This topic has been created to discuss the poll below on tessource.net.

Would you be interested in subscribing to TESSource?

Yes, I'll be subscribing

No, I won't be subscribing

I'd like to but can't afford to

I'd need to know more info before making a decision


FULL INFORMATION ABOUT THIS IS HERE

I'm willing to forget this ever happened. I'm not sure other people will.

I'd expect nothing less of cynicism from you, MB. It's feedback, so please provide it.

Although I really really hate it when sites are forced to do this, I understand that it is a necessary evil. It may be a bit of a trouble convincing my parents to let me pay for yet ANOTHER thing on the dreaded INTERNET, but I will most likely subscribe if this happens. It has been a bit slow lately and the file tracking thing is enough for me. Who cares about ads and faster downloads when I can just track the mods I use every day!! Of course no ads and faster downloads are just a benefit! How soon does this go into effect?

Thank you for providing a good description of your situation and reasoning.



There's no current release date for this new feature, but it will probably occur within the next 4 weeks.

Heck, if you can provide us with a pre-release of the tracking feature I'd pay you $5 for that alone!! No fooling. Well, maybe not $5 a month for just that, but $3.75 for all those features, per month? I can't wait to see this! Don't let the poll fool you. I'm sure once the new system is implemented more people will hop on the subscription.

my goodness, sorry, but i didn't go on fileplanet, bcause it wanted money. pfft, tho i c where ur coming from.

Sorry, no. Just can't afford to give out my own money..........Sorry, about that, really.


BUT, i already have a login name. Am I gonna be billed for thaqat?? I hope not.....

well, i recently figured out that, you don't hav to subscribe to get the mods, it's just you get priority downloading, and you download off a faster server.


I still will not be subscribing.

I will not be subscribing, I can afford it, but not for what I use it for, there are plenty of other mod databases out there that are free.


Dark0ne: Please reconsider, this might be a large mistake if you blunder the slightest bit)

Well, as I favor this place for mods, I would be willing to make a donation, but as for a recurring billing, I wouldn't do that. I do download from here often, and think a $20 paypal donation would be less hastle and risk than 6 months recurring at $3 a month, even though it's about the same amount of money. Heck, I paid $50 for Oblivion and made it about 100% better with mods I got here, so I'm still getting a bargain

I can't believe how greedy some people can get.

DarkOne is breaking off his ass on maintaining this site (and doing a great job at that IMO), continuously coding new features at users' requests, and he's been doing it for free, just for our use and joy.

Now, he's facing a bad case of bandwidth demand he can't afford on his own, and he's asking about the possibility of adding a small subscription fee (I mean, $3.75? I bet you spend more than that a day in Mountain Dew and Cheetos for your gaming sessions) that will be OPTIONAL, that's it, you are not forced to pay for it (you'll only get your downloads a little slower if you are not a subscriber, and only if the file you are downloading is bigger than 2 megs, but you will get to download your stuff anyways), and all he gets is a kick in the mouth from you.

I've seen a lot of good sites getting closed in the past because of moronic userbase behavior like that. I like this site. Lots. And if DarkOne isn't able to pay for the bandwidth demands this site generates, you know what's most likely to happen next, if he finds himself in a position that he's no longer able to maintain the site anymore?

He's not asking for subscriptions fees because he wants to buy a Cadillac. He's not paying for a bungalow in Miami Beach. He's going to use the subscription fees to pay for extra bandwidth so the site can keep on running neatly and efficiently. All the money we give, is coming back to us.

If you can afford a subscription fee, do it. If you can't afford it, at least be grateful for DarkOne's efforts and don't make a bitchy moron out of yourself.

/Rant mode: Off

Anyways, count me in.

I would subscribe because I like this site, the fee translates to about one and a half packs of cigarettes in Rand terms (R28), and I can do with those less in a month. Practically a health benefit. And I would certainly pay to see less of the demon gods of sales and marketing, and have the bonus of a tracking feature.

My download habits do vary, so for me subscribtion on a month to month basis would be prefferred, or a lump sum for a period of time. Especially as my income varies (in amount and arrival), and I dont like charges on my bank account to be returned so I tend to avoid those kind of terms.

I an ideal world sharing information would be free, but in the real world someone has to pay the phone bill. And I dont mind helping.

Thank you for all the feedback so far, it definately helps.



Thank you for your support. Hopefully we can steer clear of bashing the people who won't subscribe so they'll not think they have a reason to bash me! It's a crazy world out there and some people will jump on anything for attention.


I just thought I'd clarify on the payment a little bit. At the moment payment is going to be processed by PayPal. You DO NOT need a PayPal account to pay (but obviously can use it if you have one). As you know PayPal accepts all major credit and debit cards and even allows you to draw money direct from your bank account with out a card.

