Modder's Interview: Caeris
How long have you been modding?
If I count absolutely everything, then since 2010. I was extremely young at the time and thought I'd try my hand at modding. For some reason, I published the mod knowing full well how bad it was. I won't say the name of it because I used my full name as my username when publishing it. However, I like to think I properly started modding in 2017, when I made a "revised" version MSam's The Resistible Rise of the Tribe Unmourned.
How do you approach modding?
My general dialogue or patch mods have never really taken much time, but my quest mods, they are tricky! Once I have a bit of an idea of what I do, I create the structure. I identify how big I want the mod to be, and what the main plot points could be. This can be a lot of fun, but the next two steps are the worst. I sit down and painstakingly plan out each quest. For mods where there are 20+ quests, this can be a real challenge to stay motivated. After this, though, it gets even worse. I create journal entries. This is the worst step of all. It takes so long and so much effort to think of every single entry, but it filters out a lot of the bad things from the earlier planning, by showing how practical or interesting the quests actually are. Once I’m past that, it is bliss. I usually want to see the mod in action so bad that my motivation is at an all time high, so I write so effortlessly and with so much passion. Quite a lot of thoughts and effort goes into them, hence why it has taken me some years to make my big faction mods.
What’s your favourite thing about modding?
I like to be able to stand back and feel good about the mods I’ve created for myself. Once it’s all put together, it feels truly amazing. I feel so accomplished. Being able to look at my work and be proud of it is a good damn feeling!
What’s your favourite mod that you’ve made so far?
My favourite would have to be my Camonna Tong mod. It’s everything I’ve ever wanted from a quest mod. I meticulously planned everything, let ideas brew when I felt completely unmotivated or stuck, and then when it finally came time to write the damn thing, everything fell into place and I’m very proud of what I've made.
Is there a mod you are especially proud of?
Vvardenfell Brotherhood was meant to be my big and last mod. I wanted it to be my masterpiece, and showcase everything I had learned. I really thought I’d be done once it was released! I was so happy with it… and then more ideas came.
Are you working on a mod these days?
I’m working on remaking both The Rise of the Tribe Unmourned and After the Blight from the ground up, and they’re both parts of a bigger project. I’m nearly done with the former, and the latter has almost all quests planned out. Fingers crossed I can survive the boring journal entry creation process!
How much do you play Morrowind, not counting play testing?
I’ve always said to myself “once I’ve released this next mod I’ll finally have *the* playthrough I’ve been wanting”, but that moment has never come. So to answer the question, not at all, but I really hope I will be able to play the game at some point soon!
What are the mods you simply cannot play without?
The general essentials. MGE XE, MCP, Patch for Purists, Project Atlas, and Morrowind Optimization Patch. It’s about the foundation for everything, and then I usually swap in and out other mods from there. Oh and the mod in the next question!
Are there any underrated mods that you really enjoy?
Djangos Dialogue. I mean, it is well-renowned, but I also count it as essential where others maybe wouldn’t? I mean, what a seriously brilliant mod. It adds so much and is so well-made. I only properly started using it after I made People of Pelagiad, and realized Django’s approach to vanilla dialogue was much more realistic, interesting, and keeping to the vanilla-feel of the game.
Do you play other games?
Yes, but not as often anymore. I did get really into the Mafia trilogy. I love the mafia film genre as a whole, so it really appealed to me. I also got really into Sea of Thieves last year, but pretty much exhausted it. I want to get into Mount & Blade Bannerlord II quite bad, but then if it is anything like its predecessor, I’m also sure I’d obsess over it!
And by the way, what's the story behind your user name?
It was a Minecraft username that I thought of on the spot when I was young. No one knows how to pronounce it correctly. Heck, even I don’t. I changed it once from “say-riss” to “kay-riss” after someone pronounced it that way, and decided I liked it better. That being said, I’d love to change it over to my default username these days, “Crown”, which also doesn’t really mean anything, but I figure it’s probably good to be consistent and keep the one I have going now.