Suggestion: Add a default content pack to downloads section to help get wider exposure and contributions

[stx]

Suggestion: Add a default (opensource?) content pack to downloads section to help get wider exposure and inspire contributions in the long term. If there is even a partial default content pack already, it could be linked there.

I remembered this engine project from many, many years ago, expected it to have gotten big. I don't think there is any other singleplayer opensource, open-world, 1st person 3d RPG engine project.

There is a large wider opensource community, especially in the linux platform. I think by now people should have a good idea of how large and capable the wider opensource community is. Not everyone will have played a lot of 3d openworld RPGs, or even games in recent times. Not everyone is into the Windows OS or Windows gaming scene.

Long term, having something concrete people can instantly download and play will inspire contributions. Extra coverage too - e.g. as a playable game package in package mangers or things like lutris.net, or extra coverage on opensource websites, blogs, and directories.

Issues: sourcing content for a base content package. From asset overhauls or total conversions? Bits of remaining Bethesda content in total conversions could be replaced with content from other mods, or just cut out. If mod authors agree to release under an opensource license it could be added to Linux package distributions I suppose, not sure how it would work for non-opensource art. The base content doesn't need to be large, though having a play through of decent length will get more exposure.

Cheers & good luck

[AnyOldName3]

We've got the Example Suite that's on its way to becoming this, and has a couple of regular contributors, but unsurprisingly, making something like this from scratch is a big task. We can't really use anything from existing mods as even in the rare cases that mod authors are okay with opening up the licence to their work, basically every mod is contaminated with Bethesda IP in one way or another.

If you'd like to help out with this, then if you visit the #example-suite channel on our Discord or Matrix, or #openmw-example-suite on whichever IRC host we're using these days, someone will be able to find something useful you could do with a wide range of talents you might have.