Payment can be monthly, quarterly, bi-annual (half a year) or annual and there is no recurring fee. 7 days before your subscription expires you will be sent an email informing you you only have 7 days left and if you'd like to continue your subscription you'll need to "top-up" your account. We thought this was best since many people (1) don't expect to be downloading mods for Oblivion in a year's time and (2) may not be able to afford one bigger lump sum compared to smaller payments.


I'd like to remind people that the system is completely optional and service will remain the same as it is now for those who will not be subscribing.

Thanks again.

Maybe in a year or 4, (you better still be here!) because I'll be then living on my own (I hope).
The money isn't the problem, it's the parents...

I don't see why I should go through all the trouble of asking my parents when it's optional. It's just not worth it for me right now.

I support this idea though!

If there is a 6 month lump sum amount definatly. And unlike some I truly appreciate the work you put into this and I think that anyone who has to whine about it needs a knock upside the head for being a jag bag. Ive majorly expanded both TES3 and TES4 with the mods Ive found here and would be happy to help though like someone else said (sorry forgot the name) I have a varing income as Im stuck at a resturant for work.

It's says it right there "£1.99/month (that's around $3.75 for all you Americans out there!)"

I'm not sure if I'm going to subscribe. I'm sorry that's not very helpful.

I shall subscribe,because TESSource is a very good site

I was one of the few people that remained loyal to The Elder Scrolls Planet. I never subscribed to them, because frankly, I don't have a credit card, and I'm not about to spend somebody else's money for faster downloads on a 56K modem. But after they revamped thier mod page and took a steaming poo on thier search engine, I decided it was time to go back to the ol' TESSource. It's a shame that it's pulling the Fileplanety "subscribe!" thing, but I guess it was inevitable, and only good can come of it. Perhaps I'll subscribe if and when I get a credit card. I like the file tracking idea, too. That alone is worth $3.75 a month!

I'm not active in this community or any other (associated with Elder Scrolls) "anymore". Never the less, I'd like to give my opinion. As I understand it the cost of maintaining the site and keeping up with bandwidth limits and the time requirements of the administrators the actual cost per month divided between several thousand people should be somewhere around a couple dollars. Of coarse it is impossible to say just how many subscribers you'll get. The fact that you've been doing this for free up until now boggles my mind, but I just can't see this site still functioning as the NUMBER ONE es mod directory, assuming the bandwidth limit for nonsubscribers is as extreme as it will have to be. More than a few people will refuse to pay 40/50 dollars a year, most of these people are kids, and it's likely they won't be able to pay that. Then of coarse you have the actual modders who out of moral obligations will possibly refuse to continue using your service (whether or not you realize it you ARE selling their mods).


EDIT: I forgot to say that I'd be willing to pay assuming you don't piss off my favorite modders......and I doubt you will. They're cool people.

I think this is probably your best option. I don't know that I can afford to subscribe, but I'm sure enough people will to help you out with this. You are providing a fantastic service here.

Grim has a good point there, modders may feel kind of ripped off that they did work for free then have somebody selling their mods (well, kinda) and getting profits off of it. Maybe there is an alternative route to this. I'm not sure, maybe I didnt get all the details.

What do you mean? Paying for fileplanet is optional...

Hopefully this survey will provide a clearer respresentation of how many people are interested in helping to support the site and I can plan accordingly.



The service for non-subscribers will remain exactly the same as it is at the moment for the foreseeable future.



The modders should be happy that the services TESSource offers is going to get better -- they host their mods free-of-charge and free-of-hassle on TESSource using a very simple system. TESSource remains the most used Oblivion mod resource due to it's ease-of-use and excellent functionality. I'm not bound by someone elses code; I use all my own code which enables me to write some pretty cool scripts! I hate to blow my own trumpet but I'm damn proud of the file database software I have produced and glad so many people find it simple and effective. I don't think mod authors should feel annoyed or cheated with this new feature.

How many modders do you know who refuse to upload to File Front or PES because they offer subscription services?

Lets face it; it saves mod authors time in getting their mod out to the public. Files are hosted for free without fear of the dreaded "run out of bandwidth" issues with free hosts and, even with this new subscription system, EVERYONE is going to be able to download their mod as soon as they upload it. It's just that some people will be getting it faster than others since their downloads will finish quicker and they can be informed when an author has uploaded something new!

I likely wouldn't subscribe, as I don't (or rather, won't, see Newbies post) download many mods, and don't consider time much of a priority. I might, though, pay a one-time fee, maybe 25-50 cents, for a fast download of a mod of sufficient interest and size.

I hate to be a spoilsport, but does the CS EULA affect this?

Couldn't you just run more ads to pay for it?

