I've been modding for about 6 years now. It started with a simple preset and developed into something grander. Throughout the years I've gained various knowledge that was learned from the community and largely independently as the modding scene for Skyrim Special Edition revolutionized.
In these years of modding, I always welcomed modding requests. It ranged from mostly porting over outfits, but also included porting over weapons and even entire world mods. While doing these requests, I have never solicited money. It was all done for free. I allowed completely optional donations but never mandatory or solicited. While I never completed 100% of requests given to me, I always tried to do them all as best as I can.
We have now come to a point where my following as a Skyrim modder has become a lot larger over the years. Significantly larger. My social media presence extends from Nexus Mods, Twitter, YouTube, my website, and the largest of all: Discord. With such a large outreach, I get many messages everyday. Many range from thank yous and gratitude, many are mod troubleshooting, many are asking me about how to learn or where to start creating, and the greatest majority are asking me for mod requests. As a single modder doing every step of the process on my own, I can no longer keep up with the demand of the requests.
With all I've learned, many have dubbed my style "The SunJeong Treatment". The more I learn and refine my skill, the more tedious this "treatment" becomes. This includes custom slider editing, ensuring ground meshes, improving the poly/textures, optimizing and balancing the ESP, and most popular of all including HDT-SMP clothing physics. The more I learned, the higher quality people expected consistently.
There's also a darker but much smaller reason as to why I've decided this. Sadly, many of these requests came in the form of "demands". No please's were given and far too often, the request was always pressured in some way as if they expected me to do their bidding without question.
In an attempt to significantly reduce the amount of requests, I've decided to no longer make them free.
In place of free requests I will instead offer commission based requests that will vary depending on source and demand. But what does that mean exactly for the future of Sun's modding? Let me make it simple:
All outfit mod downloads will still be available for free in its fullest form for everyone. Forever free mfs.
I will continue to port the mods I want or the mods my patrons suggest at my own discretion, the mod flow will not change. Current projects will continue as normal and the [Christine] series will also continue as normal.
Requests for updating my older mods will remain free.
Current requests that were made in the Modding Requests forum will not be completed/followed through.
In regard to the specific details of the commissions, that information will come at a later date as I compile a commission sheet that can provide an estimate.
Now let's talk about what some you might be thinking:
"Damn Sun, you're all about that money now"
- The point of moving to commission based modding is simple. Reduce the number of requests. The money is an incentive to deter, not a necessity as otherwise I'd be paywalling. Admittedly, some extra dosh my way is always an incentive to prioritize.
"Why would I commission you when other authors are doing it for free!?"
- That's the point. If all of a sudden I get zero requests, then I win.
"How much are you going to charge?"
- As mentioned before, that information will come at a later date. The commission will be dynamic and include the break down of all features in order to accommodate the different type of requests.
"Will you ever go back to free requests?"
- Unfortunately, I don't think so.
To wrap things up, this announcement was made in order to maintain full transparency of what I'm doing and the directions I'm taking this hobby. In addition, I wanted to give you guys a heads up before I completely deleted the Modding Requests Forum topic. I also wanted to preemptively prepare you guys mentally for when the new "Commission Page" shows up on my website.
If there was anything that I did not make clear, please let me know below. Or if there is another concern you have regarding this announcement please also let me know. I want to make sure that everything was communicated clearly and that there are no miscommunication between me and you guys.
When in doubt, ask.
Thank you guys for taking the time to read this!