Modder's Interview: Aleist3r

How long have you been modding and what was your first complete mod?  

I am not certain but I think I started circa 2007. I don't remember which one was truly first, but the one I do remember was ogrim follower with a script I did lift from some other mod.
There was so much stuff I did not know about, like AI values for example, so I ended up with a creature being a companion but at the same time trying to murder me constantly. I did not release it, that's certain.

How do you approach modding?  

No special approach. I make something when I feel like it. I probably spend more time making assets than actually modding since I constantly find stuff I need but does not exist yet.
And, I'm not a huge fan of using resources (unless necessary) so I tend to make models myself instead of looking for them.

What’s your favourite thing about modding?  

A possibility to unleash creativity, I suppose. Even if a lot of things I am working on won't see the light of day, it's still nice to plan and implement stuff.

What’s your favourite mod that you’ve made so far?  

Can't decide, whether it is a joke mod or something serious, I like most of them. If I were to pick, though, it would be either Clock Block or Name Generator.

Is there a mod you are especially proud of?  

Definitely Name Generator. It could be coded a bit better I think but it does work so I'm not complaining :D Work started practically as soon as NullCascade announced there would be LUA support in MWSE. So, it started as an LUA application that generates a list of names, then I did implement it as an MWSE mod. There are other mods but this is definitely the one I'm the proudest of.

Danae butting in: I LOVE the random name generator, Tamrielic Argonian names are often hilarious. Nord names are pretty fun as well.

Are you working on a mod these days?  

Currently, no. Unless doing some modelling work for province mods (both TR and PT collective) counts.
I have this one mod I started working on a long while back, potion toxicity based on 'The Witcher' series, but I don't know when I decide to return to working on it.

How much do you play Morrowind, not counting playtesting?  

Not much these days but I am thinking about another playthrough. I always end up as Telvanni mage and this time I'd like to try playing as some kind of Hlaalu archer (or something like that).

How did you discover Morrowind?  

The first time I've seen Morrowind was probably not too long after release. I think it was probably around 2003 or 2004 but really not sure now. For context, those were a bit different times for us, Polish people, piracy was widely spread, I think it was because everything was so pricey compared to earnings. So one day my father got a bunch of cds from his colleague and there it was, this game called Morrowind. He was playing it quite a bit and I was watching with so much interest. Later, I've found out there is actually a possibility to make your own modifications and by chance, I've spotted a pretty cheap (I think it was about $5, converting from our local currency) box release which contained Morrowind and CS (but without expansions), so naturally, I've got it.

What makes Morrowind special for you?  

C'mon, it's Morrowind, that's a given it is special.
Jokes aside, I think this alien unforgiving setting with its lore is what made me really like it. By any means, I don't think it's a perfect game (in fact I think there is no such thing as a "perfect game") but even those flaws don't make me like it less.

What are the mods you simply cannot play without?  

Definitely a bunch of MWSE mods: UI Expansion, Clock Block (and a couple of others I don't remember now. If I were making a new installation fairly recently I probably would, the thing is I have a 100% clean one at the moment so I can't even check what I did use).
Other than that, province mods. The vanilla map without TR looks so empty. And with that, Anthology Solstheim sea around island doesn't collide with TR_Preview lands (there is one or two cells overlap otherwise, I think).

Do you play other games?  

Yes, although mostly older titles rather than new ones. Besides various RPGs I also love platformers.
So, my list of currently played titles looks more or less like this: Neverwinter Nights (a game that is as important as Morrowind), Super Meat Boy, Heroes of Might and Magic 3.
I also play MMOs, current choice is Final Fantasy XIV after I finally decided to break with World of Warcraft, although not playing it a much as I used to play WoW.

Do you mod other games?  

Honestly, I do mod everything I play and is possible to mod. From making Heroes of Might and Magic 3 maps, Neverwinter Nights modules to Pokemon ROM hacks.

And by the way, what's the story behind your user name?  

Which one? :D
The old one, Moritius, happened by accident when I was registering on an old Polish modding related forum, I pressed a bunch of letters without thinking much. My Nexus one, Memento Moritius is an obvious pun of "memento mori". Later I've decided to part ways with the old one and switched to Aleist3r which was (and still is) my alias when I'm uploading some self-made music.
And this one is a reference to Aleister Crowley. I did find Aleister is Gaelic form of name Alexander (which is my real name, although written with "ks" instead of "x")
so I decided to stick with it.

Self-made music you say?

I started around 2010, I think? It's a bit foggy so I'm not really sure. So, it's at least 10 years. I have many influences. It probably started with a fascination with Deadmau5' music, I think I just tried to make something cool. When I was younger, I was traveling to school via train, I had so much time to mess around so I've got some app on my Android phone and started writing ideas. A lot of them never ended up as finished projects but a couple did. Even more, got lost with something that's a bane of every modder (and not only) - a drive crash which is possibly unrecoverable; but I hadn't an occasion to check it yet. Lately, I'm less active in that field, for a while I, unfortunately, didn't have any itch to make something but I hope it will end soon.

Find Aleist3r's older tracks here, and the newer ones there.