Yes, of course he could, but do you want more ads to marr a perfect website as it is?

Ads sometimes overwhelm people and drive them to leave.

true, I think this is a good solution, it's just everyone won't pony up the cash. You would probably get a better result asking for donations.

Yeah, Perhaps adding a donate button. I'd rather give you 5 dollars for that than pay for a subscription

There is another option, although it's far less simple. File-sharing.

File sharing could work. Though the server would need to be on hand to re-seed as necessary. And what about older files with less activity. One problem with filesharing is that it's hard to get what isn't popular.

WarKirby

Now that some people mentioned donations, maybe you could also add some SMS-based micropayment donation system too, in addition to the Paypal thingie... There's more people with a cellphone than with a credit card up these days, specially amongst the younger audiences.

Dunno how hard would it be to set up such a thing, though... A friend sent me this link (http://www.smskambi.com/), but so far it only works in Europe.






Bittorrent links could be used as a primary download link, but still offer direct downloads from TESsource.com as a second option in case the bittorrent isn't working... That should do the trick for the less popular mods, I think.

I prolly won't be subscribing because I'm in no hurry. I'll download all day if need be; I use to be on dialup for 8 years lol.

A bittorrent system would a good alternative though.

This pretty much answers my questions,but i shall state my old fears anyways.
I think that the reason that the site is so succesfull is BECAUSE it is free. I really dont want to see this become another file planet poo house, where you HAVE to SUBSCRIBE to get downloads,(i also upload, and i will bet that you wont get nearly as much personal activity and feedback on that site), but so long as it IS still possible to download the files, and so long as it DOESN'T effect it more than it naturally would, meaning it is just as fast downloading NOW as it would be THEN for the majority, but it would be faster if you subscribe, I'm all for it. Heck, I might even join on my measly little income just to support the site, but not if the reason this site is so popular takes a hit! Thats pretty much wat it comes down to, so i give this a thumbs up, with the website masters reasurances in mind.

Not really without changing the page layout a lot and destroying the user experience. The ads we run are PPC (pay-per-click) and no matter how many times you see it if you aren't interested you aren't interested! Would you really want to navigate several pages of ads before you got to your download?



File sharing was considered but, as people have mentioned, TESSource would still need to be the first and major seed, which takes our bandwidth either way. The connection is already saturated and to be honest there's not much we can do past buying more hardware. More hardware requires more money!



We will also have a donation system for those people who either don't want to subscribe (I see no reason why they shouldn't want to subscribe, since it's like donating with benefits!) or for people who want to give more than the subscription amount. This will also be handled by PayPal.

I think people may not quite know how PayPal works -- if you have a bank account and you're over 13 you can transfer money straight from your bank account -- NO credit card/debit card required. A lot more people are able to use PayPal than people realise.



Once again; the site will remain free with a paid alternative for those people who want to support the site.



You can get a FREE FilePlanet account, its just really hard to work out how to get it now since they removed an easy link to the free registration. A bad idea on their part.

On registration for Gaming Source you are given two clear cut options. Subscribe or register free. There's no subversion.

Well, money for the Bandwidth has to come from somewhere (especially after 8TB).

You have my support.

Same here. I like TESSOURCE, and first thought you meant volunteer work. I hate paysites...
It would help if the subscription was like £20 once

Im with GeeBiz on the matter. I'd rather pay one big price. I ahte the idea of paying per month, just one large fee would suffice.

Payments can be made monthly, semi-annually or annually.

How about we all start clicking those ads? Doesn't cost us anything Nice alternative if you don't want to pay for faster downloads, but still want to help the site. (a bit) *clicks on every ad he can find*

Some thoughts on the subscription service:

One major problem with the idea is it's a lot to ask for someone to pay for a site that's only for ONE game. I mean it's one thing to pay for a general purpose file site, but to pay just for one game? Not sure that's really worth it.

Also you need to consider that if you are going to charge, the service you offer for it has to be very good. People are going to expect to be able to download as much as they want, whenever they want, and that those downloads will proceed at close to their maximum download speed. One problem Fileplanet's premium service has is that, while there's no wait, it's very slow because they overload it.

So if you decide to go that way, you need to make sure that the projected money you are taking in is enough to cover the heavy usage. People aren't going to be willing to pay for something that drags along.

Perhaps a better idea is to look to Bittorrent. BT certainly isn't a cure all, but it will help decrease bandwidth usage on popular files. Also you can try to add incentives for people to help you seed files. While I'm not sure I'm willing to pay for a service for one game, I'd probably be willing to see files I download, at least for a while.

