Dragonborn: Total War is a total conversion modification for MTW2 Kingdoms, set in a world of fantasy that took over a decade to create. We're lucky enough to be joined by Squeaks, the Team Leader of Dragonborn for this interview.
1. Let's start with you. Tell us about yourself!
Ooh. Uhm. Well, I have Squeaks as me name here...this is down to a nickname my friends gave me because I hate cameras - I squeak and run for it. Often I get away in time. Basically, I used to work in Graphic Design for the magazine publishing industry, but I have a 7 month old son now, Thomas, so I've not continued with freelancing.
Basically, I'm someone driven by only a few things in life; friendship, a stupid amount of creativity and then the final one, which isn't that old a thing, but annoys the hell out of all my friends and my partner: Modding. I'm fairly simple as a person really. In case you didn't know, I'm one of these winning people, which apparently has an impact on things, but I've had mostly respect and regard for this, whereas a gaming girlie can attract the wrong sort of attention, so twc is a great home for me; it's where I come to see my friends I've made here (some of whom are truly wonderful), where I come when I need to blow off some creative steam, and where I come to annoy my partner.
2. How did you come across TWC? What made you stay?
Well. I was pulled in here by two things, Fourth Age Total War and Lotr TW for Rome TW. I heard about them from all sorts of places and came to have a peek. I'd never have played TW games otherwise, but I got hooked (although I am fairly dismal at them). Then I got involved with other stuff here, as a writer (you wouldn't know it from my typing, but I have one of these degree things in English)...the mod I worked with needed a modeller desperately, so I broke all my rules and got into modelling. I have NEVER tried something so hard (at first), never sworn so much, never felt like squeaking at my pc so much as when learning modelling...but I'm stubborn, and it seemed to very slowly make sense, then more rapidly, then became second nature, and now I surprise myself by the fact I seem to be advising people now. A Long the way I picked up some other skills, now I'm learning more and more.
3. Is this your first modding project? If not, what other projects have you worked on?
Naw, not my first. I worked on DaC (Divide and Conquer; a submod for TATW) for a year and a half then Thomas arrived and couldn't really go back due to practicality. I also did some bits and pieces for other things; a Galadriel model and Galahdhrim for my friend Ellin, 130-140 models for DaC, some stuff for Midnight, which I hope to finish asap. Uhm, doing some bits for Fourth Age, helped on First AGe TW a little - tidying models etc. SO a lot of little things really, just to help. Also, I've done some 2d art too. I'm probably forgetting some things, but there's a fair few and my memory's terrible. Oh yep; I did Gondolin as a faction for SIlmarils, but I need to sort things out for them, as I've been a bit useless at following that up.
4. What was your job on the team?
Well, on most projects just a person helping. On DaC I was admin, and modeller, and writer and everything really - but of course, not super-squeak; there were/are many others who deserve more recognition than me. BUT I was putting in 16-18 hours a day at times, and this couldn't continue after a baby arrived. SO I learned all sorts of thinbgs about modding; the good way and the hard way for sure - ups and downs. I made some brilliant friendships there, and it was wonderful. Wouldn't have changed it for the world.
5. What is Dragonborn about?
I KNEW someone would ask me this!
Horrid question...SO hard to answer the little blighter. I'll give it a go.
Dragonborn is a setting. It's a 'background'; a world in which all sorts of things live; it has races, cultures, continents, mythology of it's own...religion, fully realised societies, histories, everything you can think of it has. More to the point it's not thrown together willy-nilly. It all inter-connects, makes sense, is justified, justifiable and is a living, breathing entity. It took ten years to write, and is still being written, but it is complete; we're just making it a little more complete every day.
The world IS an 'egg' of a Celestial Dragon, laid then warmed by the Mother who becomes a sun, to hatch her progeny then die - the circle of life and all that. It's weird sounding, but it makes snese. The story is about all the little things that live on the body of the nascent dragon - there are elves that care for asnd protect the Dragon; humans who are parasitic; many other things. Bits of dreams coalesce to form realism, thoughts of the dragon can be drained and siphoned to be use as 'magic'. There many 'factions', but all are unique in their units - they have creatures that are in alliance, spirits of the natural world that support them in ancient pacts, dominant racial troops from their faction; masses of warped mythology and new views on old subjects, hundreds of little ideas, small facts and small idionsyncracies that make it what it is. You'll either love or hate it, I suspect, but do have a proper look if you look at all.
6. How did the idea of Dragonborn come about?
A friend needed a background to his games and I made it....at first a bit of a chore, but then I began to imagine the whole thing and it came alive...so ten years of work has seen it finished, but in some parts noy as complete as I'd like.
