SkyrimForge

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</center> The documentation for our packager is now available. For those who had difficulties using the scripting part of the packager this will be helpful, as it explains this feature using a few examples. Scripting is only needed if your mod contains options or is to be installed differently from placing files in the Data folder. You can find the packager documentation here.

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Bethesda currently has an ongoing series of tutorial videos for Skyrim's Creation Kit. These videos cover various subjects, such as building interiors, placing objects, adding enemies to the world and more. If you would like to start modding Skyrim, these tutorials are a good place to start!

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The other episodes can be found here:
Episode 2 - Basic Layout
Episode 3 - Basic Layout II
Episode 4 - Clutter
Episode 5 - Navmesh
Episode 6 - Basic Encounters
Epidose 7 - Traps
Episode 8 - Optimization

Once you have successfully created a mod you can use our packager to pack it up and then upload it to SkyrimForge to make it available for everyone.

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Last week Bethesda released the free to download High Resolution Texture Pack on Steam, together with the Creation Kit. Snoopey0 has created a video comparing Skyrim's original textures with the new high resolution ones. If you're not sure yet whether or not to install this pack, watch the video below to see the difference.

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Today we will be featuring Chinchilla Dave’s videos. On YouTube he has an ongoing series of videos about his adventures in Skyrim, combined with hilarious commentary. Check them out if you enjoy comedy and watching how others play the game!

Here's one of the episodes:

<center><address></address></center> <address>You can find the full YouTube playlist here</address><address>More videos can be found on Chinchilla Dave's Channel</address>

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Bethesda has finally released the Creation Kit for Skyrim! Also a high resolution texture pack has been released, which can be downloaded from Steam, you can find it on the game's DLC page.

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The Creation Kit can be downloaded from Steam (View>Tools>Creation Kit).
For more information and tutorials you can find the official wiki here

Modders rejoice! We’re pleased to announce that the Skyrim Creation Kit is now available!

With the Creation Kit’s release, fans can now upload, download, and install custom content through the Skyrim Workshop on Steam. Get a crash course by reading level designer Joel Burgess’ blog post, and be sure to read up on our list of best practices for modding. Need more help? Don’t forget to to check out the official Wiki at www.CreationKit.com. In the coming days and weeks, we’ll be sharing tutorial videos for beginners and experts alike. Check out the first tutorial above, and visit the Bethesda Game Studios YouTube Channel for more.

In addition to releasing the Creation Kit and Skyrim Workshop, today we’re allowing players to experience Skyrim as you’ve never seen it before with the Skyrim High-Resolution Texture Pack. Before downloading it from Steam, make sure your system requirements exceed Skyrim’s recommended specs before attempting to install, including Windows Vista/7, a minimum of 4GB of system RAM, and a DirectX 9.0c compatible NVIDIA or AMD ATI video card with at least 1 GB of RAM and the latest drivers.

Original article on Bethesda's official blog

Have fun modding!

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Bethesda has announced that the Creation Kit for Skyrim will be released tomorrow. Aside from the release of the Creation Kit there is also a surprise in store for us. It is rumoured that this surprise might be an official high resolution texture pack, we will have to wait until tomorrow to find out if that's true!

See the official tweet from Bethesda's Pete Hines below.

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Bethesda has finished the 1.4 update for Skyrim and made it available to everyone on Steam. The update includes many quest and bug fixes, support for the upcoming Skyrim Workshop has been added as well.

The full changelog can be found below.

NEW FEATURES

• Skyrim launcher support for Skyrim Workshop (PC)

