Why no love for mod tools?

[JohnMasterLee]

So I'm conjuring up a new indie game and I'm pretty adamant about is creating mod tools so gamers can create their own content. There's been recent studies on how user generated content can dramatically make a difference in a game's success. Anyone who has been in the modding scene on PC over the years knows how much fun it is to either create content or play it.

Yet... the whole scene still isn't as popular as I would expect it to be. As an example, if you ask most publishers what they think about mod tools, most treat it as goodwill to keep their community happy. Even on Steam, only 25 games currently support Steam Workshop.

So for all you modders and gamers who love playing mods, add-ons, etc.

• Would you ever make a decision to buy/play a game based on whether there are is mod support?
• What do you love about the mod scene?
• What about the modding scene do you wish worked better?

 

[ID2006]

I remember making mods for Morrowind. The problem for me now is time. With PC game mega sales, its so easy to keep occupied for cheap that I can't find the time to spend on modding any game. I'd rather keep up with the good releases (which is nearly impossible.)

I find that playing most mods is almost the same thing. Too much good official stuff out there for me to spend time on those. The exceptions are mods that improve animations, visuals, or fix broken game segments. Those are things I'll use if they're out at the time, but I've no experience in creating them.

However, I do welcome mods for older games to make them look or play better, e.g. Deus Ex. Sometimes I'll give them a shot.

 

[The Crotch]

I flat-out would not play a Bethesda-made game without mods. In fact, I'm always disappointed when a PC RPG comes out without respectable mod support. Hell, Neverwinter Nights would have been an entirely worthless game if not for its community content.

That said, modders have a pretty ing well-earned reputation as prima donnas (e.g. Skyrim's "Gategate" controversy) and an obsession with tits, dicks, and anime faces. Such is the price we pay for such wicked-cool things as:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2fxVeAVl2I8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C1hQ9e39hoI

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bvMnXRZhiuI

And yeah, the Deus Ex mod "Shifter" is ing sweet-ass. Modding communities are huge as far as making a lot of older games like Jagged Alliance 2 and the Infinity Engine games better and more accessible.