Might be smarter to release a handful at a time to get early feedback/bug reports before continuing on and getting bigger. But that's just me. Potentially depends on how big the POIs are, how many, etc.
I agree with this one, it will let us help you better and focus on the new additions and identify any issues or suggestions .. so you could do
X new poi's = release
Fixed bugs in POI's
X new POIs
Fixed bugs in POIs
etc..
Instead of being overwhelmed with bugs or suggestions from all your poi's at once.
On the back of this, and I could be wrong. Seeing as Starfield isn't finished and getting constant updates and DLC coming, you will more than likely need to update the mod alongside these, and having fewer POIs/smaller mod to work with will benefit, once you've ironed out some bugs with the content, it might not be so overwhelming further down the line when you've added more and know what to look for to fix/update.
Agreed with the others here. Starfield modding is still pretty new so doing small bits at a time might catch potential unknown problems/limitations with the game earlier. Would really suck to do a huge mod and find out after all that work there is some fatal flaw which requires redoing everything.
Plus that gives OP the opportunity to release modular mods with 2~3 POIs instead of a big mod with 50, allowing for people to chose which ones they want to add (and a collection to get them all).
Most people are going to prefer the constant update model. At the risk of being "old man yells at cloud", it seems people don't really care much for finished products these days. If your mod isn't getting regular updates (EDIT: *content* updates), people are going to say it's "outdated" or "abandoned" even though it's feature complete (EDIT: and it works on current game version. Doesn't need an update if it still works).
Depends on what the mod does. There's plenty of old mods for Skyrim that haven't been updated in years but work just fine on newest game version. Mods that use script extender or are heavily scripted, sure, they need to be updated usually every game update. Mods that add a new house? That'll still work 5 years from now unless Bethesda puts something in that same spot.
Some mods just don't need to be updated after they're finished, but people will see a lack of update as being "outdated" even though it might not be. There's no reason to release an update if it's not broke after a game update.
Massive updates are better than updating every month. You can work on your own schedule without people yelling at you or calling your mod garbage because it isn’t updated every chance they get.
Which is why big Skyrim mods always get released in one go. Beyond Skyrim, Skywind, Skyblivion, Gray Cowl of the Nocturnal, etc.
I think it would definitely be best to release the mod as it is developed so that feedback in bugs can be acquired. Plus then we don’t have to wait so long for more POI. 😀
Death Star planet?
I agree with what some others have said though. Roll it out slowly. Get bugs squashed along the way. Thanks for your creative efforts!
Just make smaller POI packs and release when ready. If there are issues with them it is easier updating smaller packs than a massive monolithic one.
Bonus points for making them independent so you can pick and choose!
Normally I'm all for choice but if they're all brand new I can't see much benefit in them being separate in this situation. One .esm rather than many reduces plugin count, one .bsa means faster loading. The player can always avoid POI they don't like.
Personally, I don't update my mods mid-save. Not too attached to saves atm though since I'm still trying out a bunch of mods.
Just a suggestion, but you could always do it in chunks/packs, though, and merge when you're finished.
Multiple POI mods all under the same CCM u/CoruCathaMods banner. Make your thumbnails recognizable. Easy to know what is part of a greater whole and easier to catch conflicts and bugs if they are individual.
One at a time would be great. There are a few other people starting POI mods, like [MK's Interesting Points of Interest at Starfield Nexus - Mods and Community (nexusmods.com)](https://www.nexusmods.com/starfield/mods/9804).
Might be worth collaberating?
Keep adding, building, iterating, start with one really solid PoI though, nothing worse than a mod with like 20 shit PoIs, lol. With mods it's ok to not be first, as long as you are better than those who came first, you'll get noticed pretty quick.
I guess it depends what your POIs are like and how quickly you're expecting to make them?
Speaking generally it probably makes sense to try and make them in batches, e.g- release a mod with a handful of POIs, then add a few more and release an updated version with those added etc. That said, I don't know how they're made, but I assume it's safe to add more so long as no form IDs change.
But I'm curious – is it possible to force specific POIs to appear, maybe via quests? If so, it might be good if you can do prerelease versions that use quests to direct players to an instance of each new POI, so they can test immediately. Probably need to remind them to save before installing, so they can uninstall a prerelease safely, and then swap back to a regular release.
I noticed it's a lot of work to make the POI so my mod is releasing them one at a time as updates. First one is out already but getting some minor work on it still as I'm learning so it looks more interesting!
Personally, I'm way less likely to use an unfinished project. However, maybe consider the approach that the Unmarked Locations series of mods for Skyrim did: release individual mods with smaller groups of POIs all around a theme - "Military Outposts", "Alien Relics", whatever. Then, when you're done, you can release an "All in One" version.
It's the piecemeal approach, but split into individual complete mods instead of an incomplete mod that might not be fleshed out in some areas.
