Is it rude to update someone elses mod?

[roenais]

I have a couple of mods that I've personally updated for myself (RomanceDiversified being the main one.) And the tweaks I've made to get them working for B18 seem to work fine. However I've noticed that I'm not the only one who wants these mods updated by a long-shot, and some of the creators seem woefully unavailable. Is it against any rules/etiquette to release an unofficial update to a mod that you did not create?

Sorry if this is the wrong sub-area to ask!

[dburgdorf]

I suspect that you'll get some conflicting answers to this question.

As someone who's recently released unauthorized updates to a couple of mods written by a different author, obviously, I don't think it's an inherently bad thing. But I do think it needs to be done carefully.

Try to confirm that the original author's actually gone. (I know this is difficult, but at the very least, check when he or she last logged on to these forums, or Steam, or GitHub, or Discord, or whichever sites used to be frequented.) Make a reasonable effort to make contact to request approval for your release.

If you do release an unauthorized update, be very clear that the original work is not your own, and that you're not attempting to take credit for it. Just as importantly, be clear about the fact that your update is not authorized by the original author, and that it'll be removed if the original author requests it. And make sure that you're actually willing to remove it, should the need arise.

EDIT: Yeah, as Nightinggale pointed out, check the license, too. Should have thought to mention that, myself. If the mod license expressly forbids any sort of derivative work or unauthorized distribution, well, that should put an immediate halt to any release plans.

[Nightinggale]

It is encouraged that mods come with a license or at least words on how to handle the mod if it's abandoned. This is usually written in the mod thread and on github, though it can be anywhere where the mod is published or inside the mod files themselves.

[roenais]

Thanks for the replies. I think I'll hold off as it seems the original creators of the mods I was considering are still somewhat active on steam. At least poking around in the files and updating them has given me some ideas for original mods to make..

[Fluffy (l2032)]

I'm pretty much in agreement with the others here. Legally, the license is binding, but updating a mod where the author is active without asking is rude.

Have you tried to submit your changes to the original author? He/she might be happy to release your update, and everyone would be happy.

[Nightinggale]

I'm pretty much in agreement with the others here. Legally, the license is binding, but updating a mod where the author is active without asking is rude.

It's not only rude, it can also be counter productive. Say somebody forks an existing mod and adds a new feature. The original modder is active and updates with another feature. That would result in two incompatible mods, meaning nobody will get both features even if it would make sense to use them together. It's a stupid approach even if the license may allow it in some cases.

Providing your changes to the mod creator is the correct approach. It's friendly and it avoids such conflicts. Submitting your changes to the original mod can be a nice gift, which will save some time for the mod creator and/or might solve a issue the mod creator is unsure of how to handle correctly. I know I have xml code in a number of mods due to that approach.