[DoctorEldritch]

@GoLLuM13 But Hogwarts Legacy is not an online game, there isn't even multiplayer if I am not mistaken. What would be the grounds for a ban? I understand the rationale for competitive multiplayer games or for mods that enable objects normally locked behind microtransactions (there are precedents), but you should be able to tailor your single-player experience how you see fit, I think.

Then again, maybe this warrants a deeper discussion about the usage of mods.

[GoLLuM13]

@DoctorEldritch I don't know, sometimes developers just don't want us to mod and send steam to be the bad cop. I know that mods for Skyrim are a common thing, but I'd like to finish the game before risking anything, just in case 🤣

[DoctorEldritch]

@GoLLuM13 I'd say Skyrim is one of those games where mods really do add much to the experience. In addition to various little things for convenience, there are a lot to give extra content, or rework the magic system, or give a proper Bard school (let's face it, the version in the game leaves a lot to be desired). When it comes to these games, using mods seems very natural to me.

Personally, though, I prefer the Fallout series to Elder Scrolls, and the mods there can be rather thorough:

One more reason why Steam policy seems odd to me, this. Do you know if maybe other platforms like EGS or GOG are more liberal?

[GoLLuM13]

That's insane what we can do with mods, I remember back in the days when I used mods on GTA 4 I was feeling like it was a new game or a new version of it (with real cars) 😂

About the possibilities of ban, while I'm not sure about Steam (especially for a solo game) my concern is that if one of them is detected as a "piracy" tool (not to name it). On EGS side, I have absolutely 0 clue, not the launcher I use the most except to play Among Us and Fall Guys with all of you. And finally GoG, with GoG you can do whatever you want with the game because most of the games (if not all) on GoG are free from any kind of DRM once you buy the game you can download the installer and install it on as many machines as you want without even having the need to get their launcher 👀 (obviously there is a limit, the online part is out of the equation)

[DoctorEldritch]

@GoLLuM13 I generally like to use mods if they either make the game more convenient or add new content. But I do not really chase the optimal graphics, I know it is important for many people, but those mods that aim to increase performance and improve the picture were never as important to me. I'd rather use mods that make characters walk faster if the game has a lot of walking from place to place with little happening.

Or there is such a thing as grinding, that some people like and some do not. I fall into the latter category, I do not think games should force you to do repetitive actions to progress. Sometimes developers go even further and introduce a time-based system. I think I mentioned this example before, but I really did not like the war table missions in Dragon Age Inquisition and how you had to wait in real-time for them to be over. So I used a mod to make them instantaneous and I did not feel bad about it, because that sort of tactic is not something I am in favor of.

As for the mods that add actual content, it can be very hit-or-miss with them, but those that have whole teams of people working on them like Fallout ones do look promising.

It is hard to say with Steam and other platforms, that is true. Some developers even release mod-building kits to make adding mods easier, and those toolkits are available in Steam as well, and I know GTA did that. With that, it'd be nice if Steam and other platforms had a more nuanced tool to differentiate mods from "piracy".