Taboo I know, but paid mods?

[Heartbreaker714]

Ok... so I know this is such a taboo subject and I completely agree with the principle of mods being free and shared with the community.

 

However, there are mods that I would love to have adjusted like adding such as adding SoS to certain body meshes or adding HDT to certain hairstyles. Me personally, I just don't have the skills for that despite watching endless YoutTube videos, reading tutorials, etc. This doesn't stop the fact that I would love for someone to take on the task. That being said, I know modders are busy with life, their own projects, etc. So to take on the requests of others out of the goodness of their heart is wonderful, but an extremely low priority for them. But wouldn't it be more of an incentive to ask a modder to do something for you for a donation? I mean I don't really see anything wrong with that personally especially if they are putting aside other projects just to help me/anyone out.

 

Please, I don't mean to break any rules or anything, but I am genuinely curious. Is this something that is ok? Is it something that can be asked or requested here or someplace? Please advise

 

 

[Blaze69]

I can't speak for the actual rules (you would have to ask a moderator about it), but the way I see it, offering some money in exchange for some specific mod being made is okay if you have the required permissions for all existing assets that will be used for said mod (if any) and the mod will be released publicly for free in its entirety once it's finished. Everybody wins there: you get the mod you want, the community gets more content to enjoy, and the modder gets something for their troubles. Everybody's happy.

 

(This is called a commission AFAIK)

 

It's only when assets are stolen/used without permission or stuff is paywalled (i.e. you have to pay to get it, no matter how little, with no way around it) that shit hits the fan.

[Heartbreaker714]

... Actually, that's a very brilliant idea. I agree with this 100%! I know if I personally gave a commission, I'd want to share it with the entire community. 

 

The issue would be finding a modder to take on the tasks and do that

 

[KoolHndLuke]

Since most of the community seems only interested in downloading and using stuff without giving so much as an endorsement back, I think "donating" for a mod author to do something might just be the ticket. Whether that mod is shared with said comm is another matter all together.

[Heartbreaker714]

Are there any modders who do this kind of work? 

[RomeoZero]

1 hour ago, Heartbreaker714 said:

Are there any modders who do this kind of work? 

Yes, especially if it is original created content. I see less and less motivation from experienced modders to do so for free for specific reasons.

I understand that very well, maybe its time for this site author to consider another area like " Commissions\Patronage " or " Donated requests " for people with ideas that modders can work with.    

[Heartbreaker714]

37 minutes ago, romeozero said:

Yes, especially if it is original created content. I see less and less motivation from experienced modders to do so for free for specific reasons.

I understand that very well, maybe its time for this site author to consider another area like " Commissions\Patronage " or " Donated requests " for people with ideas that modders can work with.    

That's a good idea as well. It would be nice to have an area experienced modders can go to and maybe find projects for a commission 

[RomeoZero]

2 hours ago, Heartbreaker714 said:

That's a good idea as well. It would be nice to have an area experienced modders can go to and maybe find projects for a commission 

Well, you need to ask officially Ashal and moderators for this idea then. There are a lot of people here, looking someone to make their ideas as mods for Skyrim even for 100 Benjamins

[woodsman30]

Paid mods have been covered at nauseam it is a slippery slope and has been talked about many times to no end.  Perhaps just state what you want and you are willing to pay if someone is interested they will reply. 

[nemocdt]

No, it will be the end of it all, game studio's will not tolerate modders making money from their games. learn to do it yourself or it will be the end for everyone. and certainly the end for loverslab. learning to do it yourself means the community gets another content creator not a game studio ruining all or fun because someone cant be bothered taking the time to learn the craft. all the tutorials are available don't be impatient. Ask questions someone will help you. 

[Heartbreaker714]

8 hours ago, nemocdt said:

No, it will be the end of it all, game studio's will not tolerate modders making money from their games. learn to do it yourself or it will be the end for everyone. and certainly the end for loverslab. learning to do it yourself means the community gets another content creator not a game studio ruining all or fun because someone cant be bothered taking the time to learn the craft. all the tutorials are available don't be impatient. Ask questions someone will help you. 

