Games » Mods »

The Oblivion Files have sifted through the multitude of mods for Oblivion, and have picked several stand out pieces of work for this weeks feature.

The picture to the right is from the Angeleron weapons mod by DireStorms. The one and two-handed swords are cool looking and yet not uber powered like many of the weapons and armor mods out there.

Sheogorath has once again put out a well crafted mod. Sheogorath’s Master Craft 2 expands on the crafting system contained in Martigens Monster mod. It adds socketed weapons and armor that can be crafted using the many new Runes and runic metals.

There are also a couple featured mods for your home. The first is Floating Platforms by CobraUnit42, which allows you to own a magical floating home With a bird’s eye view of Cyrodiil. The second is a secret escape route to your homes via a cellar  suited to the stealth oriented character. The Cellars of Cyrodiil by FlyingPieofDeaththis is week’s File of the Week. Here’s the description provided with the mod:

“Cellars of Cyrodiil gives a small but handy upgrade to various houses. It adds cellar doors like the one in a certain quest. This mod is meant for players who’s characters prefer darker paths such as thievery or murdering, allowing you to enter a home through the basement rather than the front door. This may be version 0.5, but there should be no bugs, and is considered version 0.5 due to the fact there are so few cellar entrances, a grand total of eight. FlyingPieOfDeath is prepared to listen to any suggestions for homes to give cellar entrances, but know before suggesting that he is not creating basements for the houses, simply adding the entrances.”

Considering there’s already a very well done basement mod, the cellar entrance seems like a fun edition to life in Oblivion adding a little flavor to anti heroes.

via Bethesda Blog 

If you found this story interesting, why not subscribe to our RSS feed to get your daily fix of gaming news?

There’s a new Modder Profile up on Bethesda Blog featuring Keter Sephiroth. Obviously a fan of Final Fantasy as well as the Elder Scrolls, Keter has released several Oblivion mods specializing in custom animations. Most modders would tell you that animation is one of the most difficult parts of creating mods, but it seems to come naturally to Keter. He even designed a video interview with his Oblivion Avatar answering questions and demonstrating animations from his My Dual Wield, True Acrobatics, and H2H mods.

Keter speaks good English, accented with his native Russian. For those who have trouble understanding him, you can read the transcript of the interview on Bethesda Blog.

The most popular Elder Scrolls mods for the month of March have been announced for both Planet Elder Scrolls and TESNexus. I have a vested interest in following these announcements each month, since I’ve spent so much of much playing Morrowind. I find I rarely play anymore now that I’m into Oblivion, although there are some features of Morrowind that didn’t carry over that I miss.

Here are the latest and greatest picks from Planet Elder Scrolls:

Morrowind mods

• Mori Mountain Estate by Marc: This mod adds a large house inside the Northern mountain of Balmora, and is compatible with the Balmora Expansion Mod.
• Clean Dragon Blade by Phijama: Shown above, the Dragon Blade is a wicked sword, inspired by the Requiem blade.
• Svenn’s Pack Guar by Svenn: With this mod, you’ll have a new NPC within the game that sells pack guars.

Oblivion Mods:

• Adonnay’s Classical Weaponry by Adonnay: Adds to new weapons inspired by Adonnay’s mods for Neverwinter Nights 2.
• Slof’s Dremora Textures by AlienSlof: A retexture project to bring a new look to the Dremora.
• Midas Magic - Spells of Aurum by Xilver: As previously mentioned on Bethesda Blog, this mod adds over 100 new and unique spell types.

Here’s the rundown of the Files of the Month for March from TES Nexus. The winners were selected by popular vote:

• Kvatch Rebuilt by The Kvatch Rebuilt Team: The name says it all, Kvatch has returned in all its glory. This mod also adds new armor, a battle arena, and the opportunity to become Count(ess) of Kvatch.
• Verona House Bloodlines by DTOM: This mod adds a new quest where your character is pitted against a sinister cult and their leader. Those who succeed will gain access to an updated version of the Verona House and Verona Bay.
• The Lost Spires by Leo Gura: As you may recall, this mega mod was entered in last year’s IGF Student Competition.
• HG EyeCandy Body by }{ellKnight: A body mod that helps you customize body types in the game.
• Akatosh Mount by Saiden Storm: Saiden Storm’s ever-popular mod that allows you to ride a dragon within the game. If you haven’t seen it already, check out our interview with the creator.

I glad to see the Kvatch Rebuilt mod on the list. I have it loaded as part of my Oblivion Build, and verify that the mod team deserves the accolades for their work.

via Bethesda Blog

Rogue Dao Studios has released art for the Neverwinter Nights 2 mod they’re developing; The Planescape Trilogy. The series is a new story told in the Planescape setting not a mere retelling of Planescape: Torment.

