News archive

We’ve released version 0.44.2 of NMM today that provides a number of bug fixes and updates to problems caused in the recent 0.44 builds. Here’s the fix and new feature list:

1. New Feature: New “Uninstall all active mods” button in the Tools menu.
2. New Feature: The readme scan is now optional and you can manually perform it by right-clicking on selected mods/categories and choosing the option from the context menu.
3. Bugfix: Category view: category and mod properties failing to properly update on the list.
4. Bugfix: Category view: NMM freezing when trying to delete a mod from the list.
5. Bugfix: WoT manager crashing when the game was using a malformed version number.
6. Bugfix: NMM crashing when checking for mod updates and the server was unreachable.
7. Bugfix: NMM reporting a mod as installed/uninstalled even though the user aborted the scripted install/uninstall or there was an error performing it.
8. Bugfix: NMM failing to properly load saved column sizes.
9. Bugfix: Readme Manager creating readme archive files into the wrong folder for newly downloaded mods.
10. Bugfix: Readme Manager setup adding random mod files in readme archives.


With version 0.44.0, in moving the mod view control system fully over to our new system a few debilitating bugs quickly rose to the surface once we released the update publicly. I’m sorry for that, however, having read some of the overly-entitled opinions left in the comments, I’d like to once again reiterate a few important points when it comes to NMM.

NMM is still very, very, very much in beta. We have never alluded to it being anything other than in beta, despite the fact it’s been in beta for going on 18 months now and has 1.7 million people using it, and there’s good reasons why it’s still in beta; we’ve got a lot more things we want to add in to NMM before I’m confident to say it’s ready for a full release. We’ve got a huge to-do list of features we want to implement and I’d never want to say NMM is “done” before giving it a completely new lick of paint and a UI overhaul to make it look less like a “my first .NET program” school project. So yes, you have that to be worried/look forward to.

What does being in beta mean to us? It means we’re going to continue to add new features, updates and bug fixes, test them on our end and then push them out into the public domain to be tested by you. We don’t have a QA department. We don’t have a huge team of programmers working on NMM and we don’t have a computer farm we can send our new builds to as test beds that test every function in every operating system/program variation going. We release updates out into the public domain so that you people become our testers, because we can’t afford them ourselves. You are our QA department. That’s the whole point of this beta and that’s why we still call NMM a beta, because we rely on you. Seeing some of the horrific responses and opinions of people who were affected by the bugs in version 0.44 I can’t help but feel some of you either don’t know what software being in open beta means, or you’ve been spoilt by the recent trends in MMO games where “beta” really means “demo”. No, when we say beta, we mean beta, and we release new builds out to be tested and get valuable feedback on.

If you’re someone who relies on NMM and doesn’t want to test new builds and you just want it to work, then it’s reeeeeeeeeeeally simple (so simple I don’t understand how it’s a problem at all): don’t update NMM until you’re confident (from reading feedback in comment threads/the forums) that the newest versions are stable to use. If you think NMM is perfect exactly how it is and you don’t want anything more from it at all; why are you bothering to update at all? You can still carry on using old versions of NMM all the way back to version 0.34 (and before then if you don’t download/check for new mod versions in NMM), and we only forced an update with version 0.34.0 because we changed our login and downloading system that prevented old versions from working. If you aren’t downloading NMM to help us beta test it and provide us with meaningful feedback then it’s completely your prerogative when and how you update it. What we’re not going to do is change our releasing methods to hold your hand for you, into a Linux style system of “bleeding edge”, “current”, “release” and “stable” during the beta. Once we bring NMM out of beta we’ll probably do this; and incentivise people to be testers for us, but not now, not while we’re in beta. So the onus is completely on you, the user, on when you update NMM. We need testers, and we value your feedback on bugs and features in the program. We don’t particularly value your feedback on how you think we should have “better QA”. You’re our QA. But if you’d like to pay me the £100k or so to hire on some QA testers then by all means, I’ll tell you where you can mail the cheque.

