News from The Elder Scrolls Nexus

Today we are releasing some security updates for the Nexus Mod Manager to bring us in line with the new EU GDPR rules coming into force next month.

NMM has been "end-of-line" since 2016, which means we no longer provide any official support for the software, but we thought it was prudent to spend the time and money to release this update so our users could continue to use the software's online services while ensuring we're compliant with the new regulations. We also did not want people to think we were using the GDPR as an excuse to force people on to our new mod manager, [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/site/mods/1]Vortex[/url], either. The alternative was to simply turn off the old services completely, essentially making NMM, and any other software using our old login services, offline only.

To prevent any drama with this process, we've even patched up version 0.52.3 of NMM (the last version before the profile functionality was added) so there are no complaints.

In order to be compliant, we need to turn off our old, less secure login to the web services completely. We plan to do this on Tuesday the 8th of May. This will mean anyone who does not update their NMM will no longer be able to use NMM online. This will prevent you from being able to login, check for new file versions or download mods from the site directly in to NMM. This will also affect any other software that uses the old login destination and method, for example, Mod Organizer. We do not officially support Mod Organizer, nor is it made, updated or maintained by us, so any updates needed to ensure it works with our new login service will need to be handled by the team behind Mod Organizer. If you are currently a coder with software making use of the old Nexus login system, please do get in contact via PM or Discord and I will put you through to the appropriate person to help you get on to the newer system as soon as possible.

For convenience, both updated versions of NMM can be found on a [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/site/mods/4/?tab=files]new file page[/url] setup to make this a little easier. Remember, download 0.65.0 if you are using a version of NMM that is 0.60.x or later. Download 0.52.4 if you are using version 0.52.3 of NMM.

Apologies for the inconvenience caused, but it's 8 year old code now and, at some point, this was going to happen!

It's time for our second giveaway of the month!

For those of you that may have missed the initial announcement; as part our initiative to increase our social media following and presence, we will be running a series of giveaways.
Why do we care about our social media presence?
Why not just run ads on social media?
You can read more about that [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/news/13406]here[/url]!

Regardless of our reasons, we're giving away free stuff! A [b]£35 Steam Gift Card[/b] to be precise!
[i][size=1](Approximately $50 [i][size=1]USD [/size][/i]depending on daily exchange rate)[/size][/i]

[b]Read this before you scurry off to enter or you might disqualify yourself![/b]
In order to make sure that the winner comes from the Nexus Mods community, there are some mandatory steps for ensuring your eligibility.
        1. Leave a comment on this article. You can say anything you want. [i](The site rules still apply!)[/i]
        2. Log into the Gleam widget with your preferred method.
        3. Click the second entry action that says "Leave a comment on Nexus Mods"
        4. Enter your Nexus Mods username into the text field.
[i](If you didn't leave a comment here before going to the Gleam widget, be sure to follow the link back here and do that.)[/i]
[b]No comment or valid username = no Steam Gift Card for you.

[/b][size=4][b][url=http://2nex.us/1fNu30jzp8h]Click here to enter for your chance to win a [b]£35[/b] Steam Gift Card![/url]
[/b][/size]

It's time for another giveaway!

For those of you that may have missed the initial announcement; as part our initiative to increase our social media following and presence, we will be running a series of giveaways.
Why do we care about our social media presence?
Why not just run ads on social media?
You can read more about that [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/news/13406]here[/url]!

Regardless of our reasons, we're giving away free stuff! A [b]£35 Steam Gift Card[/b] to be precise!
[i][size=1](Approximately $50 [i][size=1]USD [/size][/i]depending on daily exchange rate)[/size][/i]

[b]Read this before you scurry off to enter or you might disqualify yourself![/b]
In order to make sure that the winner comes from the Nexus Mods community, there are some mandatory steps for ensuring your eligibility.
        1. Leave a comment on this article. You can say anything you want. [i](The site rules still apply!)[/i]
        2. Log into the Gleam widget with your preferred method.
        3. Click the second entry action that says "Leave a comment on Nexus Mods"
        4. Enter your Nexus Mods username into the text field.
[i](If you didn't leave a comment here before going to the Gleam widget, be sure to follow the link back here and do that.)[/i]
[b]No comment or valid username = no Steam Gift Card for you.

[/b][size=4][b][url=http://2nex.us/W34830jgsQG]Click here to enter for your chance to win a [b]£35[/b] Steam Gift Card![/url]
[/b][/size]

Top o' the morning to ya! 
Our friends over at [url=http://www.gog.com/?pp=a120fe5cad51f0d0942d7c283478628047d6cfce]GOG.com[/url] are having their [url=https://www.gog.com/news/the_st_patricks_day_sale_begins_on_gogcom?pp=a120fe5cad51f0d0942d7c283478628047d6cfce]St. Patrick's Day Sale[/url] and we're joining in on the festivities!

The lads and lassies at GOG.com were kind enough to offer us 100 of their [url=https://www.gog.com/st-patrics-sale?pp=a120fe5cad51f0d0942d7c283478628047d6cfce]Leprechaun Hats[/url], which we gladly accepted and will now be giving away to you.
After all, this is an Irish celebration and there's no better time to test your luck!

The premise of the Leprechaun Hats is quite simple. Reach into a Leprechaun Hat and pull out a Mystery Game. 
The game you receive is guaranteed to be a game you don't own yet. It's a great way to discover new titles!
[size=1][i](Each Mystery Game has a minimum value of $3.50 USD)[/i][/size]

[b]Read this before you scurry off to enter or you might disqualify yourself![/b]
In order to make sure that the winner comes from the Nexus Mods community, there are some mandatory steps for ensuring your eligibility.
        1. Leave a comment on this article. You can say anything you want. [i](The site rules still apply!)[/i]
        2. Log into the Gleam widget with your preferred method.
        3. Click the second entry action that says "Leave a comment on Nexus Mods"
        4. Enter your Nexus Mods username into the text field.
[i](If you didn't leave a comment here before going to the Gleam widget, be sure to follow the link back here and do that.)[/i]
[b]No comment or valid username = no Leprechaun Hat for you.[/b]

Get out those shamrocks, do a little jig, and give it a shot! Sláinte!

[size=4][url=http://2nex.us/lBDQ30iZ19H]Click here to enter for your chance to win 1 of 100 Leprechaun Hats from GOG.com

[/url][/size][size=1][i](Disclosure: We are a member of GOG.com's affiliate program. This means if you use any of the links in the article above to make a purchase from GOG.com, we get a very small cut. It's another way to help us keep the lights on and we're always happy to promote such a great company!)[/i][/size]

Kingdom Come: Deliverance released earlier this month to positive reviews. If you're not on top of the latest game releases, KCD is a low-fantasy (relatively) historically accurate open-world RPG set in 1400s Bohemia. The excellent news is, not only is the game good, it's also very moddable even before the developers have released the official modding tools. So for us, it has been an exciting few weeks as we have been working hard to create a home for the flourishing KCD modding community [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/kingdomcomedeliverance]here at Nexus Mods[/url] (almost 300 mods so far, and counting!).

Warhorse have not only left open as much of their game as possible to modding during their development process, but they've been communicating well post-launch to try and nurture their modding community and help out budding mod authors. This is evidenced in the [url=https://discord.gg/xrbeZN2]main KCD Discord server[/url] where several of the people involved in making the game have been available to answer questions and mingle with the community, which is amazing to see. Not only that, but they've also brought over some of their internal documentation to [url=https://wiki.nexusmods.com/index.php/Category:Kingdom_Come_Deliverance]our Wiki[/url], providing helpful advice on some of the more complex areas of the game as well as a [url=https://wiki.nexusmods.com/index.php/Modding_guide_for_KCD]general modding tutorial[/url]. We invite any modders who are open to sharing any information they've learned while modding the game to help populate our wiki with any useful information they come across. Knowledge is power after all, and a thriving KCD modding community is great for everyone!

Lastly, Warhorse are busy at work on their first major patch for the game. While we're not sure how long it will be before they can get modding tools out for the game, they are working on making it [i]a lot [/i]easier for modders to better mod the game as a part of this first patch. The patch will include a dedicated mods folder (no more zzz_modname.ext files!) as well as mod load orders and manifests. This will be a much-needed stop-gap until the tools come out.

So we've got a critically acclaimed and popular game from a developer who is working hard to nurture their modding community. That's what we love to see in PC gaming!

To top it off, this week, the GOG.com version of the game was released, so now you can also [url=https://www.gog.com/game/kingdom_come_deliverance?pp=a120fe5cad51f0d0942d7c283478628047d6cfce]get KCD DRM free[/url]!

In light of all this, instead of doing our usual £35 Steam gift card community giveaway this week, we decided it is the perfect time to do a game giveaway. We were going to buy some copies of KCD on GOG to give away, but in the end, both Warhorse and GOG have generously donated us some keys. Many thanks to them! As a result, we have 10 copies of the game to give away to lucky winners.

[b][size=2]Read this before you scurry off to enter or you might disqualify yourself![/size][/b]
In order to make sure that the winner comes from the Nexus Mods community, there are some mandatory steps for ensuring your eligibility this time around.
        1. Leave a comment on this article. You can say anything you want. [i](The site rules still apply!)[/i]
        2. Log into the Gleam widget with your preferred method.
        3. Click the second entry action that says "Leave a comment on Nexus Mods"
        4. Enter your Nexus Mods username into the text field.
[i](If you didn't leave a comment here before going to the Gleam widget, be sure to follow the link back here and do that.)[/i]
[b]No comment or valid username = no KCD key for you.[/b]

Thanks for taking the time to read this, best of luck, and happy modding! 

[size=3][url=https://gleam.io/kinT3/nxmkcdgiveaway][b]Click here to enter for your chance to win 1 of 10 keys for Kingdom Come: Deliverance[/b][/url][/size]
[i][size=1](Redeemable at GOG.com.)[/size][/i]

Hello everyone,

For over a year now we've been working on a mod manager to replace the ailing Nexus Mod Manager. The premise was simple, attempt to combine the simplicity of the Nexus Mod Manager with the advanced functionality of Mod Organizer and create something that is accessible to all types of modders. Back in May of 2017 we named this replacement "Vortex".

A couple of weeks ago we did a [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/news/13386]limited Alpha release of Vortex[/url] to 1,000 users, many of whom have been extremely helpful in posting bugs and feedback for us to work from. As a result of this feedback, Tannin has released four new updated versions of Vortex since the initial release two weeks ago. These have included fixes for a number of bugs and some updates to the functionality. I want to thank those of you who used the software extensively and posted bugs via the feedback system within Vortex, like we requested. Your help has been extremely useful to us during this process.

We're now ready to open up the Vortex Alpha to anyone who wants to give it a go.

Before you jump in head first, I implore you to fully understand what "Alpha" means, what state Vortex is in, and whether Vortex is currently right for you.


[size=4][b]What is Alpha software?
[/b][/size]
To save you a Google search, here's the first result for a description of Alpha software:

[quote]Alpha software is computer software that is still in the early testing phase. It is functional enough to be used, but is unpolished and often lacks many of the features that will be included in the final version of the program. The "alpha phase" of software development follows the early programming and design stages, but precedes the "beta phase" in which the software closely resembles the final version.

Since the alpha phase is an early part of the software development cycle, alpha software typically includes significant bugs and usability issues.[/quote]

It's important we adequately warn you of the state of Vortex (as we are, right now!) because if you run to the forums or elsewhere to complain about Vortex breaking your mod install, and you didn't make any backups of your save files or game states, knowing full well what we're telling you right here and right now, we're honestly not going to have much sympathy. We're going to want to know about whatever bug is causing this issue and will work our hardest to fix it ASAP, but I want you to be under no illusions that this is Alpha software, and we're treating it like Alpha software with the expectation for there to be unfound bugs that [i]will[/i] need fixing.



