Friday, July 15, 2011

Modmode: Beyond the Vanilla - Part One



I've always been a big fan of modding in general. I feel that some of the player made content that can be found to modify released games is just about as good as (some of) professional work, if not better.

Call it luck, call it happenstance, but I found an old copy of Morrowind in a box in my closet at the same time someone put me onto a great modding guide: Shit just got real on meh. This website helped me totally overhaul a classic game as I ramp up for the upcoming release of Bethesda's next installation of the Elder Scrolls Franchise, Skyrim.

I'm quickly finding out how much more immersive Morrowind was compared to Oblivion. Always being a fan of Oblivion, I could never understand how players trashed it in comparison to Morrowind. I used to run a highly modified version of Oblivion until I got greedy for space on my drive for a new MMORPG. It was the Rift beta nonetheless, so hours of modding just went up in smoke. My relaying of this story to on online friend is how I found this great guide.

I mod purely on the account that someone took hours out of their life on a labor of love, they get nothing in return except recognition. Players that use the mods get hours of refreshing gameplay or a new look to their old game for free. Free is great.

If you are on the fence on which version to reserve for Skyrim, I would definitely go for the PC version as there will be plenty of mod support for it. The modding community has already mentioned a flying dragon and mastodon mount mods. The only thing as I am concerned will be the specifications for running Skyrim. Bethesda hasn't released them yet and by the way the recent previews look, it looks like a GPU intensive game.

I have until November 11th to muck around with Morrowind and Oblivion. Hah, yes, I am considering reinstalling ole' TESIV in anticipation of Skyrim, I just don't know if I have another run through in me. I've been through Oblivion...3 times already, it's such a great game, but old content gets old.

Will a new batch of mods breath live into this old workhorse of a game? This is why I mod.

Play safe,
Inktomi