While I can’t assure you that all our releases will be completely bug free, I can assure you that when bugs are found we document and work on them in order of highest priority as quickly as possible.

One of the most common requests for help I get are those from people who have crashes when they start Skyrim. This is usually caused by a missing master in your load order, so in this video I show you how to find out if that is the case, and which file is the problem.

Download links for reviewed mods:
TES5Edit

If you’re reading this from a Nexus site then you’re reading it from our updated design. Before I go into explaining a few of the changes just a quick note that we’ve changed our imagemap, so if some images look out of place or things look like they’re in the wrong place you might want to refresh your browser cache for the site. Easiest way to do this is to press CTRL+F5 (a hard refresh). If that doesn’t fix it then try again. And again. If it’s still broken after that it’s either us, or not “broken” and you just think it looks wrong.

As promised I’ve made some changes to the layout that aren’t too different from the original. So, far from being an overhaul, it’s more an update to the original design. Right now we’ve made changes to the headers of all the Nexus sites and to the file page layout. We’ve got a few more page layout changes in the works, and next will be the category/search result page, but right now lets run through the current changes.

As mentioned the header has changed. The search, messages, notifications and account options are all accessible from the top bar now and we’ve removed the need for the originally (relatively garish) coloured bar, thus saving a few pixels in height in the process. Clicking the search button will produce a bubble box for you to do a quick search, and we’ve also made it more obvious that we have an advanced search as well. One thing that really surprises me from doing the internet rounds is that lots of people still don’t know we have an advanced search feature to really drill-down into what you’re looking for.

We’ve changed our logo area a bit; each site is labelled as Nexus Mods and the name of the game is listed below it. This is going to fit in to our future plans a bit more, so this change is more a change for the future rather than a necessary change right now. The normal navigation is still in-tact from the original design, no changes there, so you shouldn’t get lost.

The file page changes are slightly more substantial.

Probably the most notable change we’ve made is adding a file header background image that mod authors can create themselves through the site interface, to bring some more colour and variance from other mod pages out there. Something that makes your page look more unique from others. As is our way, creating a file header for your pages is completely optional, so if you don’t like them on your file pages you don’t need to do anything, you can stick with the default look (or you can play around with the system, then delete it if you don’t like the look).

To create a file header you need to go to your file images and click the background image icon underneath the image you’d like to use. You’ll be taken to a page where you can crop the image you’ve selected (much like you might crop your profile image on a social networking site like Facebook) and see how it’ll look on your page before you decide on whether you want to use it or not.

In the same vein we’ve also produced a similar tool that allows you to create your own hot file images for the site to use. Up until now the site has automatically generated these images and it’s been a bit hit and miss. Sometimes it produces a great hot files image, other times it produces an image of..the sky...or the sea...or a head...and it’s not so great. Now it’s all on you. If you think this feature is redundant for you because all your files were released a while ago and are no longer eligible for the hot files system then think again. We’re bringing in a “Feature file” system for the new category page. This system will show a random file from the category you’re viewing that changes every 10 minutes. Every file with a hot file image is eligible for the Featured File system, and we’ll rotate properly so every file gets equal time and exposure. We’ll also let you know how many times your file has been featured on a category, just for your own peace of mind. So creating a hot file image on your old files is highly recommended if you’d like some added exposure in the not too distant future.

We’ve moved the buttons to download the file, endorse it, vote for it and donate to the author to the top right in prominent green colours. We’ve also added a big “Track” button as well, as lots of people didn’t know we had a file tracking system. Clicking the vote, endorse and track buttons will make them turn orange (if it was successful), so you know when your vote, endorsement or track action has worked. They’ll remain orange when you revisit file pages, so you know at an easy glance whether you’ve already endorsed or tracked a file or not.