BUG FIXES

• General optimizations for memory and performance
• Fixed occasional issue with armor and clothing not displaying properly when placed on mannequins in player’s house (PS3)
• Long term play optimizations for memory and performance (PS3)
• Improved compiler optimization settings (PC)
• Memory optimizations related to scripting
• Fixed issue with dangling scripts not properly clearing from memory
• Fixed crashes related to pathing and AI
• Fixed crash in “Haemar’s Shame” if player had already completed “A Daedra’s Best Friend”
• Fixed rare crash with loading saved games
• Fixed issue with accented characters not displaying properly at the end of a line
• Fixed issue where dragon priest masks would not render correctly
• Fixed issue where quests would incorrectly progress after reloading a save
• Fixed issues with placing and removing books from bookshelves in the player’s home
• Optimized bookshelf script in player-owned houses that would occasionally block other scripts from properly firing off
• Fixed issue where weapon racks and plaques would not work correctly in player’s house if player immediately visits their house before purchasing any upgrades
• Fixed issue where the player house in Windhelm would not clean up properly
• Fixed crash related to giant attacks and absorb spells
• Fixed issue with ash piles not cleaning up properly
• Fixed occasional issue where overwriting an existing save would fail
• Fixed memory crash with container menu
• Fixed infinite loop with bookshelves
• Fixed issue where transforming back to human from werewolf would occasionally fail
• Bows and daggers will display properly when placed on weapon racks
• Fixed occasional audio issue that would play sound effects louder than intended
• Fixed bug related to hitching between cell boundaries
• Master Criminal achievement/trophy unlocks properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian
• Fixed issue where traps in Shalidor’s Maze would not work properly in French, German, Spanish and Italian versions

QUEST FIXES

• The Unusual Gem that was inside the Thalmor Embassy is now accessible after finishing “Diplomatic Immunity”
• In “Breaching Security”, the quest token is no longer required to receive a fortune reading from Olava the Feeble
• Fixed issue where Galmar would not complete Joining the Stormcloaks properly if “Season Unending” was an active quest
• Fixed issue where starting “Season Unending” after finishing “Joining the Stormcloaks” would prevent “The Jagged Crown” from starting properly
• Fixed issue where progressing through “Message to Whiterun” while “Season Unending” was still open would block progression for both quests
• In “Arniel’s Endeavor”, fixed issue where a quest journal would trigger multiple times
• In “Forbidden Legend”, the amulet fragment can no longer disappear after player leaves a dungeon without taking it
• Fixed rare issue in “Forbidden Legend” where killing Mikrul Gauldurson while sneaking would make his corpse unaccessible
• In “The White Phial”, the phial can no longer disappear if player leaves dungeon without taking it
• “The White Phial” will now start properly if player already has a briar heart in their inventory
• Player can no longer get stuck in Misty Grove after completing “A Night to Remember”
• Fixed issue where leaving Riften during “A Chance Arrangement” would prevent quest from progressing
• In “Darkness Returns”, a door in Twilight Sepulcher will properly open if the player leaves the dungeon for an extended period of time before completing the quest
• In “Revealing the Unseen”, if the player leaves the Oculory for an extended period of time after placing the focusing crystal and returns, the quest will proceed correctly
• “Onmund’s Request” will now start properly if player has already found Enthir’s staff before receiving this quest
• Fixed instance where Tonilia would stop buying stolen items and also would not give Guild Leader Armor
• “Repairing the Phial” will start properly if player already has unmelting snow or mammoth tusk in their inventory
• Finding Pantea’s Flute before speaking with Pantea no longer prevents her quest from updating
• In “The Break of Dawn”, fixed rare instance where a quest object would spawn incorrectly on the Katariah during Hail Sithis
• Fixed rare issue in “The Mind of Madness” where player is unable to equip the Wabbajack
• Fixed issue in “Pieces of the Past” where Mehrunes Dagon’s Razor will not trigger properly if player leaves the cell for extended period of time before activating it
• “Blood’s Honor” will start properly if you visited and completed Driftshade and an extended period of time passes before starting the quest.
• Fixed rare issue where “Dampened Spirits” would not start properly
• Fixed issue where player would be unable to become Thane of Riften if they purchased a home first
• Fixed issue where killing guards in Cidhna Mine would block progression for “No One Escapes Cidhna Mine”
• Fixed numerous issues with “Blood on the Ice” not triggering properly
• In “Blood on the Ice”, Calixto can now be killed if player owns a house in Windhelm
• In “The Cure for Madness”, killing Cicero then resurrecting him no longer impedes quest progress
• Fixed rare issue in “To Kill an Empire” where an NPC would fail to die properly
• Clearing Knifepoint Ridge before starting “Boethiah’s Champion” no longer prevents quest from starting.

Original article on Bethesda's official blog

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Bethesda has released a video showing the Creation Kit in action. Check it out for a first look at Skyrim's modding tools!

