What's the future of modding and (maybe) hope springs eternal
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Not sure this goes here...
With the moves by Take 2 against OpenIV and the claims made by the publisher against mods and the possibility of cheating and hacking, I found myself wondering what is the future for modding of GTA going to look like.
To start, I am in no way defending Take 2's decision nor approach to OpenIV and the modding community. That being said, I would not be surprised to see in a month or so (more or less) to see R* or Take 2 announce a "new, official" mod marketplace where modders and post mods that are checked by the publisher or developer to make sure the mod doesn't violate the EULA or the policy of the R* or Take 2. In a possible case, this marketplace would be installed in a follow on patch or update and would link to the users account and, like Ubisoft (yes, I know, I know) you select your mod, it is directly downloaded to your game and off you go. This might work for Take 2 in that it allows the publisher tighter control of what goes into its game, but also (to a point) restricts the user with "monkeying" with it's intellectual property. This would encourage future modders to work with Take 2, centralizing the mods under one easier to monitor location (I said easier, not fool proof).
In addition to, or more realistically, if it looks like this is the beginning of a way of monetizing mods, there would be mods locked behind differing pay tiers. The more the mod does, the more money it costs. This lets modders get paid for their work, Take 2 gets a cut, and again keeps a tighter control of it's property and it allows Take 2 to block mods that might allow content that can only be found online, into the single player eco system, again depriving it of future income.
Yet, under a pay system, R* or Take 2 might "open" a dlc, if a user is willing to pay. Take the Gunrunners dlc for example, all the cars, the bunker, the mobile command center, cost tens of millions of in game currency, which works out to be hundreds of real world dollars, if one were to buy shark cards to get all the content. The developer or publisher my list the dlc content available for purchase for $40, which unlocks all or some vehicles and other items. While the shark cards or obviously, generating an income, they might generate more income with "paid" income. The dlc is free, as it has always been, but for users who do not want to grind to get the in game currency to purchase the vehicles, paying to unlock the content may generate more money. Heck, as bone to the community, older dlc, bought in this fictional marketplace, might be unlocked in single player i.e. finance & felony content would be unlocked with the purchase of the dlc, thus incentivizing future users to purchase dlc.
What's my point with all this? Monetized dlc, monetized mods, this seems to be the future of the gaming industry. We see that paid mods is no longer the controversial issue it once was with Bethesda releasing its paid mod marketplace. If Take 2 or R* wanted to go this route, there were a dozen of ways to do so that wouldn't alienate a loyal and passionate community, and might, if it mattered, generated massive goodwill and support from that community. Rather they decided to burn the forest and salt the earth or remove one sick and dying tree. I only hope Take 2 and R* take a minute to learn from this experience as they go forward in terms of mods and modders. I've said my piece, thanks.
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Its dead
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@GeorgeTKE I hear you dude. Future of gaming is fucked. People have an opportunity to hit back, if united.
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Well yes, in the metaphorical, non-violent sense. I think it would behoove the community, to exercise the real power they have, their wallet. We love the series and I'm sure most of us have hundreds or thousands of hours tooling around a city or country side, wreaking all sorts of delightful mayhem. However, to get publishers to make changes to their business models, we as the consumer, can exercise our right to not purchase their products. I'm not talking about just online content, but all the content.
Did I love Red Dead Redemption? Gods yes! Am I looking forward to RDR2? With so much urgency! Will I buy it? No. I will not support a publisher that treats its passionate and loyal fan base like so much flotsam because a percentage of a percentage of that fan base cheats, hacks, and otherwise maliciously "games" the experience; either because they can or to simply ruin everyone's good time.
As a community, this is what we need to do. Negative reviews on steam is an excellent way to start. So is petition after petition. But none of that matters if the next product to come from this developer/publisher group makes a billion dollars in the first hour. We need to speak with our wallets. Not playing the games we own is useless. They have our money already, but if we can poison the well through negative reviews, public (but respectful and factual) denunciations of the publisher, that could have an impact on those gamers who are growing up and looking to purchase GTA.
There are so many videos on YouTube about GTA, that my oldest drools for the day when he will get to play and mod and embrace the sandbox. Or he did until I told him that he won't be able to do anything but what thr publisher will "let" him do. Now he is is far less interested. Business models exist because consumers maintain them. When consumers change their spending, the business model has to change, or it goes under. I don't want Take 2 or R* to fold, I just want them to listen to their base and respond according to their policies and the comments of their consumers. We don't want cheaters online, fix that, but let us have our Mario's driving DeLoreans under the legs of God Ulla, being chased by Harambe and the Hulk on a mini bike.
