There has been some discussions on adding a rule for the Free Scripts category. It goes as follows.
For example, if someone attach the script to their Patreon post requiring a “free membership” to download, that does not fit under Free Scripts and should be moved to Paid Scripts instead.
Same goes with sites such as Fantia and Gumroad (the latter requires an e-mail address).
Link redirect services which forces the user to watch an ad is obviously not “free” by the rule.
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I think we’re losing sight of the meaning of the words “free” and “paid”. It takes scripters a lot of work to generate scripts. An extra step of login at an external site doesn’t make a script “paid”. If a scripter wants to grow their free patreon base, or host a script elsewhere - “dinging” them and forcing them to be categorized as “paid” will limit their reach.
I always feel the leaders here should think “scripters first, consumers second”. Due to the labor needed to create good scripts, demand will ALWAYS outpace supply, so doing our best to encourage the suppliers/scripters is in the best interest of the community.
Putting on my script-consumer hat on… If there is a script I really want, a CAPTCHA is not going to keep me from downloading it.
Perhaps we need a tag for externally hosted free scripts vs ES hosted free scripts.
Note - I don’t make my scripts publicly available anymore, so I have no skin in the game,
I’m a bit divided on this. I think it would be better to leave it as is, but add a text in the template that states that it’s a requirement to provide clear information if script download is on a third party host, the name of it and what the requirements are to be able to download e.g., account registration with e-mail. I would prefer that external sites that require registration isn’t used at all though. I find it annoying with free downloads via Gumroad for example. I don’t see the point of that detour.
A drawback with the new rule suggestion is that people that only want to download free scripts and are ok with registering an account won’t find the free script if it’s required to post it in paid scripts because the script is hosted on Gumroad.
BTW, ad link redirects should be banned altogether for script downloads. I haven’t seen that as an issue here though, only for some video hosting sites.
As someone who started their first Patreon only just over a month ago, I will abide by whatever decision is made, but I do not feel that someone becoming a Free member of my Patreon is too much to ask in return for my efforts in creating the script. For years since we were on the old website I would make free scripts for everything with the hopes that the least someone could do when downloading a script of mine would be a nice comment, a positive criticism, or a click of the heart icon. By comparison, I think about 3 percent of the people who download my scripts actually interact with them. Since creating my Patreon I have found much more drive to make my scripts, paid or unpaid because seeing those numbers does make a difference. It gives scripters a community they can build up and reach easily because they come to expect what content you are making. However, if this is decided how we wish to go further, I will be putting in the title of my posts, “FREE w/ Patreon Membership” so people will know its actually a free script with stipulations.
Speaking strictly as a consumer, not a creator - free means free. If the monetary cost of the script is $0.00, it’s free, whether I have to create an email address or not, watch an ad or not, it’s free. If I have to monetarily pay $0.01 or greater, it’s paid.
Going to a Patreon and paying $0.00, while maybe inconvenient, I accept that as free.
I don’t mind paying for some scripts but it adds up fast. I’ve passed on some scripts simply because that week I’ve spend $30 already and there comes a point you have to say no. On the flip side, I’ve got some really good scripts that otherwise I wouldn’t of had.
I’m deeply grateful to everyone who offers free scripts and I’d hate to miss out on some because they’re tagged not-free simply because I have to go to Gumroad and specify a price of $0.00. Free is free.
Paid scripts should NEVER be in free. It’s false advertising, kind of bait and switchish in a sense. I have commented on that before on posts doing that as I feel that is highly unfair to the user.
I don’t understand why people are linking to outside script resources for free scripts. I see no issue putting a link to promote your business separate of the script with an indication that they are going to a paid resource(word as you please), but having to leave the site to get just a script you may or may not like seems kind of… well ya know.
(If it’s free to the community, leave it here. If you’re promoting your work, let them try it here. If they like your work you have the link available to them in the post, then you can make some cash. All without being offensive to the user.)
I agree with Sentinel promotional ad links(referrals to porn sites that you get a commission for integrated “secretly” into posts is what I am referring to) should never be on the site. Again kinda bait and switch when that happens. I would like to think we are better than that here.
i dont host free scripts on gumroad anymore since it got taken down, but the hundred or so people who wrote in stuff along the lines of ‘go.fuck@yourself.com’ got some laughs out of me.
As a consumer, I’m on board with what @LeGrosFromage said. Putting these scripts in the paid category also means people who only look for monetarily free scripts now have to look through Paid Scripts as well to maybe find what they’re looking for. A better option would be either a tag or a new category.
I don’t post the scripts I make, but as a free-loader I support the change. That said, I share sentinel’s worries about free-loaders not seeing free scripts due to them being posted in paid section, where we’ll never check.
On the other hand, I do not have a patreon account anymore as I literally couldn’t use it due to my bank, and I don’t care enough to make another one just for this. Just link your patreon in the description and upload the free script to the forum. I see some people already* doing this, while also advertising paid scripts at the bottom.
Already pretty much annoyed with Gumroad, but fuck me having to subscribe to free Patreon subs. Shit is annoying as fuck so I completely avoid it. It’s just annoying, but there are lots of obvious annoying ways people try to push their Patreon, Gumroads or anything else which only made room for some other sites to share those scripts through other means.
Personally, I believe if a script is being provided for free, it should at least be available directly in the topic without going to another external site. I know a few people are trying to promote their personal accounts on patreon or other sites, but if I’m on this site looking for scripts, free ones should be here.
The creator should be allowed to link their patreon/etc. as well without any issue. If I don’t want to visit their patreon, I won’t have to. But if I want to see what they have, it makes it easier than hunting through their profile or something.
