Download page to list ALL requirements in the description.

Every now and again, I try the occasional graphics mod and this is where I encounter this problem the most. You go to the mod page and you hit the download button. You download all the files it says you need, get halfway through the instructions in the readme in the download and suddenly hit "Download these dll files from here..." at which point there's a link to click.

If you're like me (which most people are not) and run an installation that is isolated from the internet, suddenly having to download more dll files you didn't know about, is a complete PITA. I have my development OS, which is Windows 7 and then I have my disposable OS, which is Windows 10... it is this OS that I don't allow to connect, simply because I don't trust Windows 10's data collection and distribution practices.

If a mod needs additional downloads on top of what you get by clicking the big green download button, it would be nice if those downloads were listed in the description.

@Frazzlee The files I usually have to download are not from the Reshade site though, they're usually via a Mega link. The one I usually get caught out with this, is NaturalVision... it's a nightmare because the readme is a html and wants to connect to everything before it will let you open the file and then it has a set of dll files that have to be download from Mega.

I think most mod users expect there to be some level of pre-requisites with graphics mods and you can prepare for that... I already have the various flavours of Reshade and ENB but it's the ones you don't expect that can catch you out. For the average user (and I don't mean that in a derogatory sense, just in the sense of the average person doesn't run a disconnected installation), it's not a problem... so I guess this is a personal gripe more than anything.

Perhaps I just need a memory upgrade in my head, to remember that these types of mods have a potential pitfall if I don't prepare myself more.

rappo

@LeeC2202 I try to do my best to get uploaders to do this. I'd like to standardize some things in the future, like having standard links to the script hooks on scripts, for instance, but that will take some time. It's hard to get everyone to follow guidelines, especially those that don't speak English as their native language, and others who just get upset if their mods aren't immediately approved and I start asking questions. If you report files that you think could be updated, that will always help.

@rappo I am actually disappointed at myself after posting this, because my re-uploads don't have the correct links to the script pre-requisites in them. I will rectify that later, that's inexcusable on my part.

I have never quite understood why this type of mod has to have this additional user download outside the main package, especially as it doesn't come from the Reshade site. Is there some restriction in place with regards to what can be distributed as part of a graphics mod? So is it done to either comply with (or bypass) distribution restrictions put in place by the Reshade team?

rappo

@LeeC2202 Yes, the ReShade team has distribution regulations. I try to get everyone to link to the official ReShade site, as their regulations state, but their site doesn't have an easily navigable download section with previous versions of the package. A lot of graphics mods aren't always compatible with the latest version, which is why I think people end up linking to Mediafire, for example.

@rappo That's fair enough then if they have restrictions but it does seem like those restrictions are making it harder for the end-user.

Maybe I should break open a pack of post-it notes and stick some round my monitor reminding me to check the downloads before switching OS. The things us old gits have to do to survive in this new-fangled world of technology.