Geez, it's not the rapture!. lol. I think it will be ok.. 

 

Besides, ever heard of patreon? It's already being done -- But most of them are solely focused on their own work and have absolutely no interest in the projects of other.

 

Also did you read the first comment of this thread made by Blaze69? How can what you say happen if, lets say, I commissioned a mod then shared it with everyone? How would that bring about the end of all space and time, Thanos? ?

[nemocdt]

 

9 hours ago, Heartbreaker714 said:

Geez, it's not the rapture!. lol. I think it will be ok.. 

 

Besides, ever heard of patreon? It's already being done -- But most of them are solely focused on their own work and have absolutely no interest in the projects of other.

 

Also did you read the first comment of this thread made by Blaze69? How can what you say happen if, lets say, I commissioned a mod then shared it with everyone? How would that bring about the end of all space and time, Thanos? ?

you are short sighted and putting your own needs above the community as a whole. patreon donations are a slippery slope. when and i say WHEN game studios start wanting commissions from modders and will want to licence and approve mods before release, and charge mod sights for hosting their I.P bye bye loverslab, No Dev studio is going to sanction the content here. do you honestly not think Bethesda doesnt sit there and think damn how do we get a piece of this action? wake up mate perhaps you haven't noticed whats been happening over the last few years with creation club / paid steam mods / and the whole microtransaction transistion??. wake up mate. Thanos out.

 

Edit: if you do pay for a mod please keep it too yourself and don't post it, i'm not out to tell people how to live their lives but i've got all our best interests at heart. ?  

[Heartbreaker714]

OK actually that's exactly what you're doing regarding telling people how to live their lives. ... that entire comment you just made was all speculations and scenarios you created in your own mind. 

If anyone, including myself, commissions a mod by supporting a modder and shares it with the community for free, there's absolutely nothing wrong with that... Seriously did you even read Blaze69's comment?? And if so, did you actually comprehend it at all? What part of win-win is so hard to understand?

And what's more, until you saw this post how the heck would you or anyone else even know if any mod was a commissioned mod and any different than any other mod I've created or worked on if it was shared for free? Seriously, you have completely made a mountain out of a mole hill and really need a reality check, buddy. I'm sorry you have all these issues with things happening with 'creation club / paid steam mods / and the whole microtransaction transistion' but modding is hard work, and I am a firm believer in supporting a modder who does good work. Don't like it? Simple.. don't download it. There's nothing more to say. Laters, Thanos. 

[SmedleyDButler]

Private paid mods for specific niche/fetish things which are extremely unlikely to be made are never going to disrupt the mod community.

 

No one is saying, hey, pay someone to make something like Frostfall or Campfire and then keep it private. Stuff that's big and has a big impact on the game should preferable be a free collaborative effort, or at worst a paid effort which is eventually released to the community.

[nemocdt]

https://www.gamezone.com/news/bethesda-owns-the-rights-to-your-skyrim-creation-kit-mods/'

 

i'll just leave this here. 

 

Edit: i'm sorry if i came across  a little over the top heartbreaker, the  thanos thing made me laugh.

Tell you what in keeping with the spirit of modding, i've wanted to learn to do some hdt. if you tell me which hair you would like done i'll have go at it for free over the weekend. PM me the details if you want. offer is there. thanos out lol ?

[27X]

5 hours ago, SmedleyDButler said:

Private paid mods for specific niche/fetish things which are extremely unlikely to be made are never going to disrupt the mod community.

 

No one is saying, hey, pay someone to make something like Frostfall or Campfire and then keep it private. Stuff that's big and has a big impact on the game should preferable be a free collaborative effort, or at worst a paid effort which is eventually released to the community. 

Plenty of people are saying it chinese communities, and it's becoming the defacto modding model for Beth Games and the sims and Source there. You wanna play? You pay. The best part is for the most part they're entirely reliant on western assets to get it done, and you can bet none of those western original artists and coders are getting paid shit.

