Do you read the mod descriptions?

[---nikoli]

On 9/18/2019 at 11:32 AM, Holzfrau said:

Perhaps you could try putting that list into a regular forum post instead of a blog, to try to get people to add to it.  I have a couple of items that would belong there.

  Reveal hidden contents

• If a mod author asks for additional information about an issue you're reporting, don't give it to them.  They clearly don't know what they're doing.
• Be sure to tell authors that you're not going to use their mod.  This is extremely helpful feedback.

 

Back on topic: I'm sure the people who don't read mod descriptions are a tiny minority, they're just more visible because they're asking stupid questions.  I wouldn't get bent out of shape about it.

You'd think that, but I have a mod on Nexus called 'cigarettes' that every week since I first uploaded it I get at least five people asking if it is compatible with another mod, (once having the same question asked in different ways, eleven times in a row by different people,) even though I've listed it as only partially working (needs a script) with those mods on EVERY SINGLE page that allows me to add something. I have no issues with someone asking me a question, just NOT one I've answered at least ten times before. Granted I should probably be grateful it's gotten 2200+ downloads when there is not a pair of 'elf tits' anywhere to be seen in the mod.

[Guest]

I do always and am constantly frustrated, by porters and "extenders" being so lazy, they can't even spend 10 seconds to copy-paste the original mod-description, BUT can spend 10 seconds telling you to read the description on the original modpage instead: NOT INTERESTED! NEXT MOD!

 

(In case it wasn't clear: I skip mods that fail to provide a proper description - not even gonna try them)

[goaway]

Wait.  Mods are supposed to have descriptions? ?

 

[BufusTurbo]

The shiny parts catch my eye but I do read the descriptions as carefully as I can. Sometimes I misunderstand some pieces because I'm not a native english speaker but that's about it,

Mods with little or no descriptions get immediately skipped, as well as mods wose descriptions use 47 different colours and fonts for no foreseeable reason

[Corsayr]

12 hours ago, HexBolt8 said:

Alternatively, equip characters in your screenshots with amazing outfits and weapons from your private collection, items that do not come with the mod and which you're not willing to share.  But people might like to see your cool stuff.

This is the most pro tip. If your mod description page doesn't include this.... ?

[NickNozownik]

I always read them to avoid mod conflicts, but it gets mildly annoying when the author desperately tries to be funny or describes his entire life in the mod description.

[dagobaking]

Real talk. I usually only scan the description to just find the 2 sentences that describe what the mod does.

 

BUT, if something about the mod doesn't work after I install it, I then go back and read the other details. I would never ask a mod author about it without doing that.

 

I think that is a pretty good system as it would make modding too tedious to read every detail of every description. Lets be honest here. Mod authors are not always the best writers. These things look like MySpace on crack. I don't want to expose my brain to that kind of abuse.

[2dk2c.2]

If everyone could mod, wt* would this place be good for? I can't mod, yes, I read (gloss).

\Yes, dammit, I GLOSS, which means I do not know why you wrote that disclaimer, is someone out to get you, to Ban you?

They're mean and I'm sorry about that, no really (because I love your mod)

but...what does that have to do with the mod?

I'm glad you used the translator to write the description, it showed you gave a damn and chose to write in a language other than your own, thank you.

  No I won't re-upload, yes, I agree with the mod (Or I'd ignore it completely and would never bother to download it)

So stop calling me a dumb fuck for not reading line 402 that says, put my coat on the lower rack before I get the note for my brother and After I get his things IF I know he's getting a haircut....

Because I zoned out by line 399.

 

[dagobaking]

1 minute ago, 2dk2c.2 said:

So stop calling me a dumb fuck for not reading line 402 that says, put my coat on the lower rack before I get the note for my brother and After I get his things IF I know he's getting a haircut....

Because I zoned out by line 399.

 

I am ok with this with an important qualifier:

 

If you have a question about the mod, don't default to asking the author (or even others) about it without first going back and reading through to line 402.