[size=4][b]Who is this for? Should I use Vortex?
[/b][/size]
Ask yourself whether being an [url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Early_adopter]early adopter[/url] is right for you at this time, or whether it makes more sense for you to wait until Vortex reaches a more polished Beta or full release state. Considering we're being fully open about the fact Vortex will have bugs and is not in a feature complete state, do you really want to be using the software in this state? Are you going to get upset if it does not function properly or creates issues that mean playing your game is not possible until Vortex is updated or until you fix things manually? If so, this is [b]NOT[/b] the right time for you to be using Vortex as your mod manager.

Are you competent enough to know how to backup your save games and modding folders, and able to rectify any issues manually or in another mod manager if Vortex doesn't work properly for you? Do you want to help us by providing constructive feedback and bug reports without getting emotional and rude? Are you patient and able to wait for fixes and functionality to be developed? Then we'd love it if you could download Vortex and give it a thorough run through, and we're looking forward to hearing from you.



[size=4][b]Does Vortex replace NMM/MO/my current mod manager?
[/b][/size]
Right now? No. We're not recommending anyone fully switch to Vortex from their current mod management tools. We think it will get there in the not too distant future, but it's not there yet.

Many users in our testing group and in the limited Alpha we did over the past couple of weeks have been able to switch over fully. We do recommend that you try and switch over, but that you backup and keep whatever current mod manager you're using (and your mod setups/savegames attached to them) so if something goes wrong with Vortex, you can easily and quickly switch back so it does not affect your gaming.

With all this in mind, we're not officially replacing NMM on the site at this time. We're keeping the "Install NMM" button in the top nav, and the only place you're going to be able to download Vortex is from our own [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/site]Nexus Mods[/url] game page, which will also hopefully include extensions for Vortex moving forward.

This, in itself, should tell you how we're treating this release of Vortex. This isn't an all singing and tooting release of Vortex to the masses where we tell everyone it's the best thing since sliced bread and that everyone should switch. This is still us releasing quietly, telling you that we're happy with the direction it's heading but we know that it still needs more time in the oven.



[size=4][b]What type of people are you looking for during the Alpha?
[/b][/size]
We really want people to try Vortex and we're really grateful for any help you can provide in bug reports and functionality feedback. What we're looking for right now are individuals who are competent in modding their games, who understand the risks of using this Alpha software and are willing to be patient with bugs and possible missing functionality to help us develop something really good.



[size=4][b]How long is the Alpha going to last?
[/b][/size]
We're aware that NMM was in a permanent Beta state and this was not ideal for anyone. We want to avoid that with Vortex, but we cannot give you a timeline or roadmap at this time.

Our initial focus is going to be on fixing bugs in the Alpha and addressing any issues that it brings to light. We'll then work on a roadmap moving forward, establishing what goals we want to hit before we're confident with it reaching Beta.



[size=4][b]Is there any documentation?
[/b][/size]
Right now documentation that is ready for public viewing is very limited, but we hope to rectify that over the coming months. In the meantime, popular YouTuber Gopher is working on some tutorial videos that will introduce Vortex to users and help guide you through the process of using the software. I'll update this news post when his Introduction video is ready, and you can get further updates by [url=https://www.youtube.com/user/GophersVids/videos]visiting his channel[/url].



[size=4][b]Does Vortex include an import tool from NMM or MO?
[/b][/size]
Vortex installs as a separate application on your computer. Any existing installations and setups you have of NMM and/or MO will not be affected by you installing and using Vortex. The only thing that will be affected is how NXM (download) links are handled on the site, e.g. what application starts and downloads files when you click the "Download with manager" button on the site.

Vortex includes an "Import from NMM" and "Import from MO" functionality that will attempt to copy your mod setup from those respective mod managers. This is non-destructive and will not impact your setups.

Please be patient during the process, it might take a little while for Vortex to read your current mod setups if they're particularly large.

Because of the (now) archaic way that NMM handles files in the data folder, we recommend disabling any mods you have installed in NMM (or switching to an empty profile, that will in turn clear up any files NMM has placed in your game data folder) if your import to Vortex is successful. This is because Vortex and NMM both try to keep track of which files they've installed, and using multiple modding tools for the same game at the same time makes that difficult. If you need to revert back to NMM, you can simply disable Vortex and reapply your NMM profile to return your setup to how it was before.

As always, please backup your current modding setups in case the worst happens. Ensure you create a safe copy of your mod installations somewhere else so that you can restore from this backup in case of a problem, and ensure you know how to restore these backups properly before you attempt to use Vortex.



[size=4][b]How should I provide feedback?
[/b][/size]
Vortex contains a feedback and bug reporting system built in to the software, which can be access from the menu in the top-right corner. If you experience issues while using the software please report them using these methods, providing detailed information about what you were doing at the time the problem occured. This is the direct line to Tannin and the fastest way of getting any bugs spotted and fixed.

If you post your bugs in the forums or elsewhere, without using the bug reporting tools in Vortex, it's honestly not helpful to us. Feel free to discuss any bugs elsewhere, but at least ensure you give us a proper bug report from within Vortex first (if you can!).



[size=4][b]A note on feedback
[/b][/size]
Please keep in mind that, currently, Tannin is the only developer working on Vortex and as such, we need to manage his time carefully. To us, it's more prudent that he spends the vast majority of his time actually working on Vortex to improve it, because every hour he spends responding to user feedback is an hour he hasn't spent working on Vortex itself. So while it's my hope we can respond to as much as possible, please be aware it's unlikely we're going to be able to respond to all feedback. We will read it all, however.

A common thing we're hearing at the moment between the Vortex release and the release of our new site redesign is this concept of "you don't listen to us". I want to take this time to nip this silly notion in the bud right now.

There is a big difference between not listening to what some of our users are saying and not acting on what some of our users are saying/asking for/outright rudely demanding. I guarantee you, we read all the feedback we receive on Vortex and on the site, but not acting on that feedback does not mean we do not listen.

We might not act or change something that you or multiple users request for a number of different reasons and you should not expect to always get your way. We need to cater for a user base of over 14 million users, some of whom may completely disagree with what you're saying or have completely different wants and needs to your own. Yes, we want to try and cater for all users, but sometimes that simply isn't feasible or possible.

If we agree changes need to be made, or even contemplate them, then you need to be aware that our to-do list is years long, and acting on your feedback might not be placed right at the top of the pile (nor is it just going to be dumped at the bottom). This, once again, does not mean we "do not listen" or that your feedback is not valued. Thank you for your understanding.


[size=4][b]Is Vortex open source? Where can I get the source code?
[/b][/size]
We plan to release the source code to Vortex as soon as possible. You will see the repos show up on GitHub, step-by-step, probably over a day or two. I shall update this news post and we shall post in the [url=https://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/forum/4311-vortex-code-development/]Vortex Code Development forums[/url] when they're ready.



[size=4][b]I've read all of this and I'm sure I'd like to use and help test Vortex. Where can I get it?[/b][/size]

Vortex can be found via the "Nexus Mods" game page where we've setup a [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/site/mods/1]special mod page[/url] just for Vortex.

I'm going to be completely straight with you, we're currently working on increasing our social media presence for Nexus Mods and have budgeted a small amount each month towards increasing our social media readership. We could certainly put that money straight into purchasing Facebook and Twitter ads, but I much prefer the idea of using that money instead to fund giveaways that benefit our users and that everyone can enter (even if you don't care about or hate social media).

To that end, we plan to run fortnightly giveaways for Steam gift cards. Anyone can enter, and we provide additional entries for users who join and interact with us on social media.

Why do we care about social media? We're using our social media channels to provide a steady stream of modding news and hidden gems for as many games as possible that Nexus Mods supports. For some, social media is an addictive daily habit, for others, it's the devil incarnate (with most sat somewhere in the middle of those two extremes). We find it a useful alternative platform for sharing things with a wider reach and a larger audience of users. I know from our engagements in these channels that lots of people appreciate it too. Which is great! We also understand some of you don't care about social media, and that's fine too.

This week's giveaway is for a £35 Steam Gift card (which converts to your own local currency on Steam if you win) which is roughly $50 depending on the exchange rate. To enter, all you need to do is head on over to our [url=https://gleam.io/zhVDb/nexus-mods-giveaway-feb-09-2018]competition entry page[/url], read our competition rules and enter your (very limited, don't worry) details so that if you win, we can contact you. That's it. If you want a few more chances to win, you can follow the instructions to increase your chances of winning.

As I said, we're simply testing these giveaways out at the moment and will see how people respond. If it's positive and we receive good engagement we'll likely increase the rewards as a result.

Here's that [url=https://gleam.io/zhVDb/nexus-mods-giveaway-feb-09-2018]competition page[/url] link again, just in case you missed it. Good luck!

As part of our relocation process to our offices in Exeter, we now have two job openings at Nexus Mods working within our community management team.

This position is based in our offices in Exeter in the UK and you will need a right to work in the UK before you apply.

Here are the details.


[b][size=3]The Role[/size][/b]
As a community manager, it is your responsibility to interact with and look after the Nexus Mods community and understand the needs and wants of the various smaller communities within. You will be the public face of Nexus Mods and the go-to person for any questions users have specifically about the community including our rules and regulations and how we enforce them.

Your position will have both an internal and external focus. On the one hand, helping to manage and look after the community we already have while on the other helping to expand the Nexus Mods community further, inviting new mod authors to join us and expanding our reach into new games.

As part of this role you will help to manage and coordinate our moderation team, ensuring they continue to do a good job, providing them support when needed and helping to find and recruit new members to the team as and when necessary.

You will need to have your finger on the pulse of the Nexus modding community, the general gaming modding community and the wider gaming industry so you can fully represent us in all those spheres. It'll be your job to ensure the Nexus Mods community remains strong and vibrant while continuing to grow.

Nexus Mods now has a strong social media presence on both Twitter and Facebook. As community manager, you will source and post highly relevant content on our social media channels and work to increase our reach in social media through promotions and other mediums.

You'll be learning the ropes of your position from our current community management team of SirSalami and Terrorfox1234 and reporting directly to Robin.


[b][size=3]Responsibilities[/size][/b]
[list][*]Managing the moderation team
[*]Responding to and dealing with high profile issues with moderation on the site
[*]Interacting on the forums and social media every day as the public face of Nexus Mods
[*]Expanding the reach of Nexus Mods by communicating with mod authors from games we do not currently support and helping them bring their mods to Nexus Mods
[*]Participating in team meetings
[*]Working with the rest of the community management team to ensure everyone is on the same page
[*]Working with everyone at Nexus Mods to shape the future of our platform
[/list]

[b][size=3]Requirements and Skills
[/size][/b]
[list]
[*]This is an office-based position. You need a right to work in the UK and a willingness to relocate to Exeter as soon as possible
[*]Strong communication skills both verbally and written (English)
[*]The ability to remain calm and impartial even when people in the community are being unfair or unreasonable, maintaining a professional demeanour throughout
[*]A good understanding of social media, including Twitter and Facebook
[*]A good understanding of how Nexus Mods works and the rules of Nexus Mods
[*]A deep understanding of how modding works such that you can properly investigate and resolve mod author conflicts regarding asset permissions
[/list]

[b][size=3]Bonus Skills
[/size][/b]
[list]
[*]Previous experience making and releasing mods
[*]Previous experience managing social media platforms via Hootsuite or other comparable SM Management tools
[*]A sense of humour
[*]A love of computer games
[/list]

[b][size=3]Other Information
[/size][/b]
[list]
[*]We will offer a competitive market rate salary dependent on your level
[*]We will provide high spec hardware for you to work from in the office
[*]For the right candidates, we may be able to assist with relocation expenses and logistics
[*]This is a full-time office-based position from our offices in Exeter, UK
[/list]

[b][size=3]To Apply[/size][/b]
Please send an email to jobs@nexusmods.com with your CV and why you’d be suitable for this role.

