STEP:Mandate: Difference between revisions

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===Abstract On the New Direction===
===Abstract On the New Direction===
[[Image:New_STEP.png|thumb|right|300px|highslide=1:The New STEP Guide(s)]]
[[Image:New_STEP.png|thumb|right|300px|highslide=1:The New STEP Guide(s)]]
One of the primary reasons for keeping STEP:Core pretty strict with regards to vanilla is that the overarching STEP project intends to evolve into a more community-driven initiative of mod 'recipes' constructed as extensions of a central core recipe (aka, STEP:Core). These mod recipes are simply extensible build instructions that we have been referring to as STEP 'Packs'.  These packs are themselves extensions of STEP:Core that build on it in ways that express or support different visions of the game. Therefore, STEP:Core needs to include only what are viewed to be the most essential mods necessary to 'correct' Skyrim, serving as the common denominator for all STEP Packs (e.g., the USPs, tweaks to suit the PC interface, 'fixes' that lie outside of USP mandates, etc.). STEP Packs are where the substantive deviations from vanilla Skyrim can and will occur, depending on the vision of any given pack author.  Some of the packs may be focused on gameplay changes, others on further graphic enhancements, but together they will allow users more flexibility and choice when determining their modded Skyrim experience. The real beauty of this paradigm is that ''ANY'' STEP member will be able to author their own STEP Pack and host their guide on the STEP wiki. Think of it as a 'Nexus' of mod-recipe add-ons that will serve to expand on the ideas of the Steam Workshop, the Nexus, TES Alliance, Planet Elder Scrolls, etc. as a "''mod-setup-creation infrastructure''" using a common set of development tools to derive a limitless expanse of potential outcomes, each with its own support infrastructure (e.g., forum threads, wiki resources, custom tools, etc.). In this way, STEP can become a completely community-driven initiative reliant on resources provided by the existing mod-delivery repositories like the Nexus. STEP will house the information on how to bring it all together ... and it is not limited to just Skyrim (but that is a story for another time). STEP:Core will provide a common, front-end Guide to modding Skyrim and articulate (via the Semantic Mediawiki infrastructure) with the community-authored Pack guides. The build interface will allow modders to assemble mod compilations complete with detailed instructions specific to mods, mod compatibility patches, Packs and Pack-compatibility solutions as well as a whole host of other relevant attributes, flags and tags for describing Packs and mods. This will be accomplished using forms on the wiki, and the result will be dynamically-created mod lists and Pack Guides that will "snap" together over STEP:Core. The result will be a series of (hopefully seamless) unique instructions for creating the particular build desired by the end user.
Previously, we had envisioned a STEP:Core mod build that would form the basis of all of our hosted mod-list guides. STEP:Core would be extended by the STEP Team into a comprehensive and aptly named STEP:Extended mod-list guide in alignment with the STEP:Mandate. STEP:Core would be extended by independent mod authors into their own custom builds according to their own visions for the game(s). We called these custom extensions 'Packs'.
 
While the original new direction remains essentially unchanged, we have decided to get away from the term 'Pack', because:
# STEP:Core is no longer being considered as a stripped-down STEP Guide but rather as a modder's resource situated as a base component(s) in a mod-list lineup for the applicable game. As such, it will only contain the most fundamental and recommended mods and associated compatibility patches that apply to any mod build for that game.
# Mod Picker enables us to define a core mod list that can be copied by would-be mod-list authors and expounded upon. This enables those authors to situate the core build or any of it's individual components anywhere in their mod list to allow the flexibility needed to maintain compatibility among mods in their varying mod lists.
 
In short, we are abandoning the original 'pack' concept and pack guide-building engine in favor of a Step core 'build' modder's resource, largely because Mod Picker will be our new mod-list-building 'engine', and the new Step CMS will be our new mod-guide-building 'platform'. Neither of these resources either recognizes or relies upon the pack concept, and both can easily work with the Step core build as a basis from which to create any mod build and guide.


===Examples of STEP Packs (TBD by YOU)===
===Examples of STEP Packs (TBD by YOU)===

Revision as of 19:48, January 15, 2020

The NEW New Direction of STEP[edit | edit source]

This is an update of our previously published STEP:Mandate in order to modify some of our existent language and intentions to be more consistent with the new direction we have actually found ourselves heading. Our 'old' new direction has changed a bit, due to the reality of mod-list compatibility patching among different Skyrim guides relying on a common 'precursor' mod build (the original intention of a "STEP:Core" mod build). The advent of Skyrim SE has further complicated and interrupted progress, so we have re-scoped our path forward to conform to these changes and realizations. To put it simply, this "core build" must consist ONLY of resources and patches applicable to ANY practical Skyrim mod build. Thus, the core build cannot realistically itself be a comprehensive mod build but rather a convenient mod-build resource from which all applicable STEP and community-custom Skyrim guide authors can rely upon as a convenient building block in creating a comprehensive mod build and accompanying guide. In this way, the core-build mod 'list' in and of itself behaves more like a mod or modder's resource.

