This time we are taking a look at "Lorecraft - Learn and manage smithing recipes", a mod created by ArcaneSmith, who also kindly agreed to participate in our interview.
<center>
The mod significantly changes the smithing system: it adds new craftable weapons and armor, books to learn how to craft them and also makes it possible to clean up crafting lists.
Books can be bought from a smith, but will also be dropped regularly, so you can loot them as well if you don't like buying them. When you open a book for the first time it will teach you how to craft a certain item. After that you can also activate the book to remove or add this item to your crafting list, this way you can easily manage your crafting list.
The latest version of Lorecraft consists of a modular setup. For users of the mod this means they can choose from many available add-ons and only use the ones they like. This setup has also been introduced with other mod authors in mind: using the base of Lorecraft they can easily make their own mods compatible with the new crafting system.
<center>
A new smithing perk tree is also available as optional feature. It adds missing materials to both existing perks and new perks. In addition it will give you more freedom after reaching the Advanced perk. For instance, this makes it possible to choose only the Dragon perk without requiring any of the other perks.
If you would like smithing to be more challenging, give this mod a try! Find out more about the creation process of this mod in the interview below.
What inspired you to create this mod?
Since day 1 with Skyrim I always wanted to make some image-based books with their new book interface and, at the same time, I was very disappointed with the crafting system and the crafting lists. I also wanted to add more craftables, make them learnable and not have them handed over to me by the game. As the firsts crafting mods came out I realized cluttered crafting lists would be a problem, so this is when Lorecraft came about, adding all the basic stuff and making it possible for other modders to release/ convert their stuff as lootable, learnable books, and not shove them directly into people's crafting lists.
How much time went into creating it?
About a whole month and I'm still developing it.
Did you come across any problems while working on your mod?
Stupid overlapping leveled lists, mostly. Fixed now with a new dynamic looting system, as my mod just went modular.
How was your experience working with the Creation Kit?
A breeze. Not so much with scripting. It's my first mod but I learned everything really quickly.
What did you like most about the development process of your mod?
Drawing book pages and developing the dynamic looting system.
Could you tell us about any other mods you currently have in progress or planned for the future?
I'm experimenting with random spawns, special and specific rare spawns and dynamic events for a possible next mod. Lorecraft is still under development and I'll keep releasing gear packs for it when I can(but everyone else can do it as well).
Do you have any advice for others who would like to start modding?
It's easier than you think. Read the tutorials and creationkit.com is your best friend. Bethesda's video tutorial are also pretty good. Don't skip the "easy" stuff, there's always something to learn that will save time in the future. Oh, and whatever happens, DON'T make little pony, porn or anime mods or God (or at least I) will hate you. XD
Thanks to ArcaneSmith for creating this mod and for participating in the interview.
Comments