Hello everyone,

For over a year now we've been working on a mod manager to replace the ailing Nexus Mod Manager. The premise was simple, attempt to combine the simplicity of the Nexus Mod Manager with the advanced functionality of Mod Organizer and create something that is accessible to all types of modders. Back in May of 2017 we named this replacement "Vortex" and we aimed for a January 2018 release date.

[img]https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/images/110/1-1517400557.png[/img]

With that in mind, the full release of Vortex is almost upon us. To give us a bit more time to polish things up (more on the web side than the application side) we're aiming for a full unlimited alpha release of Vortex on the week starting the 12th of February.

In the meantime, we would really like to do some limited testing of our software and do a small stress test of our brand new online API service. So today, Wednesday the 31st, we will be doing a very limited release of Vortex of around 1,000 users. I plan to spread out the release through the day to try and give a chance to people from different time zones, likely opening up downloads to 200 unique users every 3 hours or so from midday GMT until I go to bed.

After discussing this at length with Tannin and the web programmers we felt a limited release over the next couple of weeks would be the most beneficial for us, allowing us to test our all new API functionality in a controlled environment in an attempt to avert the issues of the past where we inadvertently managed to DDoS our own servers with NMM releases, while also providing additional feedback for Tannin on the software side.

Vortex will be offered up for download in our mod database as its own file page. It will be left visible until 200 unique downloads have been reached, then we'll hide it again for 3 hours before making it available to a further 200 unique downloads. And so on, and so forth.

For this limited release, you will only be able to use Vortex if you first login to the software and we will be limiting the number of users who can login to Vortex via our API so even if the Vortex installer gets shared elsewhere on the internet, we'll still only allow a limited number of users to access the online services Vortex provides. This limitation will not be in the full unlimited release in two weeks time and you will be able to use Vortex without first having to login in at that point.

You should never trust any download links provided for our software anywhere other than on Nexus Mods, so if you see Vortex on other sites I highly recommend you don't install it. Not just because you're potentially inconveniencing us (and the community) by overloading our services, but also because you cannot trust the file is safe to use.

We'll also know who is using the service without downloading it from Nexus Mods, as we can correlate our download information with API logins on the site. If you're logging in but the download stats show you haven't downloaded Vortex from Nexus Mods then you've been naughty!

With the full unlimited alpha release of Vortex less than two weeks away I please ask that you think of the community, and us, and only download Vortex if you're legitimately going to use it and test it extensively over the next two weeks. If you're not going to get around to doing that within two weeks, and you're not willing to troubleshoot potential issues both with the software and with your mod setups, then please just wait! If we can get 1,000 users who thoroughly use Vortex it will provide us with an invaluable source of feedback that will mean we can improve and iterate on the software, to the benefit of everyone, that much quicker. Thank you for your understanding.

Before you enter into this process please have a think about the type of user you are and whether being a first adopter of the software is right for you, and us.

Most importantly, this is alpha software. As such, our advice would be to try out Vortex, attempt to get it setup and working with your games, but do not switch over from your usual day-to-day modding setup straight away. If you're not comfortable with this or you're chomping at the bit to switch over completely, the software likely isn't ready for your use type and we do not recommend downloading Vortex until we do the full unlimited alpha release and you see the feedback coming from other users.

Vortex installs as a separate application on your computer. Any existing installations and setups you have of NMM and/or MO will not be affected by you installing and using Vortex. The only thing that will be affected is how NXM (download) links are handled on the site, e.g. what application starts and downloads files when you click the "Download with manager" button on the site.

Vortex includes an "Import from NMM" functionality that will attempt to copy your mod setup from NMM. This is non-destructive and will not impact your NMM setup. Because of the (now) archaic way that NMM handles files in the data folder, we recommend disabling any mods you have installed in NMM (or switching to an empty profile, that will in turn clear up any files NMM has placed in your game data folder) if your import to Vortex is successful. This is because Vortex and NMM both try to keep track of which files they've installed, and using multiple modding tools for the same game at the same time makes that difficult. If you need to revert back to NMM, you can simply disable Vortex and reapply your NMM profile to return your setup to how it was before.

As always, please backup your current modding setups in case the worst happens. Ensure you create a safe copy of your mod installations somewhere else so that you can restore from this backup in case of a problem.

Even though the file page has been added to Skyrim Special Edition Nexus, the software currently supports 28 different games and we are looking for as much feedback on how Vortex works with all of these games. The games are:
[list]
[*]Breaking Wheel
[*]Dark Souls
[*]Dark Souls 2
[*]Dragon Age
[*]Dragone Age 2
[*]Dragon's Dogma
[*]Factorio
[*]Fallout 3
[*]Fallout 4 VR
[*]Fallout 4
[*]Fallout: New Vegas
[*]Legend of Grimrock
[*]Morrowind
[*]No Man's Sky
[*]Oblivion
[*]The Sims 3
[*]The Sims 4
[*]Skyrim
[*]Skyrim Special Edition
[*]Starbound
[*]State of Decay
[*]The Elder Scrolls Online
[*]War Thunder
[*]The Witcher 2
[*]The Witcher 3
[*]World of Tanks
[*]X-COM 2
[*]X: Rebirth
[/list]
Vortex contains a feedback and bug reporting system built in to the software. If you experience issues while using the software please report them using these methods, providing detailed information about what you were doing at the time the problem occured. We'll be opening up a feedback forum shortly where you can discuss the software in detail.

We appreciate the patience most of you have shown over the past 18 months and hope we can hit the ground running with our official alpha release of Vortex in a couple of week's time. We're extremely happy with how the software has shaped up and its potential for the future, and we hope once you get to use it properly, you will be too.

When Vortex is available for download during this limited test run, it will be found on [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/skyrimspecialedition/mods/14987]this page[/url]. We have also opened a new [url=https://forums.nexusmods.com/index.php?/forum/4301-vortex/]Vortex forum[/url] for users to discuss the software.

Last year we set up our first office for Nexus Mods and began the process of relocating as many of the current staff as possible into the new environment.

As part of this process, we now have a job opening at Nexus Mods working on our [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/news/12905]Vortex software[/url] with Tannin, which is replacing the Nexus Mod Manager.

This position is based in our offices in Exeter in the UK, which I know limits our available recruiting pool from the sites, but I always post our job openings up on the site before passing on the requirements to local recruiters. I'd rather recruit from within the community if I can and we've been very lucky thus far finding staff who know and use Nexus Mods.

Here are the details.


[b][size=3]The Role[/size][/b]

You’ll be working with our current Vortex programmer, Tannin, to further develop and expand on Vortex. This will include fixing bugs and writing new extensions and functionality for the software.

While this role is based in our offices in Exeter, Tannin does not work from our offices and as such you will become a liaison between the Vortex development team and our web development team, that are based in the Exeter offices from which you will work.

Our stack consists of a mixture of technologies - Node, Electron, Javascript, React, CSS, and some C++ and C#.

We work as closely as possible to an agile project management scheme and every team member’s input is highly valued - we’re looking for people who can constructively discuss and promote ideas in our programming meetings.

You'll need development experience with javascript and be comfortable with related technologies.

Ultimately, we’re looking for people who are keen to learn and flexible in their approach with a strong programming background.


[b][size=3]Responsibilities[/size][/b]

[list]
[*]Working as part of the Vortex team to maintain the Vortex software, fixing bugs and adding new features.
[*]Participating in team meetings.
[*]Keeping track of your workflow using project management tools.
[*]Working with everyone at Nexus Mods to shape the future of our platform.
[/list]

[b][size=3]Requirements and Skills[/size][/b]

[list]
[*]Javascript/Typescript & related Frameworks.
[*]NodeJS/Electron.
[*]CSS.
[*]Strong understanding of Object-Oriented Development.
[*]Willingness to learn new technologies.
[*]Strong communication skills both verbally and written (English).
[*]Right to work in the UK and a willingness to relocate to Exeter
[/list]

[b][size=3]Bonus Skills[/size][/b]

[list]
[*]Comfortable developing on Windows.
[*]C++
[*]C#
[*]An understanding of games modding and knowledge of Nexus Mods.
[*]Previous experience with Nexus Mod Manager and Mod Organizer.
[*]A sense of humour.
[*]A love of computer games.
[/list]

[b][size=3]Other Information[/size][/b]

[list]
[*]We will offer a competitive market rate salary dependent on your level.
[*]We will provide high spec hardware for you to work from in the office.
[*]For the right candidates we may be able to assist with relocation expenses and logistics. 
[*]This is a full-time office-based position from our offices in Exeter, UK.
[/list]

[b][size=3]To Apply[/size][/b]

In order to apply, please send an email to jobs@nexusmods.com with your CV and why you’d be suitable for this role.

A belated Merry Christmas and a happy new year to everybody!

We've been quiet in our news section recently as we've been busily working away on the site redesign and Vortex development, but the new year brings the perfect chance to update you on what happened last year and what we're working on in 2018.


[b][size=3]2017 in numbers[/size][/b]

We welcomed 1,612,142 new users to Nexus Mods in 2017, or to put it another way, a new member joined Nexus Mods every 20 seconds. We now support mods for 493 different games, up 80 on 2016. In that time users have uploaded 27,891 new mods to the site and all of you have downloaded 601,609,165 files between you, which means that 19 new downloads were started on Nexus Mods every second of 2017.

While traffic on the site has declined slightly on 2016's figures due to the initial buzz of Fallout 4's release dying down, you're all downloading way more than you used to, up 22% on last year's 491,161,244 downloads.


[b][size=3]We got an office[/size][/b]

Starting 2017 I was becoming unhappy with the remote working conditions at Nexus Mods. Since I hired the first staffer back in 2011, every position has been remote and we've had employees living in England, Scotland, Italy, Germany and the United States. However, it's become increasingly evident over the years that no matter what software or hardware companies bring out to bridge the gap between office workers and remote workers, nothing, and I mean nothing, replaces the sheer efficiency (and comradery) of individuals working in the same room together towards a common goal.

So while most companies try and open themselves up more to remote and flexible working, I decided to go the complete opposite direction and in May 2017, we setup a Nexus Mods office that myself, an existing member of staff and two new site programmers would be the first to fill.

From time to time Tom, our head of Programming and Paul, director of content, would come down and work a few days in the office as well.

I was dubious about the changes at first as this would be the first time in my life I'd be working in an office rather than from home, but any doubts I had quickly left me and I'm extremely happy with how the office has panned out.

Now I know it was the right thing to do, I'm about to put pen to paper on a new office that will be the Nexus Mods staff home for the next few years. Any new staff positions we fill will, most likely, be office based from our home here in Exeter in the UK.


[b][size=3]Staff changes[/size][/b]

We've welcomed some new faces this year and said goodbye to some long-standing staff as well.

As already mentioned, back in May we brought in two new site programmers working from the office and in November we welcomed Kit, our designer, to fill a brand new role in the team.