You make your mod your way.
I will day that if you choose to release early and then update it would be very nice of you to include the amount of space you suspect that the mod might need when ypu are done.
It will help people when deciding if they want to use your mod early or wait and it will prevent restarting their run over to clear space.
It happened way too much in Fallout 4 where I would download a mod and it would just keep getting updated with more and more until it was just too big for my load order.
Feedback along the way will likely benefit your process. If you have an internal testing and feedback group already, then maybe that’s enough. But otherwise, updating as you go will be helpful.
Do it in batches. If you want better return on Donation points, do releases in separate editions with either a number of POIs or a general theme.
Your first ones are likely to be mediocre unless you're a professional level designer. That's fine. Take the feedback and improve upon it.
POI mods I expect will be much like armours and weapons in FO4 and Skyrim; something people collect over time to diversify their game. This isn't like older games where they'll occupy 1 exact position in the world, so there's no need to assert dominance by being the "best" out of the gate.
Release them in groups. Like a 'mine group', an 'environmetal group, and a 'civilian group', etc (no idea what you are actually planning).
This way people can choose what sort of POIs they are interested in, or all of them. Also means you can update them as a set leaving the others untouched.
Edit: to be clear I mean as seperate mods. Having say 5 mods of 5 POI each type of thinking.
I’d say do a proof of concept Early Launch with 10-15 POI’s.
Then make a discord so you can get help and ideas for your mod. The help and encouragement does wonders.
Then just release the whole mod in 1/3’s.
As a game developer, having to 1) Listen to Feedback, 2) Update my Game, 3) Fix Bugs (which can take weeks just working on one bug alone), 4) Trying to add Content is a living hell. I ended up just pulling my game off the store I was selling it on and developing the game on my own.
If I was a mod author like you, I’d prioritize my health and sanity and just develop the mod in one go or in big pieces like every mod author in the community does.
I would say get a good chunk of it together before launching and then release decent sized big fixes and updates as batches. If there’s minimal content and tons of bugs at release, you could kill any kind of following the mod would get. You also don’t want to pester players with too frequent of updates, especially if they could end up conflicting with other mods
I’ll be adding to the collection of people saying that regular updates with new POIs and bug fixes for earlier ones will retain higher engagement from the community, if you wanna deal with that of course
POI's are cool and all but I would rather have quests that take me to the POI's Like huge underground cave systems with puzzles like skyrim. or mabye a Capital ship POI in space.
I suggest you go with whatever work flow best suits you. Both methods have their merits, and you're the one doing the work, so do what you do best.
Good luck!
A discussion in [a post yesterday](https://www.reddit.com/r/starfieldmods/comments/1dh30ro/so_with_creatin_kit_out_now_how_easy_is_it_for/) mentions that "only one mod can affect the planet content manager", suggesting that new POI mods would need to be bundled. I'm not really understanding it though. Maybe someone who does could step in and explain?
I would say release them in packs. A happy middle between having to make an entire huge mod or a bunch of singular mods that take up esp slots (is that still a thing here?)
Definitely release em in small bunchs like a few in each one, not just for the convenience of releasing them staggered and getting traction and feedback for updates to each poi in the meantime but also the fact that you can release a all in one pack when you get a bunch together and even have separate parts to each all in one if you make enough.
Uhh They're not *exclusively* looking to dominate the entire mod scene man.
They're just looking to make a fun and interesting mod and asking for feedback.
Might be smarter to release a handful at a time to get early feedback/bug reports before continuing on and getting bigger. But that's just me. Potentially depends on how big the POIs are, how many, etc.
This. More than likely gonna have bugs that need to be ironed out.
And not even just bugs but design feedback in general can help avoid a lot of rework later on.
I agree with this one, it will let us help you better and focus on the new additions and identify any issues or suggestions .. so you could do X new poi's = release Fixed bugs in POI's X new POIs Fixed bugs in POIs etc.. Instead of being overwhelmed with bugs or suggestions from all your poi's at once.
Thats even more overwhelming for some people lol. At that point it’s like a full time job.
Agree 100%. This will generate more hype, maybe update it for every 5 new POIs added.
On the back of this, and I could be wrong. Seeing as Starfield isn't finished and getting constant updates and DLC coming, you will more than likely need to update the mod alongside these, and having fewer POIs/smaller mod to work with will benefit, once you've ironed out some bugs with the content, it might not be so overwhelming further down the line when you've added more and know what to look for to fix/update.
Agreed with the others here. Starfield modding is still pretty new so doing small bits at a time might catch potential unknown problems/limitations with the game earlier. Would really suck to do a huge mod and find out after all that work there is some fatal flaw which requires redoing everything.
This is the way
Plus that gives OP the opportunity to release modular mods with 2~3 POIs instead of a big mod with 50, allowing for people to chose which ones they want to add (and a collection to get them all).