7. Was there any research done for the mod?
Research?? Uhm. None really. I had MANY half remembered faerie tales, stories of monsters, a thing I read when young about Sir John Madeville....all the things that were so alive when I was a child, all the greek myths, everything from everywhere I've ever seen gave ideasa, which were then inspired and then moulded. I made sure there were enough references to our own 'existing' knowledge to make people at home, and yet changed and altered SO much that it was the greatest fun I'd ever had - it's all got a place, it's justified and unique and just LOADS of fun.
8. Were there any pitfalls in the modding process?
God, The world was difficult in the first place.
I think the main issues HAS to be coding. We will leave the game playing very differently than any other TW mod at the end, if we can do it. The only reason I state an 'if' is because I really don't know how dedicated the coders are - models, art, writing, no worries at all. COding's a headache - mainly because I understand the rest, but not coding.
ALl I can say as of now is we have several coders. We have the possibility of some very great twc people joining us, and we have ideas that we KNOW are plausible. If we pull off enough of them, then the game will be special indeed!!
The 'other' weakness is me - I am VERY surprised that people like it. It feels like nothing tio me and I'm genuinely shocked it's been greeted so well. My personal confidence sn't huge in my work, but It leads to many genuine surprises in life and here, so I suppose expect little isn't such a bad thing.
9. What are some key features of Dragonborn?
Well, I could get all secretive here I suppose, or be enigmatic or summit like that, but I really can't do either very well...I get vastly too excited.
Uhm. The BIGGEST feature is MAGIC. If I can whip people into doing it all, we have magical weapons, magic artillery, actual battle magic, strategic magic for the strat map, tons and tons of weird and wonderful things. There will be night battles lkater that will just light the world up with the power shown in them.
Other things are mounts and beasts - we have tons. Knights on peregrine Falcons, Hydra, gryphons, hippogriffs, manticores, cocatrices, spirits, elementals, cereberine wolves, dragon riders, Dwarven War ENgines/automatons, beasts from the abyss, flying men and elves, phoenixes, weirden trees, we're hoping to do a few MASSIVE beasts (40 foot tall or more), but we'll see.
10. How long will it take to complete the mod?
Uhm, it hasn't been completed. Heh. I'd HOPE a campaign within a year from now, then the BIG thing some time later. However, the WHOLE time we will release historical battles...each will involve half the roster of two factions (ish), and will stack....so after 4 you'd have 8 factions to play custom battles with. Quite cool I think. We're not going to sit and wait for everything then announce something that can't be done...we will actively release the whole time.
11. What can we expect to see in the future?
Well, the thing we're working on is only HALF the world that's been fully created, so god knows...I think right now we'll just see, but there are always options
12. Do you have any advice for prospective modders?
Uhm. Yes.
DON'T GIVE UP!!
If you try to do modding, get stuck in there,,,,start with realistic targets to TRY to do. If you get stuck, ask, but don't give up. You will never stop learning, and if you look ahead and think IU could NEVER do that - yes you could. Just stick at it. When there's a problem, don't walk away, solve it, get help if you need it. Try things to test yourself inj your own time; if they don't work at first, so what?
DON'T rely purely on others, learn what you need. If something comes up that you can't do, and you've learnt what you need up til then, it's just one more thing to get under your belt.
ALSO, if you're learning something, join a team. Be honest about your abilities and you'll have a great time and learn more than ever before.
LASTLY. Friendship is the world in modding, as with most places.
13. Any closing remarks?
I guess, basically, that what I'm doing, the bits of life that flash past as modding time, are allowing me to something incredible, and I'm so damned lucky to have the skills needed to make it work. I had photoshop abilities before I learned modelling, and THAT's what has made me so lucky. It's allowed me to do something I never ever thought I COULD do, and I'd equipped myself without realising it. I've been using photoshop since I was little, and this is the first time I really actually appreciate it's brilliance properly and don't take it for granted.
SO , what I'm doing now is a dream come true. I spent most of my last ten years developing this world called Dragonborn and had finally laid it to rest when I suddenly had the opportunity to see whether it could be done as a TW mod. Luckily, it can, and enough damned good people are helping me do it - I couldn't on my own, and people surprise me constantly here, more so than in real life, with their generosity and their own amazing skills.
SO, Dragonborn seems to be being made. It may well make a good mod, a great mod or a brilliant mod, but then that's not going to be in a massive part due to me by the time it gets there; it'll become what my friends make it, and that'll make it all the more special.
[B]Download Dragonborn
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Squeaks for devoting time away from the modding table to answer our questions, and our best of luck with Dragonborn's development and everything else in the future. Dragonborn : Total War is a mod guaranteed to satiate your mod needs, so be sure to check out the recently released Version 2.0 of the fantasy mod now!
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