Status: Always Modding

Even if I'm not blogging about it very often, I'm still always modding my games. It's just how I am- something integral to my experience of playing PC games. In the last couple months, I've bounced around between a few:

-In Ark: Survival Evolved, I played for a time on a small private server with my partner. We were on the Ragnarok map and had a fair few mods going. One of the standouts was Castles, Keeps, and Forts, which let us build suitably grand castles that fit the style of the map quite nicely.

-In Minecraft, I puttered around building a new modlist for a magic/exploration themed playthrough. Still waiting on a couple of mods to update to 1.12 before I get going (including Thaumcraft, assuming the author doesn't quit again), but so far I'm liking the direction of the pack. Open Terrain Generator makes some gorgeous worlds to explore, and mods like Ice and Fire add cool new magical beasts to fight and tame.

I'm also planning new playthroughs of Morrowind, Oblivion, and Skyrim... eventually, and probably not in that order. Morrowind especially will be a lot of work, as it's the game I'm least familiar with in terms of modding. I watch a pretty neat Youtube channel called Morrowind Modding Showcases; he does a great job showing off a lot of cool mods the Morrowind community has produced over the years. Even if you're not looking to mod Morrowind, the love and dedication of that community is pretty incredible- and for a game that's 17 years old!

I've also spent some time in Second Life, trying to find interesting and beautiful places. I recently went to an art installation called Eidola- a fascinating exploration of vision and perception. I really liked the tone of the build, a mix of informative and artistic, grounded and spiritual. There was so much to take in that I definitely think I'll need subsequent trips to really get everything out of the experience.

So, that's my little status update. I always say I'll post more, and I always forget. What can I say? There's just so many games, and so many mods, and so little time.

Stardew Valley and Chill

(This is an older post that I forgot to actually publish to the blog. Nice going, me!)

When I started playing some Stardew Valley recently- after not having touched the game since soon after its release- I didn't much consider the modding aspect. I'd seen that a Nexus Mods portal existed for the game, but figured it would likely be confined to graphics replacers and the like. I just wanted to relax and do some farming, maybe marrying Shane in the process (I'd been so sad to learn, during my first playthrough, that he wasn't available to woo).

Soon enough, however, I found myself in the familiar state of wanting to make some changes to the game. My biggest priority was in fact the graphics, which while vibrant and cheerful can be a little weary on the eyes with how bright and saturated they are. So I set to see what was out there in terms of replacers. 

In the process, I was pleasantly surprised to find a much larger and more substantial modding community than I had expected. There are a number of mods which alter or add to the game content; many of these being based on the SMAPI tool. Because I have no self-control, I ended up with a substantial modlist- and more mods hoarded away for potential future playthroughs. The list is in fact too large to detail fully here. Suffice to say that it includes without a doubt the most important mod- the one that allows me to have multiple pets, thus saving me the agony of having to choose between the equally adorable dog or cat. For my humble homestead I chose the picturesque Whitewater Farm, to be filled with Overgrown Fairy Buildings.

Mixed into this list were also a fair number of graphics replacers. Just A New Map Recolor, Classy New Interior, and A Toned Down Stardew Valley mellowed out the colors of the environment, while Vintage Interface kept a consistent tone in the menu. I really loved the look of Kal's portraits of the town's eligible singles because I am weeaboo trash, and so to keep at least some aesthetic consistency I used Variant Anime Portraits for the rest of the villagers. 

The results of these and other changes were striking to me. None of it altered the core gameplay of Stardew Valley; even in the larger graphical changes I felt the game's charm and fundamental heart were preserved. But some aspects of the game that previously had been somewhat disarmed by the vibrant, cheery colors now came to the surface. 

Before, Stardew Valley seemed like a pastoral paradise. When Sebastian or Abigail talked of feeling trapped in their small town, I thought it sounded absurd. But in my latest playthrough, I thought I could understand their claustrophobia a little better. The darker, more muted interiors gave the town a more run-down feeling. I saw the marks of poverty, and it seemed easier to believe the residents who talked about the struggles of living in a small, isolated community.  There's a lot of pain in Stardew Valley underneath the surface, even if it never truly overtakes the relaxed, wholesome atmosphere of the game.

I should stress that this isn't something that mods injected into the game, nor do they fundamentally change the character of the experience. Yet I think it's interesting to consider how mods can enhance aspects of the original work, to complement them and present them in new ways to the player. I gained a new respect for the writing of Stardew Valley on this playthrough, an aspect which didn't at all factor in to my initial desire to revisit the game. I found a world that seemed far more compelling and fleshed-out than I remembered. 

This experience has really impressed on me that mods can be more about "fixing" a game, or wholesale altering it to fit one's own preferences or fantasies. Mods can be something akin to a pinch of salt in a dish- something to enhance the natural flavor and goodness of the food, of the experience of eating the meal. I hope that analogy makes sense, anyway. I never was any good at cooking.