We’ve added some text below the “Action” buttons which should make it more obvious what each one does without being a mystery meat navigation that you can’t intuitively work out without hovering over the tiny icons. Similarly we’ve increased the size of the file tabs themselves and added a description at the top of each tab, once again to make it more obvious what each tab is for.

And that’s it!

If you think something isn’t looking right or working properly then feel free to let me know. I’ve tested the site in the latest versions of IE, Fire Fox and Chrome, but can’t account for every variation.

NB. If you think something is broken please take a screenshot of it, as it will help me in understanding whether it's actually broken or whether it's working as intended. Thanks!

We’ve snuck the latest version of the Nexus Mod Manager out the door late this evening pushing us into version 0.44. This latest version contains a number of bug fixes along with a new ReadMe management feature and the new improved controls for the “old view” NMM mode, the same that the category view uses.

The ReadMe manager parses all your mods for text, rtf, doc and HTML documents and provides them as a list for you to open straight from NMM by right-clicking a mod and highlighting the “Open ReadMe file” element, making it quick and easy to view the ReadMe’s for your mods. Unfortunately this feature highlights a worrying trend for me; a lot of the mods I have installed do not have a readme included in the archive with the mod. This is bad form, mod authors. You should always try and include a readme with your mods containing at least a description of the mod, the author name, any credits, your license information and, if you’re looking for feedback, a preferred contact method (whether it’s a link to a forum thread, your email address, a username on a forum people can PM, etc.). Any sort of identifying ReadMe is better than none.

Now that the non-category mode for NMM has the updated control system you can do some of the cool stuff that originally only the category-view could, like clicking the columns and sorting them by ascending and descending. Why is this handy? One example would be when you install a new mod and then can’t find it. Go into non-category view and sort the column by install date descending. Now you can see your mod list based on when you installed your mods.

A number of bug fixes have also been implemented into this build. You can find the full changelog here.

On the site front we’ve added a number of bug fixes for the sticky posts and nested commenting. You can now properly edit your replies without seeing the additional HTML that makes the forum posts a bit more understandable as replies. Mod authors replying to comments in their own mod threads now have the proper coloured borders that make their posts more noticeable and prominent. Replies are now ordered by date ascending to make a more logical and readable thread of replies and mod authors can now lock their sticky posts so they don’t get spammed by off-topic replies.

We’ve added an additional 2 servers in the Salt Lake City area, bringing our total for file servers up to 12 plus 2 premium file servers.

We’re very close to releasing an update to the Nexus site design which will begin with an update to the site header and file pages. Mod authors, you can find a mockup of the new page layout in this private thread. These aren’t massive, extensive visual changes. Much like you can still tell Microsoft Word is Microsoft Word whether you’re using the 2000, XP, 2007 or later versions, you’ll still recognise the sites.

Lastly we’ve changed the Supporter membership, as promised, so that Supporters no longer see ads on the site. I’ve been working hard looking into alternative payment platforms besides Pay Pal for those people who have a chip on their shoulder (or who can’t actually use Pay Pal due to locational difficulties) but after lots of extensive searching I can tell you one thing; there’s a reason why Pay Pal are so dominant. They make it so easy; they don’t expect you to jump through ridiculous bureaucratic hoops just to be accepted or have ridiculous rules and their system integrates perfectly with almost everything out there, including our system. While some alternatives are out of reach simply because they’re not open to EU residents yet (Stripe) unfortunately some have ridiculous stipulations. Take for example Google Checkout, who have stipulated in their rules that you must use their payment button to direct people to their payment process. Our system isn’t designed to work with custom buttons so right now, we can’t use Google Checkout/Wallet. Pants on head stupid rules that serve absolutely no purpose. We’re looking at several payment gateways, but all of them will require extensive time to make them work with our system, which is time spent away from actually working on the sites. It would be a lot easier if you people would just used Pay Pal (if you can), but hell, I can’t force you!

I’ll be sure to keep you updated on the payment gateway front if and or when I have any further news.

Update 1.9 Beta is now available on Steam, and it features a ton of bug fixes, along with a "Legendary" difficulty setting!

