Ever increasing

[Terry Rock]

I love to support modders, but I'm noticing a trend I do not really care for.
Some guys are turning strictly to money for modding...which in itself is okay.
The issue is with the fact that they seem to be charging full price for every single item and in some cases, as much as a full Kunos pack for an individual car or track.
Is that of concern to you folks?

 

[Michael Hornbuckle]

Don't like it, don't buy it. Simples.

 

[Terry Rock]

Don't like it, don't buy it. Simples.

I understand that option very well and trust me, if I deem it over-priced (relative to the overall cost of the game), I won't.even consider it.
My question is... Are folks at all, in any way alarmed by the trend?
The problem I see in the not too distant future, is that once it starts everybody will jump on the bandwagon and it could get out of hand very, very quickly.
I don't deny that folks should be paid for their work, the question is... How do they determine what constitutes a fair going rate?

 

[Fat-Alfie]

We have just recently had a (quite heated at times) discussion about this very subject, and while I agree with you wholeheartedly, I think the only answer is to vote with your pocket.

I personally would much prefer a Donation system, where you pay once you have tried the mod and been impressed by it. Recently I have seen a mod track that the creator sold to everyone, and it wasn't even finished. He is still posting screenshots of things he is either fixing or completing - that is simply preposterous

I am happy to make a donation if the mod is of Kunos quality, and I wish more people would go down that route.

 

[Gevatter]

I understand that option and trust me...if I deem it over-priced relative to the overall cost of the game, I don't.even consider it.
My question is... Are folks at all, in any way alarmed by the trend?
The problem I see in the not too distant future, is that once it starts everybody will jump on the bandwagon and it could get out of hand very, very quickly.
I don't deny that folks should be paid for their work, the question is... What constitutes a fair going rate?

You see, the market is finite. When it's saturated, sales will drop and the prices will go down eventually. I can only spend X amount of money on stuff each month. If there are too many paymods coming out, I won't buy all of them even if I'm interested. If a mod doesn't interest me or I deem it to expensive for what I get, I'm not buying it.

So if a modder asks a price that's too high, the mod won't sell well and he will either stop or ask a lower price next time. If a specific modder has many beta versions on sale but nothing ever gets finished, word will spread over time and that modder will earn a shady reputation - people will become cautious and he will sell less until the goodwill of the people is earned back, if that's even possible.

Different payment models (donations, crowdfunding, Patreon, paymods, etc) are welcome and may well be explored in the future. If enough people participate, it will become viable, else it won't. The only thing you as a "consumer" can really do is ask yourself if a mod car/track is worth the asking price in your opinion and vote with your wallet.

 

[Andy_J]

I'm happy paying for a good pay mod as long as it's supported for the life of the sim it's for. All pay mods should come with a warranty stating just that.

 

[Terry Rock]

I'm happy paying for a good pay mod as long as it's supported for the life of the sim it's for. All pay mods should come with a warranty stating just that.

This is the other issue.
Some guys will put out a car or track and never look back at it again once it's sold, irregardless of how many changes the developer makes to the base game.
It's a bit 'off-putting'.

 

[Michael Hornbuckle]

I'm happy paying for a good pay mod as long as it's supported for the life of the sim it's for. All pay mods should come with a warranty stating just that.

That would be great, but to me buying a mod is like buying a used car. Could be a great value, or could be a lemon.

Are people honestly going to lose sleep over a wasted $10 if the mod sucks or doesn't get updated a year after its released?

 

[Fat-Alfie]

Look in the downloads section - how many mods were released last month? I certainly would lose sleep if I had paid £10 for each and every one of them

 

[Michael Hornbuckle]

Then choose wisely and leave good feedback for to help others choose. Again, simples.

The star rating system would actually mean something if all mods were payware. As it is it just pisses off the guys that are awesome enough to give us their content for free. But I guess that is a subject for a different thread.

 

[aphidgod]

If you understood how many hundreds of hours went into a top-tier mod, or how many thousands of hours go into developing the skills necessary to make it top-tier, I don't think we'd see threads like this.

And let's not even get into actual costs. I'm $260 out of pocket for reference materials related to the XJ13. Haven't seen a single cent in donations. Think about that next time you throw a fit over a $3 car.

 

[Brandon Wright]

I'm $260 out of pocket for reference materials related to the XJ13. Haven't seen a single cent in donations.

Donated.

 

[aphidgod]

Thanks, Brandon. (That wasn't the intent of my post, mind you.)

 

[Rob Every]

I would also suggest that some of the bigger modding concerns would never charge for their mods.

I would have paid money for F1 91 or Enduracers or Proto C (when it eventually came out) for RF. DRM, GP79, and many others. But simply could either donate or pass on my thanks via forum or a modder who I knew helped out. That seemed to be enough

All these were mods that were worth paying for. For years Enduracers is all I played on RF and you think a tenner would more than cover that. OK not updated routinely, but once the basic bugs were ironed out they were fine, some had inherent issues such as default setups being way out on the odd car, but basically fine. All updates included.

But ONLY after I had tried it.

What is needed is for the BETA of a mod to be offered somewhere like here, for people to test, offer feedback, make suggestions. I do not use things like dash mods or display mods, but they could be offered for small micro transactions to make people download them without really worrying, and if they are good they will quickly make a few quid.

Then, something like an app store shop would be great. But you HAVE to be able to try before you buy. That is my biggest complaint with modern developers, it is all left to the Steam refund now for people to try games out. That is great, but companies should be more proactive rather than greedy with proper software releases. Demos.

Try before you buy would be my only stipulation, as some mods are really only suitable for certain driving styles or as part of a pack.

And that is how it works with apps, you try it, like or dislike and then choose to to grind or pay. That should be the model for PC based software too. Or mods for a game like this

 

[Michael Hornbuckle]

A demo for a $3 mod? You're kidding, right?

 

[Fat-Alfie]

You talk like people would only buy one mod

What if there were 15 or 20 available each month? You would buy them all, regardless?

How about if paymods are released as a demo version, with only the lowest detailed mesh available, but full physics? That way we would get to decide if it is worth buying by trying the most important aspect of a car (with regard to sim racing, at least).

 

[hal4000]

 

[Kenny Paton]

Gentlemen let's not regurgitate all the arguments we had in the other thread.

 

[Michael Hornbuckle]

If by some miracle 15-20 mods came out in a month that were worth $3-$5 each I would buy as many of them as I could afford. Or I would buy a couple a week until eventually I had the ones I wanted. I think you are seriously kidding yourself if you think that there are that many mods released a month that are worth paying for though.

 

[Paul Glover]

I'm in the buy it and donate camp, I bought content manager after using it first and appreciating the hardwork that had gone into the application. I know it's not a mod as such but the logic still applies for me.

I have yet to purchase a paid mod.