Pretending I'm Cultured in Second Life

Someone who only knows Second Life as a land of ugly people and Youtube troll videos might be surprised that it has a pretty robust art scene. I've enjoyed going through various exhibitions and artistic builds- some of which take advantage of the nature of the platform to offer an experience impossible in the physical world. I've stood in a desolate plain filled with figures prostrating themselves before an overhead UFO; another time, I was carted along in a miniature train through a world of floating, colorful child-like drawings.

One of my favorite places, though, takes the complete opposite approach. The Vordun Museum and Gallery creates an experience as close as possible to its physical counterparts. From the grounds outside, to the gallery itself, and even to the gift shop. 

I'd say the only thing missing is the loud tour groups blocking the view and snapping flash photos.

I'm impressed by the attention to detail in the whole thing- you can tell The Vordun is a labor of love. Besides the build itself, the exhibits I've seen have been high-quality. There's a variety on display- historical and contemporary alike. I feel this can be a bit disorienting as you move between exhibits- suddenly going from the European Masters to a modern solo exhibition based on psychological horror gives me something like artistic whiplash. On the other hand, I can understand that it's just not practical for the proprietors to keep the space purely in one theme or another.

One particular feature of this museum that I quite like is the audio tour provided for the main exhibit. For those unfamiliar with such in RL, these typically come in the form of small headsets that one can dial for voiced commentary on a particular piece or portion of the exhibit. This functions much the same at The Vordun, with the headset provided in the form of a HUD. It's quite charming and informative in a more immersive way than notecards or the like.

I feel that The Vordun is more than just a facsimile of a real museum; it stands on its own as a worthwhile experience. I'd go so far as to say that if it is not completely comparable to a physical gallery, it is very close in terms of artistic enrichment- and the self-satisfaction about how cultured you are.

Cozy Fall Feelings in Second Life

Exploring in Second Life has something of the feel of an archaeological expedition. Though the platform still has tens of thousands of people logging in regularly, the fact is that SL is far fallen from its heyday of popularity. The remaining userbase is spread out over a vast quantity of land- quite often when I'm exploring I don't see a single other person. You get the feeling that you're exploring some ancient lost civilization, one filled with strip malls and kinky sex dungeons.

Yet for all that it looks desolate and abandoned, there are still people out there creating things in Second Life. Today I went to a little place called Botanica that advertised a Thanksgiving-themed Hunt  (essentially a scavenger hunt type deal for those unfamiliar, usually with the goal of obtaining free or very cheap prizes).

The landing is in a festive little avenue bedecked with fall colors. There's a cafe, where the hunt takes place, as well as a handful of shops including a fortune-teller, working musical instruments, and gifts and sundries. I'm a sucker for the kitsch-y look, and this place was like the inside of a Hallmark store.

And I mean that in the nicest way.

Before doing the hunt I strolled around for a while, checking the various sights and shops. The turkeys running about gobbling away were a cute touch. We had turkeys around near the house I grew up in, so it was a nice bit of nostalgia for me (though funnily enough, they always seemed to go into hiding around Thanksgiving...).

The Fortune-teller's shop was fun. The magic mirror on the wall wanted to hear a yes or no question, and was kind enough to answer an honest "No" when I asked if it could really see my future. The Tarot reader was also interesting, having specific interactions in cutting the deck and revealing the cards. The cool things you can accomplish with scripting in SL are always surprising to me.

After this I headed back for the Hunt itself, located entirely in the small Americana Cafe. I searched for various objects which, when clicked, linked to websites and Wikipedia articles giving information on Thanksgiving traditions and Pilgrim culture. Thanksgiving goodies were the reward- though I also noticed a number of goodies about the cafe which were free and not tied to the hunt completion, mostly foodstuffs.

All in all, it was a very charming experience and a fun little diversion for an hour or so. The whole thing was very G-rated, and very kitschy and whimsical. It's things like this that I feel would be great for children to experience, if it weren't an incredibly bad idea for a child to be on Second Life. But for the childlike at heart (or at brain, like me), it's worth seeing nonetheless.

Morrowind and The Breaking Point

So I've been playing a bit of Morrowind lately. This is my first runthrough of the main quest- after a few flailing attempts and short-lived characters, I finally feel like I've got the hang of the more old-school mechanics and feel of the game. Where I was mostly frustrated before, now I can actually enjoy the experience for what it is- a rich atmosphere and story, an alien world that truly feels unique with its own culture and customs. Harsh, unforgiving, but still strangely beautiful.

For a 15-year-old game, at least.

For this playthrough I've been keeping it all vanilla. I'm a firm believer in not modding a game before you've experienced the original first. You should know what exactly you want to change before you go changing it. Even someone's bare-minimum "must-have mods" list is going to be subject to personal opinion. Form your own opinions, first.

