Hi all, I'm considering releasing my little mod in the next couple of days and would like to make a good first impression. What points do you look at and address while gearing up to release date, do you have a check list that you go through, could you share it?

What's your view on out of game notes, what about in game?

How (if at all) do you manage the expectations of potential players while maintaining any semblance of excitement factor.



With auto-update mod how easy is it to break peoples save state?

Or is it just my mod being weird and not updating properly depending on the save file.


Any feedback more than welcome.

I've released a few things here and there. Possibly all larger than your project, so I'm not sure how all of this directly applies, but perhaps it will be helpful.

When I release a mod, this is roughly what I do:

1. Start the process of preparing the actual files.
2. Ensure that you have every file needed. Scripts, videos (If any), dialogue, sound effects, facegen data, LOD, the esm/esp. Every single file that your mod needs.
3. Pack it all up. I have yet to release for Skyrim, so for Fallout I would pack all my stuff into a .RAR file. For Skyrim, you can just use a BSA. (I'm not familiar with the details of that, though)
4. Prepare a ReadMe explaining the installation, removal, and details of your mod. Keep these concise. Nobody wants to read a 6000 word readme. Also, don't just call it ReadMe. Say like MyProjectReadMe. (With your mod's name for 'MyProject') The ReadMe can be packed up with the mod itself, or uploaded seperately alongside it. (Like on the Nexus)
5. Now you must prepare the PR side of things.
6. I make a 'Release Thread' on any major forums. This one, and the Nexus modding forum. The thread should include the name of the mod, your name, details, previews/screenshots, compatabilities, maybe brief credits/thankyou's, and any other info.
7. Upload the mod to your host(s) of choice.
8. Post the threads, adding links to the mods in the threads, and on the mods descriptions, links to the threads.

Your mod is now released! You have threads to direct and allow conversation, plenty of info for the user, and everything uploaded for the public to access.

Hopefully I didn't miss anything... I've only released three mods, but two of them were pretty big releases. Other than those 8 steps, make sure you've had others beta test your mod, unless if it's a really 'minor' mod I guess it may not be necessary. When I released Deimos, nobody could get passed a certain part in the quest because I hadn't had my 3 testers try out the final build. I had to rush to fix it and post a patch, and I'm sure it made me look great.

As for balancing expectations/draw with excitement; Give plenty of detail about your mods, flaunt it's special features, but don't give away specifics. For example, all my mods have been quest mods. I would list special events, like Deimos had time travel, it was fully voiced, that kind of thing. But I never said, "Bob walks into the lazers and dies!" or anything specific like that. (You get my point.)

Hope this helps,
Alexander J. Velicky

What Alexander said.

To add, I would say try to head off common questions at the pass. Write a comprehensive FAQ / Troubleshooting section. Direct users to it frequently. If a question starts coming up that you didn't document, modify your document / thread pronto to reflect these types of questions. You will save a lot of your sanity by doing this.

As far as in-game / out-of-game goes, I would say put as much in-game as you reasonably can that fits within the framework of the world. This starts getting into a discussion of crunch vs. flavor, and where players expect to see crunch or flavor. Crunch is the mechanical, arbitrary bits of the mod that are usually systematic or numerical in nature. These are best left either a) hidden from the player, if possible, b ) in a messagebox menu (the player has been trained to accept crunchy things in static menus), or c) left as information in the readme or the front page of the mod's site. Flavor is those things that fit the lore and the setting and are more descriptive than mechanical. Players expect flavor in in-game books, in notifications, and in the quest tracker. Knowing where to put your crunch and your flavor I think is important in meeting player expectations.

I think a key factor in managing excitement and expectations is frequent communication. A mod user's worst fear is that you as an author have lost interest and have abandoned your project, and this is a fear that needs to be allayed constantly. Tell them what you're working on, and also tell them what troubles you're running into, so that they can empathize when a feature may not come to pass.


That's a simple question with a complicated answer. http://www.creationkit.com/Save_File_Notes_(Papyrus)