As a consumer I think it’s ok to keep it as it is. As other consumers have mentioned. If I’m looking for free scripts, disregarding maybe having to signup or use another site to download I honestly don’t see an issue. I’m pretty sure a lot of ppl here have throwaway emails for things like this(NGL I do get annoyed a bit when I can’t just download the free script direct from the post but it doesn’t happen often for me to really care THAT much). Moving these “free” links to paid will , I feel, hurt the scripters that are trying to build a following if they choose to use say gumroad but still provide free scripts.
I don’t see it as misleading in its current form, in the proposed change I feel it leans more into being misleading and now , again as a consumer, I will have to go to paid scripts .which I only do because a few ppl I’ve subscribed to but most of my consumption is from free scripts. Why add the extra “ok is it really free or paid” , the categories and ruling in its current form seem to be working imo
While I think it’s fair when scripters force users to visit their patreon or gumroad page, I don’t think they get much out of it. For the user it’s a major inconvenience and personally, it reduces the chance I’ll support the creator.
By the way, Gumroad doesn’t validate the email prompt, whatsoever. Hosting scripts there seems rather pointless. Scripters might be better off with a link to their patreon. I’m much more likely to support someone willingly than to be bullied into it.
As someone who only consumes and does not contribute scripts(but maybe some help here and there like a video link or whatnot) my 2 cents is that there should be a clear distinction between a free script that is hosted on ES and one that requires a user to leave this site and go to another(gumroad, payhip, patreon, so on and so forth). For me personally I don’t mind going to these other sites for free or paid content alike, but everyone is not me and I can see how it would be off-putting to see a free script, think you’ll just download it and be on your way and then realize you have to go to another site and sign up or something like that and be turned off from the endeavor as a whole.
TL;DR I support a classification of different types of “Free” Scripts
Honestly is annoying when someone linked their patreon or fantia for the script and it’s been since taken down when it takes no effort whatsoever to just upload it here.
I feel like linking your own patreon/gumroad/fantia version of the file is fine and dandy but you HAVE to have included a direct download in the thread too.
If you were gonna provide it for free I really don’t see the issue doing this.
Well, I see one issue with the rule. Free scripts might get swept to the paid section (which I don’t browser nearly as much) even though it’s actually free, just tedious to get.
Dunno if just me (or what I said in the second to last paragraph below) but I personally find it weird of saying the script is free but not attaching it to the topic because it gets people to go onto another site where I would go regardless to support the script maker. It feels unnecessary and in a way strong arming me to “come look at this page of mine” when it’s already in the topic’s content.
This increases so when the site I’m directed to says: “ye, this is free…but only once you do this one little thing for me…” Now this is providing I even understand what it’s saying as the few times I’ve been directed to Fantia, I’ve just ended up confused and leave.
I didn’t know till recently from someone else telling me “Oh Gumroad? I just put in gibberish” as I thought you had to put in an legitimate email address which is where the script gets sent to. So how is someone whom doesn’t know meant to know since it isn’t explain?
With Patreon, if my account was ever banned I’d be unable to get scripts that require me to sign up. Regardless though, when you become a member you tell that creator “oh hey I’m such and such” since it automatically hands over your email address and name even if you stop being a member right away since at that point in time you want to try before you buy. Well if that creator is someone who’s collecting email address and names to later on send spam to…tough luck if you used your real email.
Maybe this is due to me having seen too much of the bad gaming times of where a ton of games with good hype and done up marketing release to be complete dumpster fires or micro-transactions hellscapes in addition to the kickstarter ‘promising the world, then run away with the cash’ stuff and more recently "oh it's just a beta/early access/alpha don't worry the final product will be as promised and out in a year, keep buying the game to support us though...." For one year later radio silence that becomes eternal and no updates were given after the first few early bug-fixes. I want things to be as they say they are, in the place I expect them to be.
Free samples at fairs/events/festivals let you walk up take the sample and walk away, not told to fill out a survey or provide this and that before you get it or in return for it. When you come back and purchase the actual product afterwards though then that may happen but still not required if it’s not part of you purchasing.
EDIT: Forgot completely about the question of “What happens when the site bans the scripter off their site and vanish off the internet?” that @VeiledPrivateer has brought up. As well then aren’t you forced to hope that someone that checks the topic still has it saved away? The bans are happening as we’ve seen for years of Patreon constantly throwing adult creators off their site and Gumroad now starting to do so recently…Fanitia also started blocking IP’s, so saying “It won’t happen” isn’t valid, since it has happened and proved it’s a matter of time so it seems.
As a Consumer I’m not really going to forgo a script that peaks my interest because it is hosted elsewhere and take a few more steps to obtain. Sure it’s more tedious, but that tediousness does not outweigh the benefit of a free script.
My browsing experience would absolutely be destroyed if these were considered paid scripts. I don’t look in the paid script category often and I let those scripts pile up prior to even thinking about spending money and then I select the ones I am willing to pay for. This forum is also superior to every 3rd party site I have seen when it comes to providing a preview.
Another category is an option…but it seems kind of over the top when there really isn’t an issue; And if we can force scripters to post in a new category we could also just force them to provide the DL for the script here. You’d probably have the same amount of scripters opt out in both scenarios.
If I do go through the effort to download a script from a 3rd party site I never look at the rest of the content provided. I use EroScripts for all of my browsing needs. If it’s listed in paid scripts here and/or I like your free script I will go to your profile on here and check out your other content. This is the central HUB.
As a scripter I try to make it as easy as possible to get a feel for the content I am offering. I want people to have access to my scripts and be able to know what they’re getting as quick as possible. I do not see any reason why we must allow the posting of scripts on a 3rd party host unless it explicitly in addition to being posted here.
TL;DR - Just force scripters to post the DL link on their post.
Your Thoughts