How to opt-in:

1. Within your Steam Library, right click on The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim.
2. Select Properties
3. Select the Beta tab and opt in using the drop box

NEW FEATURES

• Legendary difficulty setting
• Legendary Skills – Skills of 100 can be made Legendary. This will reset the skill to 15, return its Perks and allow the skill to affect leveling again. This effectively removes the overall level cap.

BUG FIXES

• General memory and stability improvements
• Fixed issue with quest scripts that were not shutting down properly
• Companions will equip better weapons and armor if given to them
• Fixed rare issue where player is unable to learn the Clear Skies shout during “The Throat of the World”
• Fixed rare instance where Alduin would become invincible during “Alduin’s Bane”
• Fixed a rare issue where player could become stuck in Night Mother’s coffin during “Death Incarnate”
• Fixed rare issue where protected companions could be killed from poison damage
• Fixed rare issue with certain ash piles left from resurrected NPCs not clearing properly
• Fixed rare issue with NPCs and creatures respawning improperly after player fast travels
• Fixed rare crash when entering Dark Brotherhood Sanctuary
• Fixed rare crash when entering a player owned home
• Random dragon attacks will no longer occur during “Battle for Whiterun”
• Fixed a rare crash when attempting to save your game during “Waking Nightmare”
• Fixed issue where “Glory of the Undead” would not start properly if player is in combat with Eorlund Gray-Mane
• The white phial is no longer consumed if given to a follower
• If player marries Aela, the “Totem of Hircine” quest will be available
• Unused briar hearts can be dropped after finishing “The White Phial”
• Fixed issue with paying off a crime against the Companions that prevented player from getting Companions quests properly
• Thieves Guild caches are now properly enabled in the appropriate cities
• The Dragon Infusion perk now works properly when taking Esbern’s Potion
• Cragslane Cave properly resets if player receives a radiant quest to clear it out
• Fixed rare issue with bounty quest objectives not properly clearing after completion
• Gallus’ Encoded Journal is no longer a quest item after completing the Thieves Guild
• In “No Stone Unturned” Vex will now accept Unusual Gems if you’ve collected them all before starting the quest
• Vekel the Man now gives rewards for completing “Toying with The Dead”
• Fixed rare issue with being unable to turn in stolen items in “The Litany of Larceny”
• Fixed issue with followers becoming over-encumbered after being repeatedly rehired
• Fixed rare issue with visiting Kynesgrove on horseback not progressing “A Blade in the Dark” properly
• Fixed issue with receiving a duplicate radiant quest from a Jarl
• Fixed conflict with clearing Driftshade Sanctuary before starting “Trouble in Skyrim”
• Fixed issue with using shouts while in jail and having guards unlock the jail cell
• Fixed rare issue with quest NPCs not properly moving to quest locations
• Fixed issue with NPCs not selling master level spells
• Fixed rare issue where player gets control locked outside the Thalmor Embassy at the start of “Diplomatic Immunity”
• Fixed rare issue with disappearing containers after upgrades in player owned house
• Fixed issue with being erroneously attacked while as a werewolf during “Ill Met By Moonlight”
• The Ebony Blade is now only improved by two handed perks
• Locked door to Proudspire Manor can now be unlocked by proper key
• Fixed issue with merchants not receiving the proper additional gold with the Investor perk
• Fixed a rare issue where the player would be unable to learn a word after leaving for several days during “The Way of The Voice”
• The Nord Hero Bow can now be improved
• The Purity perk no longer requires the Experimenter perk
• Fixed rare instance where Lovers Comfort would not be applied properly
• If you approach Frostmere Crypt from the north, “The Pale Lady” will start properly
• Fixed rare issue where player could be prevented from speaking with Atub to start “The Cursed Tribe”
• Fixed rare issue where a dragon could appear in the Mind of a Madman realm and kill the player
• Fixed instance where player could get stuck in Japhet’s Folly
• Fixed rare instances where Arngeir would not teach Worldwind Sprint
• Fixed issue with “Ill Met By Moonlight” if Sinding dies before the quest starts
• Gharol can now properly train up to level 75
• Fixed conflict with visiting The Karthspire before starting “Alduin’s Wall”
• Reduced the instance of random dragon attacks after fast traveling post main quest
• Recruited Blades now have appropriate dialogue while at Sky Haven Temple
• Fixed rare issue where an incorrect dungeon could appear as a location during “Totems of Hircine”
• Fixed rare instance in “Fetch me that Book” where books found before getting the quest would not be properly recognized
• Fixed rare issue with traveling to Thalmor Embassy with companions during “Diplomatic Immunity”
• Fixed issues with Matching Set perk not working properly with certain pieces of armor
• Fixed issues with Custom Fit perk not working properly with certain pieces of armor
• Fixed issue with NPC dying in a bear trap blocking progress in “Time of My Need”
• Fixed rare issue with swinging door becoming stuck and blocking an entrance in Volunruud
• Imperial Light Armor can now be crafted
• Fixed issue with “Vald’s Debt” where Vald was not leveled properly
• Fixed issue with Vilkas not giving proper greeting after completing “Battle for Whiterun”
• Fixed issue with respawning actors that were raised by using the Ritual Stone power
• Fixed issue with the Ancient Knowledge perk not calculating properly
• The Palace of Kings now has patrolling guards on upper floors
• Reduce percentage chance of getting a werewolf loading screen while player is a werewolf
• Pantea’s flute is no longer a quest item after completing “Pantea’s Flute”
• Placing an unread Oghma Infinium on a bookshelf in the player’s house no longer allows the book to be reused again
• Adjusted dialogue priority to improve chances of hearing more combat dialogue from certain NPC enemies
• Fixed issue with falling damage on high difficulty levels
• Fixed bad collision on certain clutter objects
• Fixed rare instance of couriers who would appear only dressed in a hat

