Poll Question 020 - Would you actually pay for a mod?

If the price was no more than a few dollars and was actually a Total Conversion and not just a gameplay mod (unless it were uber-cheap) then I certainly would.

If a team charged for their mod, I would hope it was because they intend to use the profits to support their creative endeavors, and not simply for greed.

I think that the reason I like mods so much is that they ARE free. I think that the “commericialization” of mods somewhat diminishes their value. Also, to answer Dufferx’s question, no, the “Episodes” are different than other mods. This is because the Episodes are a canon continuation of the storyline from Half-Life 2. While technologically, they are essentially the same, the “canonity” is different.

“In the context of a fictional universe, the canon comprises those novels, stories, films, et cetera, that are considered to be genuine or officially sanctioned” (Wikipedia)

My point here was to say that the Episodes are mods as much as Blue Shift and Opposing Force are. Essentially, canon “mods” are different than non-canon mods.

I believe you should prove your worth first before even thinking about getting people to pay for it.

I would have paid for CtoA or Invasion,Azure Sheep.Poke646 etc if required and the amount of time that would be required to play it had been readily available to base what I was willing to pay.I would however never pay for for 20 to 30 minute mods or those made by people who have not proven themselves capable.

Modders could ask, “If you enjoyed playing this mod, consider donating via Paypal…”

I might consider donating if I felt the developer had provided me with a few hours of quality game time. But paying upfront is something I’d hate to do. Too many maps and mods prove disappointing.

The reason I got into HalfLife on PC is because I could pick up a copy of Anthology for £5, about $10. And, there is a wealth of free mods. Furthermore, the PC I have that it runs on is an old LEX PC133 based machine with what was originally a Voodoo 3DFX and now a ‘newer’ Nvidia. All my parts come from a friends parts bin. He builds and upgrades PCs. So, as Phillip says its unlikely that I would be willing to pay for a mod. You see I’m secretly a console buff. As such, I can add that we in the world of consoles are unwilling to pay for ‘additional content’ also. ‘Extras’ on the XBox360, I beleive, are not a big seller. And, don’t forget that Sony have abandoned their plans for Gran Turismo HD and it is now available free to download. Things might change however as all companies involved in gaming or video entertainment explore new distibution methods and options for content. The PS3 runs Linux making a console truly open for the first time. I am looking forward to seeing if Blender, an open source 3D package with game engine, will run on this platform. Maybe paid for additional content and/or mods is a way for able non professionals to make a crust. I would envisage a structure where additional content would be available for pennies. In summary then, no at the moment I would not be prepared to pay for a mod. Even the publishers do not charge for extended game play. Keep watching the web however as things they are a changing.

You pay 40-60 dollars for retail games,

so why not pay 5-20 dollars for a high-quality mod and support the moding community you love so much?

I do however think that charging for mods could be taken too far if not thought out thoroughly.

shungokusatsu Said:

Wrong Motivation
Currently mods are made for a number of reason, mostly I suspect through love of creating something interesting. If money is involved then the community dynamic may change

I agree with this, if mod makers become bent on money making, this may actually decrease the quality of the end result, for the stressful and time consuming marketing that is involved in selling a mod.

I’d rather pay a game that will fund for more games rather then fund people to force Christianity down the throats of the African children.

*cough*

Crappy games get our money because of the one thing they spend on: Advertisement. A mod is out of it’s league, because it can’t pay for mainstream advertisement like a game can.

Okay, here’s an idea. What if Valve decided to release, in stores, a compilation of the best Single Player mods? They’re still available to download, but they’re also on this handy DVD that’s only £10 - some of which goes to the mod makers themselves.

Would you buy it? Why?

Personally, I would - I like having collections of mods on one disc, mostly - but would you?

Way back we had a couple of compilations for the Prince’s Trust. They were a collection of demos for PS1 priced at around £15. Unfortunately, most of those demos had already been published on the front of a magazine. Its not really a case of not wanting to buy charitable games, nore a case of publishers not wishing to contribute. BTW Fluffy visits the wrong websites.

I’ve dabbled with NSIS - it’s not a bad little installer at all. (Pun intended - it’s tiny)

I’m between jobs at the moment, so if you want someone to give you a hand with this THE WORTHY thing I’d think I’d be interested. I’ve recently started a similar type of project - putting all the best mods for game, along with the game itself, onto a DVD.

That said, I’m working with older games at the moment - stuff like Half-Life and Unreal - but if you’d like me to chip in, I’d be happy to. Give me a buzz - my latest email address is, obviously, attached.