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Read the diary from Production Director Ashley Cheng below for more information regarding the Creation Kit and the Steam Workshop.

Here’s Ash…

With each game we release — Morrowind, Oblivion, Fallout 3, and now Skyrim — modders continue to use our worlds as a canvas to build the most incredibly creative and fun mods in gaming. The fact that Morrowind’s modding community is still going strong 10 years after its release is a testament to how essential our community is to the success of our games.

We’re big believers that if we go the extra mile and make our games as moddable as possible, the game will only be better for it. So the gameplay of “do whatever you want” extends to “make the game do whatever you want.” As we were building Skyrim and its tools, we made it a goal to try and keep the transition from our previous titles to Skyrim as smooth as possible for modders. More importantly, we want to make it easier for more people to enjoy mods. So we teamed up with Valve and created the Skyrim Workshop. We couldn’t be more pleased with how it’s turning out. Mods are a big part of what makes our games special, so we urge everyone to try it out. We’re going to keep looking for ways to get mods to more people, and hopefully one day to our console audience.

With Skyrim Workshop, you can browse and search for the latest or highest rated mods, subscribe to any that interest you, rate your favorites and post feedback. Once you’ve subscribed to some mods, start the Skyrim launcher and you’ll see your subscribed mods automatically download. The launcher will even check if a mod has been updated and grab the latest version.

If you want to try making mods (and we think everybody should), the Creation Kit will be a free download via Steam under Tools. The Creation Kit has lots of new features, including the ability to build archives. Plus you’ll want to check out the Creation Kit Wiki, our online documentation and help file, for more details.

Of course, you’ll still be able to use popular fan-hosted mod sites like Skyrim Nexus to find great mods to play. We did not change any functionality to exclude the way mods worked previously. We even added a few features to help out — for instance, custom INI files can now be packaged into mods so you don’t need to backup your INI files anymore.

And we’re not done. Neither is Valve. Give us your feedback on the Creation Kit and Skyrim Workshop in our forums. We both have updates in the works, so give us your thoughts.

Big thanks to programmers Ken Cockerham, Mike Lipari, and Shannon Bailey for getting the Skyrim Workshop up and running with Skyrim. And special kudos to Joel Burgess (who originally brought up the idea of using Steam Workshop) for shepherding this process along the way.

We’d also like to give big shout outs to Valve. We are all big Valve fan boys. Thanks to David Sawyer, Josh Weier, Pieter Wycoff, Kurtis Chinn, Tom Bui, Alden Kroll and Jason Holtman.

Finally, we’d like to thank all the modders who volunteered to beta test the Creation Kit and Skyrim Workshop. Your feedback has been invaluable.

We can’t wait to see your work!

Original article on Bethesda's official blog

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The Skyrim 15k challenge is ending today. Newly submitted mods will no longer be eligible for participating in the contest. So far over 170 mods have been uploaded to Skyrim Forge and the amount is increasing every day. <span style="font-weight: normal;">Thanks to all of you for sharing your hard work and creativity with us!</span>

The winner of the grand prize will be announced around the 3rd of February.

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Our Skyrim Wiki can be found here.

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Today we are highlighting two mods created by CaoMengde777: Automatons and Shurikens, Dwemer Schematics and Quest for Goldbrand. Both of these mods bring back items that were present in Morrowind and Oblivion.

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The first mod will add Dwemer Schematics to Skyrim, hidden in the Dwemer ruins scattered across the land. Besides adding these schematics they have also been made useful, unlike the ones found in Morrowind which served no purpose.
By using these schematics you can build various summonable Dwemer Automatons. They can be used to craft throwing stars as well, either enchanted or not.

The second mod adds Goldbrand, an ancient golden katana to the game and a quest to obtain it. You'll have to follow a trail of books and use a treasure map to complete this quest.
Once you own the sword you will be able to upgrade it into Eltonbrand, a more powerful version of the weapon.

Check these mods out if you were a fan of Skyrim's predecessors!

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Find out more about the creation process of these mods below.

