Donation Points Update 2024 FAQ

Where is the Donation Points report for April/May/June 2024?

The reports for these months are not being shared until we've finished work on the changes to the Donation Points system as discussed in the original news post. We don't have an estimate for how long this will take, but we aim to publish these figures by August 2024 at the latest.

How are Donation Points calculated?

With this update, we've decided that the exact algorithm for DP will remain private. You can read more about why we made this decision in the announcement.

Will the total monthly DP payout remain the same?

The amount of DP paid out each month varies, but has generally been on the rise. In March 2024, the DP payout is £325,000. DP Payouts are generally linked to the success of the business. The monthly payout will continue to be displayed on the Donation Points page and we aim to keep putting in as much as possible.

What do you mean by "splitting mods", does this apply to me?

When talking about splitting mods, it's important not to lose track of the context of the original article. We're describing when users specifically and unnecessarily split up parts of their mod onto separate pages to generate additional Donation Points. This practice will no longer be rewarded in the new system. There are plenty of legitimate reasons to want to create multiple mod pages for your content.

If you have split your mod into smaller pieces, consider combining all parts with the first mod page you created. The extra overhead of maintaining additional pages will not generate more rewards and may be detrimental to the experience for your users.

Should I combine my existing mod pages?

If you feel combining your mod pages would provide a better user experience, please do so. Otherwise, we're not asking you to change how you've uploaded your files but to be aware that having lots of mod pages doesn't necessarily correlate to additional Donation Points.

Here are some examples of where consolidating your mod pages would be beneficial:

• Keeping a mod and its variants/patches in one place. Patches can be added to the same page as optional files and the main mod can be in the "main files" category.
• Grouping compatibility patches together. If you made 20 patches with at least one mod in common, group them by that mod. You can still offer them as alternate main files on a single mod page.
• Group similar mods by a theme. If you are making a lot of mods that do similar things, post all the patches in a single hub. You can also consider using a mod installer to give users the choice of which parts of the mod to apply. Some examples include:
  • Outfits converted to use the same custom body.
  • Model/texture replacements for a particular set of items.
  • Mods that apply similar changes to a group of NPCs (e.g. visual overhauls)

Will I get fewer Donation Points for uploading more mods?

No. This change prevents breaking a mod into smaller pieces from generating additional Donation Points but you won't be penalised for simply uploading more mods. We've tailored the system changes to reward new, unique content that the community loves.

Is this system intended to penalise users who share modlists/collections?

No. This change will likely decrease the amount of Donation Points earned by some mod list curators, but that doesn't mean that these users shouldn't be rewarded for their efforts in the community.

We've seen a pattern of curators earning a significantly higher amount of DP than some mod authors in their game communities. This can often be attributed to including lots of their small mods/patches in the list. We feel that this generates a disproportionate reward and our changes are intended to rebalance the distribution.

Curators are likely to still get a good amount of DP for their efforts, but it will no longer be significantly higher when compared to others in the community.

Will I get more or fewer Donation Points with the new algorithm?

It's hard to give a definitive answer that covers all users. The algorithm has changed from April 2024 onwards so the criteria to generate Donation Points will be different. Some users will see an increase, others will see a decrease. You can read more in the announcement.

I think an author is abusing the system, what can I do?

If you feel a mod author is breaking the site rules, please use the "Report Abuse" button on one of their mod pages and provide any information our team may need to investigate the issue.

We take these claims very seriously, however, please keep in mind that what is considered an abuse of the system is at the discretion of our Community Managers and while it might not be clear if something has happened after reporting a mod, there may be private conversations going on you don't see.

Why can't you moderate against users manipulating the system instead of changing the algorithm?

Due to the scale of our community (tens of thousands of mod authors) and the different ways the system can be manipulated, this is not feasible.

Anything to do with DP abuse is handled directly by Community Managers, who have already been moderating some of these cases in the background. However, our CMs do have a lot of other responsibilities on top of handling reports or reviewing recent uploads. Automated detection of manipulation would be difficult to set up as there are similar patterns of activity between a mod author with lots of mods and a user who is manipulating the system by splitting their mods into smaller parts - plus there's always a margin for error here as a lot of nuances cannot be easily explained in programmatic terms.

We would have to hire considerably more team members which would in turn introduce a massive increase in staffing cost. This would result in us being able to donate less to mod authors as the overhead costs of a manual system would have to be paid before we can put money into the DP system. Another option is to allow volunteer moderators to handle DP cases, but we don't feel this is the right approach and it would potentially require each case be reviewed by a Community Manager anyway as the users are very likely to want to appeal the decision.

The solution has to be algorithmic or it's just not feasible. Some of these things are difficult to detect unless a user gets reported and a Community Manager takes the time to investigate. Changing the system to remove the possibility of abuse is a far better option. Prevention is better than the cure, as they say.

What are the consequences of breaking the rules?

If there is a problem with how your mods are being shared, you'll be contacted by a Community Manager. We'll provide details on what needs to be addressed and guidance on how to make a better experience for the users of your mods.

If you ignore our advice or continue breaking our rules, specific mod pages may be permanently disqualified from opting into the rewards system.

In extreme cases, we can also disqualify users from earning Donation Points on all their files. However, this "nuclear" option would only be used after consistent breaches of our community rules.

All uses of these tools will be recorded publicly in our Formal Warnings and Bans forum.