Interview with AzazelloWhen did you first join the IE Modding community?I think it was in 2001 or 2002. Backstory… I had started a new job in 1998 and a co-worker said he was playtesting a new
DnD (Dungeons and Dragons) computer game, better than previous attempts, even better than the Gold Box set. I wasn’t much of a computer-gamer (still am not) but I was intrigued. Funny, the guy quit before
BG1 was officially released, and I didn’t even think about the game again until 2000 when I met him at an after-work party and he said the game was into version 2 (
BG2) and was a big success. So I went to a store to check out and then buy
BG1, and got hooked.
In 2001 I was playing
BG2 and
ToB but had had a lot of funky problems; I had never even heard of Baldurdash, so I was playing a virgin game, so-to-speak. I took the time to actually read the docs that came in the game box, and there it was mentioned to go to Interplay’s online forum for extra help, and there I got hooked into the community.
What inspired you to get into modding?Well, I’m not a modder. I help as I can, and shamefully must admit I have some scripting and coding skills, but I’m not a developer and have spent my entire career avoiding programming. This game is the only place I even try my hand at scripting. I lie at all my jobs and say I have no clue about coding.
My inspiration is the love of the game, of course. I take my lead from all the folks who put in their contributions to the game: every modder, IP/Bioware forums, TeamBG, Forgotten Wars (sound familiar?), what is now BWL, and what was
PPG called in the past?
You’re one of the more active “Mega-Modders” out there; what keeps you creating monster installs, and what interests you about it?Since I’ve played the “Classic” not-completely-
weidu version, I have a lot experience with the process, and have lived with each step of its evolution, so I guess that makes me an expert (haha).
I stay with it because, like most of us, I want the biggest game world I can make, but within my own preferred limits. So I want a Mega-Install, but I don’t want a BiG World install. Thankfully, we have the choice, and by working together we can make each install very stable and enjoyable.
What history is there behind Mega-Installs? How did it start, and what do you envision to be the future of Mega-Installs?It’s funny, I came to it late (2005, I think). I had been playing with Tutu, which I love, but didn’t understand what “BP-
BGT” was. There’s a thread on
SHS where I asked about it, and well, goodbye Tutu. (No slight against Tutu. I love it, and actively encourage players to try it)
If you want a fuller history, people like horred, hlidskialf, seanas, Ascension64, King Diamond and others are the folks to talk to.
The future is now: BiG World. It was anticipated, but only now has everything come together to make it work.
You’re currently working on a new version of BP, along with a group of others – could you tell us a little about that? What are your plans?Life goes on, and so too have the originators of BP. The mod was fascinating when it was created, and still has some amazing merits to it, so there is a community that wants to keep it alive and, more importantly, supported. So I got invited to help with getting an acceptable release pushed out.
The goal is to make a bug-reduced version (v178) and a slightly improved version in v200. I don’t see BP going much beyond that, as it, like all mods, had its time in the sun. Let’s keep it as bug-free and as compatible as possible, but let’s keep horred’s original concept intact.
If you could make one wish a reality in regards to Mega-Installs, what would it be?My one and only wish is that
WeiDU, or some other tool, could rebuild dialog.tlk so that uninstalling/re-installing mods doesn’t kill your existing game. I know that some Big Brain will develop that for the community one day, and that person’s place in
BG modding history will be assured.
What do you think are the most common, avoidable mistakes in a Mega-Install?We all forget that the current process is less than 2 years old, and has evolved from a process even longer. So consider that each new mindset about a Mega-Install is much better than the previous. We now have much more consistent mod development, which makes for much more stable big installations.
So the only current avoidable mistakes, I believe, is if a player doesn’t read and follow the stickies. You can’t just jump into the BiG World and expect to play without problems. But if you play a simpler game first, each larger installation will bring more interesting aspects to the game. Hey, many of us have been playing for over 5 years, and we’re still not (completely) bored. Neither will a new player.
If you could create or have someone create one, ultimate mod, what would it be?I have 3 mods ideas, which could be merged into one.
(1) I would love to see the language, encounters and quests from either or both George Mac Donald’s Phantastes and Jack Vance’s Lyonesse series inserted into the dialogue and action of existing nondescript average characters, like the street folk. These two stories are very weighty, so the skilled modder will have quite a challenge developing such a mod, but more than enough material to work from.
(2) Have the player overhear dialogue that may or may not have anything to do about anything. For example, two people discussing the weather or how crops are growing. There are a few mods that do this in a few places.
(3) The loveable rogue, Saemon Havarian, making guest appearances, totally unexpected, throughout the content of existing mods/games. He can get you into more trouble, or actually save your butt when you least expect it.
Wouldn’t that be the utmost ultimate mod ever?
What advice would you give to someone considering building a Mega-Install for the first time?Follow Ascension64’s sticky about the "Mega-modification", and my sticky on installation guides.
What/Which is/are your favourite Mega-Mods?Let me say, here in public, that Vlad and his boyz and grrls are artistic geniuses. Their mods are a bit rough, but like raw diamonds can only get better.
CBisson is also an artist, and like Vlad & Company, just as cranky. As artists, they want to you to experience their content as originally designed. Their mods are, without question, hugely expansive and creative – and under-valued. Their praises will be sung to the heavens, someday. Let’s hope they don’t cut off their ears.
But my favourite, although I have yet to finish it, is Gilgamesh’s Reign of Terror. If s/he created it by her/himself—Wow! I’m having a lot of fun with the mod because I’m never sure exactly what will happen.
What are your plans for the future, modding-wise?To be honest, after the BP updates, I’m “retiring”. I’ll still frequent the forums, and will still be playing a Mega-Install. But I want to go back to the future and try several golden age games like System Shock 1, the Thief series, and (god help us) Myst. I told ya I wasn’t much of a gamer!
Short-answer questions:Favourite canon BG/BGII Character? Valygar (unsung brooder)
Favourite Mod Character? Tashia
Irenicus or Bodhi? Irenicus (BUT...new mod idea:
BG Macabre – Bodhi is the central villain! We see so little of her.)
Vanilla or Modded BGII? Ha!
Favourite Class? Wild Jester