Now, there are a bunch of things I want to change, based off my current experience with the game. But I'd resisted the urge thus far, strolling around enjoying the blocky faces, the infohub NPCs, and those lovely, lovely cliffracers.

But everyone has their limit, and I found mine. What was my breaking point? Vanity, of course.

Morrowind has a surprising variety of clothing, from the familiar Imperial styles to the native Dunmeri fashions. As someone who likes to ogle their character in third-person, I was having a good time trying out various items.

But then I decided to spring for an enchanted robe from a vendor, and encountered the hideous white saran-wrap shader Morrowind uses for enchanted items. After mere minutes of walking around looking like I'd been abducted by Dexter, I broke.

Correctly guessing that I wasn't the only one who couldn't stand the effect, I settled on Pluginless NoGlow as my solution of choice. I prefer the simple replacer solution, with the least impact possible on my game. Now my character can strut her stuff in style and continue her almost!vanilla adventure.

Stunning.

Well-Diving in Oblivion

So I've been back to Oblivion again- testing mods, experimenting with my own additions, and actually getting to play the damn game sometimes. I have a long-running "test" character who mostly goes around murderhoboing her way through various content mods.

Haela Long-Strider, mod-tester and grumpyface extraordinaire.

Currently I've been exploring a dungeon mod called The Well Diver. As you might imagine, it adds dungeons accessible through various wells from the vanilla game. I'm enjoying the mod a lot so far-even though there's no grand quest or storyline here, it's still a lot of fun as a good ol' dungeon romp. The new cells are well-designed (heh); they're unique-looking with some great use of modder's resources, but still fitting to the game's world. There's environmental storytelling, some secrets and a few neat rewards. Plenty to keep the spelunker occupied.

There's an ingame book you can find which will mention the location of a couple wells, but others must be found on your own. I haven't found all the dungeons yet, but I'm having a blast so far. If you're in the mood for some new dungeons to stumble on during a playthrough, I definitely recommend checking out The Well Diver. 

Minecraft Mods I Think Are Pretty Neat

So, as mentioned in my last post, I wanted to point to some cool Minecraft mods I'm considering for my 1.12 mixtape modlist.

Better With Mods

There's an old, famous/notorious, surly beast of a mod called Better Than Wolves. Its creator offers it as a sharp criticism of the direction Minecraft development took, and as a vision of what he sees as better content (hence the title). A lot of vanilla mechanics are altered, and the early-game especially is more challenging. While the mod has a lot of cool ideas and interesting mechanics, it's incompatible with the majority of mods for Minecraft and has been kept on a version of the game from 2012. Better Than Mods is a "re-imagining" of the original's content that is designed with a mind for compatibility, and updated to the latest game versions. I'm excited to try it out- I steered clear of the original mod for, ah, various reasons.

Rustic

This rather charming mod adds some more low-tech and agrarian content to the game. New crops and building materials, an alcohol brewing system, pottery, and more. It reminds me of an older mod, Growthcraft, which I love.

Minecraft Comes Alive

Minecraft Comes Alive makes the boring, ugly flesh-Squidward villagers into something more resembling actual people. Aside from giving them a nose job and a face lift, villagers now have moods, personalities, and relationships between each other and with the player. You can chat with villagers, exchange gifts- even potentially marry a villager and raise a family. Even if you're not into the latter, I think the mod does much to make villagers more interesting and developed- more than empty shells to be bartered with (or stuffed into horrifying contraptions to be bred and slaughtered en masse).

Nomadic Tents

These tents are a great help for the explorer. The inside of a tent is a dimension unto itself, so that you can have a safe place to rest your head at night. But I feel it's "balanced" in a good and mechanically interesting way- after placing your tent, you have to erect it by whacking the various blocks with a mallet. This means the tents aren't just an instant escape-you still have to be careful and have a plan to set up camp as night falls.

EDIT: Unfortunately, on further inspection, this is not yet available for 1.12. My mistake!

Totemic

I love the themeing of this mod, and the way it implements magic seems interesting and unique. In the Great War of Magic and Tech Mods, one sometimes hears the critique that magic mods are merely tech mods with a different skin. So mods like this that present a more mysterious, even spiritual approach are exciting.

There are a lot more mods that I'm interested in trying out for 1.12, and others that I sigh wistfully at and hope they soon will be updated. But hopefully you can get a sense of the pack I'm working towards here- an experience not so focused on technological marvels, or world-shattering arcane power, or an intense RPG experience. Something more down-to-earth, more focused on the early game- the part of the game I most enjoy, when you're doing things by hand and "survival" is actually a meaningful struggle. Maybe in a fit of uncharacteristic un-laziness I'll put the pack up somewhere to share it- but I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you.