A Brief History[edit | edit source]

A lot of people may be under the impression that STEP is stagnating, since it is not continuously updating its mod list or rigorously testing potential new mod additions. Although, these trends are accurate, the reasons behind them may not be clear; therefore, we are presenting this article to inform the Skyrim modding community about where the project is heading and some of the challenges that we have been tackling in getting there.

First and foremost, STEP represents a "modding methodology". It began with TheCompiler as a PDF guide on the Nexus and has since been presented in the form of guide with a wiki and forum structure wrapped around it. STEP has historically been updated in fits and spurts, with active development on the mod list, mod testing, version releases, etc., followed by long periods of seeming inactivity. However, behind the scenes, the STEP staff are hardly inactive. We have been focused on site and content development to support the STEP Guide/forum structures and some challenges in maintenance. Most notably, forums maintenance is a lot of work that cannot be put off (otherwise, things fall into disarray ... this is how forum communities are, although ours is more mature than most). Wiki development and the learning curve associated with using our wiki are also challenges for many members. For our staff, the challenge is refining the interface to maximize user friendliness. Consider that the vast majority of all of this work has been accomplished and maintained by a small handful of people. Granted, we had several others on board in the beginning and continue to get much-needed support from some key individuals --without whom, we would never have made it this far.

As a result, the STEP Guide updates and our attention to modding and mod testing largely took a back seat to site and community development. One way that we sought to mitigate the ever-mounting problem of maintenance overhead was to define a rather strict STEP Mandate. This helped us to weed out a big chunk of mods (and the work that comes with adding, updating and maintaining them over various guide versions) so that we could focus more on infrastructure and communications. Unfortunately, the Mandate has also been a bit of a hindrance for people that want the STEP mod list to expand. Over the course of our struggle to maintain the STEP "engine", others have expressed a desire to simply get on with modding Skyrim (remember, the reason that we are all here in the first place?). Thus arose from the turmoil STEP-independent modding guide authors like, Neovalen and his "Skyrim Revisited" and DarkLexyLady and her "Legacy of the Dragonborn" as well as some Fallout and Oblivion modding guides to quench the appetite of the masses that expected STEP to evolve beyond a basic guide and into the "dream build" that we all had envisioned it would be. In a way, the work of these independent guide authors and STEP's hosting platform have kept the interest of some of our most senior community members. We always have new members and users that are interested in STEP as a rather prominent starting point for modding beginners, but some of the more advanced modders --who have patiently waited for STEP to evolve along with them-- may have grown somewhat disillusioned and --luckily for us-- have found solace in these independent modding guides.

The Advent of Step 3.0[edit | edit source]

In the midst of all of this uncertainty, the STEP team decided to enhance but simplify our own guide creation and update methods while facilitating guide contributions of independent mod authors. On top of that, we wanted to extend our infrastructure to support additional games much like the Nexus has done over the last decade. This allowed us to begin work on our revised modding-gude infrastructure and website, which we have branded "STEP 3.0" due to our latest guides having been v2.x.x. STEP 3.0 is our 'reboot' of the project into its next phase, to be complete with a new website powered by custom guide-building software and updated forums.

In October, 2018, the "STEP "1.0" website went down due to a server issue that was never identified or resolved. This resulted in the site being completely down for the better part of two weeks, which left a lot of our members and visitors in a lurch while we moved servers and completely rebuilt the server/software infrastructure and changed hosts (unofficially, we claim the current state of STEP as "STEP 2.0"). This emphasized our need to ramp up development of our new service model and website as well as fail-safe server redundancies and devops pipelines.

Abstract On the New Direction[edit | edit source]

The New STEP Guide(s)

Previously, we had envisioned a STEP:Core mod build that would form the basis of all of our hosted mod-list guides. STEP:Core would be extended by the STEP Team into a comprehensive and aptly named STEP:Extended mod-list guide in alignment with the STEP:Mandate. STEP:Core would be extended by independent mod authors into their own custom builds according to their own visions for the game(s). We called these custom extensions 'Packs'.

