Med's Unreleased Mods
Looking back, there's been a number of mods that we haven't released over the past few month, maybe even years. Let's look at our own batch of unreleased files.
PBA D-League & Retro Teams
Now, you've seen this before. We've had PBA D-League rosters in the past. The original 2013-2014 PBA rosters had these before. Why aren't they back now? Well, they need updates. The problem with this is we can barely keep up with the other aspects of PBA 2K14 updates. We still haven't updated the UAAP rosters & cyberfaces and we still haven't updated anything for the NCAA.
As for the retro teams, in fact, all of the retro PBA jerseys are even complete. However, we still don't have quality rosters because of missing data for retro players and teams, as well as quality cyberfaces.
"Why don't you just convert PBA 2K13's retro teams to PBA 2K14?"
Definitely logical, there is a difference however in the work done on PBA 2K13 and PBA 2K14. If you came from PBA 2K13, you'd know the vast difference in quality that PBA 2K14 currently has over its predecessor. Although it is definitely possible, only with more data and information gathered on retro teams will we be able to finally add them to PBA 2K14. We also still need to focus on adding the original 2013-2014 PBA season (PBA 2K14 v0.1 to v2.0). We were only originally able to release the Philippine Cup & Commissioner's Cup, and still have to work on the Governors' Cup.
Kuroko V Slam Dunk Presentation Files
We've shown you a Slam Dunk title screen before but nothing else. That's because there hasn't been anything else. There are plans to make multiple title screens, icons, and even a global for Kuroko V Slam Dunk but nothing has been made yet. Hopefully, this week, we get to actually finish it and release them in a pack. Releasing them individually isn't very efficient and most of the time, files are related (PlayStation Buttons are in both english and gamedata, Title Screens are both in englishbootup and titlepage), so they definitely need to be released in pairs. Not to mention that we haven't even made a bootup for Kuroko V Slam Dunk yet. We still don't have complete team logos for it!
There's probably some more unreleased content in the past that I've shown previews of, if you remember any of them feel free to comment!
Legitimate Reasons
Yeah that's why I have some unreleased mods. But what about others? What are the reasons behind unreleased mods? Well it's normally due to three things:
Development Issues - Sometimes there's information that needs to be completed before mods can be released, such as the unveiling of real life designs that need to be implemented into the mods. There's also things such as missing data for rosters that won't allow it to be made.
Technical Issues - Broken down PCs or internet connection hiccups are the most common reasons for unreleased mods. If all of you remember, I had a motherboard crash for 9 months back in 2014 and that caused a lot of mods to be released at later dates. Internet connection is another problem, this is mostly common with Filipino modders who don't necessarily have a good internet connection to begin with. That's why some modders like to bundle their work before they release, because they have to plan out their upload period around their real life schedule.
Personal Issues - A lot of modders go through phases where they step away from the game to take on real life. Sometimes, this happens while a mod is just about to be released, inevitably putting a hold on the mod indefinitely. It is very important that we respect the decisions of the modders, they have every right to step away at any time, we'll always give our thanks and remember those that are no longer modding with us.
Not So Legitimate Reasons
There always has to be legitimate reasons for modders to not release their content. But there are others that still only post previews and never seem to release them without any of those legitimate reasons. What's up with that?
Ego - We've talked about this before in our Life of a Modder article, it mostly has to do with ego. A lot of people feel the need to be praised for their work. To the point that they would literally have conditions before releasing their work to establish that people are wanting them. They'll ask for conditions such as needing to reach a certain number of likes or shares first before they release, or stuff like that. It pretty much means that there aren't legitimate issues going on for them to not release their work, only the need for more praise.
Drama - Other times, the modder and the community get involved in Modding Drama, where there is a huge fuss over the modder's work and how the community views it. It is normally boiled down to two minor things: Criticism & Theft
Some modders are unable to take critique for their work and view constructive criticism as personal attacks on themselves and their work. If you're from a great modding community such as NLSC, it is very rarely the case that the community is the reason behind the drama. More often than not, the modder mistakes critique as complaints for the mods despite comments in good faith by the community, ending up in drama.
Theft, however, is completely the thief's fault. A lot of people have stolen, re-modded, re-released and re-labelled mods as their own in the past. This is completely unacceptable and this has most probably happened to every quality modder out there. This has happened to me before as well and it almost came to a point that I wanted to stop modding just for stealers not to be able to steal my work. Of course, there's always some foolproofing for this. You can always place your own trademarks in your work, establishing it as yours and not by others. Sometimes, people still steal this and replace the trademark, but don't let that fool you.
The technique for this is to simply improve and be a much more quality modder, create mods so great that it they are completely recognizable as your work. A lot of quality modders have work that when you see it, you can clearly see who made it. Create a name for yourself. Make it a trustworthy name that people will know who to download from, and who to go to for quality mods. This will minimize the criticism and will absolutely foolproof stealing since nobody will care about stolen work anymore, because they know who to go to, it's you.
If a true modder can let go of the ego and the drama, then he'll definitely release his works. If he can't, then you don't have to pay any attention to him since it is more about making himself happy, rather than making the community happy.
Remember that, true modders make others happy while fake modders make themselves happy. In fact, you can even say that these fake modders don't actually have any plans to release their works. They just want you to feel that you want their work, and want them to feel good about themselves.
What should the community do?
If you're simply a fan or a member of the outspoken, commenting modding community, here are some tips.
Don't criticize, give critique. There's a difference. Stop nitpicking, stop requesting for the impossible. Not everyone is patient with these kinds of comments or questions. Always be thankful first, then give comments or suggestions after, never go straight to a comment without acknowledging the hard work done by the modder, we literally spend hundreds of hours on this, some of us maybe even in the thousands now.
Don't spoil yourself. Be patient. If it's not out yet, don't ask for release dates, normally even the modders don't know when they release their work unless they say so. Never put pressure on the modders and never give out harsh comments. You don't know what's going on in their lives unless they tell you.
Don't beg for mods, create mods yourself. If it's still not getting released, then why not make that mod yourself? If you don't know how to, learn, there's always a time for everything. Contribute to the community, show everyone that sharing work is important.
Sharing is Caring
I like to think of the modding community as a community of artists that listen to each other. Fake modders that only post previews are not artists. They don't seem to understand the difference between critique and criticism, they don't know how to read constructive feedback at all. Sometimes fake modders that will leave the community because they're not getting what they want (absolute praise for their work) and that's fine. It's okay. We've had a lot of people like that come and go in the community. Don't care too much, there will always be other modders who will step up and release works that we are truly waiting for. Give it time.
Remember that the community is about sharing. There is absolutely no point in not sharing. Modders are blessed with time, artistic and technical expertise that make them good at what they do. We have to share these blessing with others. It's not about who is best, it's about expanding our options in NBA 2K video gaming. NBA 2K14 is about to end its third year and enter its fourth year. It's old by definition, if you have something to share with us that can breathe a new life into the game, please do. We all want to stay, we're all here to enjoy the game, so let's share all of our resources with each other.
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