I imagine modders have quite the task in front of them, to account for every change made in this update...

A mix of mods are covered in this video from mods that enhance immersion to those that add lots of fun new ways to destroy your enemies.

Thumbnail image for this video is 'Rumble in the Keep' courtesy of xsbullx.

Download links for reviewed mods:
Beast Skeletons
Realistic Needs and Diseases
Wrath of Nature - The Path of the Druid

Are you checking your e-mail every day, hoping to spot a "Invitation to The Elder Scrolls Beta"? Are you watching everything ESO, and dying a bit inside of waiting for the beta?

Well, you still have to wait a bit... But, the good news is that beta invites will be sent out nearing the end of this month!

The first beta events are smaller ones that primarily takes place during the weekends - and to those who haven't participated in a beta before, and thought it would be "fun" to test; Well, if you get into the first stage, let's just say you're in for a "treat".

The beta will start out small, and will expand gradually over the coming months. Meaning that if you are not selected for the first events, you may still be selected for later ones (and being selected into the first one does not guarantee selection for the later ones).

They'll be announcing it on Facebook, twitter and their official sites once the beta invites has been sent out (so if you get an invitation, and they haven't announced anything, it is most likely scam).

If you want more details, head on to The Elder Scrolls Official Website.

A long video this time, covering the popular and expansive Skyrim overhaul mod known as SkyRe.

Download links for reviewed mods:
T3nd0s Skyrim Redone
Skyrim -Community- Uncapper
Balbor and Steelsouls SkyRe ReProccer Project
ReProccer - Automated SkyRe patch generator

Download links for previewed mods:
Dovahkiin and The Apprentice of Thuum
Slave Pack Riekling Porter

Things have been flying by a bit recently and we’ve been boshing out so many small fixes, tweaks and features left right and centre I’m almost struggling to keep up. So here’s a run-down of some of the recent changes we’ve implemented on the sites and in NMM.