What inspired you to make these mods?
When I was like... hmm 14 or 15 when Morrowind came out, I used to mod that game more than I ever really played it haha, I never really made any really great mods, usually just silly things for me and my friends to mess around with, like boots that increase your speed 9999 or something like that, I did make a few areas for the Tamriel Rebuilt project, I got alot of experience modding games from Morrowind, and I tend to mess around making mods for most of the games I play, although I rarely release them to the public which is a shame....

How much time went into creating them?
Oh I am not sure, many many many hours, usually most the time is spent dawdling, just looking through the files and stuff trying to come up with some awesome ideas, or I tend to do a bit of the work, and then sit back and think about whats next... a lot of time wasting haha, sorta just making it up as I go along, If I had a proper plan of attack I'd make them much quicker.

Did you encounter any problems while working on your mods?
Many, many... too many to list, usually its because with somethings I make I screw up and misword a file path, or I forget something... but I go back and make sure it works.

Has it been difficult for you to mod without having the Creation Kit?
VERY, but after reading around websites I got a hang of it, I’m an electronics technician major, so I have some knowledge about hex code so I found it easy to mod the hex numbers. funny, I was adding objects into the game world by getting the object, then making a random change to the code, then load up the game..... and try another random number, (guess and checking)... recently I found out what these other modders that made the house mods were doing... jeez if I knew that method.... .... I’d have many more mods...

What tools did you use to make these mods possible?
Originally only Fallout Mod Manager's TESSnip, & NifSkope, also GIMP but for the newer mod, SkyEdit, Skyrim NPC Editor and Tamriel Rebuilt's name generator.

What did you like most about the development process of your mods?
What I like about modding, is it feels like I am inventing new things. and it's like artwork, but unlike a painting or drawing, it's an artwork you can interact with, and actually USE, so it feels like a really cool accomplishment. & I was looking in game to find a really epic location for the Goldbrand treasure... and I looked and looked all over, but then, I saw a shiny spot in the distance, and I was like whoooa!! thats soo cool thats what I needed to find :D :D

Are you planning to bring more features of previous Elder Scrolls games to Skyrim?
Well, I've added Goldbrand (morrowind and oblivion), and shurikens were something Morrowind had. I have retextured the caves and forts to look ashen, or daedric... I want to make an Oblivion Realm, the Hell level that Oblivion had, It will look different, have a different art style to it, but it will be pretty sweet... if I make it.... its alot of work... I was hoping to have the constuction kit for this contest, but I do have alot of the needed things already half made, I think I will take a short break from modding Skyrim, and then come back and complete the ideas I had (they are pretty epic, I have like 6 pages of a notebook FILLED with writings lol, new ideas too, like some sorcerers got stuck in Oblivion, one in particular is super powerful and has daedric metal dwemer robots, hopefully with machine guns and rocket launchers, which I already made a rocket launcher now as I write this :D) (im releasing a collection of new spells/ throwing items soon and the dwemer rocket launcher) and many more new ideas...

Do you have any advice for others who would like to start modding?
There is ALOT of information available, I have most of my experience just by modding other games, and I’ve modded ALOT of games hehe... but, It is actually very easy to learn, once you get into it, it is very easy... modding without the creation kit is really something you would have needed to know about how to mod oblivion first... but when the creation kit is out, it should be a breeze. The first part of anything is an Idea

Thanks to CaoMengde777 for creating these mods and for participating in the interview.

For today's mod highlight we are featuring Shawkab's latest creation: the Dovahkiin Hideout.

This mod adds an enormous basement to all of Skyrim's player homes. The hideout is shared by all homes, it basically connects them, making it an interesting alternative to the existing ways of travelling. It includes plenty of storage room, a library, crafting facilities and more.

Nickoli002 has created a video demonstrating the mod, check it out below to see the mod in action!

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You can find our interview with Shawkab here.

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This time we are taking a look at Overlook Tower, a mod created by SLuckyD.

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Similar to the last mod highlight we are looking at yet another player home. But this is not just any home! In fact, this mod will grant you access to a huge tower on top of a mountain.

If you enjoy hoarding as much loot as possible, this tower is for you. It offers plenty of storage space; each item category gets its own chest. Also there are crafting facilities available, such as an alchemy lab, a forge and more. This tower has everything you will need in one place. But that’s not everything: if you take the stairs to the top of the tower you will also get a great view of the landscape surrounding the tower.