While the original new direction remains essentially unchanged, we have decided to get away from the term 'Pack', because:

  1. STEP:Core is no longer being considered as a stripped-down STEP Guide but rather as a modder's resource situated as a base component(s) in a mod-list lineup for the applicable game. As such, it will only contain the most fundamental and recommended mods and associated compatibility patches that apply to any mod build for that game.
  2. Mod Picker enables us to define a core mod list that can be copied by would-be mod-list authors and expounded upon. This enables those authors to situate the core build or any of it's individual components anywhere in their mod list to allow the flexibility needed to maintain compatibility among mods in their varying mod lists.

In short, we are abandoning the original 'pack' concept and pack guide-building engine in favor of a Step core 'build' modder's resource, largely because Mod Picker will be our new mod-list-building 'engine', and the new Step CMS will be our new mod-guide-building 'platform'. Neither of these resources either recognizes or relies upon the pack concept, and both can easily work with the Step core build as a basis from which to create any mod build and guide.

Examples of STEP Packs (TBD by YOU)[edit | edit source]

Expansion Pack - A comprehensive overhaul of STEP:Core ... essentially, a pre-configured Pack assemblage.
Add-On Pack - A Pack that focuses on a specific goal. Add-On Packs will likely be combined to create the equivallent of custom Expansion Packs.
  • All built atop of STEP:Core ...
  • STEP:Extended - An "Expansion Pack" that will represent the fully-modded setup as envisioned by TheCompiler and the STEP team
  • Skyrim Revisited - An "Expansion Pack" representing Neovalen's vision of a complete modded setup, including all of the possible options like lighting, weather, char/gameplay enhancements, etc.
  • STEP:Stealth - A stealth-oriented "Add-On Pack"
  • STEP:Radiance - A lighting "Add-On Pack"
  • STEP:Parallel Universe - Maybe this would be a complete overhaul of the Skyrim world ... ?
  • STEP:Realism - A purist-realism "Add-On Pack" (or "Expansion Pack")
... and so many more possibilities.

STEP Core Builds [edit | edit source]

STEP:Core-Eligibility Flowchart

While Bethesda does its best to patch and update their games, they still missed a great deal and leave users desiring more with certain aspects of the game. STEP Core Builds are mod lists that comprehensively enhances vanilla games for the PC in order to properly finish what Bethesda attempted. Specifically, ...

STEP Core Builds are about ...

  • ... bug fixes and corrections to malfunctioning aspects of the vanilla games.
  • ... HD asset replacements in the style of the vanilla game.
  • ... improvements to existing content that increases the consistency of the vanilla game.
  • ... interface mods that improve the menus and UI for the PC.
  • ... new content that is interpreted as a "should have been included" resource and remains consistent with the vanilla game.

STEP Core Builds are a comprehensive assemblage of game "corrections" with minimal potential for conflict with downstream mods. Another way to think of STEP Core Builds is that they simply take the Unofficial Patches a step further by integrating them all along with other miscellaneous fixes and vanilla-friendly asset enhancements. They serve as a stable base for creating new STEP Builds.

STEP Core Builds are NOT about ...

  • ... content that conflicts with the game's lore or the lore from its series.
  • ... mods that subjectively alter or contrast with the style of the vanilla game.
  • ... new content that is out-of-scope with the vanilla game.
  • ... mods that subjectively alter gameplay mechanics.
  • ... mods that have a high likelihood of having "data conflicts" with other mods.
  • ... mods that have a high performance penalty.

STEP Guides [edit | edit source]

STEP Guides are about ...

  • ... content that is consistent with the game's style and lore, as established by Bethesda's creators and extrapolated on by the STEP community in accordance with resources:
  • ... continuity and qualitative consistency of all in-game behaviors and assets (i.e., sounds, textures, models, gameplay, etc.)
  • ... new content, assets, and effects that "fit" the game's style and TES lore.

STEP Guides are complete "Expansion Packs", meaning that they are intended to be a complete, STEP-modded build. In addition to adding upon the visual and acoustic enhancements of a vanilla game, STEP Guides modify aspects of the vanilla game in terms of gameplay mechanics and may include mods that add or subtract specific functionality to yield an overall more immersive experience. STEP Guides are standalone, overhauls of vanilla games.

STEP Guides are NOT about ...

  • ... sex mods, body replacement mods, or beauty mods that unrealistically affect or digress from the ambiance and style of the vanilla game.
  • ... sound replacement mods that digress from the game's vanilla ambience.
  • ... texture mods that deviates from the game's visual style.
  • ... mods that are only required for a specific user base (i.e., a mod that fixes UI issues but only for users running at 4K)