[2dk2c.2]

6 minutes ago, dagobaking said:

I am ok with this with an important qualifier:

 

If you have a question about the mod, don't default to asking the author (or even others) about it without first going back and reading through to line 402.

Yeah, I re-read tons.

I'm re-reading google for a good quote to replace the sorry-assed way I quoted

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It's quite simple, you must put your coat on the lower hook before you
collect your note after you go to the masters game unless your brother
will be on vacation on Saturday then you get must get his note from

[dagobaking]

That would be more realistic if you used neon green text in bold and italic and created a custom bullet point that involves metal textures and visible electricity.

[Tentacus]

On 9/17/2019 at 11:18 PM, nikoli grimm said:

I'm just curious as to how many people ACTUALLY read the mod authors mod descriptions or do they just look at the pretty pictures when deciding to download a mod.

 

The reason I ask, is that I've uploaded several mods both here and on the Nexus, and invariably I get asked about something that I have already stated. I usually delete them when I find them, not bothering to even respond, but it gets annoying.

This question is hitting me way too close to home at the moment... lol. I put highly produced goddamn videos at the top explaining what my mod does and still get some doozies.  

 

Though at the same time I've had to revise the actual text to better explain things 10 times since release so, I don't blame most people.

 

Quote

That would be more realistic if you used neon green text in bold and italic and created a custom bullet point that involves metal textures and visible electricity.

Don't forget the rotating flaming skulls.

[goaway]

Joking aside, I don't really blame anyone who doesn't read my entire mod description. 

 

It is actually too long to fit into the mod page on this site, and I've been told it is the single longest mod description on the entire nexus network.  Don't know if that's actually true, but my word processor says it is roughly 89 pages right now, not counting the mini-images. 

 

Not all of it is necessary to play the game, most of it is there as a reference guide for those who want to know the exact math on abilities plus with all the background/lore info for those who are interested in that stuff.  I've even had people tell me they read my entire description and loved it even though they don't own or play Skyrim.  Which is a little strange, but still nice to hear it's appreciated.

 

Just wish people would read the requirements before they post that something isn't working.  Well yeah, you don't have all of the requirements installed, of course it doesn't work. 

 

Or at least read the short description of what the mod is.  Why would you install something if you don't know what it does?  On my mod one guy even posted a bug that he wasn't taking any damage from enemies using iron swords and that is *LITERALLY* in the first paragraph explaining what the mod does and what the racial powers are: protection from iron/steel weapons.

 

 

Reminds me of a summer I spent doing phone tech support as an undergrad.  The saying was that 90% of the problems with computers can be isolated to the space between the keyboard and the chair.  You have to ask all these insultingly dumb questions to people like "did you turn the power on?" even though it makes them mad because there will always be that ONE person who goes "oh hey that fixed it". 

[dagobaking]

3 hours ago, Tentacus said:

Don't forget the rotating flaming skulls.

    F4SE Required!

15 minutes ago, goaway said:

Don't know if that's actually true, but my word processor says it is roughly 89 pages right now, not counting the mini-images.

Holy mackerel!

 

Well done!

[---nikoli]

15 minutes ago, goaway said:

Reminds me of a summer I spent doing phone tech support as an undergrad.  The saying was that 90% of the problems with computers can be isolated to the space between the keyboard and the chair.  You have to ask all these insultingly dumb questions to people like "did you turn the power on?" even though it makes them mad because there will always be that ONE person who goes "oh hey that fixed it". 

Apparently I'm getting WAY more than my fair share of  "oh hey that fixed it" people lately...

[FauxFurry]

2 hours ago, goaway said:

Reminds me of a summer I spent doing phone tech support as an undergrad.  The saying was that 90% of the problems with computers can be isolated to the space between the keyboard and the chair.  You have to ask all these insultingly dumb questions to people like "did you turn the power on?" even though it makes them mad because there will always be that ONE person who goes "oh hey that fixed it". 

Once upon a time ago, I've heard it phrased thusly: "90% of the time, the defect isn't in the hardware or the software but in the wetware."

