Steam Workshop Game Versions can now be selected and no longer overridden!
Valve have updated their modding page, giving developers fully supportive options.
But what has this update changed, and why is it big news for modding on Steam?
Steam Workshop Game Versions
Valve has added an update that lets gamers select Steam Workshop Game Versions. In summary, briefly, players can choose older versions of mods rather than being forced to update to the latest version.
Also, this goes for the build of the game, so you can choose what version of the mod and what build of the game.
Although this does not seem like much at first, this is actually big news for modding. Because the biggest issue gamers had was out-of-date Steam Workshop game versions.
Remember when people made a big deal out of Bethesda’s Fallout 4 update a year ago? This was because the latest update to the game broke all of the old mods. But because the clients forced the update upon you, it meant that you were out of luck for a tonne of years-old mods that now just did not work.
However, this is exactly what Valve and the team at Steam have implemented with this feature. With this development, mod makers can work more closely together, making it much less of a headache for modders when updating the game.
Because now if the developer allows it, modders can select the Steam Workshop game versions. Although this feature has to be enabled first by them, once done, it makes the process of keeping mods stable 10x easier and quicker.
Mods will now tell you which version of the game build it is working with. And from there it will boot up the correct version when that mod is selected. Also, multiple versions of the same mod can be selected within the workshop itself.
So if there was an older version you preferred, you can now just stick with that one if the developer enables it.
Avoid The Fallout
Bringing it back to the Fallout 4 issue, this Steam Workshop Game Versions update would have avoided that problem entirely had this been implemented previously.
Specifically, the Fallout script extender mod that stopped working would have been able to fall back on an older build. Although that would have been if Bethesda had allowed the process to begin with.
However, for games like Crusader Kings or Stellaris, this is pretty big. Because every update would drastically change the compatibility of all the mods given the type of game. Meaning enthusiasts enjoying their 200-hour modded sessions would all of a sudden have to stop.
But now they can keep playing those Hatsune Miku mods in peace with this latest feature.
TLDR: it’s making your life easier as a mod enjoyer and for the developer. Through just a few clicks, you won’t have to worry about which version of the mod works with which build of the game. Now mods can potentially be enjoyed forever with this new feature. Although such a feature existed on mod sites like Nexus Mods, having it implemented on something as big as Steam is a massive step forward.
