Banhammered, Part II

Started a new post, since the comments section of the last one is getting cluttered, and there's more to talk about now.

So, Dark0ne released the big report, today.

I've read the entire thing, now; and I'm sorry but I still have to side with EARACHE42.

Near as I can figure, it went something like this:

A "mod author" sees that "his" resource is being used by EARACHE42, but credited to someone else. Rather than send a PM, noting as much and asking for a change, said author hits the "report mod" button.

Now, I use the quotes on "mod author" and "his" because from what I've read, and from the comments made to the last post; the resources in question appear to be "ported" from other games, and not original creations - meaning that they do not in fact belong to the "author" who thought he was being intentionally slighted by EARACHE42. My theory is supported by the fact that said person got banned, himself; once attention was drawn to the disputed resources. Talk about shooting yourself in the foot, eh? Guess it doesn't occur to most people that if you're going to break the rules, at least keep a low profile.

Moderator noticed mod reported; slaps review mode onto ALL EARACHE42's mods without being shown any evidence beyond "I didn't say he could use it".

EARACHE42 comes home from a horrid day, in a pissy mood, and believes he is being targeted by an overzealous moderator-in-training. I never saw any evidence to dispute that, by the way. EARACHE42 and Dark0ne talk it out; seem to come to an amenable solution on the whole thing that doesn't require banning.

"But Nos!" I can hear you saying. "He did get banned!"

Yes, he did. On reading the full report, all this crap about model usage and credit and reporting is totally immaterial.

EARACHE42 got banned for what I will eventually get banned for: he was not nice to stupid people in the file comments. After being assessed two strikes for profanity and unkind comments, he blew a seal and asked specifically to be banned, rather than keep dealing with the morons and being punished for trying to help his players.

So. As I said before: rather than punishing people who troll, or lack the fourteen brain cells required to RTFM; the Nexus mods punish the modder who is stupid enough to try to support his mods - and in the process, said modder decides: "Hey, is it really worth going to all this trouble; just to be bitched out by people who can't write a script themselves to save their life? No? Then what the fuck am I doing it for...?"

As for Nexus moderator policies, I've noticed a few in the course of this little event that I find amusing.

Firstly is Dark0ne's claim in his report that modders shouldn't feel like the situation is guilty until proven innocent. Well, guess what? It is. That's exactly what the situation is. And you know what? That's okay. It's all but impossible for you to prove you didn't give someone permission to use your resources, unless you have an archived PM in which you categorically deny them said permission. Since most thieves don't ask beforehand, there is a low likelihood of this existing. Still, have the courtesy not to bullshit us about it. Don't whitewash it.

And yes, modders do get pissy when you accuse them of stealing someone else's stuff. All it takes is someone having a bad day and wanting to take it out on someone; then deciding that you aren't giving enough credit to them or whatever, and bam: "No, I didn't give him permission!" Meanwhile, the modder has no idea anything is going on; and only finds out when his mod is pulled and he's accused of theft and/or copyright infringement. It's going to chafe, no matter how diplomatic you are in your approach.

I also found the declaration amusing that they need to set up some sort of procedure for verifying evidence before pulling a mod. That means that up till now - something like nine years - there has been no such system, and it's been up to the whim of the moderator. Yeah, no way that could ever go wrong or be abused...

Lastly, in reading another thread on the banned/strike assessed forum, I saw something else Dark0ne said that bears mention: "We support the people and companies who give us the games, tools and other entertainment mediums we all take for granted and believe that all of you should too."

Okay. See, games are generally a business. I, the consumer, give them, the producer my currency, and they in turn give me a product. This is called commerce. We are not GIVEN games. We buy them (well, most of us). If not we, ourselves, then it is purchased by a relative or friend as a gift. One could argue that even the tools are not given, since mods are one of the things that are expected to be one of a modern game's capabilities. I personally would argue that the only reason FNV has sold more than ten percent of its copies is because of the modding community; and has nothing to do with the quality of the base product (which is, quite frankly, abysmal).

I just find it absurd when someone tries to deify game developers or movie stars or anyone who works in the entertainment industry. Game developers get paid. Movie stars and musicians and artists and writers; all of these people make a living doing what they do. They may make entertainment available for us to acquire; but they do not give it, under most circumstances. Sure, you'll find those who do - but those (especially around the internet) are primarily derivative or "fan" works, which would get the holy living shit sued out of their "authors" if they tried to sell it.