We've said goodbye to Fabio and Luca, who were the team behind the Nexus Mod Manager, as we look to consolidate as many staff positions as possible into the new office environment. Paul, whose absence you might have noticed from our news section in recent months, has also moved on to new pastures. We wish them all the best.


[b][size=3]The site redesign[/size][/b]

In November we pushed out our new site redesign, first as a public beta for testing and feedback, and just recently, into a full launch. The old design can still be accessed from http://old.nexusmods.com but will soon be switched off.

We're very happy with it, not just how it looks and works, but also the underlying changes made to the framework and logic make it far more efficient for a team of programmers (which is what we have now) to work on it.

Naturally, the redesign has had a polarizing effect, and indeed, in 16 years of running these sites I haven't launched a redesign without it doing just that. I'm not sure any established site does. But nevertheless, we've received a treasure trove of feedback from which we can work from, some very helpful, some not so helpful and some plain rude, but we know how to filter the helpful feedback from the rude stuff and just get on with it, and that's what we're doing.

With help from users reporting bugs on our GitHub tracker, we've squashed hundreds of bugs and refined several areas of the site from the original design already. We'll continue to iterate on it moving forward based on the feedback being provided.

The old design will go down soon. While many users have asked for us to keep the old design up, it's simply not feasible as our code base moves further and further away from it. We can neither afford to continue paying for the old hardware the old design is on, nor can we afford to maintain code/design parity with any new and future functionality we add moving forward. It's not cut out for the amount of data we're having to store now, nor is it cut out for a larger team of programmers to work on it. It's simply put, not fit for purpose any more and separating the design from the logic would be a futile task for us.


[b][size=3]Vortex[/size][/b]

Allllllllmoooooost there.

I had a little play around with Tannin's latest version yesterday and I'm really happy with how it's looking, how it's working, and all the exciting things we'll be able to do with it looking into the future.

It's touch and go whether we're going to hit that January deadline, but if we don't, it'll simply be for polish and fixing any last minute bugs the focus group bring up. We'll update you once we know for sure and if we can't hit January, we'll release some pictures and more information to tide you over.


[b][size=3]Social media[/size][/b]

Some of you don't care for social media, but a lot of us do and use it regularly. We brought Terrorfox onto the team back in 2016 to spearhead our external focus, past the Nexus Mods community, and as a part of those efforts, he's created a thriving social media presence for Nexus Mods.

On both [url=https://www.facebook.com/nexussites/]Facebook[/url] and [url=https://twitter.com/NexusSites]Twitter[/url], Terrorfox releases a steady stream of popular mods and hidden gems you might never have seen or heard of before every couple of hours, that are all available on Nexus Mods. Mixed in with a few retweets or shout-outs to what mod authors are doing and talking about around social media, I can honestly say that it's a rather nice way of being informed about new mods in the community and what's being talked about on social media.

No clickbait here, just straight up "here's a mod, here's what it does, check it out". If that's of interest to you, give us a follow or a like so you can keep up to date with what's being posted there.


[b][size=3]Looking forward to 2018 on the website[/size][/b]

We've got a fight on our hands in 2018.

Our work on the redesign over these past two years has revealed some looming future issues in our backend that we need to rectify. Nexus Mods has obviously grown at an astounding rate since we first built the new framework for the site in 2011 and our needs back then were very different to our present needs.

You need only look at the download figures quoted above, which are increasing at an almost alarming rate, to understand the data sets we're talking about. In 28 months our download database alone has doubled in size (which means that our users have downloaded more since September 2015 than they did from June 2005, when our records in their current form began, to August 2015). Now, with 2.4 billion downloads in our system that we rely on for a number of different features on the site, we're in "big data" realms and we need to work hard and fast to accommodate this.

As a result, a lot of our time is going to be spent completely rebuilding all the backend logic and framework, from the ground up, to move us into more of a big data mindset. It's very boring talk for people like you and me, but it has very serious implications for the future of Nexus Mods if we do nothing, or if we don't get it right.

It was our hope that we'd be able to rectify these issues as part of the redesign process but all it has done is highlight the need for a complete ground up rehaul of our systems. That doesn't mean a new redesign, or rather, it does, but a redesign of our databases, server infrastructure, framework and so on. Basically, the stuff you don't see but can sometimes "feel", like when the site is slow or unresponsive. Recently announced functionality like our [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/news/13371]Mod Author Donation System[/url] will form a part of these new systems.

As such, the work we've done on the redesign, which has already involved some significant refactoring of our code, has given us a little room to breathe while we work on some pretty big stuff into 2018 and beyond.

While a number of our programmers will be focusing on these efforts, a separate team are going to continue working their socks off iterating on our redesign and taking on the feedback we're getting from all of you.

We've still got some speed improvements to make that should make browsing the new site faster and Kit continues to push changes to the design based on the feedback she's reading on the forum and in the news comments. That's an ongoing process that is never truly going to end.


[b][size=3]Looking forward to 2018 with Vortex[/size][/b]

First, we've got to release it.

Vortex is obviously going to be released in an alpha state and we're only going to recommend people use it, to begin with, if they want to help us actually test the software and aren't shy about potential bugs or issues that might come from completely changing your mod management software. During this phase, if you're a 500+ mod load order person who has everything delicately sorted to perfection and don't want anything messing with that then you're likely not the right person for the initial release of Vortex [b][i]unless[/i][/b] you want to help us test getting it all ported over and working correctly in Vortex!

Tannin will be eagerly awaiting feedback and bug reports and will no doubt work hard to resolve them all as quickly as possible.

Naturally, we have no idea how long that process is going to take, but we're confident we've learnt from the mistakes of the past on this one and don't want to be in a perpetual alpha state!

Looking to the future, we've been keenly watching developments unfold in the community recently in regards to mod packs. It's something we've explored for Nexus Mods and NMM in the past, so much so that we were mere weeks away from launching a full fledged mod pack system before I mothballed it. If you're interested in how that came about, the technicalities behind it and the reason why it was mothballed I wrote a [url=https://www.reddit.com/r/skyrimmods/comments/7n20ai/moddrop_apologizes/dryzuqm/]rather extensive breakdown on Reddit[/url] about it recently.

I've tentatively spoken with Tannin briefly on the subject and, while we've got a to-do list that's years in the making, mod packs are something we'll likely explore again in the not too distant future. Naturally, we'll consult with mod authors extensively about our plans and what feedback they have during the design and implementation stage.


[b][size=3]In finishing[/size][/b]

I want to send a big thank you to the often unsung heroes of this community, our moderation team, who diligently volunteer their time to help moderate these sites and deal, often times, with some sickeningly awful individuals on the internet. Without them, Nexus Mods wouldn't be Nexus Mods. I can sit here and talk about "big data" this and "Vortex" that, but all of that is utterly moot if the community collapses in on itself (or doesn't exist at all) due to idiots who just want to act like dicks and ruin it for everyone else.

Also, obviously, a thank you to the mod authors who continue to create and share their content on Nexus Mods, without whom all of this is similarly pointless!

I wish you all a great 2018.

While a few of the developers continue to work on the new site design, fixing up bugs, improving page load time performance and responding to useful critiques and suggested improvements to the UI and UX from users, I wanted to take some time out to announce a new feature that a few of our other developers are currently working on that we plan to launch in the first quarter of 2018. A new year's resolution of sorts, if you will.

The new functionality I want to talk about today is something I've wanted to do for a long time. Indeed, I initially pitched this idea in the mod author forums back in August to gauge user response and receive feedback from the users who would benefit from the system. Once you initially read what it is, you'll likely realise it's a contentious issue. Please ensure you read all the way to the end before you leave a comment, as it will answer a lot of questions!


[b][size=3]To cut a long story short…[/size][/b]

We are working on a Donation Points system on Nexus Mods that mod authors will be able to accumulate, through unique file page downloads, that can then be redeemed for rewards through a storefront style system.

Let me cut to the chase and clarify right now that this system definitely isn't going to let any mod author quit their day job. However, it should fulfill that original wish many mod authors have expressed for years now of wanting at least a little something tangible back from their modding hobby, even if it's just some recognition and a couple of free coffees/beers each month to keep them topped up while they're working on their mods.

On a personal level, I've been wanting to find a way to personally donate to mod authors past the occasional donation I throw out to mod authors whose mods I use, from Nexus Mods to you, for a long time now, and this seems like the best way of going about doing that in as fair a way as possible.

At the end of the day, this is going to be a way for Nexus Mods, and the users of Nexus Mods, to donate to and thank all the mod authors on Nexus Mods collectively.


[b][size=3]How will this system work?[/size][/b]

As a gift, every month we at Nexus Mods will donate a variable amount (expected to be between $5,000 - $10,000 at our discretion) into a central donation pool. This is the base level of contribution, the minimum total pool amount each month from which the Donation Points will be calculated.

When paid modding was first announced for Steam Workshop, lots of users bemoaned the fact that they'd like to see a stronger donation system put in place for mod authors. To that end, we are also working on enabling users of Nexus Mods to contribute into this monthly pool, so that any and all users of Nexus Mods can choose to donate into the total pool for that month if they so wish. Essentially, crowd-funded mod author donations. We'll provide a page on the site where you can see how high the donation pool is for that month, split between what we at Nexus Mods have put in, and what the entire community has put in and we'll probably gamify this a little and let users who donate opt-in to a leaderboard style system that lists how much they've donated and so on.

Donation Points (DP) will have a monetary value attached to them which, at time of writing works out at 1,000 DP being worth $1 USD. This will remain a constant and will not fluctuate or change.

At the end of the month, the total donation money pool will be converted into its DP equivalent. For example, a total donation money pool of $10,000 is the equivalent of 10,000,000 DP. A script will then sum up the total unique downloads that each file page has received in that month, from mod authors who have opted into this scheme, and divide the total available DP amount by the total unique download amount for that month. For example, if the total donation money pool is $10,000 (which is 10,000,000 DP) and the total unique download count is 5,000,000 then that means each unique download would be worth 2 DP. Ergo, a mod author who receives 25,000 unique downloads that month will receive 50,000 DP, which is the equivalent of $50 to redeem in our redemption storefront.

This system is completely opt-in and as such, it's impossible for us to currently calculate how many DP you'll receive per unique download. We can calculate the bare minimum based on a theoretical situation in which every single mod author on the site has opted in all their files, but that would not be a fair approximation. The number will fluctuate from month to month based on the available donation pool as well as what files have been opted into the system.

The metric we are using is the unique download count for a user's mod pages as a whole. Note that this is different from the unique download counts for the individual files you can download from a mod page. For example, if you have 14 files available to download on a single mod page and a user downloads each of those files, your unique download counter is increased by 1, and not 14. I understand this is going to be contentious for some people, especially in regards to big mods that already have a multitude of unique downloads within the community, but unfortunately there are restrictions with our stat tracking that will not enable us to, for example, count all downloads from the start of this scheme as having been reset and "unique" from that point on.

[size=3]
[b]The redemption store - not just about cash[/b][/size]

Users can redeem their Donation Points via a section of the site that will act like a storefront. While we will offer options to redeem DP for Pay Pal donations, Amazon gift vouchers and the like, it's also my hope we will offer items and options directly related to the hobby that brought us all here in the first place -- modding! The plan is to offer popular games from storefronts like Steam, Humble Bundle or GOG, subscriptions and software licenses for popular software that modders use for their modding or would like to use but can't afford and even PC hardware, for example, video cards, motherboards, memory and so on and so forth. I know some mod authors are running very old or budget systems. If we could help them improve their systems it could provide tangible benefits to the community as a whole.

