Mod Submittal and Sharing Policy
The following are generic conventions that we are trying to stick to for all Mod names. This will be the form we expect any future authors to follow for submissions for a more uniform experience.
First, we will talk about naming conventions as they apply to this Archive:
The symbols '<' and '>' denote required information but are not part of the naming convention themselves.
The symbols '[' and ']' denote optional information that may be included if desired.
The symbol '/' indicates a choice of options.
A typical Mod name should follow the following convention:
<username>-<mod_name>[_lite/full/limited]_[v]<version#>_<game>.<zip/rar/7z>
Using the above information, if I made a Mod it could be listed as:
spock-theUltimateMod_1.01_fate.zip
or
spock-the_Ultimate_Mod_v1.01_fate.zip
> The entire username must be lowercase,
> The username is followed by a mandatory dash (-),
> The initial character of the Mod name must be lowercase and as much of the rest as possible should be lowercase as well but some uppercase letters may be used to indicate the start of different words,
> Anything shown after the Mod name that further separates it from a similar Mod by the same author should be all lowercase but is left up to the author. Three examples of possible text are shown,
> The game name, and any author desired extra text, is followed by a mandatory underscore (_),
> The version number is followed by a mandatory underscore (_),
> The game name, in lowercase, should be added to help eliminate confusion,
> The file extension should be all lowercase and can only be one of the three supported compression methods,
> No blank spaces may be used anywhere, underscores may be inserted instead if the author desires to separate the words in a Mod.
Included 'ReadMe.txt' file
All Mods should include an ASCII text file which will be the Mod name with an extension of txt. It will contain, among other things:
-Required
> The name of the Mod (see naming convention above),
> The authors username (real name optional),
> As full and complete a description of the Mod as possible,
> Either a list of included files required for the Mod to work, a list of non-essential files that are not required for the Mod to work, or both. Any such list(s) should be clearly marked to indicate which instance the list represents,
> Explicit installation instructions which assume that the end user has never installed a Mod before, and
> Explicit un-installation instructions which assume that the end user has never un-installed a Mod before.
-Nice to have
> Please try to include what changes have been made that may affect compatibility with other similar or dissimilar Mods (to help other Modders), and
> Information explaining what will happen to any unique items collected if this Mod is removed.
The author may include any additional information (s)he desires, such as a version list, programs used to develop the Mod, and co-authors.
Using the example from above, the ReadMe file for my Mod would be named:
ReadMe-theUltimateMod.txt
Testing:
> All Mods are required to be tested by one or more of our Mod Testers before being listed in the Archive,
> The Testers usernames will be listed with the Mod on the appropriate pages,
> If the Testers find any problems, they should notify the original autor(s) if possible to fix the Mod,
> If the original author is unavailable, then the name of whomever fixed the Mod to make it comply with our Archive along with the exact steps required to fix it will be added to an ASCII text file called Tester_Fixes-<Mod_Name>.txt. Using the example from above, the testing file for my Mod would be named:
Tester_Fixes-theUltimateMod.txt
Listing:
> Each Mod will be listed once and only once in the Archive,
> It will be placed in the most appropriate category available,
> If the Mod doesn't fit into an existing category and there are enough similar Mods to justify it, a new category will be created, otherwise, it will be listed under Miscellaneous,
> If a Mod is Mod Manager compatible, that should be indicated using the text (MM) following the Mod Name in the listing only, not as part of the actual name.
More information will be published as it is developed.