Modder's Interview: DetailDevil

Who are you, and how did you get started?

I’m DetailDevil, part-time Sadrith Mora city planner, full-time OpenMW enthusiast, and creator of a wide range of quest and function mods such as functional bagpipes, magical shrink spells, vampires, shipyards, and rideable horses. I’m a 26-year-old German who found Morrowind through Darkelfguy’s mod showcases. I was enchanted by the game’s visual style and thought, “How have I never seen this game before?”. My first mod, Vivec with Trees, sprouted into existence on July 6th, 2022. The mod added lush trees and colorful flower planters, giving Vivec a vibrant, green makeover as if Vivec himself had picked up gardening as a hobby. Since then, I’ve branched out and now have 27 mods under my belt, ranging from seedy Sadrith Mora mods to flying on sky renders. I’m also a regular participant in the Modding Madness, Modathon, and Modjam competitions.

How do you approach modding?

My approach has shifted over time. Initially, I focused on creating new content, but now I’m drawn to function mods that transform how players can engage with existing content. With the large-scale expansions of Tamriel Rebuilt (TR) and Project Tamriel (Project Cyrodiil, Skyrim House of the Nords), the player will always find something worth exploring. I currently aim to create function mods like magic spells, gameplay tweaks, mounts, bribery mechanics, and alcohol shader effects that enhance immersion wherever players go. My mods are always a reflection of the character I’m currently role-playing. For example, I wanted to role-play a Telvanni vampire disguising his appearance with a Cephalopod helmet and masking his scent with perfume, which is impossible in the vanilla game. That led me to create the bug musk shop Of Musk and Mer – A Sadrith Mora Tale and Devilish Vampire Overhaul. These days, I’m playing a mischievous and constantly drunk Breton who enjoys tricking locals with sleep or shrink spells and plays a magical bagpipe that summons snow storms.

What’s your favourite thing about modding?

Modding lets you shape a world to your preferences. Any idea you have can become a reality if you have the skills to create it. With this power, you’ll also sometimes feel responsible to address bugs, incompatibilities, and other shortcomings you encounter. If you are a modder, you have every tool available to you to make this world better. But the best part? You aren’t alone! Morrowind’s modding community is particularly active and friendly, which allows you download, discuss and contribute mods. With hundreds of mods installed, my Morrowind is uniquely mine. Its customizability in combination with its strong story and world building is why it’s my favorite RPG.

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

My favorite quest mod is Of Melodies and Moonlight – A Sadrith Mora Artist. It follows Veradul Dervayn, a cryptic painter who works only at night and battles persistent rumors about his mysterious activities. His plan to clear his name is as cunning as it is manipulative, and players can either expose him or become his apprentice. However, becoming his apprentice is both a reward and a yet another way for him to use you to clear his name. This makes Veradul a manipulative yet fascinating character. What I love most is the layered conflict between the player, Veradul, and his enigmatic "master". I often think about expanding this mod further because there’s so much untapped potential in its story and characters.

Are you working on a mod these days?

Always! I’m currently developing a bagpipe artifact as the reward for a Kynareth quest. This magical bagpipe allows the player to summon a snowstorm and ride the winds by playing different songs. This is already functional and can be viewed on my YouTube channel. I’m still brainstorming the questline. I’m also working on adapting VidiAquams’s The Sitting Mod for OpenMW, which lets players trigger animations with hotkeys. Sjek has been incredibly helpful with the OpenMW Lua coding. While I’ve tried to keep my mods compatible with both engines, my full-time job makes that increasingly challenging.

How much do you play Morrowind, not counting play testing? How did you discover Morrowind?

Whenever I try to play the game, I get a new mod idea that pulls me right back to modding. I particularly enjoy exploring the content released by the TR and PT teams in my brief play sessions. I first discovered Morrowind through Darkelfguy’s showcases after playing Skyrim and have never looked back.

What makes Morrowind special for you?

Morrowind’s alien, magical world is like stepping into a realm shaped by gods and their worship. While I’m not religious in real life, I love exploring a world where deities undeniably exist and actively influence events. The Elder Scrolls universe is so richly crafted that it sparks endless whimsical adventures and wild theories about who—or what— is really pulling the strings behind the scenes. Who doesn’t wish for a little magic in their life? Morrowind is like taking a small vacation from reality.

What are the mods you simply cannot play without? Are there any underrated mods that you really enjoy?

Let me list a couple of mods:

• Immersion: VidiAquam’s The Sitting Mod enhances role-playing by introducing animations like praying or sitting, adding depth and realism to the game.

• Setting: Von Djangos' Ultimate Creeper Party House transforms Ghorak Manor into an unforgettable experience.

• Quest: TDM and your Ius the Animal God mod shines a spotlight on a lesser-known deity in Elder Scrolls mythology, enriching the game’s lore in a creative way.

• Quest: Melchior Dahrk’s OAAB Grazelands brings high-quality content to the already captivating Tel Vos region

• Quest: Ashstaar’s Doors of Oblivion lets you explore various Daedric realms, satisfying my soft spot for Oblivion-themed mods.

• Visual Effects: Epoch’s Distortion Effects adds a mesmerizing flicker to the air, perfectly capturing the illusion of heat and making it an essential mod for OpenMW.

Above all, large-scale region mods like Tamriel Rebuilt and the Project Tamriel mods are essential to my game. They extend the borders of the world I can explore and each release feels like unwrapping a long-anticipated gift. I’m using Static’s upscaled textures of Tamriel Data. I’ll say a little bit more about which specific region mods I mean in the next section.

If you could say something to the modding community, what would you say?

I think we’re doing very well. Large-scale region mods like Tamriel Rebuilt, the Province Tamriel expansions such as Skyrim Home of the Nords, Project Hammerfell, and Project Cyrodiil, are keeping Morrowind fresh and engaging for the long term. Smaller but growing projects like Jaws of Oblivion and the MoonMod, which explore realms beyond Nirn, will open opportunities for exciting adventures as well. I regularly check the latest releases on Nexusmods to find new mods for my setup. While we might disagree about which engine is better, it shouldn’t distract us from being a great community. We could try to introduce more people to Morrowind modding and I could see myself creating CSSE tutorials in the future. I might join a large-scale project as these projects drive Morrowind’s lasting appeal.