The art features Architecture and Creatures for Purgatorio. The architecture is well done and interesting, but the creatures truly standout. The biomechanical creatures are like nothing you’ve seen in NWN2.

The original files are very large 4Mb and require a little patience to view, but the wait is worth it. You can find them on RPGWatch.

Some gamers are content to grab a game off the shelf or download it from their console menu and play it. Then there are those few who are PC gamers because they’re never content to leave things as they are. They express their creativity through building fan sites or modding their favorite titles to add extra features or cheats to make their game experience more enjoyable.

Here’s an FYI for all the creative gamers out there on the latest software for your “toolbox”:

• Earthrise Fan Site Kit Earthrise_Fansitekit.zip - Masthead Studios has released the fan site kit for Earthrise, a post-apocalyptic science fiction MMO game.
• TGLEdit .NET (1.0) tgledit.exe - Simple CLI/GUI program for modders, designed primarily for use with windows setups, to update the BC TGL files, during install.
• Bridge Commander Ship Menu Creator (5.5) bcsmc_v5.5.rar - This program is the intended replacement of the BCMP’s ship plugin tool and it now has several modes.
• Mattman’s America’s Army Script Generator (1.0.3.6) script_generator_1036.exe - This is a Admin Forceclass script generator for America’s Army. It will generate scripts of 2000 of any weapon, or combo of weapons.
• Rumblepad 2 Config (V1) rumblepad_2_config.zip - This is a Utility for anyone using a Rumblepad 2 Controller with Quake 4.
• Easy Saber Editing Script (2.0) eses_2.0.zip - This script is very very limited in its capacity on its own, but is actually probably more useful than you would think it is, if you knew how it worked.
• Standard Input Server (RCon chat etc) (0.1) standardinputserver.zip - Ever wondered why one can communicate with a server via RCON, but the clients playing on the server can’t communicate back? Now they can! ….well, in a manner of speaking.
• Jedi Saber Style jedi_saber_style.zip - This is a simple Script MODification born to add on Single Saber Mode the combat animations of the Dual and the Staff Mode.
• Crazy Virs Trainer (last) crazytrainer.rar - Here is a trainer that will allow you to change what is in your garage at any time, as well as give you the ability to teleport, although there are better versions out there there which included other features as well.
• FreeTastic (2.5) freetastic.zip Here is a modfication that will change all of the prices within GTA San Andreas to make them all free. This will also set all of the ammunition so that it will have enough ammo to last for hours without reloading.
• GAMI Installer (German and English) (1.8.2) 4303_gami_installer1_8_2.rar GAMI is a mod installer for GTA San Andreas created by GTA Action.com. There are two languages included German and English. This installer is able to choose every part of mods before you install them.
• IPL Adjuster (3.0) ipl_adjuster_v.3.0.rar This tool will be very useful when a map needs to be moved.
• Trickster Online Fansite Kit Fansite_Kit.zip - Inside you will find official game and production images for Backgrounds, Pets, Characters, Monsters and official trickster Logos!

Have fun and play nice. Check out Gaming Today’s associated File sites for more mods and tools geared towards specific games. Just go to FileFront and click on Network Game Sites on the side bar under our logo to find your favorite game.

The final version of the Doom 3: Last man Standing Mod is now available. This mod brings the heart pounding experience of Classic Doom to the Doom 3 multiplayer coop. Version 4.0 brings a new map to the fight. there are also more than ten new LMS SP Coop easter eggs to find as well as the expected tweaks and bug fixes.

Here are the highlights of v. 4.0:

• Windows (including the steam version), Mac and Linux Compatible
• Over ten new LMS SP Coop easter eggs to find!
• New Map TS_HellPentagram.
• Now features over 80 maps tweaked for Cooperative play!
• Upgraded to the heavily optimized 1.3.1 Classic Doom for Doom 3 Maps
• Heavily Improved New Supermaggot skin! Also new menu and wrench icons.
• Portals added so players don’t get left behind on train maps.
• Spawns have been significantly tweaked to reduce or eliminate telefragging.
• Training Simulation maps (TS_) have been updated and fixed.
• Numerous SP Coop tweaks and fixes to optimize your gaming experience.

Gamers can download the Windows version and the Multiplatform version from FileFront.

BigDaddyJim, a consummate M&M fan, has released a mod for Might and Magic VII which breathes life back into an old favorite. The mod replaces about 30% of the game events code and 50% of the map has been altered as well. Players will find new quests and dungeons to explore and plunder. Some familiar monsters have also grown into more threatening adversaries.

Release 2 and a patch for it is available on FileFront. More information reported fixes and no problems can be found on BigDaddyJim’s Blog.
via Celestial HEAVENS

Bethesda’s gstaff spotted a new total conversion mod project for Oblivion; DUNE. Stefano Tonello (aka Prometheus), the originator of this project, assures gamers that this is unrelated to Frank Herbert’s Dune Series. Here’s a taste of what to expect from DUNE.

