. I got the chance to interview dragbody, which you can read below. Be sure to vote this month to see your favorite mod featured here on the news.
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Q: So, dragbody, tell us a bit about yourself. What are some of your hobbies besides gaming?
A: I really have only two hobbies worth mentioning. My second hobby is gaming/modding, but my first hobby is Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu. For anyone who doesn't know, it's a martial art that focuses on grappling. In other words, it looks more like wrestling than anything like karate. However, it's more dynamic than wrestling because you're not merely trying to pin your opponent. Instead, you work to establish dominant positions and then secure submissions. Also unlike wrestling, the fighter on his or her back can fight just as effectively as the fighter on top. It's physically demanding and stands in sharp contrast to the rather sedentary activity of modding. It's a good balance.
Aside from these hobbies, I've been vegan for nearly 13 years. I also enjoy reading and studying in several areas of philosophy--most notably philosophy of religion, ethics, and the philosophy of mind.
Q: For those of us who don't know, what is Caesar's New Regime all about?
A: In short, CNR is about turning the Legion into a faction that matches the lore and the reputation they hold across the Mojave.
It seems there is somewhat of a discrepancy in the vanilla game between the way the Legion is feared as strong, highly organized, and poised to topple the NCR for good at the Second Battle for Hoover Dam. Once you meet the Legion, however, you find they have rather weak armor/weapons and they're easily smashed by the Courier even without mods or extra level advancements from the DLCs. And in the opinion of many players, their aesthetic leaves something to be desired; they simply look neither cool nor intimidating.
As I mention in CNR's file description, my first experience with the Legion was somewhat odd. New Vegas was my first Fallout title and when I rolled into Nipton for the first time, I was probably lower than level 10 and I was less than five hours into the game. In Nipton, the Courier is faced with a small Legion crew that has just obliterated an entire town. We should thus understand these Legionaries to be tough and merciless. However, even with my lack of experience, I was able to kill all of these Legionaries. How does this make sense? You're a mailman that's just been shot in the head and yet you're able to single-handedly kill a Legion hit squad that has just murdered dozens?
Things don't really change after that. Boone and I walked into the Fort on several occasions and killed our way right into Caesar's tent--just the two of us! And this is supposed to be the "Fort" of the most feared enemy in the Mojave? Quarry Junction provides more challenge than this.
Caesar's New Regime thus works to make the Legion a little tougher (without throwing the game's balance out of whack), make them look better, and even adds a fully voiced companion that can be Legion-friendly.
It is also important to note that this mod is not just for Legion fans. I am of the opinion that much of what can lead to the enjoyment of a video game and the establishment of a hero character is being faced with an opponent that seems unbeatable. Isn't this the case with Shepard and the Reapers? With Master Chief and the Covenant? With Leon Kennedy and Las Plagas or Chris Redfield and Uroboros? What fun would it be if the Courier could just keep working for the Mojave Express while the NCR held the Dam on their own? I think the game becomes much more dynamic when you fight a tougher enemy and have the real opportunity to turn the tides at the game's final battle.
Q: What was your inspiration for creating this mod?
A: I drew inspiration from a few places. As I mention in the credits section of CNR, the work of other modders was instrumental in the final mod. I also wanted to preserve some of their work in mine so that their work didn't become obsolete. I would like for CNR to be close to a one-stop shop mod for Legion fans and this requires me to keep the scale and perspective pretty broad.
I also drew inspiration from the vanilla game itself. I always felt like the Legion was almost awesome. It seemed to me like the game's developers were sitting on a ton of potential with the Legion that just didn't see fruition. This motivated me to pick up where they left off and do my best to produce the Legion we should have had from the beginning. I was unsure how others would respond to my mod, but judging from the overwhelming positive response the mod received, it seems many people enjoy the work I did.
Q: What are some of the challenges you've come across and how have you dealt with them?
A: My first challenge was simply finalizing the armors for each class. I struggled to make them all look fitting for their class, lore-friendly in general, and just plain good looking.