Nested commenting

I’ve been wanting to get this functionality implemented on the sites for a long while now but there was no point getting it done until we upgraded the forums (which was done within the last fortnight). Nested commenting allows users to reply to comments made on the sites and have those comments and replies grouped together for easy viewing.

Before nested commenting everyone’s comments were shown in a linear progression, one above the other, ordered by the date and time the comment was posted. It meant if you asked a question on a file page at 10am and the author (or anyone) couldn’t answer that question until 5pm, there could have been any number of comments (sometimes even hundreds) made on the file page in between the time you posted and the time a reply could be posted. That made finding the answer to your question very hard. Now, you can reply to the comments people make, and because they’re grouped together you’ll easily be able to see if anyone has replied to the comments you’ve made.

We’ve only provided one level of replying to comments. So comments only get nested (and indented) once. You can’t reply to a reply and have that reply indented further. Hopefully that makes sense. So you can’t have these crazy nested reply chains like you can on a site like reddit. It gets a bit messy!


Author’s sticky post

Something I know authors need help with is increasing awareness to their users about various things from incompatibilities, common issues, install instructions and what not. The inherent problem with the internet is there’s a percentage of users who seem to suffer from a form of attention deficit disorder and can’t spend the time reading the file description, readmes, FAQs and author warnings in big glaring multi-coloured fonts before they try to install a mod. If they can’t get it to work they then go to the comments section, completely by-passing everything the author has written on the topic in various locations and start asking for help. That’s REALLY frustrating if you’re a mod author. Unfortunately there’s not much you or we can do about that. If someone is really that dumb that they don’t read anything before asking for help then no amount of warnings, pop-up notifications and forced reading will solve the issue (much like our terms of service agreement boxes, or the big glaring boxes in the image share telling people not to upload nude images).

However, we’ll try to help with this issue in whatever way we can, and to that end we’ve introduced a “sticky post” system that allows file authors to sticky a single post in their comment thread. The post goes to the top of the comment section, where it is “stuck” there on every comment page, with a red border and a notification that it’s a sticky post from the author.

As an author this has some practical uses. Are you aware there’s a bug in your latest version that you’re working hard to fix? Maybe some major incompatibilities? People keep on bringing up the same issues that aren’t actually issues with your mod? Sticky a post to the top of your comments to let users know they don’t need to spam your comment section with bug reports about it. I’m sure you’ll still get bug reports from those previously mentioned users who DO NOT READ before they act (RAGE!) but hopefully you’ll be able to catch a few more people with such a notification that should help to reduce the load.

Something I’ve noticed from my time using the PC Gamer website, where they have nested commenting, is that the comment at the top of an article can often be used by people to talk about things completely unrelated to the original post. While we haven’t coded in a system to “lock” your sticky post (so people can’t reply to it with unrelated stuff) if it becomes obvious that it’s needed, we’ll do it. I’ll await mod author feedback for that one.


Latest version check box

The versioning system on the Nexus is far from complex, uniform or standardised. We let you guys version your mods however you like. Unfortunately sometimes this can lead to inconsistencies, especially with NMM where the latest version column checks the file version the user has installed against the file version shown on the file page (via the “edit attributes” page), not the file versions of your individually uploaded files. So if your file page says the latest version is v1.2 and your uploaded files have a file that’s v1.3, your latest file version is still v1.2.

While we want to visit the versioning system in more detail later, especially in regards to NMM, right now we’ve just added a quick and easy system for you to update your latest versions. We’ve added a checkbox when uploading your files that asks you if this is the latest version of your file. If you tick the box the latest file version information for your file will be updated with the content of the “file version” text field you’ve used in the upload form. Saves you going back and editing your attributes with your new version.


NMM drag n drop
Version 0.43.1 of NMM has added a small but useful feature for those people who still download their mods manually from the sites. You can now drag and drop files from your desktop into NMM directly, avoiding having to use the “add from file” functionality.

