A 'bundle' was put up called 'FCOM SuperPack' by Ultiodes but the file was removed and the page left as otherwise. (No fault there.)

For anyone that wants to see what's going on here is the link: http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=28133

I wrote this, for example: "

I have in my setup: 238 mods that I've finally gotten to work together after much testing, putting in/taking out and hair-pulling...if I were to package and upload them as a bundle I know they will work (all things being equal.) However, once one of them is updated or changed in someway by the author then I'll probably have to dig down deep to make them all work together again. (Headache anyone?)

Now here comes along someone willing to do all that work of keeping a 'bundle' running--and I'm all for it and appreciate it.

Would the authors of all these different mods like to download this bundle and make sure their changes work with it? I don't think so--and they shouldn't have to.

Can't we have a new category? "Bundles", perhaps? With a different set of rules? (There's always the exception to the rule, remember.)

What does anyone else think about that?

I wonder how many people would still like to download this file if they could..."

Honestly, who can contact 238 plus authors? As long as they recieve full credit for their work, hmmmm?

Just thinK: Each 'bundle' would be so different that it would be like playing a whole new game!

P.S. Some of you might remember me from my DAZ website days when I started one topic that received 15,000 hits in 6 days and was over 80 pages long (and they have long pages) when I said enough. Over there I was known as DazzleDave.

Bundles would be really cool, but it sounds sort of hopeless. There are many latent errors in a system. Lets say you play-tested your bundle and it works great. But lets pretend that in your play-testing you never equip Iron Daggers or go to Abandoned Mine. Your play-testing somehow missed that. So I happily copy your bundle and set out on my adventure. I equip an iron dagger and the whole thing crashes! I mumble and grumble, reload my game, and pawn that stupid dagger. Then I go to Abandoned Mine and it crashes again. I start the program again and rant and rave and look at the map to find some other creepy mine to visit.

So what I am saying in my roundabout way, is that you can never be very sure your bundle works very well. There is probably always something wrong with it. And if only one of the 250 mods gets updated each week, and it takes 40 hours to adequately play-test your bundle to declare that it is bug-free and works well, you will need to be a full-time play-tester to keep your bundle play-tested and functioning well.

Maybe what you should do is freeze time. Not allow any mod updates. Use one and only one version of the mod for the bundle. You would put all those old versions of the mods on your website with the rest of the bundle mods so they would always be available even after the author updates them and deletes the old versions. That might be a workable solution. You could even research and play-test changes for your bundle over time as cool new mods are produced. You would just test them very slowly and carefully one or two at a time.

Lots and lots of work, but it is a neat idea.

@ David Brasher

Let me assure you that I'm not doing this idea (I'm not crazy!) and I certainly agree with 'freezing it in time'. I would just like to play different peoples ideas. (I have more than one of your mods by-the-way and very nice, too.)

I simply don't want to download and go thru the whole big headache again of making all new ones work. (I've stopped updating the mods I use right now for that reason but I still download them for the next time I wipe the slate clean and start over.)

In other words, I just want someone else to go through the trouble of finding a 'bundle' that works and I'll be happy to play with it.

Wouldn't you?

Its an interesting idea, anyone who has 250 mods working in coercion has put a lot of work into customizing the game for themselves. It's possible more people would like to play the same game you are, and it would be incredible to find someone with similar tastes in style, but unlikely. I thought of this before while working on using mods and getting frustrated, "If I was rich I'd pay someone to do this", actually Id probably take up hiking and painting as a hobby. But it definitely it's a valuable service is the point I was trying to make. Please I joke about paying money I hope this is understood.

Anyway I offer a suggestion, maybe instead of 250 mods packaged try ten large ones, something that encompasses a lot or enuff to wet a newbies appetite. Very tested and popular mods that appeal to most, and are benchmarks. Like one npc mod TNR, one combat mod DR, one atmosphere Natural Environments/Bettercities, one body/face retexture HGEC/Robert's, well you get where I'm going. It would change almost everything in the game with a few mods and be amazing for a new person. Also would be less permissions to be granted, and the authors would know and respect each others work and be more likely to agree to be bundled together in theory.

