Steam Mods · 10:56am Apr 24th, 2015
Hello there chaps. Have all y'all game savvy fellows heard the news yet?
Our Lord Gaben has outdone himself with Steam's new workshop, which allows us the privilege to pay for mods to games, which were once free! Praise be to you, Lord Gaben!
That's right, lemons and lovelies! Thanks to this new business model, in which, might I add, the actual creator of the mod gets damn all and Steam make 75% of the earnings, we can now enjoy the same experience of improving games with features that SHOULD have been in the games we paid for, and adding broken, jumbled, game breaking modifications, all while shilling out fistfulls of dollar bills.
Ha! Modding is a passion no more, chaps! This is business, baby! Whoo!
Anyway, I've been inspired by Valve's stroke of genius, and I too have decided to turn my passion and hobby of writing fanfiction into a business. So, starting tomorrow, my fanfictions which I wrote in my free time both for fun and to entertain others shall be hidden behind a paywall (prices have yet to be set in stone, but I'm thinking around $3 USD for shorter stories, $5 for longer stories) and shall only be made available to you should you fork out some cash. I mean, sure, I started out just doing this as a hobby, something to enjoy myself with, and to make others laugh, knowing I could not and would not want to make money from writing fanfiction of an established show, otherwise I would have written a commercial novel, but those days are long past. If 50 Shades can do it then by jove, so can I! Don't illegally download my currently-free stories, please!
Furthermore, you can buy the "Lemon's Juicy Comments Pack", a deluxe new package which gives you lifetime access to every comment I make on forum threads for only $29.95! That's a steal! Who cares if they were free for all beforehand! You think I write fanfiction from the goodness of my heart, or because it's something I do for fun? Don't be ridiculous! I spent time writing about Hasbro's property and I expect to be paid as such!
"But Miss Lemon," you say, "What if I pay for your stories, only for you to never update or finish them? Isn't that slightly immoral, to sell us unfinished products?" To which I say... TOO BAD. All you can do is leave a polite comment on my userpage, and I'll probably not get back to you.
At the moment, I'll be making 25% of every story sold, whilst Hasbro and FIMfiction will be making 75% between them. For my work. Because it's based on Hasbro's show and FIMfiction simply hosts them. Sounds good to me! I'll be rolling in money in no time!
So, I just wanted to keep y'all in the loop. This is the new Lemon. This is the new FIMfiction. Embrace i-
[End of Free Trial]
Okay, despite all the jokes and the satire, this is an issue which has set the internet and modding community ablaze since yesterday. Some people are for the idea, others are against it. I, personally, can see good and bad points for both arguments, and despite the japes I made above, it's hard to come down on the matter one way or the other. As part of the Skyrim modding community myself, I know I will not, nor will I ever, charge people for things I do for the sake of passion. Naturally, I mod and write because it's something I like to do, and I want other people to enjoy it, for free. Now, if I wrote a story unrelated to MLP or developed a new game or something, then I would expect payment, but that's just my opinion. Here's what the big guy Mr Biscuit had to say on the news:
But enough about me, and enough about biscuits. What do you guys think? Love the idea? Hate it? Think it is perfectly fair and aiding the modding community, or a terrible idea tearing the community apart? I wanna hear the opinions of y'all, friendos. Don't be afraid to call me an idiot or anything.
- Lemon
Never live it down Gaben.
I love modding. I love modding communities. I admit I'm mostly a lurker in them, but they warm my cockles. Whatever those are. The idea of people putting in time to make something other people can enjoy is muchly heartwarming.
I don't really want to see the end of that. Nor do I think I will ever reasonably pay for a mod. Especially with such crappy returns. I'd rather toss money to someone on a Patreon or something, if I loved something so much I wanted to go 'take my money!'. At least that way the person putting in the effort gets the reward.
I only heard about this after I got Skyrim for PC which, since I've already had it on console for a while, I'd planned to mod extensively.
And really? 75% goes to Steam? C'mon.
Every platform is suffering from greed...
It really saddens me to see this. I've never been one to unironically praise Gaben. I think Steam has done wonderful things for PC gaming. But they also have problems, and then do things like this.
I've heard there's going to be a 25% revenue share, which seems to be the case according to your post as well. If that's true, it's highway fucking robbery. Youtube videos are larger files to host and youtubers get a larger cut than that.
2 dollar fishing animations. What a sad and pathetic way to turn a person's precious time and energy into a garbage- nothing product no one will want to buy.