Due to the lack of the Creation Kit making this mod was quite a challenging process for the creator. At the moment you will get free access to the tower, this might change in the future.

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<span style="font-size: small;">Video by nickoli002</span>

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Find out more about the creation process of this mod below. 

What was your inspiration for creating this mod?

I wanted to release a simple player home, winding up to the summit of some mountain having a scenic view. I literally FLEW (tcl) around all of Skyrim, reconnoitering ALL the prime locations. It isn't my style to just alter a Vanilla home; so I assembled a 'new' one using the Winterhold College kitset. Basically it was something to keep me busy before beginning work on my BIG projects. Oftentimes I find that making mods and creating new content is hella more fun than playing the actual game! (no offense, Ma Beth.. <wink>)

How much time have you spent working on it?

The mod itself, a few hours... maybe 5 or 6, tops. It was figuring out HOW to do it all, without the 'new' CK software... that took a WHILE; but I did most of the R&D during the making of my earlier 'proof of concept' mods.

Did you come across any problems while making your mod?

The only thing that gave me trouble, and I STILL haven't gotten to work, is the ability to have companions enter the home with Player. The 'old' navMeshes apparently aren't compatible with Skyrim; this is the "pathing" which NPCs, monsters, and companions use to 'find their way.' Without working navMeshes, they 'don't know how' to enter or to move around obstacles, even if they WERE inside the Tower. I plan to fix this as soon as Ma Beth releases the newCK.

I'm also unable to add scripting to a mod, which is in a relatively new format - compiled in a way which neither I, nor anyone else seems to be able to create something meaningful with. This precludes any 'true' quests, dialog, or other aspects which I believe are incremental to the elevation of a plain mod to something GOOD.

Has it been difficult for you to mod without the Creation Kit?

In the beginning, it took some time to see what 'old' data is compatible with Skyrim; and to develop the procedures to get that data into a working, playable form. I wouldn't say it's been "difficult" though... it's been great practice and familiarization for when that new software finally IS released!

What tools did you use to make this mod possible?

• Fallout 3's GECK v1.5 - to create and arrange the interiors, and make new/custom items
• TESvSnip - editing the mod's raw data, and to copy/paste some Vanilla stuff which GECK can't do
• FO3Edit - for placing/arranging objects in SkyNilla's worldSpace ('Vanilla Skyrim' is just the plain game, WITHOUT any modifications)
• 3DSMax 2010x64 - to convert Skyrim's NIFs to Fallout 3's format, enabling me to literally SEE the objects I place and arrange in GECK (as opposed to the intolerable !red! exclamation-point-triangles)
• NifSkope - to tweak and modify those NIFs converted by 3DSMax

What did you like most about the development process of your mod?

The 'thrill of the chase,' as in the R&D, trial & error, and ultimate discovery of the methods to get all this stuff working and cohesive. There have been PLENTY of "Eureka!" moments the past two months! (I had NO idea we'd be able to pull this much off!) Second to that would be the actual arranging and placement of everything, as well as seeing my 'vision' working in-game and, ideally, enjoyed by others.

Are you planning to expand your mod when the Creation Kit is available?

ABSOLUTELY! There's a list a mile long of things I intend to add, change, or fix... then another list FIVE miles long of user requests I have no intention of doing myself. I'm MORE than willing to sanction others to make 'addons' or alternate versions of these things; though it seems few are willing to give 'true' modding a go 'preCK.' I foresee that after the new software is released, many may forget about or lose interest in this mod... in favor of making their own; somewhere else, and the way THEY want it from the get-go (NO hard feelings y'all!).

Could you tell us about any other mods you currently have in progress or planned for the future?

I'm currently working on my 'Gokstad Sailable Ship & Portable Player Home' mod; which itself is a standalone prequel to my future masterpiece - 'Stone Unhenged.' The former's title says quite a bit, and I've posted some details in the download section for that mod (which has a very basic, but working BETA version available).

