What are "Quality of Life" mods?

[sparr]

I frequently see people misusing this term, and it bothers me. I want to give a simple rule of thumb for figuring out of a mod is "QoL" or something more:

If someone watched a replay of your game, with the UI turned off, would they see anything that couldn't be done in a vanilla game? If so, the mod you're using is not QoL.

QoL does not mean "makes the game more fun". Everyone has a different opinion about what makes the game more fun, and that's fine.

QoL mods are about streamlining the game for the player, without changing anything about the mechanics that apply in the game world, to and around the character. QoL mods don't let your character do anything they couldn't already do, or any faster than they already could. QoL mods only alter the interaction between the player and the game, not anything "inside" the game such as interactions between the character and the world.

It is not at all uncommon for a new player to a moddable game (not just Factorio) to want to play "vanilla+QoL". Those players should not be misled into adding mods that make game mechanic or game balance changes.

This is not "my" definition. This is not specific to Factorio. It was a common concept in the Morrowind modding community 10 years ago, among others. It's a common concept in the modding communities for a hundred other games today.

Here are the QoL mods I play with in most of my games, which meet the above definition:
Auto Research / Research Queue
Advanced Belt Laying
Autotrash
Bottleneck
Bullet Trails
FNEI / What's it really used for
Greedy Quickbar Filters
Helmod
about half of Picker Extended, which I wish was still separate mods
QuickItemSwap
Sensible Station Names
TrainDriver
VehicleSnap

Other mods that meet this definition would be any graphics-only mods, audio-only mods, screenshot helper mods, and a bunch more small categories.

There might be some grey area if you play with nonstandard settings. A lot of mods do something that gives you an advantage when fighting biters or biter bases. If you play with biters turned off then they might qualify as QoL in that context. There are mods that allow you to build closer to trees and cliffs, but if you play with all desert or no cliffs then those might qualify as QoL in that context. Etc.

To the guy on reddit who said Logistic Train Network is a QoL mod... You're not only not in the ballpark or the same league, you're playing a different sport.

[Bilka]

Qol = Quality of Life = Improving the quality of the game = Making the game more fun. How far you go with changing the game is up to the user. There is no set definition, and there will never be.

[bobingabout]

I think the only mod I have that is a QoL mod is "clock". It displays the GAME time (people get confused and think it's supposed to show their real local time) on a button in the top left corner.
Yes, it's just clock, not bobclock, the only one that doesn't have a bob prefix, because the original version was written by a friend, who didn't want to publish his mod. and yes, he gave me permission to post and edit it (Which I don't think there's even a single line of code left in it from his original version).

I have been considering making a more advanced bobclock mod. It would show the time, could also show what game day you're on(calculated from tick), day phase(dawn, night, dusk, day), other information like biter evolution factor, and wind speed/direction.... I've been thinking about it, no plans to actually do it yet.

Bob Inserters is often considered QoL, though it does add research to unlock the options on the GUI, and does allow you to perform actions you wouldn't usually be able to do. But it doesn't add any "Content" like all my other mods do (that I haven't mentioned already).

[Aeternus]

*drops E0.02*

QoL mods are basically anything that makes the game easier to play without impacting the core gameplay. Stuff like:
- Bigger inventory to lug around more stuff
- More quickslots
- Alternate ways to select stuff or read stuff (such as "long reach")
- Vehicle steering aids that snap to a heading

None of these offer new ways to play, they just make it easier to play the existing way. As soon as it starts altering the gameplay itself by adding recipes, modifying cargo in/out rates etc... then it's no longer just QoL. In my opinion.

[eradicator]

QoL mods don't let your character do anything they couldn't already do, or any faster than they already could. QoL mods only alter the interaction between the player and the game, not anything "inside" the game such as interactions between the character and the world.