[Lozeak]

As far as know asking for an author to do a mod for money or donation or commission is totally fine. It's using this site to make money via paywalling (permanently) content that is not allowed.

 

Commissions don't really happen though because well it takes a lot of hours (so the offered money is basically peanuts) to do things and money isn't the reason modders mod. If you want something added to a mod maybe private message a modder and ask if it's possible and offer w/e you will offer there as a thank you if they do.

 

 

[Heartbreaker714]

6 hours ago, nemocdt said:

https://www.gamezone.com/news/bethesda-owns-the-rights-to-your-skyrim-creation-kit-mods/'

 

i'll just leave this here. 

 

Edit: i'm sorry if i came across  a little over the top heartbreaker, the  thanos thing made me laugh.

Tell you what in keeping with the spirit of modding, i've wanted to learn to do some hdt. if you tell me which hair you would like done i'll have go at it for free over the weekend. PM me the details if you want. offer is there. thanos out lol ?

Hey, no worries. It's just such a fine line with this issue I have to tread very softly. I completely understand your concerns. I hate how these companies take advantage, but that's a whole other story. But yeah, my goal would be after it's done to share with everyone

 

5 hours ago, Lozeak said:

As far as know asking for an author to do a mod for money or donation or commission is totally fine. It's using this site to make money via paywalling (permanently) content that is not allowed.

 

Commissions don't really happen though because well it takes a lot of hours (so the offered money is basically peanuts) to do things and money isn't the reason modders mod. If you want something added to a mod maybe private message a modder and ask if it's possible and offer w/e you will offer there as a thank you if they do.

 

 

@Lozeak - I swear to you I have tried. Most of the time when I email experienced modders I either get no response or just a flat-out 'No'.  I really think they think it's a joke of some sort or that I'm trying to trick them. It's a bit annoying. 

 

[Andy14]

A (again) completely inconclusive thread.
It is not forbidden to ask for support or even complete mods for a fee.
If this were a rule, you could ignore this rule. But it is not a rule.

 

It is also not forbidden as modauthor to answer such requests or to create such mods.

 

However, it is forbidden to use the work of other Mod Authors - be it meshes, textures, scripts etc. and offer them for money.

Unless - this mod author has agreed to this kind of use EXPLICIT.

 

 

And since the OP is all about such mods - there is no approval from the author - you should close this thread and throw it where all this garbage belongs.

 

@ Heartbreaker714: Do it yourself or find someone to do it for you.
And use it only privately. It's still NOT legitimate, but nobody's going to search your hard drive - and keep quiet.

And do not ask such stupid questions in the future.

[Guest]

57 minutes ago, Heartbreaker714 said:

snip

 

For Schlong things maybe ask to EvilReflex he openned a patreon yesterday.
https://www.patreon.com/EvilReFlex

[Nazzzgul666]

On 10/3/2018 at 3:14 AM, Heartbreaker714 said:

That's a good idea as well. It would be nice to have an area experienced modders can go to and maybe find projects for a commission 

In theory.^^ Depending on the mods, the author might already have found something else to do or other interests, plus in many cases you most likely can't offer a reasonable payment in terms of money/time. If it's something somebody with the necessariy skills would like to have him/herself, chances are they'd do it for free. But if they have no interest in doing it, offering something like 1/5 minimum wage is unlikely to convince them and creating this stuff often takes a lot of time.

So the best thing you could hope for with comissions is that somebody likes the idea but has a lot of other projects, then you might get yours a bit up on the to-do list.

[Heartbreaker714]

2 hours ago, Andy14 said:

However, it is forbidden to use the work of other Mod Authors - be it meshes, textures, scripts etc. and offer them for money.

Unless - this mod author has agreed to this kind of use EXPLICIT.

 

 

And since the OP is all about such mods - there is no approval from the author - you should close this thread and throw it where all this garbage belongs.

 

@ Heartbreaker714: Do it yourself or find someone to do it for you.
And use it only privately. It's still NOT legitimate, but nobody's going to search your hard drive - and keep quiet.

