So here is my “very long” two cents here on this excellent topic.
So if someone takes a known “very very good” table… regardless of author (we all know which tables those are), and wants to personalize them with different physics, lighting, and other similar “subjective” things. I would not be inclined, to allow someone to post it up on the site as a Mod…especially if its one of one of my tables. I think “subjective” is the key word here.
Another way to look at it…is in terms of value add. So if there is a Mod of one of my tables, and it only encompassed physics changes and lighting. Would I see that as true “value add” compared to my official release? Likely not. Because one mans personal preferences, is another mans “pile of crapthat deserves to go in the recycle bin…immediately”. Yes I was told this about one of my tables…early on.
Now if someone really wanted to add some value to one of my tables. And if it was “real value” such as vastly improved graphics, “visual” ball behaviors or similar enhancements. I would be very inclined to ask, “can I simply add it to my latest table” and add this new contribute to the long list of credits. And then I would simply, do a new revision. And as everybody already knows. I fear no revisions on my tables!
Now if some took one of my tables and improved it to such a degree, where even my jaw hits the floor and makes me say “Holy Shit…This really looks bad-ass”. I would be much more inclined, to allow them to post their own personal Mod…along side mine. But I would still ask up-front, can we just agree to incorporate them into my official release. But the option is more open here. So as you can see. The door is there, to possibly allow a mod of one of my tables. But that door is very narrow, and for good reason.
Now there is a very good current example of this. And that is Arconovum’s FSS tables. That is “bad ass” for sure, and worthy of a Mod. But I would still like to see the ability, to incorporate all of the FSS stuff, into my original release down the road, and have the option available, to easily choose between FS, DT and FSS views as one chooses. Especially if the tables in both releases, are exactly the same…would they should be. This would just be much easier and less fragmented IMO, for the noobs and folks who are not as well versed with VP, as some of the rest of us “pros”are. Maybe that can happen down the road, and there can be a one size fits all release.
So another one of my angles, is to not allow the opportunity, for someone to feel the need, to want to make a mod of one of my tables. And what do I mean by that? I prefer to continuously improve my tables in every single aspect possible, to ensure it is so cutting edge, that nobody feels compelled, to want to make a mod of one of my tables. But that said, I can certainly see where someone might not like my physics or lighting, and may want to replace those, with their own personal preferences…which again, is totally fine with me. In fact…every single VP10 table on my cab, contains my own personal physics preferences..because I like mine the best. 
But I would never consider creating a Mod, that would compete with the original authors official releases, based on subjective tweaks.
So a lot of what I am spewing above, comes from the fact that I (as well as those who assist me) have many hundreds of development hours in my tables. I shit you not, I suspect I have a minimum of 250 hours in some of my tables, when taking into account the initial development, and all of the subsequent revisions. And those tables were already started by other terrific authors in the community. But I just wanted to finish them…with their generous blessing of course. But with that said, I am very confident that when I start new ones in the future, it will not take nearly as long…due to what I have already learned along the way.
So should there be an avenue, to allow other folks in the community, to pass along their preferences with the intent that others will find them “valuable”. Absolutely there should be! But I just don’t believe it should be in the form of a Mod. Right or wrong, that’s just how I personally feel about it. Now what would that avenue look like? I really don’t know right off-hand. because in order to go in and personalize tables, is to really go in and “surgically” change things around, and lots of things at that. And I am not sure that this can be handled with patches or some of the other things… suggested in this thread. At least with any measure of ease.
One thing that I think would greatly help someone, to provide there personal preferences in a very useful way, is to try to standard certain things, within VP itself. That way, things can be personalized on a more global level, and not at a surgical level, deep down in the guts of the table itself. This is one of those reasons why I have posted so many threads pertaining to physics over the last few years. And have started the discussion to try standardize things, at least better than what we do know. But of course, every author has a different opinion of what the standards should be. And as long as that is the case, then it will be very difficult to have a process where one can “post up” their personal preferences, for others to experience. And the only way that could be easily done, is to post the entire table, in the form of a MOD.
And “Therein lies the rub”.
My VP Pincab /MAME Arcade Specs: MSI Micro-ATX Z390m MOBO, Core I5-9600K CPU @ 3.70GHz, 16GB NVRAM, Nvidia 1660 Super,
40" PF Sony gaming LED TV, Dual 23" monitors in the backbox , Pinscape w. expansion board, Full DOF - Full MAME arcade support
My VP Pincab /MAME Arcade Specs: MSI Micro-ATX Z390m MOBO, Core I5-9600K CPU @ 3.70GHz, 16GB NVRAM, Nvidia 1660 Super,
40" PF Sony gaming LED TV, Dual 23" monitors in the backbox , Pinscape w. expansion board, Full DOF - Full MAME arcade support
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