Basically, you just really need to think about the expectations that come with pay service. When I sit at an Internet cafe leeching their free wireless, I don't mind that it's slow, I don't mind if it drops, I don't mind if there's restrictions. I won't complain, it's free. However my network connection I pay for at home, I expect to work all the time, to be fast, to be stable, and not to restrict me. After all, they want money for it.

Definately a no-no. Inflating the clicks on the site will just get us banned completely. I cannot and will not force or ask for people to click on the banners both for moral and business reasons (I know many companies, my friend's included, who advertise through Google and you clicking on the ad with no good intention is wasting their money). It's effectively stealing.



It's more than just paying for one game. The idea was decided upon after many people I spoke to mentioned they'd be willing to support the site by donating money. I decided to take it one step futher and thank those people who subscribe. Now, Gaming Source, a network I own, is a host of over 30 sites independently owned. In the future there will be a lot more Source sites (Neverwinter Source is the new one on the block) covering a number of games -- and your subscription will cover all of them.

The subscription service is semi-donation, semi-convenience. It's not a contender to File Planet who offer beta tests and free games. It's a way of you supporting your local community site that supports you.

Despite this I am open to suggests on adding features that would be convenient to people while being an actual drain on the system. If I am to add new features to the site for subscribers it has to be because what they're paying for is helping to support said feature. So far no ads, no caching, faster downloads and more results per category/search page have been added, as well as a file tracker which emails you when an author uploads a new mod or updates specific mods. If people have ideas for any other features like these then let me know and I'll see what I can do.



I'm definately well aware of what the site needs, when it needs it. It's not going to be a case of "buy another server and stick all the subscribers on there". If we get a hundred subscribers we'll stick with the one server. If we get a thousand we'll get more. It's all scalable.

I would subscribe, since we would have the option to pay monthly, quarterly, semi-anually, etc. and we are in control of when we pay. That and the file tracking are big selling points for me. I would most certainly give it a try for a month to start with to see if my downloading experience would improve though, before I would make a payment for more months. I'm a user that's stuck in the boonies where I am unable to get cable or dsl (satelite's too expensive for me), so I'm stuck with the ole 56k modem. I have a very hard time downloading files that are over 2 megs in size (the downloads fail part way through). That still does not keep me from coming to this site two and three times a day, because I just love it - but if I have to pay, I would hope to have better luck with the downloads before paying bigger money.

But even if my downloads did not improve ... I still would have no problem making a donation for services ALREADY rendered! This site has become one of my favorite places on the web. The look and feel is great and it IS extremely easy to find what you are looking for here. I sincerely appreciate all the hard work that's been put into this site!

I wouldn't subscribe, since I only download very few mods, but I'd gladly make a donation on a per download basis instead. Or like many have said, pay a once off larger sum like £20.

The file corruption issues would definately be resolved. This happens because there are so many simultaneous users that the server has to start disconnecting current ones to allow new users on. This would not exist for subscribers.

you know what, i like the creator of the site. i'm impressed that you've stuck with this feedback, and have answered every question just like the last,(including repeats). i'd support the site, definately. and, by the way, could ya hook me up with a link to this "free" file planet membership? i've got to see this to beleive it, and i'm usually a pretty gulluble person.(im pretty much just harpin on the file planet, though i would be ecstatic if there is such a thing... found other great mods that were exclusively on file planet, not even on an authors' webpage((damn, so much for THAT loophole)))

HOLY PPPPOOOOPPPP!!! I LOOKED AROUND FOR A WHILE, IN THE LITTLE TINY, INSYWINSY LITTLE WRITINGS ON THE SIDES OF THE SCREENS, PICKED SOME, AND FOUND MY WAY TO AN ACCOUNT. HOLY BEJEESUS!!! DERHAMN! I DIDNT THINK THAT THAT WAS POSSIBLE! ok im done

hmmm...okay......well I would make a contribution, I would make an annual fee. So I change my vote, yes I would subscribe. altho I don't mind waiting longer for a download.

Just as somebody already stated, I download only a few mods, mostly small ones since I have a low end computer, and downloading hundred of megs of new high res textures and such would be useless. Therefore, I'm sorry, I won't be subscribing.

Disregard that, I think the offer is very good, the price is quite low, and everybody who makes intensive use of this site and has a credit card could bear it. Even though I really dislike sites that request people to pay, I see how this is necessary.

Anyway I think that everybody here, future subscribers or not, intensive users of the site, occasionals, lurkers, modders and even spammers, should thank the guy who created this site for free, because he liked the idea of doing something good for people he doesn't even know, and now he just wants to keep this site alive, and not let it drown in the sea of were-good-but-died-because-the-server-couldn't-handle-all-that-bandwidth sites.

I totally agree, I thank DarkOne so much, and I want this site to stay alive, so i'd make a donation, and many ppl would, in sure im not the only one. *looks around*