Modder's Interview: Abot
How long have you been modding and what was your first complete mod?
I think I started in 2004. I'm not sure about the 1st published mod between
Tempus Fugit Ring and Where Are All Birds Going? Both of them could have been published in 2004-09.
How do you approach modding?
Usually while playing Morrowind or other games I think I'd like to change or add this or that, and then I start thinking if it could be possible and in case how much work it would take. If a project has a good chance to be finished I often start it.
What’s your favourite thing about modding?
Modding! I mean, playing is nice but modding is much more creative, it's almost like singing a song or writing it too.
What’s your favourite mod that you’ve made so far?
Hard to say, all in all probably the striders one, as it was a sort of dream I had since playing Morrowind for the first time.
Is there a mod you are especially proud of?
I'd say it is faster to list the few of them I'm not so proud of, almost because they do not work 100% as I planned them.
One example is the loading doors synchronization mod, it works with some kind of heuristic and it breaks easily so. I'm almost redoing it from scratch.
Are you working on a mod these days?
Yes, redoing the loading doors one, and making a synergic new one, my take at the "enemies can follow you through loading doors" so you
can save/restore enemies' state without losing it when the player saves/reload any time (or blocking or corrupting normal saving).
Also, lock/unlock doors will be possible and taken into account
Edit, Loading doors has been updated, go get it :)
How much do you play Morrowind, not counting play testing?
I think about 1 or 2 times a week. It is a sort of playtesting too, as IMO even if your mod seems to work well with a minimal setup, the only way to seriously playtest is to also playtest with a bunch of other mods loaded, so usually, I try to explore/play other people mods and test my mods at the same time/with the same big setup too.
Abot is not joking, his setup is the largest most stable I've ever seen, check out his let's plays and his modlist to see for yourself.
How did you discover Morrowind?
I don't remember exactly, maybe from some Daggerfall related site
What makes Morrowind special for you?
Story, ambiance, a world packed with things to do and find, powerful and easy-to-use editor. And my personal Morrowind world I assembled mix/making/matching mods since 2004.
What are the mods you simply cannot play without?
Most of the mods are in my current loading order. Maybe I'd like to replace some of them with a Lua version that could work better.
Are there any underrated mods that you really enjoy?
Several. People often tend to judge a recent or more downloaded from Nexus mods better than an older similar one, it's not always true IMO, it depends mostly on who makes the mod, some old authors did know the game much better than some new authors reinventing the wheel.
Do you play other games?
Yes, not as often as Morrowind or Skyrim, but I love real-time with pause games similar to Baldur's Gate series.
My current beloved one for a couple of years is Pillars of Eternity 2 Deadfire
Also, I recently bought a promising alpha one that has great potential called Isles of Adalar, author deserves support, it could become a modern Morrowind
Do you mod other games?
Mostly Skyrim and Fallout 2/3. And Baldur's Gate if I play the old not enhanced versions using Tutu or Big World compilations.
And by the way, what's the story behind your user name?
It is an acronym for "a bit of taste". I liked bit as a reference to coding and also as eating something tasty.
Anything else you’d like to share that we haven’t talked about?
No, because you did not ask about LOOT, MO2, OpenMW, Rebirth, Tamriel Rebuilt.
If someone were to ask me now, I would answer... "stay clear from the first 4, play the last one now before it's too late" ;-)
More seriously, here is a question I make to myself:
What mods would you like other modders could make for you as a player?
Oooh, thanks for asking! Let me see...
- A mod/addon that could flesh out Morrowind Comes Alive companions, there are several of them having a starting story that could be used as starting point for quests.
- Any group-made (these things are never going to be finished as a one-man project) update/addition to unfinished landmass classics like Azurian Isles, Amanita, Silgrad Tower, Harsh Lands.
- A quest mod about helping Jiub exterminate cliff racers.
Abot's website "Morrowind is Home" is a treasure trove of smaller mods, has the one working seach function for MMH but most importantly modding knowledge, a must-read.