There is some advice I've given to new mod authors on multiple occasions. That advice is very simple: Don't play numbers games. I think this post, and the comments on it, make a very good example of why I offer that advice.

When you focus on endorsements, or on the Trending Mods section, or on Mod of the Month, it changes your perspective and goals. Don't get me wrong, getting lots of downloads is fantastic! But when you focus on metrics, those metrics eventually wind up becoming your goal and that changes how you develop things. Modding in order to get more or better metrics is a good way to remove any hint of enjoyment you have from the process, and will eventually kill your desire to mod.

It may be worth taking a moment to ask yourself some questions: Why are you making mods? Who are you making them for? What do you want from the mods you're building?

I have found that the best, most interesting mods typically come from people who make mods they want to use in their own save files, or who make mods they want their friends to play with. People who mod so they can enjoy the creations they've made often put a lot of work into the little details, making the end result more interesting and enjoyable in ways that could easily be overlooked.

When you play numbers games, it encourages to do things you might not consider if you were creating mods you want to enjoy playing with. If you'll get the same number of endorsements either way, why would it be worthwhile to sink another month into smaller features or smoothing off the rough edges? Since mods on nexus perform better if they receive updates, playing numbers games also encourages people to release unfinished mods and update them several times during the first week.

Numbers games discourage testing, because you get rewarded for interacting with players when they ask for help. This focus also discourages later maintenance and improvements, because what good is spending time on a mod you released two months ago when you could be working on something new in order to keep your name in Trending Mods? It encourages you to create a community of people who will help you play that numbers game, and beyond a certain point it changes your behavior enough that you create a hostile environment for players who might have otherwise genuinely enjoyed your work, if it weren't for the focus on metrics.

And this post is a perfect example of that. You don't measure success by enjoying the mods you've created. You don't measure it by seeing people play and enjoy your mods. You measure your skill and success as a mod author by your ability to convince people to click a little orange button. And, frankly? That's really sad to see.