Looking into the future, there's also the potential for the redemption store to be sponsored from month to month. For example, we might invite big names in the industry to donate some items to our storefront like Corsair donating some PC peripherals or Nvidia providing us with some video cards, which we'd likely discount in the redemption store for the mod authors.

We will also be offering the ability for mod authors to donate their DP to a few hand-picked charities. Donations will be sent to the selected charity once a nominal yet meaningful amount has been reached.


[b][size=3]Why does it have to be another popularity contest? Why are you allocating points based on unique downloads?[/size][/b]

As I'm sure you can understand this issue is complicated and can create the potential for a lot of drama in the community. Whatever system we come up with has to be reasonable and most of all, devoid of subjective human opinions as much as possible. That basically means that there should be no one person or group of people in charge of who receives points, whether that's me or anyone else.

Unique download counters are perhaps the most objective metric we have on this site and are a direct representation of the popularity of a file, even more so than endorsements. And most of all, unique download counters are so hard to game in the grand scheme of things that they are the safest bet when it comes to preventing fraud. You'd need to make about 20,000 new accounts, and download the same file using each of them, to make any sort of noticeable dent in the unique download counters across the site. I think that's unlikely. In contrast, if we were to use something like the endorsement system, or the file of the month system, you'd still need to make a lot of new accounts but it would be considerably less difficult to game.

While I appreciate that popularity is not a comparable metric to quality and that in an ideal world quality would be rewarded over popularity (or equally rewarded), I honestly think that this is the only way the system can remain as objective as possible. If you start proposing rewards for file of the month winners or endorsement ratios or anything of that ilk then we run into serious issues in regards to people trying to undermine these systems in order to try and gain an advantage and, in turn, more points. The unique download system cannot be undermined in the same way.

For me, and for us, this needs to be as hands-off as possible. We do not want to be micromanaging disputes between mod authors in regards to this system (e.g. "that author asked for endorsements in his description/comments/YouTube videos and therefore got lots of points when that isn't allowed! Delete their points or ban them!", and similar veins of thought). While I envision there will be some disputes between mod authors over this system, they shouldn't be based on the metric we use.

While I completely understand a system that's less about popularity would be better, no such system exists that won't simply be a huge magnet for drama, people leaving the community over petty reasons and so on and so forth.

[size=3]
[b]Will it be opt-in or opt-out? Will there be restrictions on who can join the system?[/b][/size]

This system will be opt-in. As in, if you don't want to be a part of this system you don't need to do anything and you will need to consent to joining up.

There may be stipulations about who can join up pursuant to further conversation with my solicitor about how best to legally set this up, as there may be age and location constraints (e.g. under 18's might need parental consent, and we can't donate or send items to countries that are currently under embargo from the UK/UN, silly stuff like that).


[b][size=3]Can I accumulate Donation Points over many months? What's going to be the minimum "payout" for gift cards/Pay Pal donations?[/size][/b]

Yes, your points won't disappear each month and will accumulate month after month until you spend them or donate them to others. The minimum donation amount is going to be $10 for Pay Pal and Amazon gift vouchers.


[b][size=3]Can I give my points to another user on the site?[/size][/b]

Yes, we'll implement a point transfer system for mod authors to give their points to other mod authors or users if they so wish. We'll likely make it possible for you to proactively and automatically donate the DP your files accumulate to users of your choice as well. For example, if you aren't interested in receiving any DP but you'd like to donate any DP you would have earnt to another user (like, say, your favourite mod author), you'll be able to do that.


[b][size=3]How will you prevent fraud, or people getting points for uploading mods that aren't theirs, and so on?[/size][/b]

Donation Points will be allocated on a NET90 system. That means you won't get your points until 3 months after that month has ended. For example, you wouldn't get your points for January until the start of May, which would be three months (90 days) after the month ended.

This is to give us (and you) a grace period so that any potential issues with a file can be found and rectified before points are allocated and used by a "malicious" author. If a file is found to be against our TOS during this time then it will be dealt with and any Nexus Points that might have been due to that "mod author" from that file will be void.

Case-in-point, imagine someone steals some assets from another mod author without permission and uploads that mod to Nexus Mods, opting in to the points system in the process. Without the NET90 system, if we (or you) don't catch this straight away it could potentially mean this mod author receives points unfairly. The NET90 system provides a buffer for us to root out files that fall foul of our system to ensure, as much as is realistically possible, that only legitimate and "Nexus Legal" files are receiving points.


[b][size=3]Why will the contribution Nexus Mods makes to the total donation pool change from month to month?[/size][/b]

We cannot commit to an official figure each month as our financial situation and financial needs change from month to month. We need to be flexible on what we can contribute for what, I think, are obvious reasons. However, we aim to commit between the $5,000 to $10,000 range every month.


[b][size=3]Have you discussed this system with Bethesda? If Bethesda aren't happy with the system and ask you to remove it, will you remove it?[/size][/b]

Bethesda have made it very clear over the years that if you force them to give you an answer on a particular issue it's much easier for them to say "no" than it is to say yes. However, if you simply get on with it and don't ask them, they don't need to say "no" or "yes" and they'll let you know if they have a very serious issue with it.

As far as my solicitor and I are concerned, there really shouldn't be a legal issue here. I'd talk it through with them for sure, but if they're adamant that it has to be removed then I will remove it for any Bethesda games we host as I'm sure you can appreciate getting into a legal fight over this wouldn't be prudent.

I will not remove it for any other game we support that Bethesda has no jurisdiction over.

It would obviously result in a system that benefits far fewer mod authors on the site, but I'm not going to let Bethesda dictate functionality on the site that is about more than just their games now, and has been for many years.


[b][size=3]Will you make it possible to opt out specific files and/or distribute points amongst more than one mod author on a specific file?[/size][/b]

Yes and yes.

I know there will be some mod authors who'll want to receive points on some files and not on others (e.g. collaboration mods). I also know there are some mod authors collaborating together who will want to be able to split the points that mod makes amongst all the mod authors involved. The uploader of the file will set the point allocation, and we'll likely code something so that all mod authors on that file are notified if that allocation changes at any time (to stop a naughty mod author changing it just before the end of the month in hopes of ripping off all the others).

Just like providing permission for your assets in general or when collaborating, you should document all your discussions in regards to Donation Point allocation so that if there are ever any squabbles and a moderator needs to get involved then you can reference your previous agreements with the person(s) you're collaborating with.

[size=3]
[b]How will you combat people uploading patches for their mods as separate stand-alone file pages to garner more unique downloads?[/b][/size]

We will be enforcing strict rules in this regard and bringing our moderation practices up to speed to combat instances where we think people are deliberately going out of their way to try and game the system at the expense of the site and user experience.

While we can plan for eventualities, we don't know what people are going to try until they actually do it. We will react accordingly.
[size=3]

[b]Will other users be able to see how many Donation Points I've accumulated, for example, on my profile page?[/b][/size]

No, the amount of Donation Points you have is completely private and only visible to you.


[b][size=3]I don't want to use this system and I'm not comfortable with mod authors using my assets in their mods that receive points. Can I prevent this?[/size][/b]

Yes. We'll update our own permissions system accordingly to reflect this change as well.

You don't need to be rude about it, but be very clear with any mod authors who ask for your permission, or who have asked for permission in the past, as well as in your own file permissions/credits section that you are not comfortable with anyone receiving points in any mods using your work.

If the mod author using your work tries to kick up a fuss, you can ask a moderator to intervene and set the record straight.

You have the right to stipulate how your assets are used and what benefits other mod authors can receive from that, just as the mod authors asking to use your work have the right to simply walk away and not use your work if they don't like the stipulations being placed on that usage. However, always remember to document any discussions you've had with mod authors in this regard in case of any trouble later, even if that mod author seems genuine and the nicest guy/gal in the world.


[b][size=3]When?[/size][/b]

We will release this functionality in the first quarter of 2018 unless something goes drastically wrong. We tentatively hope to have something out by the end of January or the beginning of February, but we're saying the first quarter to cover ourselves a little!

Once we have released the system and a few months have passed we will have accumulated enough relevant data to then form some useful conclusions and react, if necessary, accordingly.

As always, your feedback is welcome including anything constructive you might be able to add to improve the system. Please, however, really take note of what I wrote in regards to the use of the unique download counter as the metric being used. When I brought this topic up for discussion with the mod authors in August the response was overwhelmingly positive (as far as mod author responses go!) but there were a lot of questions raised and suggestions provided about using unique downloads which ultimately fall short of the criteria I've set out for the reasons already provided.

In celebration of our new site design, we have teamed up with GOG.com, CORSAIR, MSI, and PCMasterRace to share our love for PC gaming worldwide through a massive giveaway! Before we get into the juicy details though, I wanted to take a quick trip down memory lane and look at some of the previous designs we've used at Nexus Mods before reaching this point.

Since its initial founding in 2001, Nexus Mods has been through many incarnations. It all started with Morrowind Chronicles, a fansite for Morrowind and its sister site, Morrowind Mod Library (Dark0ne's first attempt at a proper mod hosting solution for Morrowind fans).

[center][url=https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/images/100/9950988-1511546706.png][img width=600,height=450]https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/images/100/9950988-1511546706.png[/img][/url][/center][center][i]Morrowind Chronicles in its earliest days. Launched six months before the release of Morrowind in 2002[/i][/center]

[center][url=https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/images/100/9950988-1511547192.png][img width=600,height=450]https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/images/100/9950988-1511547192.png[/img][/url][/center][center][i]Morrowind Mod Library was an extension of MWChronicles, specifically for hosting Morrowind mods.[/i][/center]

[center][url=https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/images/101/9950988-1511547494.png][img width=600,height=600]https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/images/101/9950988-1511547494.png[/img][/url][/center][center][i]With the announcement of Oblivion, Morrowind Mod Library became TESSource with a new design (Robin's favorite, apparently!)[/i][/center]

[center][url=https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/images/101/9950988-1511547525.png][img width=600,height=600]https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/images/101/9950988-1511547525.png[/img][/url][/center][center][i]Robin relinquished his role at the Gaming Source network and rebranded TESSource to TESNexus in 2007[/i][/center]

Finally, in 2012, TESNexus was rebranded as Nexus Mods as our scope went well beyond mods for The Elder Scrolls series.

Throughout all the various names and aesthetics of this site, our community has always been a driving force in our success. It is your passion and dedication that keeps us going and allows us to continue growing. Which brings me to the point of this little stroll down memory lane!

As I mentioned at the start, we have joined forces with some great companies in the gaming world to bring you a chance to win some incredible loot. We feel we've picked companies that shared a similar mindset to our own.

The folks over at [url=https://www.gog.com]GOG.com[/url] were immediately on board with this celebration. Modding wouldn't be possible without the freedom to do what you want with the games you own, and it's a great way to get involved and explore your passion for gaming. That's a principle both GOG and Nexus Mods very firmly believe in. This includes modding it to the teeth, of course!

GOG has been kind enough to throw in over $3000 worth of games, with keys for:

[list]
[*]Divinity: Original Sin 2
[*]Stardew Valley
[*]Divinity: Original Sin
[*]Starbound
[*]Neverwinter Nights
[/list]
110 winners will each win a key for one of the games listed above. The folks at GOG.com have also asked us to pass along a message as well: "[color=#8e7cc3]From all of us to you: stay great, stay passionate, and keep modding on! <3[/color]"

Similarly, [url=https://www.corsair.com]CORSAIR[/url] and [url=https://www.msi.com]MSI[/url] were both excited to work with us and have made offerings that are more than generous.