Right now this feature only works while in category mode. We’re working on updating the non-category view to use the same controller as the category view so it can make use of all the cool features the category view has, like being able to sort the columns, and the drag and drop functionality.


NMM bug fixes

Along with this feature update the latest version of NMM also contains some bug fixes. Here’s the change log:

*InstallLog didn't properly check for already present random mod keys (this will prevent the "An item with the same key has already been added" crash).
*Mod autoupdate check removing category info from mods, causing missing mods from categories.
*Uac check crashing with illegal folder paths.
*Scripted mod install failing when the installer tried to show a message to the user (throwing a Security exception).
*ProgressDialog bug causing mod update checks to fail.
*Illegal folder paths crashing the game scan process.
*The "move to category" ContextMenu didn't properly sort alphabetically.
*Prevents the user from settings Mods or Install Info folders equal to: HD root, game root, installed mods folder.


What we’re now working on

Moving on we’ve got lots of new features in the pipeline for both the sites and NMM.

Right now I’m working on some updates to the site’s design, which I’m sure will fill a lot of you with fear and dread. It’s not going to be a full redesign of the sites like we had last year at all. You’ll still recognise the sites, I promise. If you’re a mod author you can see my mock up for the file page redesign in the private mod author forums that I’ve appropriately titled “fixing things that aren’t broken”. I hope to do the changes progressively. So I’ll be changing the header about a bit to better manage the space. We’ll do that first. Then we might update the file pages. Then the category view. Then the site index. I don’t have plans for any other pages just yet.

The clever site coders are working on the bandwidth throttling system based on ads and endorsements that I brought up in my last blog post. They’re also working on a new feature for mod authors that’s going to let them pick and crop the images they want to use for their hot files and “feature image” on the new file page.

Our hot file system is quite unforgiving when it comes to picking and cropping the images it wants to use, and how it crops them, so we want a system where you can pick the image the site will use as it’s hot file image (if your file becomes a hot file) and also pick which area of the image gets cropped so it advertises your mod in its best light. This will be handy not just for people with popular mods because I also plan to use hot file images in the new category design, where we’re going to have a “featured” mod; a mod that is randomly picked from the category that will be advertised in the category for a set amount of time, and then sent to the back of the pile before it can be shown again as a feature mod. A form of banner advertising and rotation for mods, if you will.

On the NMM front we’re working on the aforementioned update to the non-category view, more bug fixing, better readme management and our initial work into creating a really easy to use mod packager for authors who want to ensure their mods work with NMM and, drum-roll, better scripting support as a part of it. We want to make it so that mod authors who don’t know how to script and don’t want to learn can still make some pretty neat installers that give their users more options when installing.

We’re aware there’s still some niggling issues with the forum upgrade for those people who use the forums. We’re aware of them (especially the VERY annoying bug that is causing edited posts to come up in garbled HTML at random), but some things are taking a higher priority right now. Word of advice that applies at any time; always copy and paste your long posts into notepad before posting a response.

It’s been a long day but 8 hours after taking the forums offline we’ve now put them back online with the necessary updates in place. There’s still quite a bit of work to do, tweaks and performance enhancements to make, but the majority of the functionality should now be in place and we’ve re-enabled mod publishing and commenting on the sites.

We’ve all got to get used to the changes that have been made by this latest version and we’re still trying to find our way around things and remember all the old settings we had in place before. While we use Invision Board for our forums we’ve made a hell of a lot of edits and tweaks to both the software and the servers over the years to be extremely optimised for the amount of traffic the sites receive. This latest update has wiped out all of those optimisations so we’ve got to try and get it back to how it all was before.

We’ve been testing out the new software over the past couple of weeks and while we can test for most things, we can’t stress test for the 100’s of requests the forums receive every second when things go live. Please bear with us, everything should be as it should be soon.

In the meantime if you’re one of our forum users feel free to do some exploring. I’m sure a lot has changed in the software. Don’t like how the posting forms now look? Me either.