Valve Pays Out to Item Creators

[lana]

Every time 100 players play on your map, you earn $1

 

[grazr]

That's just asking to be exploited.

idle_grazr

Thank you!

 

[Prestige]

nerdboy, the only reason item modellers are getting paid so much is because valve is getting 3x as much as they are.

We’re actually very concerned about this, and getting level designers fully into the economy is actually the highest priority thing we’re working on right now. We’ve got a bunch of ideas for how we’re going to do it, and we think you guys will be happy to see them. The solutions we’re kicking around will all handle the case where maps are being produced by collaborations of people, like you and Alex.

NEW COMMUNITY MAP EFFECTS
make the skybox of X map your own personal, custom picture! $5
put particle effects wherever you please for you to see on X map! Want the spire to be on fire? go right ahead! $.25 a particle effect
make map X shiny - $2
NEW! find red/blu doors on X map and their might be a key behind it! $2
Pile O' Points $5: instantly gives your team more points and then you win the round on X map
NEW! Crayons: color specific areas of a map. want to make your spawn red? go right ahead $15

I freaking swear if they actually do something like this. \o/

 

[HellJumper]

Mixed feelings on this news.

On one hand, I bought the Polycount pack specifically to support the modelers since I know full well how thankless that sort of work can be (especially UV mapping), so I'm really pleased that they're being compensated. And wow, are they ever! There are inhouse modelers at a lot of game studios who don't get that much as their yearly salary.

On the other hand, now there's going to be a freaking flood of absolute junk pouring into the contribution site, meaning the quality stuff is going to get buried.

Kep

Yup. I totally agree with this.

 

[absurdistof]

I think the probability of having your model/item chosen will get totally washed out, but I'm fine with how maps work out. I mean, this isn't supposed to be a major source of revenue.

 

[Icarus]

Sprays will now have to be purchased :O

 

[Fraz]

I love how there seems to be so many people angry at this. Sure maps have been bought for less than these made with items, just remember though: Valve don't need to buy maps, weapons or items if they don't want to

Valve could have sat back when tf2 was released and decided not to give us 200+ updates for free. I'm sure people don't make maps as a hobby to get any money, but it is a nice perk. I know if I got offered $3000 for a map I made I'd be pretty damn happy even if there are modellers getting $47000. Getting money for something I created for free and as a hobby would always be a plus in my eyes no matter how small in comparison to other sums being given out.

 

[YM]

Valve could have sat back when tf2 was released and decided not to give us 200+ updates for free. I'm sure people don't make maps as a hobby to get any money, but it is a nice perk. I know if I got offered $3000 for a map I made I'd be pretty damn happy even if there are modellers getting $47000. Getting money for something I created for free and as a hobby would always be a plus in my eyes no matter how small in comparison to other sums being given out.

Say that when you sign away your map, then the very next evening find out someone who did hardly anything compared got 20x what you did, with the possibility of them still getting more money from it.

I guarantee you'll not say the same thing.

 

[Khuntza]

I for one think its a wonderful thing to see the polycount winners getting paid for their items sales, albeit a little shocked at the size of the payments. I would have thought they'd get a few thousand dollars, but $39,000 plus? And these will be ongoing payments as well aren't they? Even with diminishing sales you could expect to be getting payments of a few thousand dollars for some time to come yet.

What I find confusing is why the size of these payments has been published at all.. surely it would be easy to see the ensuing shit storm that would arise. Jealousy and greed is in human nature, anyone who has made any custom content, official now or otherwise would have had dollar signs in their eyes the second they read about it.. I know I did, saying you didn't too would just be a lie. Now though, I'm not sure what to think and have mixed feelings about the news.

I really feel for those people who are official content creators, I'd be feeling a little jaded. As Rexy said, 97 models of his are going into Manor and he gets offered $700, someone else makes 5 models and gets 40k. That's unfair in anyones book. That said, the argument that items now generate a profit, yet maps are given away for free is a totally valid argument. Still.

Getting gamers to pay for community maps will never happen, it'll be interesting to see exactly Valves ideas on the rewarding of custom mappers are. Its exciting news.

Personally, I studied 3D modeling and animation for games for 18mths before deciding it wasn't a viable career choice due to the nature of employment within the industry. I have approx 100hrs experience in 3DsMax and about the same in hammer. Modeling requires more skill but is faster than mapping which is much more time consuming but easier to get a grasp of. Both are highly skilled and have equal merit in their own rights.

I think the news that Valve are looking into how mappers can be rewarded is great news for everyone. I also think the size of these payments will be a one off and definitely not the norm and should be considered prize money more than anything. At the end of the day, everyone who maps, models or mods for any game, TF2 or otherwise, does it simply for the love of doing it; for the pure enjoyment of it. If you are lucky enough to make a couple of hundred bucks for your effort all the better, but its not a reason to do it in the firs place.

 

[gamemaster1996]

(opens up 3ds max)

 

[grazr]

I love how there seems to be so many people angry at this. Sure maps have been bought for less than these made with items, just remember though: Valve don't need to buy maps, weapons or items if they don't want to

Valve could have sat back when tf2 was released and decided not to give us 200+ updates for free. I'm sure people don't make maps as a hobby to get any money, but it is a nice perk. I know if I got offered $3000 for a map I made I'd be pretty damn happy even if there are modellers getting $47000. Getting money for something I created for free and as a hobby would always be a plus in my eyes no matter how small in comparison to other sums being given out.