CORSAIR is offering a full peripheral set consisting of the following:

[list]
[*]K95 RGB Platinum Mechanical Keyboard
[*]Glaive Gaming Mouse
[*]MM800 RGB Gaming Mouse Pad
[*]Void Pro Gaming Headset
[*]ST100 Headset Stand
[/list]
1 winner will win the full set listed above so they can kit out their desk with the latest and greatest Corsair has to offer.

MSI, on the other hand, wants to help bring your system into the modern age with a few serious hardware upgrades:

[list]
[*]GeForce GTX 1070 TI TITANIUM 8G Graphics Card
[*]X299 TOMAHAWK ARCTIC Motherboard
[*]Z370 GAMING PRO CARBON AC Motherboard
[/list]
3 winners will win one of the components listed above.

Finally, we have decided to host the event on the [url=https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace]PCMasterRace subreddit[/url] to reach an even bigger audience of PC gaming enthusiasts. Modding is a hobby with its roots dating back to some of the earliest PC games. While the use of mods has recently opened up to other platforms, on no other platform can you dig into a game's engine and bend it to your will like you can on the PC, and the PCMasterRace subreddit is chock full of posts that elevate our favorite platform.

This is more than just a celebration of our new design. It is a celebration of modding and PC gaming as well!

Thank you for all your support over the years. We look forward to providing a place to share and discuss mods for many more years to come.

[b][url=https://www.reddit.com/r/pcmasterrace/comments/7fxndx/nexus_mods_has_a_brand_new_look_so_weve_joined/]Head on over, between now and Sunday, Dec. 3rd, and enter the contest for your shot at some glorious prizes![/url][/b]

We're currently implementing stage 2 of our redesign soft launch process and as such, you might experience a few oddities and/or get thrown about a bit between the old and new designs as we gradually implement the changes and stress test things.

Stage 2 is moving the nexusmods.com domain over to the new design so by default, users will be on the new design. During this time we're still allowing users to access the old website design via [url=https://old.nexusmods.com]https://old.nexusmods.com[/url].

If during our stress tests we find that there are some issues that need fixing that might negatively impact the performance of the sites for all users we'll be able to switch the default domain back to the old one as necessary (after we've had enough time to identify the issue).

As such, the site might be a bit wobbly this week and into the next as we do this complex roll-out and ensure all systems are working as intended. You might experience some slowdowns as we try and maintain parity with the old system and tune our servers for the new system. If you try and access the site and it's down, or it's very slow, we likely know about the issue and are busy trying to find the cause as we actively monitor the situation. Hopefully these instances will not last longer than 15 minutes as we will switch back to the "stable" old site during these periods.

We expect to be in Stage 2 for between 1-3 weeks, during which time we will fix any bug reports that come our way via [url=https://github.com/Nexus-Mods/web-issues]our bug tracker[/url] and use the massive new influx of traffic to the new design to profile the performance, tweak it and fine tune it so that it performs as well as (and hopefully better) than the old design did.

This is a very important stage for us as it's the first time in the entire design and implementation process where we can test the site using the complete, actual traffic from Nexus Mods users and stress test accordingly. Hopefully you can appreciate how important that is and we appreciate your patience during what will be a hard and stressful part of the process for us.

I want to once again say a massive thank you to the users who have been reporting bugs with the redesign on our bug tracker. With your help we've manage to squash 142 bugs, some big, some tiny, and your help in this area has helped to speed up the process and ensure we can offer as bug-free a transition as possible. Thank you again.

It's time for a Vortex development update!

Since our last [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/games/news/13257/?]news post back in May[/url] we have setup a focus group of around 30 individuals who have been given access to an early build alpha of Vortex using a rudimentary design and UX flow. Tannin has been working with these users, taking on their feedback and patching up bugs that have been found over the past couple of months. At this stage, the core functionality is all done and now it's a matter of rounding off any rough edges and patching up any holes the focus group can find.

While Tannin has been working on the overall functionality of the application, our new UX/UI designer, Kit, who officially began her work at the beginning of October has been working on the overall look and feel. Kit's first task has been to work on the design of Vortex, drawing up wireframes and now mock-ups that eventually Tannin will implement into Vortex. The first of these mock-ups were offered to the focus group for consultation and feedback last week while Kit worked on the rest of the screens that Vortex needs.

I've been reliably informed that, today, Kit has run out of screens to mock up, so these final screens will be in the hands of the focus group by the end of today. We will give the focus group most of a week to provide their feedback on these mock ups. Following that, Kit will spend a few days implementing any necessary changes based on this feedback before they are handed over to Tannin as "final".

From there, Tannin will need to spend some time implementing the new design into the current build of Vortex, which is no small task. The focus group will be provided with these builds as and when they're ready for feedback. After that, it's all touching and shoring things up ready for an official public Alpha release.

Tentatively, we're aiming for a January release date for the open Alpha of Vortex. Naturally, that's subject to change as with all development cycles, but we're quietly confident that we will hit that deadline.

While I've juggled with the idea of providing you all with mock up screens of Vortex to tide you over until then, I think without you being able to actually experience the user flow and experience the software fully, a lot of the context will be lost, which will ultimately mean any feedback you could provide would be superficial (and potentially, negative, without any context to back it up). As such, I think it would be better for all of us if we waited until it was actually possible for you to use it. Then the feedback you provide will be far more useful, and relevant, to us.

Not long now!

Hello everyone,

The time is almost upon us as we near the official release of our redesign. We're now ready to share the redesign with all of you in the hopes that you can help us in identifying the remaining issues before we officially go live and change the site over.

We're doing a very soft launch of this redesign. In September we provided the mod authors with access to the new site to receive their feedback and bug hunting help and a few weeks ago we provided the link to the new redesign in our forums and on the SkyrimMods subreddit. I want to thank all the users who have helped us in identifying and fixing issues during this process. It's been an extremely useful time for us as we've managed to push 88 fixes to the site as a result of the bug reports you've given us (according to [url=https://github.com/Nexus-Mods/web-issues/issues]our GitHub page[/url]).

When we first started this redesign process two years ago the point was to provide us with a much better platform from which we can improve the site and offer new functionality in the future. We're very happy with what we're launching with, but we've got a lot more work to do moving forward both with the UI and UX as well as the backend code. We need to do this launch now so we can stress test our code and move forward. It's now time to increase the traffic on our redesign site so we can stress test our code and increase the number of people in the hopes we can find and fix the remaining bugs.

Right now, for the initial launch, we're only interested in ensuring we're providing the same or similar functionality as the current site. You will find we've added some minor changes and updates in functionality we think might help you while browsing the site, but what we're mainly interested in right now is in comparing the functionality on the old site to the functionality on the new site and ensuring it works as well as or better than it did before. Similarly, we want to make sure we have not missed any functionality out that is currently available on Nexus Mods. These are the two main things we'd like to know most about and what will help us.

Naturally this redesign is a massive change from the current design and it's going to take some getting used to. The last time we changed the design in such a massive way was all the way back in 2011. I'm pretty used to the sort of feedback we receive during these times -- lots of people take to the site comments instantly to express their disgust and vent their frustration, phrases like "why did you try and fix something that isn't broken" gets thrown around a lot. I ask that you stay calm, relax, use the site over the next couple of weeks, get used to it. Things have moved, things have changed and I understand this can be frustrating, but stick with it. You'll learn the new site soon enough. If you feel you have something particularly negative or disparaging to say then do me a favour and hold off for a little while, give it some time, and if you still feel the same after a few weeks then by all means, share your constructive criticism.

Some things of note before you click the link to the new design:
[list]
[*][b]The redesign site is using live data[/b]. As such, any edits, changes, uploads or literally anything you do will be live on the main site at nexusmods.com as well as on the redesign site. Basically -- don't change anything unless you want your changes to be live on Nexus Mods for everyone to see.
[*]Once again...The redesign site is using live data! This also means that you can officially use the redesign site from this point on if you so wish. Personally, I'd recommend you move over to using the redesign site permanently now (unless there are major issues) so you can get a headstart on getting used to it.
[*]Anything you can do on the current site you should be able to do on the new site. If there's something missing or not working right, we really need to know about it. Please let us know!
[/list]

[center][size=6][url=https://rd.nexusmods.com]Access the new site design[/url][/size][/center]

We are using GitHub to maintain a [url=https://github.com/Nexus-Mods/web-issues/issues]bug and issue tracker[/url]. If you'd like to help us out by reporting issues then you will need a GitHub account (very easy to make). Apologies for the extra off-site process but there was no point building a custom solution, which would have taken a long time, when other services are readily available that did what we needed. You'll be able to see issues that other users have posted already and comment on them if needed. The bug tracker can always be accessed by clicking the "Report Bug" link on the bottom of your window when browsing the site.

Please only use GitHub to report bugs or inform us of missing functionality compared to the current site. Please don't use it to ask for new features or things that don't exist on the current site. We'll try and keep the issue tracker as clean as possible, so some issues may be removed if they are not relevant to the redesign at this time. Thank you for your understanding.

Our timeline moving forward is to wait a few days to see how many people are accessing the new design site and using it. Hopefully there will be a good uptake of users who browse on the new site so we can squash any remaining bugs and stress test our new code on the servers. We'll likely make it even more obvious with a banner on the site or similar to notify as many people as possible.

Over the next few weeks we will assess how much traffic the redesign site is getting and the bugs we're receiving. If we think we've had enough testing data and we've cleared our bug backlog we will then switch the sites around; nexusmods.com will point to the new redesign and you will be able to switch back to the old design temporarily during this period. We will then monitor this as another testing phase and, once we're happy with how things have progressed, we will finally turn off the old design completely and everyone will be forced on to the new design. At this point the old design will not be coming back and will not be usable ever again. Hence why it makes sense for you to try and use the new design as much as possible so you get used to it sooner rather than later.

A note on the UI, UX and overall look. When we started this process we worked with a professional designer to create the initial mockups because we didn't have a full-time designer ourselves. The designer we worked with was great, but naturally as we didn't have him full-time and our work on the code took way longer than initially anticipated, it meant that he could only go so far. As such, the current design on the new site is, I'd say, 75% the designer's, following good UI/UX principles and 25% ours, without expert supervision (and likely lacking good UI/UX principles). We've had to change or add functionality that was missed in the original mockups that was not done by a UI/UX professional and as such, we're aware there are some areas of the site that, already, could do with the touch of an expert. Thankfully, our very own UI and UX designer has begun working from our office now. Her initial focus is going to be solely on Vortex, the mod manager to replace NMM. I can tell you right now, I'm extremely excited about her work from what I've seen so far and I think she's going to do great things for both Vortex and the Nexus Mods sites.

Once we're happy with Vortex she will move her focus on to the sites. I tell you this for two reasons. To inform you we're aware there are a few UI/UX issues with the redesign at this time, and to let you know that it will be resolved to an expert level at some point in the not too distant future. We won't be making any changes to the design until she is able to give it her full attention in a couple of month's time and, while we know some of you are budding UI and UX people yourselves and love to share your feedback with us, we'll obviously not be touching anything major until our own expert is ready.

I'm sure that, when she comes around to looking at it, she will appreciate feedback on the topic and we'll likely be asking for input soon enough.

Thank you for any help you can provide, even if it's browsing the site and finding nothing.

PS. We will provide an update on Vortex and provide a timeline for Vortex moving forward in the next week or so. Please don't ask us about it in this post!

[img width=600,height=300]https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/images/952/9950988-1508164544.png[/img]

Hi everyone! This week is the 10th anniversary of The Witcher series by CD Projekt Red and, to celebrate, our friends at GOG.com are running some excellent deals!

