1 reply to this topic

[Kaeloree]

Bri has been around for many, many years, working on a variety of projects including the as-of-yet unreleased Delainy & Durlyle NPC Mod over at Gibberlings 3 and here at SHS, the Tashia NPC mod, originally by Arian.

To find out more about Bri, check out her interview below! Big thanks to Bri for being a lovely interviewee and cmorgan for being a wonderful interviewer!

[Kaeloree]

cmorgan:
Hey there, Bri - thanks for taking the time to sit down and chat about i.e. modding and authorship. It is fun to be able to discuss process with you.

Bri:
Sure thing. Of course, I admit others usually are much more interesting to read.

cmorgan:
Well, first things first - when did you decide to join the modding community, and what got you to join in instead of lurking?

Bri:
In the loosest sense, I guess you could say I joined the modding community 6 years ago. I had joined the old FWS/FWP sites to keep abreast of what was going on, and occasionally throw in my two cents...

There was an old forum where people could throw out ideas for possible mods. The one I really wanted was a Delainy/Durlyle. Some ideas were put out there, but I think I was the only one to put forth some sample banter ideas...(about three of them). CamDawg saw them, liked them, and we went from there...

cmorgan:
Did you find it tough to move from banters between two NPCs, and getting the protagonist involved?

Bri:
It really depends on the NPC and the topic of conversation. I actually found some of the more...different...NPCs like Minsc easier to work with than someone like Valygar.

cmorgan:
How did you and Lord Ernie get involved in Taisha?

Bri:
Tashia was the very first mod I ever played, and as such have a small spot for her. However, she did not age well, especially when you look at other mods done since. Anyways, a variety of people complained about the state of Tashia, and someone should do something about it.

JCompton did rightfully point out that Arian (the original creator of Tashia), made her open to anyone else who wished to mod her. After some discussion with Lord Ernie (who did the coding, among other work), we decided to revamp Tashia.

cmorgan:
You had to make some changes to Taisha's dialog, creating two variants: "action style" dialogs and more "baldurized" text. What did you find challenging about that? What did you like?

Bri:
The biggest challenge?
The biggest problem with going from one style to the next is that a person definitely had to be more concise, and get everything finished verbally in the Baldurized version. Of course, sometimes this didn't turn out to well, and had to be edited and rewritten.

What did I like?
I liked the 'action style' a little more since a person could add more into the text which the Baldurized version didn't have. Of course, having the example of the flirtpacks helped as well...

However, the Baldurized version is good because it makes you get to the point of the conversation faster.

cmorgan:
Getting back to your ongoing project, what inspires you about Delainey?

Bri:
I like to try and get into a werewolf mindset, someone who looks human, but isn't. Of course, I also like the idea of expanding her short appearance in BG I.

cmorgan:
Any outside sources for inspiration to get into the wolf mindset?

Bri:
Well, a good start is to look at how a real wolf behaves such as in the books by David L. Mech.

However, if one wants a fantasy series with a young woman raised by wolves, I highly recommend Jane Lindskold's Firekeeper series.

cmorgan:
What drives you nuts about Delainey?

Bri:
All the delays (mostly due to real life events) which have occurred, making her creation last much longer than it should have.

cmorgan:
Mods with romances and friendship expansions released in the last few years have included things like reaction or chapter-dependent flirts, more mature 'romantic interludes'. Has this changed the way you see Delainey's story progressing? Are we likely to see more "hawt" content in the mod, or have you decided to remain true to the original BioWare teen rating?

Bri:
Delainy will also have some varying content as well, depending on how the romance progresses, as well as the player's interest in her. This will make her romance a little longer than the BioWare originals, but I have cut back on a lot of material I initially planned.

As for the content? There will be some intimate flirts, and such, but any more explicit content will just be, 'The next morning...'

cmorgan:
When you play BG2, what are your "must have" mods to play? Which do you personally find yourself playing over and over again, from a story-adding perspective?

Bri:
Kelsey, Tashia, Flirt Pack, as well as other character Mods.

cmorgan:
Why these mods? What is it about them that captures your attention?

Bri:
I like additional content that explores characters, relationships, plots rather than just a large killfest.

cmorgan:
From a storyteller's standpoint, what do you find is the toughest thing about writing for a mod instead of writing a short story or FanFic?

Bri:
When writing for a mod, a person has to be concise in what they write, and when necessary, cut out large chunks of dialogue.

cmorgan:
What advice would you give first-time modders?

Bri:
First, work on a small project. If nothing else, this gives a very good idea on how much work can be put into a mod, and whether you will have the patience to see it through.

Second, if possible, work with at least one other person. Tashia is a lot better than it would have been if it hadn't been for Lord Ernie.

cmorgan:
What advice for authors who want their work built into mods?

Bri:
Realize there are a lot of concessions and cuts one has to make to put their work into a mod at various points along the way.

cmorgan:
If you were given a team of professionals to assist you and an unlimited budget (both time and money), what would your dream mod be?

Bri:
This is hard to say because there are dozens of ideas I would love to see done in a module. One idea I would like to see is a better implementation of 'simulation' aspects, especially when a person does earn/win a stronghold. If a player wants to make their domain a military juggernaut, they could, while another may wish to make their stronghold a home for the arts.

cmorgan:
An expandable stronghold mod sounds pretty darned interesting. We just need to win you the lottery! Thank you for taking the time to be interviewed. I hope you have a great holiday, and I certainly look forward to playing Delainey when she is finished.

Bri:
Thank you for asking me, and have a good holiday yourself.