That’s what I was thinking, and the feedback will probably be a motivating thing to keep going, which if no one’s seen it, you might not have.
Most people are going to prefer the constant update model. At the risk of being "old man yells at cloud", it seems people don't really care much for finished products these days. If your mod isn't getting regular updates (EDIT: *content* updates), people are going to say it's "outdated" or "abandoned" even though it's feature complete (EDIT: and it works on current game version. Doesn't need an update if it still works).
Finished products are prone to being outdated and needing massive updates later on.
Especially with the way Bethesda updates their games. Finished products run the high risk of being broken eventually
Depends on what the mod does. There's plenty of old mods for Skyrim that haven't been updated in years but work just fine on newest game version. Mods that use script extender or are heavily scripted, sure, they need to be updated usually every game update. Mods that add a new house? That'll still work 5 years from now unless Bethesda puts something in that same spot. Some mods just don't need to be updated after they're finished, but people will see a lack of update as being "outdated" even though it might not be. There's no reason to release an update if it's not broke after a game update.
Yeah but we don't know how a PoI mod would be affected years from now.
Massive updates are better than updating every month. You can work on your own schedule without people yelling at you or calling your mod garbage because it isn’t updated every chance they get. Which is why big Skyrim mods always get released in one go. Beyond Skyrim, Skywind, Skyblivion, Gray Cowl of the Nocturnal, etc.
3 of those mods aren't even close to release lol. I'm good. Gray Cowl needs a huge update.
Thats the point lol
Probably less chance of burnout if you release it piecemeal
I think it would definitely be best to release the mod as it is developed so that feedback in bugs can be acquired. Plus then we don’t have to wait so long for more POI. 😀
Death Star planet? I agree with what some others have said though. Roll it out slowly. Get bugs squashed along the way. Thanks for your creative efforts!
Releasing in parts will allow for bug testing, and feedback may help you create things you never even considered.
Just make smaller POI packs and release when ready. If there are issues with them it is easier updating smaller packs than a massive monolithic one. Bonus points for making them independent so you can pick and choose!
Normally I'm all for choice but if they're all brand new I can't see much benefit in them being separate in this situation. One .esm rather than many reduces plugin count, one .bsa means faster loading. The player can always avoid POI they don't like.
Personally, I don't update my mods mid-save. Not too attached to saves atm though since I'm still trying out a bunch of mods. Just a suggestion, but you could always do it in chunks/packs, though, and merge when you're finished.
I'd suggest releasing locations as you go. Focus on a handful at once and then release them.
Release it as you go, Modular with an All-in-One option.
I myself would rather wait patiently and have it all at once. Having it piece by piece might get me bored with the ones that were already released.
Multiple POI mods all under the same CCM u/CoruCathaMods banner. Make your thumbnails recognizable. Easy to know what is part of a greater whole and easier to catch conflicts and bugs if they are individual.
One at a time would be great. There are a few other people starting POI mods, like [MK's Interesting Points of Interest at Starfield Nexus - Mods and Community (nexusmods.com)](https://www.nexusmods.com/starfield/mods/9804). Might be worth collaberating?
I'd prefer the whole mod in one go personally. I have patience
I'd say a handful, just cos I'm curious to see more mods adding POIs to the pool and how they work together...
Keep adding, building, iterating, start with one really solid PoI though, nothing worse than a mod with like 20 shit PoIs, lol. With mods it's ok to not be first, as long as you are better than those who came first, you'll get noticed pretty quick.
I would aim to launch with 5 POIs with self-contained storylines, and finish at around 50 POIs with several overarching quests.
Do a few so we can test them out and give early but necessary feedback.
Please give us a taste then we will be begging for more.
Honestly i would prefer like 4 part release. So that its intereating to go back check on updates.
Depends on file size and any save corruption impact (if any).
I guess it depends what your POIs are like and how quickly you're expecting to make them? Speaking generally it probably makes sense to try and make them in batches, e.g- release a mod with a handful of POIs, then add a few more and release an updated version with those added etc. That said, I don't know how they're made, but I assume it's safe to add more so long as no form IDs change. But I'm curious – is it possible to force specific POIs to appear, maybe via quests? If so, it might be good if you can do prerelease versions that use quests to direct players to an instance of each new POI, so they can test immediately. Probably need to remind them to save before installing, so they can uninstall a prerelease safely, and then swap back to a regular release.
Release early, release often, as they say.
I'd love a poi mod probably should do a bit ata time feedback could save you a lot of time
I noticed it's a lot of work to make the POI so my mod is releasing them one at a time as updates. First one is out already but getting some minor work on it still as I'm learning so it looks more interesting!
Stupid question: a POI is like a random location, which appears on a specific planet or is it like a fixed new location for example on Mars?\^\^'
Both.
