Does size matter?

[Leodoidao]

Greetings.

I was thinking about this alot, so I decided to explore your opinions.

I can fill my mods with resources, adding to my dungeons lots of new clutter and eyecandy because it is my HD I am jamming and not anyone else´s. However, when it comes to share my mods, I must think about it: People with slow Internet connection or low patience may feel disencouraged to download a big mod, and sometimes stuff included on it (like tapestry, rugs and paintings) add too little to gameplay.

If you are going to DL a mod to play, what would you prefer? A faster download of a mod with the most necessary resources only, or a slow download of a mod full with eyecandy?

Edited August 30, 2011 by Leodoidao

[charlescrowe]

that depends... a simple weapons mod doesn'r warrant much eye-candy aside from the weapons (if applicable)

dungeon/quest/adventure mods will seem boring if just bare-bones. the trick here is balance. a cave could be sparse, or filled to the brim with skree, discarded clutter, like plates, or could be a makeshift living space. Fort ruins could be abandonned, left as they were and filled with spare bits of armor and weaponry, as well as tapestries, training aparati, and even personal affects of the former inhabitants, or even looted bone-dry, but each needs the right eyecandy to sell the point

[ResolveThatChord]

New resources are basically why I install mods. After some time playing a game like Oblivion, every object, building, plant or spell becomes immediately recognisable. It all quickly loses any sense of wonder or discovery. New resources can make it interesting all over again. For this reason I really prefer mods with resources that add depth to the world, rather than unique outfits or weapons that only the PC can wear.

[Khettienna]

Oblivion stock can go a loooong way if you use it creatively, but don't ever shy away from resources when you need them to create something that is Just Right. Let your vision decide for you whether to use a resource, rather than download size. Is the location related to a new-to-the-game unique culture or group of people (such as a guild)? Will the player spend a lot of time in this location? Does this location house a well-developed character or unique artifact, who/which should have unique surroundings? Unique resources will draw the eye towards them, and can thus be a good way to highlight an area you want the player to pay special attention to or appreciate.

On a more practical note, there are some common objects that are purely missing from Oblivion stock. Some can be fudged with creatively-placed statics, but some can't, and your mod will be more polished if you use resources instead of trying to hack-job it together. For example, for a mere few kilobytes, you can have Grondy's awesome ceiling cabinets instead of just flipping a stock cupboard upside-down and gluing it awkwardly to the ceiling.

That said, I try to avoid using resources just because I can. If you go overboard, your scene/dungeon/interior/whatever can become incongruous with the rest of the game. Certainly there are some mods that pull this off beautifully (Vaernlor Manor is a great example), but it takes artistic mastery and some serious modeling skills.

Ultimately, even people with a slow internet connection or limited bandwidth will favor a larger mod that is polished and creative over a smaller mod that isn't. Modding is a form of creative expression, after all, and your users will enjoy your work a hundred times more if you really put your vision into it. Like ResolveThatChord said, the sense of wonder and discovery is really important, and that can be difficult to achieve using only stock.

[darkstone]

Khett once told me " dont use a resource just because you can, use it because it fits the scene" , that sums this up for me

[Ed-VO]

I opted for answer #2 (Within reason.) This, of course only applies to quest mods and additional world space mods. Atmosphere is important. Otherwise we'd be playing text based games or simple wireframe or 2D environments.

[lilith]

I didn't cast a vote; the choices don't work for me.

Does size matter? No. Quality does.

Ultimately, even people with a slow internet connection or limited bandwidth will favor a larger mod that is polished and creative over a smaller mod that isn't.

Quoted for truth.

[Vouivre]

I think it's the combination of the two. There's some modders out there(lemunde) who use vanilla items and create spectacular things. Using them in ways in which they were never originally intended to be used. Subtleties helps in this area. Not to mention the fact that with minimal resource use.. It's a wonder to as what can be done.