“The DUNE World, known as Dusaar, is a huge desert world where the brutality of people and nature is an everyday part of life. Water has long since ceased to flow on the surface and can only be found in the last sea, some oases, and tiny lakes and streams are the only source of life for the Ancient Forest, a Tropical Jungle surrounded by Canyons and covered from the everpresent winds of the open Desert, protecting this small Last Paradise.

The desert covers the majority of the land, almost 90% of it is surrounded by the Great Wall Cliffs of the east and the Sea of Silt to the west. Some of the mountains are nearly impassable, but ancient canyons throughout them hide the last spots where life can still continue….There are many diverse cultures living in the few safe places on this world.”

Even the Bethesda devs are impressed by this project. Take a look at some video footage from the DUNE mod.

If you’d like to join in on the project visit the official forums Prometheus put up for the project.

via Bethesda Blog

While game developers are trying to move games more towards the future, it seems Toni Westbrook would like to move them more towards the past. That’s probably why he decided to create this version of Guitar Hero for the Commodore 64, dubbed “Shredz64.” It’s basically Guitar Hero for the old console, but of course with boops and bleeps in place of the actual recorded music. It may not sound or look as pretty, but now I really want a version of the Zelda Overworld Theme for my more modern version of the game.

The Neverwinter Nights 2: Mysteries of Westgate Spotlight #1 is up. The inaugural article on the upcoming Adventure Pack features The Legend of the Quelzarn.

The Quelzarn are huge eel-like serpents that eat anything that doesn’t move faster than they do. They’ll dine on carrion if necessary, but they prefer sailors from the Westgate Harbor. They’re apparently magical in origin; possibly one of the horrific experiments of the mages of Unther.

Westgate’s extensive network of sewers and catacombs are whispered to house numerous hidden temples and shrines, a coven of liches, and even a bloodthirsty court of vampires said to be descended from the original Night King, but these are, so far as is known, only rumors. What most definitely is not rumor is the infestation of the city’s partly-flooded sewers by the quelzarn. More terrifyingly, these often make their way into the harbor, where they pluck unlucky sailors from the decks of ships.

The article also covers questions to Ossian on MoW. The developers field questions on premade versus imported characters, “home bases” and the possibilities for story continuation. The next spotlight article will feature Cosmopolitan Westgate.

via BioWare Community: Neverwinter Nights

Ken Kirby, creator of a winning case mod design of R2-D2 for ExtremeTech shared his design for what he affectionately dubbed “The Great Satan” or Dell’s evil twin. This old Inspiron M155 is now an awesomely creepy beast of a machine. Check out the slideshow and video documenting the whole creation process.

As cool as this looks, I wouldn’t want it wasting space in my home without a few internal hardware upgrades. I just hope for his sake it’s as scary on this inside as the case is.

via ExtremeTech

Tiberius209 of the Ossian development team is opening the floor to players with questions on the Neverwinter Nights 2 Adventure Pack, Mysteries of Westgate. As part of a series of “spotlights” on MoW, players are invited to submit their questions on the BioWare NWN 2 forum to be answered as part of an “Ask the Developer” Q&A. Ossian will also be releasing new screenshots, setting information and a few “undetermined goodies” as part of the series

To submit your question on Mysteries of Westgate for a chance to be part of the Q&A visit the Neverwinter Nights: Mysteries of Westgate Spotlights.

The long awaited Sith Lords KOTOR 2 Restoration Project version 1.0b1 will released to the closed beta team this weekend. As the last step in development before the v. 1.0c1 public release, it looks as this may be the year fans see the official release.

This mod project is very similar to Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines in that the modding team is restoring content to the original game. At this point not all the content slated for restoration is back in, but Dashus has said more will probably be restored by the time the mod is released. For the projected list of what been restored and what’s being ignored, visit Team Gizka: What’s (being) restored.

via Team Gizka: A modder thing…

The best of the released and unreleased mods of 2007 are featured on a video up on ModDB. The piece is well worth setting aside 21 minutes of your time for the best mods of the year. Most of the winners are based FPSs with a bit RTS thrown in.

The highlights of this years ModDB awards are Mechwarrior Living Legends (Crysis), Tremulous, Red Alert (Command and Conquer), Beyond the Red Line BSG (Freespace 2) and Empires (Half-Life 2). Check out the video for details on all these great pieces of work and more.