And do not ask such stupid questions in the future.

@Andy14 Hey, I got a better idea, next time read the thread. I do have permission from each of the mod authors in one fashion or another. I mentioned this a few times but I don't think you could see it from that high horse you're apparently sitting on. ?

On a serious note, though, this isn't the first time you've complained, misread, or had something bad to say about something I've post so can you just please just ignore my posts in the future? Thank you. 

 

1 hour ago, Nazzzgul666 said:

In theory.^^ Depending on the mods, the author might already have found something else to do or other interests, plus in many cases you most likely can't offer a reasonable payment in terms of money/time. If it's something somebody with the necessariy skills would like to have him/herself, chances are they'd do it for free. But if they have no interest in doing it, offering something like 1/5 minimum wage is unlikely to convince them and creating this stuff often takes a lot of time.

So the best thing you could hope for with comissions is that somebody likes the idea but has a lot of other projects, then you might get yours a bit up on the to-do list.

@Nazzzgul666 Agreed. I've been searching for a while which is why I'm finally posting here hoping someone sees and is willing to help. There's a lot of great modders and great people out there who are completely underappreciated. I just feel like if one of them takes an interest in what I'm doing, then a donation would be worth it

[Lozeak]

7 hours ago, Heartbreaker714 said:

 I swear to you I have tried. Most of the time when I email experienced modders I either get no response or just a flat-out 'No'.  I really think they think it's a joke of some sort or that I'm trying to trick them. It's a bit annoying. 

 

 

I don't know what you're asking them to make or what your offering.

 

Basically, if an author is not interested in making the content this would probably be low ball figures for what someone would maybe consider making something for you.

 

For very small tweaks and changes, you're looking at 10hr working at min wage = $100

For major additions (Code/esp additions) or total reworks of the mod you could be looking up to 50-100hrs = $500-$1000 

Making of an entire mod 500hr + = $5000

 

These are low ball cause well you're looking at min wage and most modders have better than min wage jobs so basically you need to offer a lot to make them consider making something they are not interested in over them just taking some overtime at work or spending time with there families.

 

I personally would never enter an agreement over making a mod for money because well it gives me an obligation to make content that I don't want to make and it's not the kind of agreement I'd walk into.

 

So what's left... talking to a modder and suggesting an idea and if they like it and make it donate to there work.

 

This is just my view on it I have seen a lot of people thinking $50 is A LOT of money and modders are loopy not to make something for that but the reality is making even the smallest additions to a mod take A LOT of time and what they are essentially asking the modder to do is work for less than minimum wage.

[KoolHndLuke]

52 minutes ago, Lozeak said:

So what's left... talking to a modder and suggesting an idea and if they like it and make it donate to there work.

That sounds great in theory...... more like the person will download the mod when it's done and haul ass outta there with barely saying thank you. People do not hand over money without expectations and they don't donate to authors unless they sorta have to for getting a mod.

[Heartbreaker714]

@Lozeak - I hear ya. It's just SO important for everyone to understand that it's exactly that: A donation/commission. It's not a job. The incentive is solely to prioritize the mod for someone who is more proficient at doing so. It all goes to hell if a modder starts expecting certain pay rates, I think that's when the issue comes into play similar to what @nemocdt was describing and is afraid of happening. I think it would be extremely sad if modders expect a certain amount when they aren't making money at all on projects. What's that old term? "Don't look a gift horse in the mouth" haha. 

 

Also, I get you thinking about being under time constraints. For me personally, I'd just set my expectations after speaking with the modder with what they think would be a reasonable frame of time, add a week to it and then adjusting accordingly. LoL. This is all good stuff to talk about, I think. 

 

As for my trying unsuccessfully, I truly do believe it's more about just not wanting to do it or fear of the commission not being legitimate. I think the hardest thing I was hoping for is adding SoS to certain meshes. The mod creator specifically mentions that he made the mod so it could be compatible with SoS but didn't want to do it for personal reasons. Adding HDT to hair mods is not easy either but I think more modders have experience with that.