[NightroModzz]

On 9/19/2019 at 7:16 PM, HexBolt8 said:

For your text, use every color of the rainbow, plus a few previously unknown to mankind.

Don't agree, that can be overwhelming and lead to confusion. I hate it when authors do that, especially with bright flashy colors. Keep it simple and use a limited amount of colors for titles of sections with an extra large font size. From then, use bold, italics, or underline if necessary. For a word or two, use green text for positives, and red for negatives and warnings. People don't normally read sentences of colored text or paragraphs of many different colored text. It's really off putting and can strain the eyes. Use colors that are comfortable to the eyes, nothing flashy in quantity at least.

-------------

to add to the topic, I think it's best to be straight forward and to the point. Don't ramble on and keep it as short as possible. In other words, keep your anecdotes to yourself, especially if it is unrelated to the mod. No random adds or memes that can be both distracting and make your description seem longer. If you want adds for your mods or others, keep it near the bottom of the description, away from the necessary stuff.

[HexBolt8]

1 hour ago, NightroModzz said:

On 9/19/2019 at 10:16 PM, HexBolt8 said:

For your text, use every color of the rainbow, plus a few previously unknown to mankind.

Don't agree, that can be overwhelming and lead to confusion.

Oh my, you took my "tips" far, far too seriously.  Just above it I said "I'd like to add to Psalam's excellent parody list with my own tips for modders, offered in the same tongue-in cheek sense of good-natured humor."

[Reginald_001]

If I had a dime for every person that said "Can I use AFT with Ivy?" then I'd be able to buy multiple loafs of bread.

 

Around 3% of all users asked support with Ivy, so I can safely assume that the other 97% has either read the long FAQ (that covers almost every imaginable scenario or bug) or they have enough experience to solve issues themselves.

[steelpanther24]

Ok, did you expect anything else from a majority of us saying "Yes we do read the mod descriptions"?     Most of the posters here are already more involved in game modding than the normal crowd that might be present on Bethesda's website.   I , like others have stated, use the name of the mod, an image of the mod and the description to make a decision.   However, getting someone to look at a mod description is more than half the battle.  

 

WRT people asking questions answered, that is....  tough.  If the discussion page is several pages long (like Dark World Fantasy) , then finding an answer to a question is tough.  I appreciate modders time, so when a modder develops a FAQ from the discussion pages it is very helpful.  However, if i have to chose, I would want modders, modding games and not writing FAQs. 

[Guest]

I read the descriptions and then download anyway, even if the mod is for a game I don't even have, because I like the picture!

 

 

[fmilluminatus]

On 9/18/2019 at 8:18 AM, nikoli grimm said:

I'm just curious as to how many people ACTUALLY read the mod authors mod descriptions or do they just look at the pretty pictures when deciding to download a mod.

 

The reason I ask, is that I've uploaded several mods both here and on the Nexus, and invariably I get asked about something that I have already stated. I usually delete them when I find them, not bothering to even respond, but it gets annoying.

Sometimes. Generally, I read enough to get a basic idea what the mod does, but that's it. If I get stumped on a problem related to the mod, then I'll go back and read it just in case. While some authors, for example, may write good descriptions, most mod descriptions range from vaguely useful to completely confusing to totally off-topic rants about nonsense. I'm not going to invest my time into every one in obsessive detail. I try to strike a balance between reading enough to understand and not wasting my time on a bunch of incoherent / useless / indecipherable jabber. Anyways, the best way to learn about something is to try it out! I've always been a "the best way to learn is to do" kind of person - so I do that.

[fmilluminatus]

On 9/20/2019 at 6:16 AM, HexBolt8 said:

I always read mod descriptions.  It's the best way to tell if a mod is something I want.  It also helps to prevent me from embarrassing myself more than I already do. 

 

Modders who write good, clear descriptions are Heroes.  Smart ones too, because they can save themselves a lot of aggravation by answering questions up front.  Not that there won't always be That Guy who asks a question that was answered in the post immediately above. 