When DLC is purchased instead of given away for free you can garauntee game developers paid for that content. Killing Floor has DLC, you have to pay for the character models but thankfully you don't have to pay for maps. But map authors still get $1,000 per map unless they were runners up in a contest and so got a little less, but still got their work officialised. The fact that Valve do this all for free doesn't mean they can skip legal matters nor cheat people. It's perfectly fair for mappers to get paid for their work and it's a great thing they do.

edit: I also just realised Josh was actually the saying the same thing i was, if in a different way. Just goes to show how much i was paying attention >.>

 

[drp]

Say that when you sign away your map, then the very next evening find out someone who did hardly anything compared got 20x what you did, with the possibility of them still getting more money from it.

I guarantee you'll not say the same thing.

thats not how business works.

maps are overhead. market items are sales. your map is not being sold. their item is.

how is this difficult to understand? next time, dont offer to sell your map to valve, but offer a royalty agreement. lets so how fast valve says 'NO'.

 

[Acumen]

I think you can lock this thread after that comment, drpepper. Sums it all up nicely

 

[grazr]

Technically his map is being sold, with each copy of TF2 bought his map is being sold. But i understand Pepper's point, micro transactions are gaining revenue more frequently and consistently.

 

[The Political Gamer]

What if mappers got a very small cut of every TF2 sold, like 1%. Does not sound like much, but its more then you think...

Approximately 3 million copies of The Orange Box have been sold by the end of November 2008.

So that works out to be 30,000 USD just from the OB and just from pre-November 2008. Now figure how much money mappers would make if we added all the other copies of TF2!*

I don't think 50,000-100,000 USD would not be such a bad deal for a simple map now would it. *




*I do not know how many copies of TF2 have been sold I am just making a guess.

 

[drp]

What if mappers got a very small cut of every TF2 sold, like 1%. Does not sound like much, but its more then you think...

Approximately 3 million copies of The Orange Box have been sold by the end of November 2008.

So that works out to be 30,000 USD just from the OB and just from pre-November 2008. Now figure how much money mappers would make if we added all the other copies of TF2!*

I don't think 50,000-100,000 USD would not be such a bad deal for a simple map now would it. *




*I do not know how many copies of TF2 have been sold I am just making a guess.

i think a good way to solve the problem here is for valve to purchase higher quality maps at a higher rate. junction? really? :/

 

[Tinker]

They have been, really. No offense to the guys who got their first few maps in, but the early community maps were of a lot lower standard than what's getting in now (that goes for the official maps, too, by the way - just compare the gameplay of, say, upward and 2fort).

 

[grazr]

They have been, really. No offense to the guys who got their first few maps in, but the early community maps were of a lot lower standard than what's getting in now (that goes for the official maps, too, by the way - just compare the gameplay of, say, upward and 2fort).

Totally agree, but i think Valve were desperate for extra content at the time so they didn't really have a choice. Besides, 2fort was a port, it's gameplay was never going to be perfect.

Also, whilst getting more money from Valve is great, we still want them to be in business so they can continue to make great games and buy our custom content Besides, not many game developers provide free DLC.

 

[YM]

thats not how business works.

maps are overhead. market items are sales. your map is not being sold. their item is.

how is this difficult to understand? next time, dont offer to sell your map to valve, but offer a royalty agreement. lets so how fast valve says 'NO'.

No. My concern was never the amount paid, rather the public way it seems to say "We value maps a shitload less than weapons" Even if you don't take the idea of getting any money for what you do into account, it still is a pretty massive indicator that Valve see new weapons as vastly better at prolonging a game's life than new maps. Which, to be fair, is utter balls, I don't care if I'm blowing people up with a rocket launcher that gives me a little extra life than before an update, that's basically the same game, but if after an update I'm blowing people up in the jungle instead of the desert or blowing up a base instead of capturing flags? I'm far more interested in that.

But of course, if payments for models continue to be disproportionately high it will hammer in the message that Valve don't want new maps to improve longevity of their games, they want new weapons and hats for them. Meaning future games like portal 2, people may just make hats for the coop bots. (extreme and exaggerated scenario, obviously they'd need the current generation of mappers to tire and to still be paying disproportionate amounts for weapons when the new generation decides not to replace them (a generation of mappers is shorter than a normal generation))

EDIT: also I am annoyed because I signed my agreement, then the next day this info comes out. Those two events were reversed you bet I'd have discussed it with them first, but now I've signed.

 

[drp]

No. My concern was never the amount paid, rather the public way it seems to say "We value maps a shitload less than weapons" Even if you don't take the idea of getting any money for what you do into account, it still is a pretty massive indicator that Valve see new weapons as vastly better at prolonging a game's life than new maps. Which, to be fair, is utter balls, I don't care if I'm blowing people up with a rocket launcher that gives me a little extra life than before an update, that's basically the same game, but if after an update I'm blowing people up in the jungle instead of the desert or blowing up a base instead of capturing flags? I'm far more interested in that.

But of course, if payments for models continue to be disproportionately high it will hammer in the message that Valve don't want new maps to improve longevity of their games, they want new weapons and hats for them. Meaning future games like portal 2, people may just make hats for the coop bots. (extreme and exaggerated scenario, obviously they'd need the current generation of mappers to tire and to still be paying disproportionate amounts for weapons when the new generation decides not to replace them (a generation of mappers is shorter than a normal generation))

EDIT: also I am annoyed because I signed my agreement, then the next day this info comes out. Those two events were reversed you bet I'd have discussed it with them first, but now I've signed.

Say that when you sign away your map, then the very next evening find out someone who did hardly anything compared got 20x what you did, with the possibility of them still getting more money from it.

I guarantee you'll not say the same thing.

sounds like you're concerned with the amount paid for items vs maps.

items wont prolong the life of the game. its new game modes and maps. people get over the new items in a few days. maps last for the life of the game.

maps add a lot more value to the game, where items add a lot more financial gain to the company.

but yes, i do agree that even maps add a financial boost to game sales, and like i said before. i think valve should pick higher quality maps for a higher price.