The rewards for making a large mod are manifold. First and foremost the creative process itself is a reward. That is why you should be doing it.
Second, if you make something good, you and your contributors will get publicity. This might open up opportunities that were previously unavailable for you. A lot of successful game developers started out this way. But they worked for free for years first.
So you may well see economical rewards, but they will be far down the road. You might get offered a job or you might be able to ask for donations to make another mod of the same quality. If you are really really good/lucky, you might get offered a deal to monetize your mod.
Yes of course, that all goes with it as usual.
I thought that self-explanatory and already self - understood (?) in the context of the discussion subject so not in need of especial mention.
All that simply goes with moding - usually.
And if you look at exactly what i propose youll see that it doesnt stop or prevent or in any way negatively affects usual modding which is already done currently and will be. Anyway.
But as long as you are modding and not making your own game (which is a lot harder), I think it is best to assume that you are not getting paid.
I said i will release a few mods freely myself - presuming i get good ewith the editor and actually make them. If the one in my signature comes to fruition it will be freely shared. For example.
And that alone will be a huge mod.
But not the kind that would fit under specific deal and rules i suggested or the whole ... spirit of the idea i discussed from the start. I wouldn't even think to offer it to Larian for that deal, just by myself, personally.
On the other hand i will maybe make a complete standalone, with different story and everything, then maybe that could go into some bundle or another type of monetary deal for Larian studio and modders.
But under Larian control and curation, of course, as i was saying form the start.
Naturally that all these mods would probably find themselves on torrents very soon if they are good, but the whole deal would be actually made as a deal that thrives on community support.
Lets not forget that these kinds of bigger more serious mods often require several people to work on them for a long time. With all the usual potential for incompatibilities and internet arguing and personal strife - working in an environment where you will be rewarded for your work in virtual handshakes - if at all - makes additional burden on such projects.
A possibility that it could be worth it in a more substantial way would affect such long term projects positively. And a big deal of that more substantial return would be the public recognition and kudos.
Because just being admitted in that league with your mod would prove someone can make almost a whole game on certain professional standards.
I envision submitting a mod to Larian devs for review for this kind of a deal as a test a very few will pass.So it could be an achievement of prestige, on its own.
All under caveats of course, that i count on Larian devs to make their own setup of how it would all work as they want. In case they would accept this kind of idea.
I suppose it would be possible to sell a mod to Larian but the question is that are they interested in "Buying" a high quality mods and releasing them as an official DLC ?
I have to strongly correct you here in one specific thing.
Nobody would "sell" any mods to Larian studios.
Some modders or teams could submit their mod for Larian studios review to include it in the possible deal for sales of some kind - and various options are available for that specific part alone of course - but there would be no guarantee a mod would pass the evaluation of devs, if it would be sent back for adjustments and improvements or anything else suitable. As devs decide.
Here is the general outlook in a more specified form in which the deal would actually work:
1. Larian studios make official rules about it.
2. Only whole new campaigns, standalones or total conversions would be considered for this kind of process.
Of course, Larian devs can and should specify this further, in specific details and requirements.
- Some of these mods can be sold as standalones, some as parts of a big community packs with many mods inside. Whatever would work best.
3. Only the best of the best would actually get accepted, by Larian devs, with possible partial addition of community voting.
- Devs have the final say regardless of community voting.
4. The process goes something like this:
A modder or modding team starts working on their big mod.
- When they have something playable they start releasing it to the community for testing and comments, bug and other quality assurance, maybe as sort of beta versions of their final creation.
- When they are ready and decide to go for it, they submit the mod to Larian devs for judgement.
- Larian takes in account community comments about it and then decides.
5. Any tools, scripts, hacks, tricks, or whatever else the mod contains must be shared freely.
- If the mod is non commercial this falls under usual personal rules of behavior.
- If the mod gets accepted and judged worthy by Larian studios, sharing all such tools, tricks and info becomes mandatory. Or else.
All your scripts, hacks, tools and info belongs to Larian studios.
6. The only thing that is truly yours is the content you created for such a mod. Its story, gameplay, setting, lore, characters and their dialogues - and ultimately how it plays - the gestalt of the whole.
Everything else is just you tinkering with Larian property and their creation. Which they let you to do, being nice guys as they are.
7. Since you are creating this creation of yours on their engine, the content you create, the gestalt of your game/mod is only theoretically "yours".
Its just a nice thing to say. Not anything actually legally relevant.
Larian studios is sharing their engine editor with you - therefore you will share back all you make and create with it.
Any eventual money too. Under rules and terms decided by Larian studios.
8. Dont like it? Dont apply for it.
Want to make such a mod and share it freely? Do so.
