Why I don't use mods

[GluttonyReaper]

On 6/5/2019 at 4:39 AM, Xavven said:

Uncertainty in Continuing Support and Updates  - In most cases, modders eventually get bored of the game and their mod and move on to something else, seeing as they aren't paid for their work and they have no obligation or incentive to continue. Sometimes mods are abandoned for long stretches of time until another modder picks up the project, or it's permanently abandoned.

 

On 6/5/2019 at 4:39 AM, Xavven said:

Time Investment in Trying Out Mods - Since some mods are really great and others not so much, I have to spend a lot of time researching them and/or trying them out until I tune my game the way I want it. But some mods don't really show their quality or lack thereof until mid or late game. On top of that, problem #1 creeps in, and when a key mod I am using is abandoned, I have to find a replacement. It's just too much shopping around for my liking.

I would say these are two big reasons for me not modding anywhere near as heavily as I used to. These days I sometimes only have a few hours here and there to play, and I don't really want to waste that hedging my bets on a mod that I've never tried before, or maintaining the mods I already have, or going back to old saves and trying to work out what all these extra parts do...

On 6/5/2019 at 4:39 AM, Xavven said:

Having to build my own game - I saved my most important reason for last. I find a lot of satisfaction in exploring a world someone else created, discovering how it works, being surprised by new and interesting challenges and puzzles that they built for me, and overcoming those challenges. Modding takes away from that experience for me personally, because I feel like I'm building my own world with my own rules, so the challenges were obstacles I put there to begin with, and the surprises are ruined because I put them there. If a trial is too hard, I can just lower the challenge level. Some puzzles can be ruined by just giving myself extra tools that let me circumvent the puzzle altogether. In conclusion, to me, it's like watching a movie but where I was the one who wrote the script and directed it. It's just not the same.

...but reading this, I'd say this probably the largest reason, although I've never really thought of it specifically before. Having tried to make little games before, I can confirm that setting everything up yourself definitely takes the fun out of it somewhat, especially in story-based games - in terms of KSP, it's somewhat disappointing to already know what the tech tree nodes are, or what you might find on the surface of Moho or Eeloo, or knowing that it's not worth landing on such-and-such planet until you unlock certain parts. It's like reading a book that you've already written yourself. Now that I think about it, the most fun I've had in KSP has been with total overhaul mods, things like Kerbalism or RO or planet packs, which effectively just throw stock balance out the window entirely.

I can certainly see the draw of extensively customising the game to your desires - it is a sandbox game after all - but there's something to be said about the "games are a form of art" approach too, one which I feel is underappreciated sometimes.

It's why I've been so interested to start up a new game with the DLC, and I've kept fairly spoiler-free on the surface features, because I'm genuinely interested on having something new to find, even if I am keeping my expectations fairly low  

[Epicdreamer]

Since Breaking Ground came out I started playing vanilla again (with both dlc's that is). First time vanilla since oh I don't know...version 1.1.2? And it's matured well!!

I very very rarely have any real issues with mods. But then again, I have...[trying to remember how my "KSP main" folder looks like nowadays]  about 30-35 installs of KSP. Nearly all ksp vanilla versions and a bunch of modded installs. I have never used more than about 25 mods in any install due to system performance (I'm happy with 15fps on mid-graphic settings flying a 200ish part craft) and because I like having a playthrough focussing on this or that particular mod...or mod coctail. So all of my installs are "isolated". One install = one save and all of them are very different.

That way older modded versions work just as smooth as when I built that particular game. So no technical issues really. Once or twice a glitch or bug flung an orbital station out to an escape orbit from Kerbol, but it's not something that irritates me. I see them as unexpected challenges. Trying to save a bunch of kerbonauts from a Kerbol ejection orbit is quite a challenge.

I don't try any mods that look unfinished (I use Youtubes Kottabos games channel looking for mods for example), or when I read lot's of troubles/workarounds in the add on release part of this forum. Yes it's an time investment. But that is what hobbys are for.

A few of those installs work so well, are so rich and balanced because of a good mod-choise that I still play them. My last 'epic' playthrough took about a year and a half before I got bored I finished it. Then jumped from KSP 1.3.1 to 1.7.

Ah well, I just like messing around with not only playing-the-game, but with the whole modding-the-game as well. Nothing you can do wrong, untill you think it's not right...and then just start over (and over and over etc) again.

Edited June 6, 2019 by Epicdreamer
Messed up font sizes edit: still messed up.

[wumpus]

Nobody has mentioned loading times?  I've heard of some horror stories on the "how many mods do you have and how long does it take KSP to load?".  I have a bunch of mods included, but I think most of them break compatibility and aren't loaded (I think the "real astronaut/cosmonaut voices" mod is in there, but doesn't make any sound).  KER is the only one that I can't live without (I suppose I could figure out how to use the stock readouts, but I'm used to using KER while building/flying rockets).

[Lisias]

56 minutes ago, wumpus said:

Nobody has mentioned loading times?  I've heard of some horror stories on the "how many mods do you have and how long does it take KSP to load?"

This is more of a problem to parts, not to Add'ons by themselves. Part Packs that reuse stock textures are way less prone to that than ones with new and detailed textures.

People usually goes to eye candiness, however, and then loading times goes through the roof.

Edited June 7, 2019 by Lisias
Kraken count the tyops!

[Gargamel]

6 hours ago, Lisias said:

People usually goes to eye candiness, however, and then loading times goes through the roof.

Yup, my 1.3.1 game with 80+ mods takes about 20-25 minutes to load.    Stock (not vanilla) 1.7.1 takes maybe 5? 

[Lord Aurelius]

I totally agree with the logic in the OP, but I still play modded simply because stock is still so poorly balanced between the atrocious tech tree and questionable part stats (especially around power)/holes in the tech tree (even after the recent updates), and is missing some pretty major game mechanics (life support, construction time) that it needs to really flesh out the game.

My hope is that someday the devs will implement these missing features and finally work up the courage to go break everyone's craft files and properly balance the game so I can play stock without cringing and having to go download mods/roll my own configs just to make the game tolerable.

[sturmhauke]

I don't mod most games. But if a game captures my attention to the point where I play it to death and feel like I've done everything, then I start adding mods. I played KSP for a year or so before I added any part mods, but even before that I started using stuff like KER and Transfer Window Planner

[kerbiloid]

Most of really fundamental mods are still being maintained for years, with no significant gaps between the versions. (Not all of them, unhappily, but most of).

The KSP itself keeps being upgraded and keeps adding more and more functionality, making various obsolete mods not actual.

Parts are mostly compatible with various KSP versions (major changes happened just maybe 2 or 3 times).
Plugins in many cases require just a recompilation with up-do-date .Net assemblies from the actual version of KSP. In most cases this is not necessary.

After learning how to do your own simple parts you can keep reducing the usage of the stock parts and need fewer and fewer mods made by others, because they do all this wrong. Just you know how should a proper ship look like.
And unlike them all, you don't need a universal kit for other users with full set of sizes and features. You are happy with your hand-made parts, poorly playable for others, but perfectly matching your own needs. As the game is single-player, nobody knows about your artistic skills (especially when the game is all about spheres, cones, and cylinders in vacuum.)
At some point you find out that it's easier to create a desired part yourself than to keep nailing to your ship parts from various mods having different styles and sizes making a frankenship consisting of parts from several mods.
At some point you find out that in most cases you need just plugins from other mods, not parts themselves. Your GameData shrinks, your free RAM expands.

The planet packs, though, can be a problem. Many of them became obsolete and incompatible.

Edited June 9, 2019 by kerbiloid