One of the latest mods featured on the Oblivion Files features a tribute to Metal Gear Solid IV. AlexScorpion’s Adamantium Battlesuit is the featured armor pictured above. Yes it’s inspired by Raiden’s armor in MGS4, as it confirms in the description. By the way for the Bethesda Blog Devs that spotted it; this is a cool mod but your conclusion on the inspiration for the piece was a bit off. Wolverine’s adamantium skeletal makeup and claws are internal, not body armor. You were closer with your first guess of MGS2.

Other featured mods are the “featured home” mod from newcomer Arron_Dominion who contributed the Solsthiem Abandoned Shack and the “featured spell” from Trollf is Unnatural Aura. This spell mod contains two new spells, Unnatural Aura and Unnatural Perception. They aren’t strictly useful, but they are sweet:

“There’s the ‘Unnatural Aura’ Spell, which lets you put several different effects(Shaders) on your character, from the fog that comes off a Zombie, to the electricity from a shock spell, to the eerie glow of a ghost. The second spell, ‘Unnatural Perception’ allows to to put these same effects on Non Player Characters and creatures.”

via Bethesda Blog

SureAI modders Arandor and Lord Dagon took time out to talk with Bethesda about their total world conversion mod for Oblivion, the Nehrim Project. The project has been in development for five years now and is a world totally unrelated to Oblivion, using just the engine. This German modding team has envisioned creating a world apart from most RPGs.

Arandor: Basically the plot of Nehrim is very different from most story lines in computer games. You won’t save the shining world from the ultimate evil, as you have done so often in RPGs. The player is one of the few people in Nehrim who is able to use magic. But that’s everything of what makes him “special”, i.e. he is not the “chosen one” from some ancient prophecy. The player is thrown into our world of civil war and mistrust — as you see, everything isn’t going right in Nehrim…

Lord Dagon: It isn’t about the bad man who wants to rule the world; it’s a story about love and hate, loyalty and treason, and above that a story which also has a teaching aspect: Basically, that mankind’s nature to treat everything they are not familiar with in a hostile way will eventually [be] their demise.

As they say in the article, RPGs are all about story and the people who play them love a good one. If they see this project through to the end, it should be an interesting game to check out. Of course we’ll have to wait until it’s translated into English. Read the complete story on Bethesda Blog.

The first Crysis Mod SDK is out. This mod tool contains the necessary exporters, plug-ins, and also respective documentation to enable modders to export their custom content into the Sandbox2 Editor. Modders will also be able to create complete new levels and modifications.

This SDK includes sample assets and instructions as well as a few serious game assets. These high poly objects can be used as a reference for creating your own content. Full contents of the Crysis Mod SDK are listed after the break.

Read the full article

Those of you who’ve been vacillating on whether to buy CD Projekt Red’s The Witcher have a new reason to pick the title up. The Witcher Enhanced will be coming out May 2008 with for the same price as the original.

In addition to the original game revamped based on input from user Q&As, such as re-recorded voice track for several languages. They will also be adding 50 more NPC models so players don’t run into the same faces ad naseum.

“Fans that have already bought the game need not worry, however, because the new content and improvements will be available to them in the form of a downloadable update.”

The bundle will feature several new mods and the tool set Djinni will also be included along with a soundtrack based on the game with the Vader track. This isn’t the end of it. The enhanced version will also include a video DVD with extended material detailing the making of the game, a music CD with 29 tracks from the game, an 80-page instruction booklet, a 112-page official guide written by the game’s developers, and a 50-page short story written by Andrzej Sapkowski.

Read the full Press Release after the break. In the meantime, check out this video from CD Projekt Red.

I guess this means I will be buying yet another international copy of the game when The Witcher Enhanced is released.

Read the full article

Elder Scrolls might not be on his top five games list but Trollf is certainly one of the top Oblivion and Morrowind modders out there. Bethesda Blog takes a look at this 30 something modder from the Baltic. Read about the projects he’s completed, the ones he has in mind and his favorite creations from other modders on the latest Bethesda Blog Mod Interview.

Ironically I’d love to see him work on some mods for his favorite cRPG  - Vampire the Masquerade: Bloodlines. I wonder why no one has picked up that abandoned gem and its universe the game was based on the Source engine after all.

Bethesda’s Daryl Brigner, designer of popular Portal map download Ren_Test2, has created another map. Ren_Test3 includes Ren_Test 1&2 as well as Step, Portal, and Time challenges for players who really want to test their skills. You can download Ren_Test3 here.

Follow these steps to install Ren_Test3 on your PC:

Simply extract the Ren_Tests.bmz anywhere, then load up Portal, click ‘Bonus Maps,’ click “Import Bonus Maps”, then just navigate to where the Ren_Tests.bmz file is, select it, and click ‘Open.’ Then, the Ren_Test Mappack will be in your Bonus Maps window.

If Brigner keeps this up, Valve is going to have to consider hiring him away from Bethesda to develop more Portal games.

via Bethesda Blog