Well, Miss Lemon... your Citrus used to smell of sweat, love, and sourness. But it was a sourness I loved. But now? Now it's just the greasy, slimey sourness of capitalism. </3
It seems Western gaming really is taking a turn for the worst. Between this shit, all the DLC garbage, and PC pandering and fretting over ideologue con artists like Sarkeesian. Western gaming is dying. Or, at the very least, is very sick.
Which poses a pretty big fucking problem for me. I don't want to join the GLORIOUS NIPPON bandwagon. I don't like Otaku culture, and I don't care for JRPG's or many other Eastern games. But... the way things are going, I'll need to learn to love them.
3012260
Gaben done goofed, methinks.
3012275
I'd see a doctor about that.
I'm with you, though. Unless it's a bloody good mod, à la Falskaar, I'm not spending a penny. It's Horse Armour all over again.
I've always been a fan of donating. I donate to those that make good mods. I shouldn't really have to pay for 'em.
3012311
Ouch. That sucks, man.
Yeah, Skyrim was the first game I got when I bought my gaming PC, just to mod it. Luckily, that was 2 years ago.
And yes: It is insulting that Valve, who made neither Skyrim nor the mod, expect 75%.
3013024
I've always considered Gabe an honorary Lemon, but this kinda stuff is getting shady. I'm not a huge fan of the idea as a whole, but 75% going to Vale? That's absolute insanity. Steam has, indeed, done some amazing things for PC gaming, and they had my utmost respect, but they're straying into EA territory.
Yep.
Fun story: that mod was taken down from the system only a few hours after it launched, because it uses aspects of Fores New Idles, and the mod creator didn't get permission to sell the mod with said aspects. See? It's very difficult for people to sell anything without trouble.
What'd you say, boy? Ah can't hear y'all over the sound o'all my muney!
*Screeches whilst firing off a revolver, lighting fistfuls of cash with my spare hand and smoking a cigar*
3013029
3012465
It's all the normies, man.
UPRISING WHEN REEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE
3013061
a.images.blip.tv/SpoonyOne-Ultima9WhatsAPaladin112-969.jpg
Yeah, epic timing, but it was 75% off so I thought I'd grab it. I love Skyrim and I love mods, though I don't use many now, but what a cash grab to basically pat the modder on the head and say "This is our new DLC package." It's a joke.
img4.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20131125192710/mlp/images/d/d9/Discord_%22my_good_friend_Shutterfly%22_S4E01.png
Pictured: Gaben+Modders
3013061 That video triggered me.
That's twice you've done this, Ms. Lemon. Now I'll have to stay indoors all day and cuddle and
makeoutwith my life size rainbow dash plush.3013061 First Bungie, now all of Steam...
They're all selling their souls to greed.
Oh well. Battlefront is Hype.
3013141
Update from the fishing mod guy.
3013225
Nice joke, man.
3013132
I have some other pictures to describe the mod / Steam relationship, but I can't post them here.
3013227 I'm hilarious, aren't I?
3013244
I... I couldn't laugh.
I'm still too sour about that topic, man.
I'm still too... God... GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!
EA! DAMN YOU!
media2.giga.de/giga/124/1244109063news.jpg
3013237
Touche.
3013227 there's apparently a petition out against the policy with over 34,000 signatures. I don't know what will happen, but it's awful as it is. I hope it get's better.
3013345
Scrolling through the workshop, I see most mods are still free to download, with many modders stating they will never hide their work behind a paywall. Also, #freetheworkshop is trending all over the show. These, combined with the petition, are going to make Valve a tad uncomfortable.
i guess this is what we get supporting DLC nonsense. i hope the modding communities will find a way around it
I also kinda hear that besides that thing about only getting 25% of what anypony pays for your mod, that you also don't get anything unless you make more than 100$. It's buried in their faq:
So that means that you hafta have sold $400 worth of your mod before you get anything. That'll be a long time, assuming you even get that far...
--Sweetie Belle
3013556
I have no problem buying decent DLC if it adds something worthwhile to the game, not just a new weapon or map pack. But, the game has to BE a complete game in the first place. Battlefront, I'm looking at you.
3014503
Unlike Valve, I'm more generous in my percentage handouts.
They've lost 100% of my respect.
It is fun looking through the Skyrim workshop page, though. There's a lot of bitter mods being uploaded right now.
People ain't happy.
It sounds like they decided it was a dumb idea after all. Take a look at this...
--Sweetie Belle
3024448
Just... wow.