 

Just once, I'd love to see the kind of question like "I'm too lazy to read for my answer so I'll just ask here" answered with "Then I'm too lazy to answer your lazy question."

 

I'd like to add to Psalam's excellent parody list with my own tips for modders, offered in the same tongue-in cheek sense of good-natured humor.  I love modders and deeply appreciate the extraordinary amount of effort they put into mods that greatly enhance our gaming experience.

 

Tips For Mod Descriptions

• For your text, use every color of the rainbow, plus a few previously unknown to mankind.

• Use at least 5 different text sizes.  Anything less and you're an amateur.

• Load the description with every acronym you can think of, the more obscure the better.  And get a few wrong.  Newcomers to the site should have to learn things the hard way, just like everyone else did.

• Screenshots should be dark enough that no useful details can be discerned.

• Alternatively, equip characters in your screenshots with amazing outfits and weapons from your private collection, items that do not come with the mod and which you're not willing to share.  But people might like to see your cool stuff.

• Under no circumstances should screenshots of MCM menus be provided.  People should have to install your mod to examine the menus in-game to learn that the mod doesn't do what they thought it did.

• Fill the first part of the mod description with instructions on upgrading from previous versions.  This should fill the entire visible screen before scrolling.

• Follow that with announcements of new features, and dire warnings about changed features. 

• Follow *that* with a long list of stuff you want to include in the mod.  Someday. 

• Make the user scroll down a lot to get to the part about your inspiration for creating the mod.

• Never get around to actually stating what the mod does.  Anyone who wants to know that can just read your change log. 

• If anyone asks about a feature that doesn't seem to work, chastise him for not reading said change log.  All of it.

• Plug your Patreon account.  Suggest that if you don't get enough patrons you'll stop working on the mod.

Right on point. 100%.

[fmilluminatus]

18 hours ago, FauxFurry said:

Once upon a time ago, I've heard it phrased thusly: "90% of the time, the defect isn't in the hardware or the software but in the wetware."

As an IT person, this is 100% true, but 90% of the "wetware" problems come from people who think reading the description of something makes than an expert on something they've never used. They also tend to be the people who talk about how everyone else is so dumb, how they are the only smart person on earth, and how America is becoming like "idiocracy" because OMG DRUMPF!!!, right after they delete some critical piece of software that fucked up the system for 30 people.

In other words, the most dangerous fuckups are the ones who think they "know better than the plebs" - people who can't admit they are humans, that we are all humans, that none of us know how to do everything right, and that any person, no matter how smart, could be ignorant / wrong about something and fuck something up.

I can forgive people who admit they don't know, and I actually have no problem with teaching them or walking them through things to up their level of knowledge / competence. It's the people think they know everything, then try to cover up their mistakes to protect that image of infallibility, they are the worst. 

[GuruSR]

7 hours ago, fmilluminatus said:

As an IT person, this is 100% true, but 90% of the "wetware" problems come from people who think reading the description of something makes than an expert on something they've never used.

Wow, and here I thought I was the only IT that had that problem (okay, that was total sarcasm).

 

I typically read the descriptions on mods, though I'll be honest, sometimes they make about as much sense as a toaster oven on top of a blade server...

 

And I often like to put in a pre-thought up FAQ in the Description (near the bottom, above the version history) and wow, I came up with some winners and got one really good winner in a PM...  "Where is the FAQ?"   That was the whole message, I just... had a typical good laugh and deleted it.

 

I'll be honest, most programmers are the WORST documentation authors out there, because they speak code, not human!  I'm seriously guilty of that, I've looked at documentation I've done years ago and was "What was I ON when I wrote that piece of..."  (Too much coffee after an 8+ hour coding binge that ended around 2am, try writing documentation after that, it seriously winds up being code level non-human information.)

 

Oh and the *BEST* name I ever came up for a mod..... YAWUW.  Yes, that is it.  (Google:  YAWUW Oblivion)

 

GuruSR.