. I suggest posting your mod here and if you want more help from the community I'm sure we can help.

Possibly... Although, if the OP's mod is the one I'm thinking about, I'm as surprised as he is at the relatively low number of downloads and comments. Well, surprised not really, as it's not in the "Ooooh shiney" category, it necessarily attracts less attention than many others, less complex mods; but it can be disappointing, as it's a good idea, the implementation makes sense, and as far as I've played with it (not much) works very well.
I guess, bottom line is, don't expect too much attention or feedback from the users: if you get some, good, if you don't get much don't be too concerned. Most people using your mod don't give it too much thought afterward and forget to get back to the TESNexus page to leave a comment :angel: (or don't bother if they don't have any constructive feedback to give, apart from "it works, nice mod" )

http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1108098-relz-bfgs-swap-broken-armor-or-weapons-item-health-scales-enchantments

Not much to add to what's already been said. It seems interesting but as my current char is unarmored and uses swords sparingly I probably wouldn't notice the changes that much in the first place. I'd certainly try it with a warrior char, though.

Plus I must say that you get a lot of interesting feedback in your RELz threads - there are many modders who would like similar thought through feedback on their mods.

Don't be affected by how many downloads or comments your mod gets. Modders should make mods that THEY want to make or play, or that they have some sort of interest in

If everyone made mods for the sake of popularity, there would just be tons of HGEC armours and nothing unique or fun to play

There are several things that I look for in a mod. I go looking for homes for characters I'm using or will use at some point. Bravil Sea domes was nice because to me it seems like a good Argonian home. Frostcrag for my Mage. Castles for my fighters. Cottages for getaways. I used FCOM and related mods so I could have more variety in monsters I could fight. I use Unique Landscape and other texture mods to change the look of the land and graphics.