Morrowind - Mod Interview @ BethBlog

Bethesda is back with another interview on the company's blog this time with a modder called Stuporstar. She is know for Books of Vvardenfell, The Tea Mod , and Uvirith’s Legacy.

How did you get involved with modding?

My brother gave me a copy of Morrowind in 2006, and I later bought both expansions for it. At the time, I’d been making minor mods and maps for Civilization IV, but never got heavily into it. I played Morrowind for a week or two before delving into modding. I was disappointed with the first stronghold I got in the game, Rethan Manor, so it didn’t take long for me to jump into the Construction Set to try to improve it. My first mod was a mess, and so was the next–unpublishable–but while learning I discovered the modding community. I remember distinctly how Fliggerty made me the most welcome and helped answer my most complicated scripting questions. I’ve tried to pay it forward ever since.

What do you think makes the Morrowind modding community so vibrant after more than a decade?

I believe the modding community builds on itself. Morrowind was a stunning, unique, and richly detailed game when it was released, and modders have carried that spirit along. Much credit goes to Bethsada for making their game so open-ended and mod-friendly in the first place. One reason I return to it again and a again is because I love the setting, but the other reason is because I love the community.

The Morrowind community is one of cooperation and support. Some modding communities discourage using other people’s resources, forcing ambitious mods to become cascading layers of dependencies. Having to download 5+ mods to make the one you want work frustrates players and modders alike.

In the Morrowind community, if I can’t do something, I can find someone to help. I can focus on making my ideas happen. This community has always been one to help you find a way to make it happen, whether that’s allowing you to build on existing work, helping debug experimental scripts, or making a brand new model for you. You just have make something great, and pass on the goodwill. Anyone can make a mod based on my work. Anyone can use my resources. Because that’s the same courtesy people gave me to help make my mods happen.

Are you working on any new projects?

I have one mod project in limbo because my professional work takes precedence, so it may be a long time before I finish it. Once I release UL 3.2, I need to get back to working on my writing for a while.

The novels I’m working on, currently titled Freecloud and Vava Calypso, are part a science fiction series. I’m not sure which publishing route I’ll take once they’re ready. In any case, they’ll have to run a gauntlet of brutal beta readers before they’re ready. I owe a lot to beta testers. I owe the quality of my work to the quality of their feedback.