Gabe Newell Talks About New Modding Policy: “Our Goal is to Make Modding Better”

Gabe Newell, founder of Valve shared his thoughts on the new modding policy, via Reddit, where Gabe Newell answered a number of questions regarding the paid mod subject. Newell claims that Valve's goal is to brand modding better for both creators and gamers.

Gabe Newell explains:

"Our goal is to make modding better for the authors and gamers. If something doesn't aid with that, it volition get dumped. Right now I'm more optimistic that this will be a win for authors and gamers, but we are always going to be information driven."

Gabe Newell continued to explicate why they chose Skyrim as the commencement title to try the new policy on:

"Skyrim is a not bad example of a game that has benefitted enormously from the MODs. The choice for paid MODs is supposed to increment the investment in quality modding, not hurt information technology.

Well-nigh half of Valve came straight out of the MOD earth. John Melt and Robin Walker made Squad Fortress every bit a Quake mod. Ice frog made DOTA equally a Warcraft 3 mod. Dave Riller and Dario Casali we Doom and Quake mappers. John Guthrie and Steve Bond came to Valve because John Carmack thought they were doing the best Convulse C development. All of them were liberated to simply exercise game evolution once they started getting paid. Working at Waffle House does not aid you make a improve game."

Newell explains that Valve loves MODs and PC'south open nature is why Valve exists. He then explains the reason backside Valve's decision to support paid mods:

"Our view of Steam is that it's a collection of useful tools for customers and content developers.

With the Steam workshop, we've already reached the indicate where the community is paying their favorite contributors more than they would make if they worked at a traditional game developer. We see this every bit a really good step.

The option of Mod developers getting paid seemed similar a good extension of that."

Nexus Mods Founder, Robin Scott, asked Newell if Valve would practise anything to forestall publishers from limiting mods to Steam Workshop, or even worse, to the paid workshop.

In full general we are pretty reluctant to tell any programmer that they have to do something or they tin can't do something. It only goes confronting our philosophy to be dictatorial.

With that caveat, we'd be happy to tell developers that we think they are beingness impaired, and that will sometimes help them reflect on it a bit.

In the example of Nexus, we'd be happy to piece of work with you to figure out how we tin can exercise a improve job of supporting y'all. Clearly y'all are providing a valuable service to the community. Have you been talking to anyone at Valve previously?

He connected to expand further upon the subject:

The one thing I'd ask yous to think near is your request to put our human foot downwards. We would be reluctant to forcefulness a game developer to do "ten" for the same reason we would exist reluctant to forcefulness a modern developer to do "x." It'southward just not a good idea. For example we get a lot of pressure to law the content on Steam. Shouldn't there be a rule? How tin can any decent person corroborate of naked copse/stabbing defenseless shrubberies? It turns out that everything outrages somebody, and there is no set of possible rules that satisfies anybody. Those conversations always plough into enumerated lists of outrageous things. It's a lot more tractable, and customer/creator friendly to focus on building systems that connect customers to the correct content for them personally (and, unfortunately, a lot more than work).

So, yes, we desire to provide tools for mod authors and to Nexus while avoiding coercing other creators/gamers as much as possible.

Regarding people ripping mods from places like Nexus and re-uploading as their own, Newell said:

"This is a straight-forrard trouble. Between ours and the community'south policing, I'm confident that the authors will accept command over their creations, not someone trying to rip them off."

After confirming that modders can indeed go along to release free mods of Steam Workshop (something that some seem to be misinterpreting, for some reason), Newell explained the philosophy backside the decision:

Our view of Steam is that it's a collection of useful tools for customers and content developers.

With the Steam workshop, we've already reached the signal where the community is paying their favorite contributors more than than they would brand if they worked at a traditional game programmer. We see this as a really skilful stride.

The pick of MOD developers getting paid seemed similar a good extension of that.

Newell admitted that the original Counterstrike or DOTA wouldn't have taken off if people had to pay for them when they were still mods:

No, they wouldn't. Which is one of the reasons that nosotros didn't charge for them after they stopped being MODs (at least role of the time).

Costless to play is an extension of that and is based on the aggregate incremental value of another histrion to all the other players.

A fan asked Gabe Newell why Valve was getting a 75% cut of profits, to which he explained that the cut is prepare by the game (each game sets its own share), and not by Valve. He also mentioned that a donation policy will be bachelor where people tin donate equally much equally they want, where the modernistic author tin prepare the starting amount.

Nosotros will bring you any new information on the subject as before long every bit it becomes bachelor.

What are your feelings on Valve'due south new policy? Please share your thoughts in the comments beneath.

Source: https://wccftech.com/gabe-newell-talks-modding-policy-goal-modding/

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