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Interviewing makers of fan content: Modder interviews

DarkUnderlord

Professional Throne Sitter
Staff Member
Joined
Jun 18, 2002
Messages
28,343
Have you ever wondered what goes through the mind of someone who decides "Hey, this game is bugged / needs some extra content, I'll mod it!"? If so, you'll want to read <a href="http://rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=186">Lingwe's interview with 10 different modders about their modding experiences</a>. It covers everything from their motivations, any DRAMA they encountered, the community reception to what they were doing and what they learned through-out the process. Here's a sample:
<blockquote><b>Killap</b>: There was definitely a bit of a learning curve before I got into the groove of things. Since these were unofficial tools, there was still a bit of self exploration/interpreting that needed to occur before the tools could be fully utilized. In my eyes, proper modding tools are crucial to extend the life of a game. Developers need to realize this and take the time to release them officially.
[...]
<b>Quarn</b>: I'd have to say the quirks with the game are the most annoying to deal with... you do something, it should work but instead the game craps out. Like one time in Oblivion... the Unofficial Oblivion Patch caused all local map icons to vanish in-game, we tracked the problem down to changing cell 3,3 (boy who would of thought something so simple would caused such a weird problem?)
[...]
<b>Agetian</b>: I'd recommend everyone to consider their abilities and possibilities before embarking on any community project. I advise everyone who would like to become a part of any modding team to carefully examine what has been done with the game before and what needs doing, and then realize what exactly your contribution can be. Be realistic - don't set any huge plans and goals for yourself unless you're sure you'll be able to live up to them. Start with something smaller, learn the game you're about to mod, learn the available tools, learn the intrinsics of the game engine, and see what exactly you'll be able to do with the game in a relatively short time span. Shoot for something small yet useful - maybe a little bug fix or a little extra side quest.
[...]
<b>Wesp</b>: I was actually quite surprised by the huge feedback of the community because my earlier mods were downloaded and used, but I never got many comments on them. With Bloodlines the community feedback is actually what keeps the project alive, because while I never had the time to replay the game again, several other people do so with every new patch and report all issues they still find so we can get closer and closer to a perfect game. Without the community feedback I would have stopped patching long ago!</blockquote>
The modders in order of appearance are:
<ol><li>Killap - Fallout 2
<li>Quarn - Oblivion / Fallout 3
<li>Agetian -Temple of Elemental Evil
<li>Shiningted - Temple of Elemental Evil
<li>Gaear - Temple of Elemental Evil
<li>Vaernus - The Witcher
<li>Camdawg - Baldur's Gate / Infinity Engine
<li>theacefes - Baldur's Gate / Infinity Engine
<li>Wesp -Vampire: Bloodlines
<li>Adam Miller - Neverwinter Nights</ol>
There's an index <a href="http://rpgcodex.net/content.php?id=186">in the article</a> if you want to jump to a particular one.
 

Jason

chasing a bee
Joined
Jun 30, 2005
Messages
10,737
Location
baby arm fantasy island
The "beer at a university party" question still makes me cringe.
Which brings up a good point: why is there no :cringe: emoticon? You'd think that mankind, with all the advances made in emoticon technology, would've invented one by now.
 

Lingwe

Liturgist
Joined
Jun 11, 2007
Messages
519
Location
australia
The "beer at a university party" question still makes me cringe.
Which brings up a good point: why is there no :cringe: emoticon? You'd think that mankind, with all the advances made in emoticon technology, would've invented one by now.

We say university in Australia, not college.

Somebody should interview Drog Black Tooth, too.

I asked if he wanted to but he declined.
 

catfood

AGAIN
Joined
Aug 28, 2008
Messages
9,314
Location
Nirvana for mice
Damn, and I was hoping Merilinda would be interviewed too. :(


EDIT: Timeslip would also be someone good to interview. Killap references him, and a lot of things would've not been possible without Timeslip's help.
Yes, this guy did a lot of amazing things for so many games. Hell, I'm using his fix for System Shock 2 to run on my nvidia card.
 

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