As all of these games are highly moddable, we wanted to let you know firsthand about these deals.

List of moddable games on sale right now:


The Witcher Series:
[url=https://www.gog.com/game/the_witcher_3_wild_hunt_game_of_the_year_edition?pp=a120fe5cad51f0d0942d7c283478628047d6cfce]
The Witcher 3 - GOTY Edition[/url] (60% off)

[url=https://www.gog.com/game/the_witcher_3_wild_hunt_expansion_pass?pp=a120fe5cad51f0d0942d7c283478628047d6cfce]The Witcher 3 - Expansion Pass[/url] (50% off)

[url=https://www.gog.com/game/witcher_3_wild_hunt_the_blood_and_wine_pack?pp=a120fe5cad51f0d0942d7c283478628047d6cfce]The Witcher 3: Blood and Wine[/url] (50% off)

[url=https://www.gog.com/game/the_witcher_3_wild_hunt_hearts_of_stone?pp=a120fe5cad51f0d0942d7c283478628047d6cfce]The Witcher 3: Hearts of Stone[/url] (50% off)

[url=https://www.gog.com/game/the_witcher?pp=a120fe5cad51f0d0942d7c283478628047d6cfce]The Witcher - Enhanced Edition[/url] (85% off)

[url=https://www.gog.com/game/the_witcher_2?pp=a120fe5cad51f0d0942d7c283478628047d6cfce]The Witcher 2: Assassins of Kings - Enhanced Edition[/url] (85% off)


Bethesda Game Studios Classics:

[url=https://www.gog.com/game/fallout_3_game_of_the_year_edition?pp=a120fe5cad51f0d0942d7c283478628047d6cfce]Fallout 3 - GOTY Edition[/url] (40% off)

[url=https://www.gog.com/game/fallout_new_vegas_ultimate_edition?pp=a120fe5cad51f0d0942d7c283478628047d6cfce]Fallout: New Vegas - Ultimate Edition[/url] (40% off)

[url=https://www.gog.com/game/the_elder_scrolls_iii_morrowind_goty_edition?pp=a120fe5cad51f0d0942d7c283478628047d6cfce]TESIII: Morrowind - GOTY Edition[/url] (40% off)[url=https://www.gog.com/game/elder_scrolls_iv_oblivion_game_of_the_year_edition_deluxe_the?pp=a120fe5cad51f0d0942d7c283478628047d6cfce]

TESIV: Oblivion - GOTY Deluxe Edition[/url] (40% off)

(Alternatively, you can grab the entire[url=https://www.gog.com/promo/20171017_special_promo_bethesda_rpgs?pp=a120fe5cad51f0d0942d7c283478628047d6cfce] BGS Classics Collection[/url] for 43% off)


The Risen Series:

[url=https://www.gog.com/promo/20171016_special_promo_risen?pp=a120fe5cad51f0d0942d7c283478628047d6cfce]Risen, Risen 2, and Risen 3[/url] (76% off)


If you've never played these games before or have been waiting to pick up the DRM-free versions on GOG.com this is a great opportunity to pull the trigger!
[size=1][i]
(Full disclosure: As some of you may already know, we recently became an affiliate of GOG.com. That means that if you use the links above to buy any of the games listed we will get a small cut. It's a great way to support GOG and Nexus Mods at the same time. Feel free to share those links with your friends as well!)[/i][/size]

[b][color=#e69138]Update: Thank you to all the applicants and submissions, please note that this position is now filled.[/color][/b]

We're looking for a UI Designer/front end developer to join our team at our office in Exeter, UK. The ideal candidate will be multi skilled with experience working with HTML/CSS/JS for both websites and desktop applications.

Your primary short term role will be to help design and shape our new desktop application "Vortex" which is replacing the Nexus Mod Manager. This application uses Electron, so the front end is rendered in HTML/CSS/JS.

In the long term, you'll be the major creative driving force behind the UX and UI of both Vortex and the Nexus Mods website, shaping how both the site and application look for millions of users.


[b][size=4]The Role[/size][/b]

You'll be joining our established development teams for both the Nexus Mods website and Vortex.

[b]Nexus websites[/b] - which currently consists of 5 programmers whose primary responsibility is the Nexus Mods website and everything around it. The stack consists of a mixture of technologies - Linux, Apache, NginX, PHP, MySQL, APC, Redis, Ruby, Rails, Bash, Git, Puppet, Vagrant, Javascript, Jquery, CSS, HTML and everything in between. Your role will be to design the UX/UI for current and new features on our website and create imagery for use throughout the site.

[b]Vortex[/b] - which currently consists of 3 programmers who are working on producing an open source desktop application to replace Nexus Mod Manager. The stack for Vortex is currently: Javascript, Typescript, C#, C++, HTML, Node, Electron, React, Redux and Bootstrap. Your role will be to design the UX/UI and layouts for this application and work with the other developers closely on new features.

We work as closely as possible to an agile project management scheme and every team member's input is highly valued - we're looking for people who can constructively discuss and present new ideas in our meetings.

Ultimately, we're looking for people who are keen to learn and flexible in their approach with a strong background in website and/or UI design.


[b][size=4]Your Background[/size][/b]

[list]
[*][size=2]You'll need production experience with HTML/CSS/JS and be comfortable with all related technologies such as the related frameworks for each.[/size]
[*][size=2]Experience of using these technologies to deliver a desktop product would be an advantage, but not essential - a portfolio of web only design/UI would be acceptable.[/size]
[*][size=2]Knowledge of gaming and modding would be very beneficial.[/size]
[/list][size=2]
[/size]
[b][size=4]Responsibilities[/size][/b]

[list]
[*][size=2]Working as part of the Vortex team and taking the lead role in the UI and UX.[/size]
[*][size=2]Working with our web team to design new features and functionality for the Nexus Mods website.[/size]
[*][size=2]Occasionally helping out the community team with imagery for site content.[/size]
[*][size=2]Participating in team meetings, keeping track of your workflow using project management tools.[/size]
[*][size=2]Working with everyone at Nexus Mods to shape the future of our platform.[/size]
[/list][size=2]

[/size][size=4][b]Requirements and Skills[/b][/size]

[list]
[*][size=2]HTML[/size]
[*][size=2]CSS[/size]
[*][size=2]Javascript & Javascript Frameworks[/size]
[*][size=2]Strong graphic skills (Photoshop, etc.)[/size]
[*][size=2]Strong communication skills both verbally and written (English)[/size]
[*][size=2]Right to work in the UK[/size]
[/list][size=2]
[/size]
[size=4][b]Bonus Skills[/b][/size]

[list]
[*][size=2]Node.JS[/size]
[*][size=2]Electron[/size]
[*][size=2]React[/size]
[*][size=2]Ruby / Rails / PHP[/size]
[*][size=2]Experience with code testing[/size]
[*][size=2]An understanding of games modding and knowledge of Nexus Mods[/size]
[*][size=2]A sense of humour[/size]
[*][size=2]A love of computer games[/size]
[/list][size=2]

[/size][size=4][b]Other Information[/b][/size]

[list]
[*][size=2]We will offer a competitive market-rate salary dependent on your level.[/size]
[*][size=2]We will provide high spec hardware for you to work from in the office.[/size]
[*][size=2]For the right candidates, we may be able to assist with relocation expenses and logistics.[/size]
[*][size=2]Fridays are Chocolate Fridays in the office. Get hyped.[/size]
[*][size=2]You'll want to hone your skills in "Golf with Your Friends" before joining us.[/size]
[/list][size=2]
[/size][b][size=4]To Apply[/size][/b]

In order to apply, please send an email to jobs@nexusmods.com with your CV and why you'd be suitable for this role.

[center][img]https://staticdelivery.nexusmods.com/images/1151/9950988-1488815074.png[/img]
[b][size=6]Frosty Tool Suite[/size][/b][/center]
The Frostbite Engine is one of the most powerful game engines around, and the backbone of many of the most popular games. Unless you only play indie games, you've likely played a game running on the Frostbite Engine. Up until recently, however, modding Frostbite Engine games was a daunting task (and by daunting I mean near-impossible).

When GalaxyMan2015 [i](known as Ehamloptiran here on Nexus Mods)[/i] couldn't find the tools to dig into the Frostbite Engine, he built his own. Enter "Frosty Tool Suite", a tool that has opened new doors for modding [url=http://www.nexusmods.com/masseffectandromeda]Mass Effect: Andromeda[/url], [url=http://www.mirrorsedgecatalyst]Mirror's Edge: Catalyst[/url], [url=http://www.nexusmods.com/starwarsbattlefront2015]Star Wars Battlefront (2015)[/url], and [url=http://www.nexusmods.com/dragonageinquisition]Dragon Age: Inquisition[/url]. 

With a recent surge in mods for games supported by FrostyTS, we decided to take a minute to catch up with GalaxyMan2015 and get a deeper look at the creation, ongoing development, and future of Frosty Tool Suite.

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[b][color=#ff7700]What was your initial inspiration for creating Frosty Tool Suite? What motivated you?
[/color][/b]
I love pulling apart games and seeing what makes them tick (sometimes more than actually playing the games themselves). So my original inspiration was to build a viewer to be able to examine the contents of Frostbite games, but figured, why not turn it into a modding tool, and so the Frosty Toolsuite was born.

Originally the plan was just to support Mass Effect: Andromeda and Dragon Age, mainly because they were the two games I was most interested in at the time, it's only when I was approached by members of other communities, did I begin to implement support for other games.
Currently, the tool suite supports Mass Effect: Andromeda, Mirror's Edge: Catalyst and Star Wars: Battlefront (2015), with semi-support for Dragon Age: Inquisition.
[b]

[color=#ff7700]I'm sure that most everyone here can relate to enjoying pulling games apart more than playing. When did you start working on FrostyTS? Were there any major hurdles along the way?
[/color][/b]
[I started working on it] about two months ago now (just prior to the release of Mass Effect).

I think when it comes to the major hurdles, there are all the standard ones when it comes to building a new tool for a new game, that includes deciphering file formats, figuring out obfuscation methods used to hide the data, and just how to get the game to accept mods (considering the games were not designed to be modded in the first place)


[b][color=#ff7700]That sounds like a lot of work for one person! Let's talk about what all that work is for. Can you explain the possibilities that Frosty Editor currently opens up for mod authors?
[/color][/b]
Currently, the feature set is still quite limited. Basically, a mod author can implement texture swaps and implement gameplay improvements, such as rebalancing weapon stats, giving the player access to normally inaccessible armors, or locations, or gameplay mechanics even. 

