STMods All - 2

Due to the events of recent months...
I am gradually coming to the realization that I am doing something wrong... I associate this with the popularity of the site. When the site was small, almost no one cared which mods were uploaded and where they came from. But the more popular it becomes, the more dissatisfied mod authors there are.
Some don’t like that their mods are taken without permission and altered or that add-ons are used in other vehicles. Others don’t like that mods are uploaded by other people who, it seems, are doing a good thing—delivering the mod to players as quickly as possible (and yes, receiving a small reward for it). I don’t understand these authors—they have every opportunity to do this before anyone else (if it’s important to them), but they don’t use it, and then they complain... And what’s most interesting—I’m sure that with other similar mod sites, authors either don’t make claims or no one even contacts the authors (I’ve heard this in comments)—and in my opinion, that’s the right approach.
Recently, we changed the site’s policy in favor of the authors, but clearly, it was done too late. Many authors are already justifiably upset, and players unfairly don’t see some mods.
Closing the Spintires sections was foolish—fortunately, I realized this quickly and the site users quickly made it clear to me. Thank you, it was nice to hear so many words of support! But sorry if I upset you again.
Personally, the site is already lost to me. I have made too many mistakes.

If anyone plans to create a similar site, allow me to give a few pieces of advice:
- If you collect mods on a site, you need to collect as many as possible that are freely available—regardless of the authors’ wishes. The faster a mod appears on the site compared to others, the more players will visit the site, and the more popular the resource will be.
- It is highly advisable to register the domain and hosting so that no one can find the owner to file a lawsuit (this is exactly what prevents me from returning to the old site policy now—and I don’t want to go to court). And yes, it’s better to register in another country.
Maybe I’m still wrong, but if I were making a new site now, I would do exactly that.
- When I started publishing pirated versions of games on the site, I thought that if problems arose, it would be because of that—I did not expect such actions from modders.

To players: the site was made especially for you, but due to certain reasons (mentioned above), it is not possible to maintain this resource at a decent level. But you will never be left without mods for your favorite game (details below).
To modders and map makers: you sink one site, and tomorrow others—better prepared for real life—will take its place. And you will either try to sink it, accept it, or stop making mods. If you stop, others will take your place. But players will not be left without mods—good mods will always be distributed (and used or made into other mods) by any means, regardless of the author’s wishes. And the sooner you understand this, the better for you.

In summary—the site remains, but over time some mods will disappear due to authors’ complaints. New mods will most likely not be uploaded or will be uploaded in much smaller numbers. This definitely concerns the Spintires sections, but will probably affect the sections for other games as well.
It may sound loud, but I predict that the departure of such a player from the Spintires world will affect the popularity of the game series itself. I will be glad if I’m wrong about this... Other games definitely won’t be affected.

And yes, don’t look for someone to blame if you are upset by this message. It’s not some Vitargan, Psych, or Mr. Boss—no. We are all to blame—everyone who makes and distributes mods. Even those who play are to blame :) If you didn’t download these mods, there wouldn’t be such a fight for your attention =)

Someone will say this is just another rant from the site admin and they will be right. But believe me—my nerves have been on edge for a long time. Messages saying this is some kind of PR stunt only make me smile (a nervous smile).

With this message, I express my thoughts and won’t be surprised if I’m wrong again. Moreover, I have no intention of offending or upsetting anyone with this message.

Peace to all, thank you for being with us.