My point, my ONLY point, was that nobody should be forced to sign up to a Patreon just to download a free mod. I absolutely, positively wish I'd never bothered.
And I agree with you, it shouldn't be like this, I too would like all this to be easier, and everyone should respect each other's work, and creators should be able to make a living from their creations, etc., etc... in an ideal world...
But in the end, in the real world, we all make our own choices, whether we like them or not, like accepting cookies in order to read an article or download something, or sharing mods freely or putting behind a paywall, or being a complete jerk and profiting from other people's work, or simply stopping sharing our creations because of a rotter, as
ItsHords just told us, which is a shame... but it's his decision and we have to accept it, just as we have to "accept" (because it's inevitable, like death or taxes) that people will continue using paywalls, or that, unfortunately, some will continue stealing work.
Do I like it this way? No, of course not, but it is what it is, and we have to keep living... 🙄
Peace and Love, friends...