lucianboi

That’s the part I think that frustrates a lot of people in the LSPDFR community. Most players understand supporting developers financially, especially for large-scale projects that take real skill and time. The issue is when basic fixes, compatibility updates, or small edits get locked behind subscriptions after the original free content breaks. It also changes the spirit of the community. LSPDFR grew because people shared resources, helped each other, and built on free community-made content. Now it sometimes feels less like a hobbyist modding scene and more like a marketplace where even minor add-ons are monetized separately.

Yeah, I get that too. Developers absolutely deserve compensation if they’re investing money, time, and effort into creating high-quality mods and plugins. Some of these projects take hundreds of hours and ongoing updates, so charging for early access or premium content makes sense. I just miss when more of the LSPDFR community was open and collaborative. It feels like a bigger portion of mods are locked behind paywalls now compared to before. I think you're right that GTA 5 aging and GTA 6 getting closer probably plays a role too, since there are fewer active devs than there used to be.

Some people in the LSPDFR community have started putting mods, tutorials, and “how-to” content behind paywalls, and I don’t agree with it. LSPDFR was built as a free modding community where people shared ideas, files, and knowledge to help others enjoy the game. Charging money for basic support, access to mods, or tutorials takes away from the open-community spirit that made LSPDFR popular in the first place. I was very active years ago and decided to give LSPDFR another shot, and I see a lot hasn't changed, and if anything, the greed is becoming more rampant. I understand creators spend time making content and deserve recognition, but hiding essential mods or information behind subscriptions can divide the community. New players may feel excluded if they cannot afford paid access. I think modding communities work best when creators share knowledge freely and collaborate instead of locking content away. Donations and optional support are fine, but turning a free community into a paywalled environment changes what LSPDFR originally stood for. Just my opinion, and I am talking about the modders who now have Patreon and other forms of payment systems. I have even seen how-to videos on YouTube on certain mods, where, to access the video, you have to pay. What are your thoughts? Am I blowing it out of proportion, or do you agree?