This has not stopped the modding community from creating some truly spectacular mods early on. Below are a few examples:

Mass Effect: Andromeda
[url=http://www.nexusmods.com/masseffectandromeda/mods/428/?]Iron Man[/url]
[url=http://www.nexusmods.com/masseffectandromeda/mods/406/?]Asari Ryder
[/url]
Mirrors Edge: Catalyst
[url=http://www.nexusmods.com/mirrorsedgecatalyst/mods/31/?]Faith in the Streets[/url]
[url=http://www.nexusmods.com/mirrorsedgecatalyst/mods/36/?]Mars Atmosphere
[/url]
Star Wars: Battlefront
[url=http://www.nexusmods.com/starwarsbattlefront2015/mods/8/?]HERO BLAST[/url]
[url=http://www.nexusmods.com/starwarsbattlefront2015/mods/16/?]Skirmish AI and Gunplay Overhaul (SAIGO)

[/url]
[b][color=#ff7700]Given the creativity we see listed above (with a limited feature set), the future looks bright for Frostbite modding! What developments can we expect to see for Frosty Tool Suite in the future?
[/color][/b]
In the immediate future, I have planned the biggest release so far (v1.0.3) with it will bring quite a few new options for modding to the table, such as

In editor mesh previewing (with mostly accurate shader support) as well as mesh importing:
[url=http://i.imgur.com/bpUAYsI.png][img width=600,height=338]http://i.imgur.com/bpUAYsI.png[/img][/url]
[i][size=1](Click for full-size image)
[/size][/i]
In editor sound player, editor, with the ability to export and import sounds:
[url=http://i.imgur.com/GLaDjZr.png][img width=600,height=338]http://i.imgur.com/GLaDjZr.png[/img][/url]
[i][size=1](Click for full-size image)
[/size][/i]
The ability to edit lua script files
[url=http://i.imgur.com/ERq3bTV.png][img width=600,height=338]http://i.imgur.com/ERq3bTV.png[/img][/url]
[i][size=1](Click for full-size image)
[/size][/i]
As well as do more complex edits of assets, such as adding new classes to existing assets, allowing a mod author to build more complex behaviors.

Looking further into the future of the Frosty Toolsuite, I want to see that every asset is in some ways moddable, this includes animations, shaders, blueprints, levels, etc.

I want people to be able to create any mod they can dream of and to even build entirely new worlds within the editor.

As well as supporting more games in the Frostbite lineup, such as the upcoming Star Wars: Battlefront 2, Battlefield 1, Need for Speed, and any others (if members of any communities approach me to implement support).

---
Thanks to GalaxyMan2015 for taking the time to chat with us and for the continued development of Frosty Tool Suite!

You can grab Frosty Tool Suite [url=http://www.nexusmods.com/masseffectandromeda/mods/224/?]here[/url] or [url=http://www.nexusmods.com/mirrorsedgecatalyst/mods/8/?]here[/url] , though it doesn't matter which game's page you download it from, as FrostyTS will work with all supported games.

You can also find a tutorial on using the Frosty Editor and Frosty Mod Manager, along with some handy spreadsheets, [url=http://www.nexusmods.com/masseffectandromeda/mods/248/?]here[/url].

As of version 1.0.2, GalaxyMan2015 has enlisted the help of another programmer, known as Benji, to push development along a bit faster. We look forward to seeing the progression of these tools and the continued growth of Frostbite Engine modding!

A belated Merry Christmas and a happy new year to everybody!

We've been quiet in our news section recently as we've been busily working away on the site redesign and Vortex development, but the new year brings the perfect chance to update you on what happened last year and what we're working on in 2018.


[b][size=3]2017 in numbers[/size][/b]

We welcomed 1,612,142 new users to Nexus Mods in 2017, or to put it another way, a new member joined Nexus Mods every 20 seconds. We now support mods for 493 different games, up 80 on 2016. In that time users have uploaded 27,891 new mods to the site and all of you have downloaded 601,609,165 files between you, which means that 19 new downloads were started on Nexus Mods every second of 2017.

While traffic on the site has declined slightly on 2016's figures due to the initial buzz of Fallout 4's release dying down, you're all downloading way more than you used to, up 22% on last year's 491,161,244 downloads.


[b][size=3]We got an office[/size][/b]

Starting 2017 I was becoming unhappy with the remote working conditions at Nexus Mods. Since I hired the first staffer back in 2011, every position has been remote and we've had employees living in England, Scotland, Italy, Germany and the United States. However, it's become increasingly evident over the years that no matter what software or hardware companies bring out to bridge the gap between office workers and remote workers, nothing, and I mean nothing, replaces the sheer efficiency (and comradery) of individuals working in the same room together towards a common goal.

So while most companies try and open themselves up more to remote and flexible working, I decided to go the complete opposite direction and in May 2017, we setup a Nexus Mods office that myself, an existing member of staff and two new site programmers would be the first to fill.

From time to time Tom, our head of Programming and Paul, director of content, would come down and work a few days in the office as well.

I was dubious about the changes at first as this would be the first time in my life I'd be working in an office rather than from home, but any doubts I had quickly left me and I'm extremely happy with how the office has panned out.

Now I know it was the right thing to do, I'm about to put pen to paper on a new office that will be the Nexus Mods staff home for the next few years. Any new staff positions we fill will, most likely, be office based from our home here in Exeter in the UK.


[b][size=3]Staff changes[/size][/b]

We've welcomed some new faces this year and said goodbye to some long-standing staff as well.

As already mentioned, back in May we brought in two new site programmers working from the office and in November we welcomed Kit, our designer, to fill a brand new role in the team.

We've said goodbye to Fabio and Luca, who were the team behind the Nexus Mod Manager, as we look to consolidate as many staff positions as possible into the new office environment. Paul, whose absence you might have noticed from our news section in recent months, has also moved on to new pastures. We wish them all the best.


[b][size=3]The site redesign[/size][/b]

In November we pushed out our new site redesign, first as a public beta for testing and feedback, and just recently, into a full launch. The old design can still be accessed from http://old.nexusmods.com but will soon be switched off.

We're very happy with it, not just how it looks and works, but also the underlying changes made to the framework and logic make it far more efficient for a team of programmers (which is what we have now) to work on it.

Naturally, the redesign has had a polarizing effect, and indeed, in 16 years of running these sites I haven't launched a redesign without it doing just that. I'm not sure any established site does. But nevertheless, we've received a treasure trove of feedback from which we can work from, some very helpful, some not so helpful and some plain rude, but we know how to filter the helpful feedback from the rude stuff and just get on with it, and that's what we're doing.

With help from users reporting bugs on our GitHub tracker, we've squashed hundreds of bugs and refined several areas of the site from the original design already. We'll continue to iterate on it moving forward based on the feedback being provided.

The old design will go down soon. While many users have asked for us to keep the old design up, it's simply not feasible as our code base moves further and further away from it. We can neither afford to continue paying for the old hardware the old design is on, nor can we afford to maintain code/design parity with any new and future functionality we add moving forward. It's not cut out for the amount of data we're having to store now, nor is it cut out for a larger team of programmers to work on it. It's simply put, not fit for purpose any more and separating the design from the logic would be a futile task for us.


[b][size=3]Vortex[/size][/b]

Allllllllmoooooost there.

I had a little play around with Tannin's latest version yesterday and I'm really happy with how it's looking, how it's working, and all the exciting things we'll be able to do with it looking into the future.

It's touch and go whether we're going to hit that January deadline, but if we don't, it'll simply be for polish and fixing any last minute bugs the focus group bring up. We'll update you once we know for sure and if we can't hit January, we'll release some pictures and more information to tide you over.


[b][size=3]Social media[/size][/b]

Some of you don't care for social media, but a lot of us do and use it regularly. We brought Terrorfox onto the team back in 2016 to spearhead our external focus, past the Nexus Mods community, and as a part of those efforts, he's created a thriving social media presence for Nexus Mods.

On both [url=https://www.facebook.com/nexussites/]Facebook[/url] and [url=https://twitter.com/NexusSites]Twitter[/url], Terrorfox releases a steady stream of popular mods and hidden gems you might never have seen or heard of before every couple of hours, that are all available on Nexus Mods. Mixed in with a few retweets or shout-outs to what mod authors are doing and talking about around social media, I can honestly say that it's a rather nice way of being informed about new mods in the community and what's being talked about on social media.

No clickbait here, just straight up "here's a mod, here's what it does, check it out". If that's of interest to you, give us a follow or a like so you can keep up to date with what's being posted there.


[b][size=3]Looking forward to 2018 on the website[/size][/b]

We've got a fight on our hands in 2018.

Our work on the redesign over these past two years has revealed some looming future issues in our backend that we need to rectify. Nexus Mods has obviously grown at an astounding rate since we first built the new framework for the site in 2011 and our needs back then were very different to our present needs.

You need only look at the download figures quoted above, which are increasing at an almost alarming rate, to understand the data sets we're talking about. In 28 months our download database alone has doubled in size (which means that our users have downloaded more since September 2015 than they did from June 2005, when our records in their current form began, to August 2015). Now, with 2.4 billion downloads in our system that we rely on for a number of different features on the site, we're in "big data" realms and we need to work hard and fast to accommodate this.

As a result, a lot of our time is going to be spent completely rebuilding all the backend logic and framework, from the ground up, to move us into more of a big data mindset. It's very boring talk for people like you and me, but it has very serious implications for the future of Nexus Mods if we do nothing, or if we don't get it right.

It was our hope that we'd be able to rectify these issues as part of the redesign process but all it has done is highlight the need for a complete ground up rehaul of our systems. That doesn't mean a new redesign, or rather, it does, but a redesign of our databases, server infrastructure, framework and so on. Basically, the stuff you don't see but can sometimes "feel", like when the site is slow or unresponsive. Recently announced functionality like our [url=https://www.nexusmods.com/news/13371]Mod Author Donation System[/url] will form a part of these new systems.

As such, the work we've done on the redesign, which has already involved some significant refactoring of our code, has given us a little room to breathe while we work on some pretty big stuff into 2018 and beyond.

While a number of our programmers will be focusing on these efforts, a separate team are going to continue working their socks off iterating on our redesign and taking on the feedback we're getting from all of you.

We've still got some speed improvements to make that should make browsing the new site faster and Kit continues to push changes to the design based on the feedback she's reading on the forum and in the news comments. That's an ongoing process that is never truly going to end.


[b][size=3]Looking forward to 2018 with Vortex[/size][/b]

First, we've got to release it.

Vortex is obviously going to be released in an alpha state and we're only going to recommend people use it, to begin with, if they want to help us actually test the software and aren't shy about potential bugs or issues that might come from completely changing your mod management software. During this phase, if you're a 500+ mod load order person who has everything delicately sorted to perfection and don't want anything messing with that then you're likely not the right person for the initial release of Vortex [b][i]unless[/i][/b] you want to help us test getting it all ported over and working correctly in Vortex!

Tannin will be eagerly awaiting feedback and bug reports and will no doubt work hard to resolve them all as quickly as possible.

Naturally, we have no idea how long that process is going to take, but we're confident we've learnt from the mistakes of the past on this one and don't want to be in a perpetual alpha state!

Looking to the future, we've been keenly watching developments unfold in the community recently in regards to mod packs. It's something we've explored for Nexus Mods and NMM in the past, so much so that we were mere weeks away from launching a full fledged mod pack system before I mothballed it. If you're interested in how that came about, the technicalities behind it and the reason why it was mothballed I wrote a [url=https://www.reddit.com/r/skyrimmods/comments/7n20ai/moddrop_apologizes/dryzuqm/]rather extensive breakdown on Reddit[/url] about it recently.

I've tentatively spoken with Tannin briefly on the subject and, while we've got a to-do list that's years in the making, mod packs are something we'll likely explore again in the not too distant future. Naturally, we'll consult with mod authors extensively about our plans and what feedback they have during the design and implementation stage.


[b][size=3]In finishing[/size][/b]

I want to send a big thank you to the often unsung heroes of this community, our moderation team, who diligently volunteer their time to help moderate these sites and deal, often times, with some sickeningly awful individuals on the internet. Without them, Nexus Mods wouldn't be Nexus Mods. I can sit here and talk about "big data" this and "Vortex" that, but all of that is utterly moot if the community collapses in on itself (or doesn't exist at all) due to idiots who just want to act like dicks and ruin it for everyone else.

Also, obviously, a thank you to the mod authors who continue to create and share their content on Nexus Mods, without whom all of this is similarly pointless!

I wish you all a great 2018.