My second challenge was getting the textures to match and maintain the appearance of a single army. For this, I sought outside help since my texture skills are mediocre at best. I first asked CaBaL120--the creator of the textures for the Legion Power Armor and many other texture overhauls like The Book of Water. However, he seems to have dropped out of the modding scene for now and didn't respond to my messages. This lead me to ask Weijiesen--the creator of EVE and many other great visual mods. I was very happy to find that he was quite receptive to the mod and he jumped right on board with me. He totally grasped the spirit of the mod and did a really fantastic job making the textures in the mod of a consistent and high quality. CNR wouldn't be the same without his expert input and I'm truly greatful for his help.
Another challenge was creating Achilles. I had never even attempted to create a companion before. It was only with the creation of Caprius' companion tutorial that Achilles came to life. However, I encountered a few bugs within the tutorial and I had to turn to RickerHK to identify the bugs that were present in the initial beta release with Achilles.
Q: What was your favorite part about creating the mod?
A: My personal favorite part of the mod was telling Achilles' story from Cottonwood Cove. I wrote his story initially from the perspective of the NCR sniper and included it in terminal notes in a Sniper's Nest overhaul that I never released. When it came time to give Achilles a background story, I realized this story I had written would be perfect for him. I adapted it to Achilles and would recite the story out loud in my car driving to and from work just to practice the voice acting and ensure it had the proper feel. When I finally recorded it and went in game to test the dialogue, I was very pleased with how it turned out. I also like how the story helps establish his personality and provides the player with the opportunity to determine how your Courier will relate to Achilles.
Q: What are some of your favorite games besides New Vegas?
A: The first Halo for xbox will always hold a special place in my heart. I played competitively in the Halo tournaments that would eventually grow into MLG. The years I spent travelling across the country to play that game provided me with many memories and friends for which I'll always be thankful. Resident Evil 4 and Ninja Gaiden Black both really blew me away too. Besides Fallout 3 and New Vegas, no other games besides these three have ever been able to impress me so greatly.
Q: How long has it taken you to get Caesar's New Regime to where it is now?
A: I began work on CNR back in October after completing the Legion Power Armor. Some readers may remember the rather crude replacer I created to accompany that mod. My modding skills were still very limited at the time and I had to keep playing with Blender and other programs before I would be able to come back to CNR with the skill needed to complete it. I suffered a severe ankle injury in jiu-jitsu early in January and ended up having time off work and from the gym where I was able to spend several days doing nothing but modding. I decided I would spend that time preparing CNR and aimed to release it in February. Creation took longer than expected and it ended up carrying over into my week-long "vacation" in February. I had to be careful not to keep adding more and more to CNR because for every new feature I added, release was only delayed further. There came a point where I posted images with a release date and I held myself to it. I'm thankful to all the players who helped me work through the initial bugs with the first beta. The patience of all users was really great and I'm glad that we were able to eventually create CNR in its current form together.
Q: Are you working on any other mods at the moment that you can tell us more about? Or do you have any new features planned for this mod?
A: Yes and yes.
Other mods on my horizon include creation of unique armors for NPCs and factions in Project Brazil. I have also been in contact with a representative from Gearbox about the possibility of creating Roland, Mordecai, Brick, and Lilith as recruitable companions for New Vegas.
CaesarInvictus--creator of one of the first large-scale Legion mods--is also working on an optional add-on for CNR that will provide the ability to recruit Legionaries into your party.
I've also mentioned many times that I want to escalate the scale of the Second Battle for Hoover Dam. I've always imagined that the inclusion of a Legion-friendly Super Mutant Behemoth--for example--would help the battle attain a greater Lord of the Rings-style scale. I contacted MGE, creator of WARZONES, about creating a mod that escalates the Dam War. Fortunately for all gamers, MGE told me he already wanted to work on just such a mod! So, over the next few weeks or months, he and I will be wrapping our heads around just how to change the Dam War to give New Vegas a proper climactic battle scene. We will definitely be increasing the number of NPCs involved and we are also looking into adding new locations. The battle will be longer, tougher, and more epic. In other words, this mod will be awesome!