For us though, we probably have too much interest to be satisfied by any ones 250 bundled mods. But maybe I could be wrong, perhaps making a place to list your favorite mods in hope of finding a mod soul mate, with similar tastes, to collaborate with could be worthwhile. For example I like these mods; 1-250. Any one wanna work on testing and merging these with me? I don't know if between two or a few people if permission is needed from anyone, if it is private and free and for fun?

Just requested that the thread be moved to the Feedback, Suggestions and Questions forum. I think it is more appropriate there.

My 2 cents:
Mods aren't usually updated unless there's a bug to fix so players actually benefit from updated mods. I, for one, am not really agreeable with this idea of distributing bundled mods. This would mean that deprecated/obsolete mods would still be distributed if the bundle is not updated and then, as the OP mentioned, there is the issue of getting permission from all the different mod authors for redistribution of their mods that will be included in the bundle. Also, support for such a bundle would be a nightmare for modders or there will be next to zero support since the bundler isn't the author of the different mods. I say let the mods be downloaded as they are, so that the mod authors can support and work on their own mods.

OK I am doing the same "bundle" or "superpack" for myself right now and i think actually with all my mod some 400 i try to combine together you are right that as soon as an author shall update one of them , it shall be difficult to get the one that conflicts with that new updated mod.

Just a little something with what happened here with that "FCOM superpack"

I understand both side there. The authors of the mods in question and the user who intended to make a "superpack"to make them useful for that community.

I personally think that he tentative was interesting and understand his/her concept of combining all those mod we love so much but that we have to get rid of because some do not work together.

After all after reading plenty of complaints about some excellent mods or must have ones, which are conflicting with some other must have one mods, or still people don't want to try them because they should or could conflict with whatever they already have loaded in their PCs, I think that HIS/HER tentative should be considered as an alternative option and not be considered as a fortuitous intention (assuming also that the appropriate credits were part of the mod).

I understand also that asking the permission to some 200 authors is a burden. I also shall add that the authors made a lot of work and effort in their mods and if they post them onto that tesnexus server and some other servers it is for sharing their work and passion for this game with users of this oblivion's communality and all that work should be appreciated by as many people as possible. The concept of "bundle" is perhaps a way that some authors of most popular mods shall envisage to make their mods even more appreciated by that community.{?)

While I agree that such an idea sounds like it might be popular with the Player community, I doubt that (at least some of) the modding community would be so joyous. Some mod authors (parlor folks in the Cathedral vs. Parlor debate) release their work based on certain terms and conditions. Having a site policy that in any way bypasses / ignores such wishes risks alienating those modders. Dangerous and disrespectful.

I am not a modder and I am not up on Bethesda's instructions for use of modding so I will stand corrected, but, here's how I see it: Simplified, you may not claim any part of the game as your own or make any money off of your mod (I read it somewhere.)

These mods are supposed to be for the community and as long as the 'bundle' players are not claiming it as their own work or making money with it by putting it in a bundle (and that's okay with Bethesda as stated) then who are the modders to say otherwise.

Further, each mod comes with a Readme (or should) that states who the author is--why should someone making a 'bundle' (if it were agreed upon by the community) have to contact and list all the 'makers' on the webpage of any mod downloading website? (Phone book, anyone?) This is understandable if you want to use/change someone else's hard work or parts of it where you are making your own mod. But should someone who's just 'bundling' them have to jump through all these hoops?

It seems that more and more some mod authors are beginning to believe their own press: "I am God your creator and you may only use my mod if it's the second Tuesday of the month and you kiss my ring while doing so."

'Disrespectful?' Just who is being disrespectful--the players who appreciate all the work the modders do, who are thrilled with each new mod and are only out to enjoy themselves or some of the modders who show by their excessive rules that they don't appreciate the players and are only out for...(you fill in the blank.)

We should all be careful, for when Bethesda (the sleeping giant) suddenly realizes that some of the modders have more rules then the makers of the game--they just may start re-thinking about their generous offer...

I see my last comment has been reported.

I don't believe in political correctness--it's destroying civilization as we know it.

Disagree with me? Hate me for telling it like it is? Don't hide behind a button. Come on--flame me! I'm a big boy. I like a good cat fight--even if some of the cats are toms.

All I ask is you state the truth--as you see it.

Edit for spelling. (I've noticed that some of the best modders are the some of the worst spellers.)

Strike #1 to AcerMore for trying to provoke a flame war.

LHammonds (File Admin)