Fallout 4 PC Update Introduces Bethesda's Paid Mods Replacement System

https://www.gamespot.com/articles/fallout-4-pc-update-introduces-bethesdas-paid-mods/1100-6452933/

Fallout 4 received a new update on PC today that finally adds support for Creation Club, Bethesda's collection of additional content created by developers and community members. Alongside Creation Club, the patch also fixes some bugs and adds a Message of the Day.

In essence, Creation Club is Bethesda's attempt at monetizing new content and mods. Following the paid mods controversy in Skyrim, Bethesda announced this service as a sort of compromise. Bethesda works with top modders in the community to help them start earning money. In an interview with GameSpot at E3 2017, Bethesda marketing VP Pete Hines explained that the company "bring[s modders] in as, now you're a game developer with us, not on a mod."

All content must be created for Creation Club specifically; Bethesda promises on its website that it won't retrofit existing mods to become paid. In addition, this new content must go through Bethesda's QA process and will be compatible with all mods. Pete Hines said on Twitter that Creation Club content is more like "mini DLCs" than mods.

All players will get 100 Credits, Bethesda's digital currency, for free to start out with for Creation Club content; additional Credits can be bought on digital storefronts. It's all pretty confusing, and we'll likely not fully know how it works until it launches on all platforms and creators start releasing content through it. Bethesda itself said today, "It's easier to explain Creation Club by trying it yourself."

Alongside Creation Club, the update also adds a few other features. There's now a Message of the Day in-game, support for the ESL file format, and patch version numbers and notes on the in-game Mod Details page. Further, it fixes a bunch of bugs and improves stability related to turning mods on and off.

The update is currently only available in beta through Steam; you must go into the Steam menus for Fallout 4 and select the beta update manually to install it. Creation Club is also coming to PS4 and Xbox One sometime soon. Further, it's planned to be released for Skyrim: Special Edition on consoles and PC this September.

Hey, free labour for Bethesda.

Why not? It was always left to modders to fix their broken assed games anyways. Might as well pay them for it lol.

Bethesda has been trash for awhile now, some say since Oblivion. Todd Howard sold his soul for the Horse Armor.

ewwwww

I do not see a problem here. It isn't mandatory and the modders will get their cut. Probably a good way to scout for talent as well.

Wonder if this could be a way around Sony's external assets issue.

In addition, this new content must go through Bethesda's QA process and will be compatible with all mods.

Here's a picture of the QA process at Bethesda

Talented modders will now lock what has been free content for decades behind paywalls essentially turning personal creations for the community into DLC.

It's a problem.

Most of the mods, especially the huge popular ones, are interlinked with assets and work done by other modders so this is a huge unfathomable cesspit of clusterfackiness. Its one of the biggest reasons of the huge uproar in the first Bethesda "MAKE US RICHER" campaign. Its almost never the work of one person. So how are they going around that?

Yep, it was obviose they wouldn't give up. Just re-market it, push it through as industry standard.

It's hard to believe that when Oblivion was released people actually laughed at horse armor. Per usual the consumer ends up being the clown.

And they added a horse joke in, ho ho, that jokers.

Gross Bethesda.

This industry keeps finding new ways to exploit consumers for all their worth. First DLC, now season passes for almost every AAA game, online fees, micro transactions in $60 games, early access games releasing DLC before official release, and soon paid mods.

When does the milking end?

I don't really understand their persistent push to making free mods cost money? Is it because they worry that people won't buy official DLC if mods are free? I do realize that it's hard/impossible at the moment to ask money for a mod, meaning that some modder might be unable to put a lot of time into it without taking financial risks. The move feels iffy. You take something that works well and open it up to extra good things but also to corruption.

This is great! Modders will see some money for their hard work, and in return encourage them to work harder.

http://www.nexusmods.com/games/?

Skyrim

54,019 Files

1221.22m DLs

Fallout 4

20,202 Files

254.51m DLs

This is optional now, but I'm betting that their next few games will try to make this the only way to access mods.

Bethesda wouldn't get any money out of these transactions, would they?

They state mods already free, will remain free. But that doesn't mean future modders with talent will be snapped up whenever possible. In general the thing stinks of an excuse to get the foot in the door after it was slammed.

Already set my game to not update until launched, and I only launch it using F4SE, so it shouldn't update. Although, I may put it in offline mode when I launch it and then go back into online mode after.

I have a feeling this update will break a bunch of mods and F4SE, and I don't want to deal with it. Running 226 active mods.

@uninspiredcup: What worries me most is it starts pushing legislation closer to my funny porn mods.

I wonder what the modders think of it, though.

rip modding

future ES/fallout games will probably include micro transactions as well

This was the way it was marketed or spun as a positive. It's nothing but poorly thought out bullshit that misunderstands the infrastructure of how mod authoring in Bethesda games work.

The reality had mod creators cop abuse on both methods of delivery; paid or free. It demotivated mod authors that participated in the curated paid mods system to discontinue to support the hobby that most do in their spare time. The contribution, support and poor return was not worth the time investment for the creation of self contained quality mods and all it encouraged was quick palette edits or skins.

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Assuming a scheme were to be about encouraging modders to 'work harder', The endorsement system, its platform for collaboration, methods of discoverability and management/integration of donations or patreons on the Nexus is already in a good place for that, so any attempts to provide a service that aims to 'support modders' will be met with criticism.

Kinda is. Not gonna be big, expansive mods. £2.99 for a sword, £1.99 for a peace of armor. Same crap they done before.

Essential updates

"Bethesda's QA process"

Lol

We now have to pay money in order to fix Bethesda's games?

Great.

Any bets on the next Elder Scrolls being a complete train wreck over this?

Mods are the only thing that made Skyrim halfway playable. If this jacks up the mod community enough the series may as well be console only.

Hopefully it'll just be outright ignored by most on pc and things wi be business as usual.

** Courtesy Mod bump to clear out the recent forum invasion... carry on :) **

Not a problem aslong as the modders don't ask any money.

(Black Mesa, anyone?)

Ends when morons stop paying for it.

Hmm, I wonder what's going to happen with this, then. PC gamers probably won't pay for it, but we all know PS4 users will since they have no choice in the matter as far as mods go. Not sure about Xbone users, but I have a feeling a good chunk of them won't mind.