Q: Do you have any advice for aspiring mod authors out there?
A: I think my own modding history is proof that it only takes a little patience and dedication to turn an aspiring mod author into a legit mod creator. To be honest, I've never done a single proper playthrough of New Vegas on PC. All my normal play of New Vegas was done on xbox, but I was absolutely in love with the game and looked for new ways to play and expand my console experience. Only after seeing some YouTube videos of New Vegas mods last summer did I turn to PC gaming. I didn't even own a PC at the time. Just downloading and checking mods out soon wasn't enough though. Despite initial frustration with GECK, nifskope, and Blender, I was eventually able to learn my way around these programs starting in September last year.
So, my advice to aspiring mod authors is simply to remain patient. Modding takes work but it is very doable. If you want to create something, you have to be unafraid of reading tutorials and working through frustrating mistakes. You can't expect results to come easily or to be given to you by other modders.
Also, take time to study the vanilla game and other mods for hints and tips.
Lastly, try to create mods where there is a lack of comparable mods. If you merely want to create a player home in Goodsprings or retexture a t-45d power armor, chances are your mod won't get much attention. There are many areas in the game that haven't been touched by modders and other areas that have yet to be innovated. A mod should be an expression of your creativity so you have to be willing to think outside the box. Look for ways to do something that hasn't been done yet rather than treading familiar territory.
Q: And finally, do you have anything else you'd like to say to our readers?
A: Yes, a few things.
First, I hope all readers will remember to hold a proper respect and appreciation for the vanilla game. User mods are a great way of enhancing playtime and depth of experience, but we shouldn't allow ourselves to become unfairly cynical of the original developers' efforts. As modders, we have the luxury of taking all the time we need to pour over every detail of tiny fractions of the game. We do not face deadlines, payroll constraints, nor are we limited by performance concerns and other political considerations. However, the story of the Courier given to us in the vanilla game is a truly great tale and provides us with the palette to begin our own immersion. If it wasn't for the work of people like Chris Avelone and J.E. Sawyer, we wouldn't have any part of our New Vegas experience. Even though mods like CNR work to overhaul, remove, and improve aspects of the vanilla game, we can't lose sight of the great game we are given to work with. Also, the GECK is an invaluable tool that we can't take for granted. We should be likewise greatful that we are given this tool to enhance our Fallout experiences.
Second, I'd like to encourage everyone to remember to endorse the mods you enjoy. Modders spend a great deal of time working on content for gamers for no monetary benefit or other real-life incentive. Really, the most reward we get is your clicking the "endorse" button and the occasional "thank you" from users. If you've never created a mod before, you may not understand the amount of work they require or even the hesitation you may experience before posting for fear of the criticism you may evoke for your work. Even the really good mods average around 1 endorsement per 20 downloads. Just click on your download history and spend a few minutes endorsing files. It isn't hard or demanding but your appreciation means a lot to mod creators.
Third, if you're a fan of the Fallout world, you may like the fictional series by Stephen King, The Dark Tower. This series is dark fantasy/science fiction and stands in sharp contrast to the familiar work of King's horror fiction. The world King created in the Dark Tower functioned as an inspiration for many aspects of Fallout's Wasteland. A brand new installment of this series is due out this month and I couldn't be more excited; the series was previously complete, but King has gone back to fill in some blanks in the old story with some new material. Fans of the Courier and the Lone Wanderer will undoubtedly find a new hero in King's Roland of Gilead. I highly recommend it.
And, of course, I want to express my thanks to everyone who has downloaded and enjoyed Caesar's New Regime. Winning File of the Month was very exciting for me and everyone who voted has my gratitude.
Improved Sunny Smiles Companion
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WW2 Captain America
JoOs Modern NCR replacement