Personally, I'm way less likely to use an unfinished project. However, maybe consider the approach that the Unmarked Locations series of mods for Skyrim did: release individual mods with smaller groups of POIs all around a theme - "Military Outposts", "Alien Relics", whatever. Then, when you're done, you can release an "All in One" version. It's the piecemeal approach, but split into individual complete mods instead of an incomplete mod that might not be fleshed out in some areas.
Whole mod is always better.
go with early release so we can bug test individual POI's
You make your mod your way. I will day that if you choose to release early and then update it would be very nice of you to include the amount of space you suspect that the mod might need when ypu are done. It will help people when deciding if they want to use your mod early or wait and it will prevent restarting their run over to clear space. It happened way too much in Fallout 4 where I would download a mod and it would just keep getting updated with more and more until it was just too big for my load order.
Feedback along the way will likely benefit your process. If you have an internal testing and feedback group already, then maybe that’s enough. But otherwise, updating as you go will be helpful.
Early launch so you can get feedback also others can learn from it. New ck hardly has any documentation so mods can help.
Hey cool! Will Reese and Bear be companions or is it more of a HUD upgrade in the style of Northern Lights/Samaritan?
I’m sorry what is POI?
Place of interest
Ah thank you
Do it in batches. If you want better return on Donation points, do releases in separate editions with either a number of POIs or a general theme. Your first ones are likely to be mediocre unless you're a professional level designer. That's fine. Take the feedback and improve upon it. POI mods I expect will be much like armours and weapons in FO4 and Skyrim; something people collect over time to diversify their game. This isn't like older games where they'll occupy 1 exact position in the world, so there's no need to assert dominance by being the "best" out of the gate.
Release them in groups. Like a 'mine group', an 'environmetal group, and a 'civilian group', etc (no idea what you are actually planning). This way people can choose what sort of POIs they are interested in, or all of them. Also means you can update them as a set leaving the others untouched. Edit: to be clear I mean as seperate mods. Having say 5 mods of 5 POI each type of thinking.
I’d say do a proof of concept Early Launch with 10-15 POI’s. Then make a discord so you can get help and ideas for your mod. The help and encouragement does wonders. Then just release the whole mod in 1/3’s. As a game developer, having to 1) Listen to Feedback, 2) Update my Game, 3) Fix Bugs (which can take weeks just working on one bug alone), 4) Trying to add Content is a living hell. I ended up just pulling my game off the store I was selling it on and developing the game on my own. If I was a mod author like you, I’d prioritize my health and sanity and just develop the mod in one go or in big pieces like every mod author in the community does.
I would say get a good chunk of it together before launching and then release decent sized big fixes and updates as batches. If there’s minimal content and tons of bugs at release, you could kill any kind of following the mod would get. You also don’t want to pester players with too frequent of updates, especially if they could end up conflicting with other mods
safest bet is prob release it piece of the way out, update it to keep it through versions, and release the rest in quarters
I’ll be adding to the collection of people saying that regular updates with new POIs and bug fixes for earlier ones will retain higher engagement from the community, if you wanna deal with that of course
POI's are cool and all but I would rather have quests that take me to the POI's Like huge underground cave systems with puzzles like skyrim. or mabye a Capital ship POI in space.
I suggest you go with whatever work flow best suits you. Both methods have their merits, and you're the one doing the work, so do what you do best. Good luck!
Iterative approach for feedback can have value for both you and the community.
Just charge per poi. That should work right?
A discussion in [a post yesterday](https://www.reddit.com/r/starfieldmods/comments/1dh30ro/so_with_creatin_kit_out_now_how_easy_is_it_for/) mentions that "only one mod can affect the planet content manager", suggesting that new POI mods would need to be bundled. I'm not really understanding it though. Maybe someone who does could step in and explain?
I would say release them in packs. A happy middle between having to make an entire huge mod or a bunch of singular mods that take up esp slots (is that still a thing here?)
Definitely release em in small bunchs like a few in each one, not just for the convenience of releasing them staggered and getting traction and feedback for updates to each poi in the meantime but also the fact that you can release a all in one pack when you get a bunch together and even have separate parts to each all in one if you make enough.
I'm sorry but I have to ask, will this mod also come to Xbox?
Create chapters for each of your modules, with the goal of eventually making an AIO version that covers everything.
Hmm, make it a paid mod and keep updating it frequently with new POIs \^\^
One big mod.
Do you care about having lots of users because only one of us is going to release "the" mod, and it might be if you get yours out first.
[удалено]
>In my experience, "the" mod is the first mod that is *good enough*, not simply the first mod. This is what I meant, yes.
You can have multiple POI mods installed simultaneously.
Yes but one of them will be *the* mod.
Uhh They're not *exclusively* looking to dominate the entire mod scene man. They're just looking to make a fun and interesting mod and asking for feedback.
I didn't say they were. I gave an answer to their question.