By that definition wallhacks and auto-aim would be QoL mods. Because they don't affect the interaction between the character and the world. They only make the players input actions faster/more effective. I mean, a wallhack is basically just a texture pack, right ;)? Yet if you start including the player interaction into the definition then things like Picker, AutoResearch or BeltLayer are not QoL any more because they save you time on those actions, altering the games mechanic focus to something else. So. Your definition is broken. As broken as the term "Quality of Life" itself is. What has a mod to do with my *Life*, it's a game. It can only improve the quality of the game. :P

[posila]

Wall-hack changes balance of a game, so I don't think it is QoL.
I'd expect every mod to make the game more fun (for someone), so is every mod QoL, Bilka?

I don't have much experience with mods, but what sparr wrote was my understading of "quality of life" phrase in context of mods or features. Even though, I wouldn't be surprised if I found for example mod unlocking loaders under QoL category.

[Bilka]

I'd expect every mod to make the game more fun (for someone), so is every mod QoL, Bilka?

Like I said, the interpretation of how far changes may go is up to the user

For me, all mods that don't change the gameplay are "non-game-changing", and not necessarily QoL, while the definition in the first post would place them in QoL. But https://mods.factorio.com/mod/Underneathies for example is not QoL, so why place it in that category, simply because of how much it changes the game?

[eradicator]

Wall-hack changes balance of a game, so I don't think it is QoL.

I was merly giving a counter-example that clearly shows that OPs definition of QoL is obviously wrong. And i don't think there can be any meaningful generic definition of "QoL" simply because - as others have said - opinions vary greatly about where "Quality" ends and "Altered Gameplay" begins.

A thought experiment

You have a factory that is producing ample science bottles 1+2, but not enough 3. So you'd like to only have an active research that requires bottle 3 when you actually have some in stock, and when there's no bottle 3 available you want to switch back to a different reserach that only requires 1+2. At your current production rates you'd have to switch back and forth about once a minute.
Here's three possible solutions:
1) Do it by hand. You'll probably forget about switching most of the time and even if you don't you'll have bad timing.
2) Have a mod that automatically scans labs for bottles and switches automatically and instantaneously when bottle 3 becomes available.
3) Have a mod that adds a combinator that lets you change the active reserach. Then build a complicated circuit to measure production and change active reserach based on circuit signals.

1 is the unmodded baseline. But is 2 QoL and 3 not, because 3 adds a new combinator? Even though 2 is much more efficient and fully automatic while 3 requires an effort by the player to even do anything? If yes, then "QoL" is more like "optimize away that part of the game that i don't like so i can enjoy the rest". And there's no way to generally define the "what i don't like" part.

[Koub]

Yep every one has his own vision of where QoL stops, and game changing starts.
Longreach, squeeze through, time controls, ... could be considered QoL. Or not, depending on who is speaking.
Now I stick to vanilla, hoping that mods I appreciate have their core features added to the game (wether they are considered QoL or not)

[Aeternus]

Wallhacks are not QoL (in shooters), because it alters the perception of one player, which in shooters is usually a gamebreaking advantage. Aimbot as well, since the ability to miss and reaction time are part of the gameplay. At least in shooters.
If you have a wallhack in say, a godgame like The Sims, it wouldn't matter much and it could be QoL if toggle-able, makes it easier to find individual lemmings that way.

[Ranakastrasz]

Your definition looks like "UI Mods".

Anything that doesn't change actual game mechanics, objects, etc, but can change how the player interacts with them.
That said, I do agree that QOL should mean the same thing.


Admittedly, I seem to recall an argument as to how to determine the difference between complete overhaul and vanilla+...

[bobingabout]

Your definition looks like "UI Mods".

Anything that doesn't change actual game mechanics, objects, etc, but can change how the player interacts with them.
That said, I do agree that QOL should mean the same thing.


Admittedly, I seem to recall an argument as to how to determine the difference between complete overhaul and vanilla+...

My bob's mods category was originally placed in "total conversion" section, which I questioned. to me, a total conversion requires a TOTAL rewrite, as in, removal of all base game assets to add in your own.

Complete Overhaul though, sure, I change so much, even on things I don't add, that you could say I do a complete overhaul. (it's not complete, but still a pretty big overhaul)

[Ranakastrasz]

Overhaul. Yea, that was what i was looking for.