My First Skyrim Mod

The new game in the Elder Scrolls series, Skyrim, has been a fabulous success since it’s release a few weeks ago. A true RPG, it is set in the frozen world of Skyrim, home of the Nords. You play as a person who is ‘Dragon Born’ with the ability to generate a range of magical shouts, in an effort to thwart the return of the deadly dragons.

This isn’t a review, as there are a bunch of those on the internet better than I can create. I just wanted to share with you my first game mod for Skyrim. If you’re unfamiliar with mods, or a (HA!) CONSOLE player, then let me explain.

Many PC games have the ability to be modified in various ways. Talented people (and sometimes the game companies themselves) come up with various bits of software which allow a person to extract and modify the game’s files. From simple texture replacers to full blown new worlds and quest lines, mods allow the game to live on well after the original stories have been told.

Personally, I like mods of two categories. First I like fun mods. Importing bits and pieces from other worlds and environments to give myself a bit of a laugh, and just because I can do it. Secondly I like adding things to the world that make my characters life easier. Often in games you have an inventory of items, which you collect over time. You have a weight limit usually, or a ‘slot’ limit, but you can carry items which don’t show on your character’s body at all. You can steal a giant golden urn and it fits in your back pocket… or somewhere. So, I enjoy making things like backpacks to put my stuff in. It just seems more natural to me that way.

Anyway, the first bit of tinkering I’ve done for Skyrim is in the fun category, and it adds in a shield styled after Captain America’s famous red, white and blue shield.

Not a great deal can be done with modding yet, until the creators release some software to allow adding in of additional items. From what I’ve (briefly) read it should be coming some time in January.

Captain America's Shield for Skyrim

Fallout New Vegas – 40K Mod Progress

I decided to port my Warhammer 40,000 Fallout 3 mod across to Fallout New Vegas.  There’s already a bunch of people who have basically stolen my models and copied them for New Vegas anyway, so I suppose I might as well do my own version.  At least that way I can control how I want it to be done.

It seems the rules of http://www.newvegasnexus.com/allow people to basically use any of your models, meshes and textures without permission as long as they create a new .esp file (the ‘mod’ using the level editor) so long as they don’t include your models in their download.

Anyway, there’s nothing I can do about it so there’s no use complaining.

For the New Vegas (NV) mod, I’ve been slaving away making some new models.  In the works are new Storm Bolters, because the old ones had texture issues and new sniper rifles.   I have also made a few vehicles as seen below. The vehicles won’t move or anything, they’re basically static set decoration.   I’ll be making variations of four Space Marine chapter colours and a few variations of each type of vehicle.

I don’t claim to be a master modeler, but I do my best. I know the models aren’t 100% accurate to the Games Workshop versions, but they’re pretty close. Not owning any of the miniatures, I’ve only had to go from some screenshots and pictures from the ‘net.

Blood Ravens Rhino	Black Templars Rhino
Space Wolves Rhino	Ultramarines Rhino
Predator (Unfinished)	In-Game Test Shot
Thunderhawk

I’ve still got a lot of work to do on it, but I’ll update here. When it’s complete I’ll post it in the GAME MODS section of this blog.

Warhammer 40K Fallout Mod

I’ve finally released the Warhammer 40K mods for Fallout 3. It took a while because, as I expected, I got burned out on it for a while. It’s just so tedious going into the game, checking it out, leaving the game, changing something and going back in. To make a mod like this, I have to use five or six programs in conjunction, so switching between them can be a pain and is a little draining. Also, I was getting a lot of private messages asking me to ‘just release what I have’. I don’t like to do things half-arsed, so that’s out of the question. When I release mods, they are complete, final and done. Unless there’s a glaring error I don’t go back and revise them again. By the time it’s final, I’m usually pretty bored of the whole thing. I’ve also had experiences before with people stealing my models and including them in their own releases without permission. It really turns you off the whole process.

Anyway, enough bitching. Here’s the final release. It includes various remodeling and re-textures of the Bolt Guns, Bolt Pistols and Plasma weapons and all-new models for Missile Launchers and the much asked-for Heavy Bolter. My favourite weapons are the custom gold versions of each weapon, each with their own name and enhanced powers. I enjoyed getting the Heavy Bolter up and running because that took forever to get right. It was so hard to make. Anyway, you can download the mod from Fallout Nexus. If you grab it, leave a comment and let me know you saw it at WordPress.

Custom Heavy Bolter

Fruit Fucker 2000

Fruit Fucker 2000

A few months ago I was playing around with Milkshape 3d and turned out the Fruit-Fucker 2000 from the Penny Arcade web comic.  It was just a rough job but it turned out ok.  I converted it into a Fallout 3 .nif file but really had no reason to use it other than as a small collectible object, so I never released it.  The little ball on his head glows and so on.  Maybe I’ll hide him in a mod one day, or maybe he’ll just gather dust.  There’s not a whole lot of fruit in the Fallout 3 wasteland, so there’s not a lot for the little f…fellow to f… do.

Modding – Warhammer 40K for Fallout 3

One of my current projects is working on a set of modifications to the game Fallout 3. Some time ago, a fellow named cerberos008 released a series of armour pieces from the Warhammer 40,000 universe by Games Workshop. These were massively popular, though cerberos008 didn’t make any weapon mods to go with the release.

Soon there were some bolt guns and a few other things, but nothing major. So, I went into milkshape and began to tinker around making a slew of weapons and items to complement his armour sets.

I grew a little burned out and work was heavy by then, so I had a bit of a break, but came back and released my mod at Fallout 3 Nexus. So far it’s proven popular enough, and so I’m going to add a few more bits and pieces until I run out of ideas or get burned out again.

New Bolter Texture

Heavy Bolter

The new addition will include a Heavy Bolter which people have been demanding and maybe a power fist. I’ve also updated the meshes (the models) and textures of some of the weapons released by others so that they’re cleaner and match more with the armour sets.

I’ll keep you posted with the changes.