Stone Unhenged is a HUGE project I've developed, which could EASILY evolve into another whole TES installment. It takes Player to the Lost Continent of Yokuda (aboard the Gokstad), a NEW worldSpace as large as Skyrim itself! Quests, lore, voice-acting, cities & NPCs, and even a 1:1 scale model of the REAL Stonehenge monument - which Player will be able to REBUILD and harness its power! There's simply TOO much to go into here. Much of this I've already done in/for Oblivion (though never released it, in anticipation of Skyrim). I only hope that I'll continue to have enough free time, energy, and resources to complete these projects and release them for Skyrim!

Do you have any advice for others who would like to start modding?

DO YOUR HOMEWORK! Start small and basic; THEN expand and complicate! Before asking questions, go to the MANY websites already dedicated to modding and asset creation; specifically the ones relating to Oblivion and Fallout 3 (and the different programs needed to do it with). Eventually there'll be Skyrim sites for this as well, but too much is still unknown and the 'old' ways will still carry a LOT of weight! Search for tutorials on specific methods, read forums and wikis for overcoming problems or 'sticky' situations, and make sure you follow directions! Trial & error, practice, and even the help files of software are invaluable.

I learned ALL I know about modding this way, the information is already out there SOMEWHERE... you just have to know what you need to be looking for and where to find it! Failing ALL that, THEN ask questions - many people would appreciate not having to type a single answer for something a thousand times. I LOVE to help others, but I've spent more time commenting, responding, documenting, and posting information than I've spent on actually developing and making the mods I've released! Of course I mean no offense to those I've personally helped... this is just general advice to anyone who is 'new' to the community! (or the few who want others to do everything FOR them.. heheheh)

Thanks to SLuckyD for creating this mod and for participating in the interview.

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Bethesda has announced an approximate release date for both the Creation Kit and the 1.4 update. The Creation Kit will be ready for a release near the end of the month. The update is currently being tested on all platforms and will most likely be available next week, it will contain various bug and quest fixes.

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It’s been a few weeks since our last update on Skyrim’s status, so we wanted to share details on what we’re working on.

The Creation Kit and Steam Workshop are nearly ready. We’re currently working with members of Valve and our modding community to do some final testing, and we’re on track for a public release near the end of the month. We think Skyrim modding is one of the game’s best features, and we have the best modders of any game. It’s been a lot of exciting work for us, and we can’t wait to unleash it.

Skyrim’s 1.4 update is currently undergoing testing on all three platforms. The update will include fixes and optimizations for the most common issues people have been reporting (see below). We’re hoping to finalize this next week, and submit it to the console manufacturers for certification, as well as release on PC.

Our current update plan for the PC is to first release our updates as “beta” versions through Steam. This is something you’ll be able to opt into through Steam and back-out of if needed. This is an extra safety check for everyone going forward and should expedite and improve our updating process for our PC users. We’ll have more info soon on how this will work.

Echoing what we said back in December, we’ll continue to look into issues that are being reported and subsequent updates will follow. You have all supported Skyrim in a huge way, and we’ll be supporting all of you, and continue to make the game better.

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Full article and changelog on Bethesda's official blog

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We have an important announcement to make about the ongoing Skyrim $15,000 challenge!

The Skyrim 15k challenge is nearing its end. If you would like to participate you can still do so, just make sure you submit your mod before the deadline. So far over 160 mods have been uploaded to Skyrim Forge and the amount is still growing daily.

To look back on the contest we have listed all of the mod highlights that we have done so far below. We will keep doing these regularly, so don’t worry if your mod has not been featured yet, it might just be the next one!

Skyrim First Week Modding Highlights
Curse Skyrim Challenge Update and Modder Interviews!
First of three-day mod features, and exciting Curse Skyrim $15k giveaway update!
Mod Feature Highlight - Day 2
Mod Feature Highlight - Day 3
New Curse.com Mod Video Features!
Happy Holidays from Curse - Skyrim Style!
New Video: Introducing Weightless Items and the Recipe Bundle!
Mod interview with KrimsonLust
Mod interview with Shawkab

The categories “UI/Maps” and “Dungeons/Quests” are still open! Mods uploaded under these categories will still be eligible for the prizes listed on the chart.

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If your mod falls under one of the closed categories it does not mean that you are entirely out of luck! If the mod submitted would have been an eligible submission, it will be entered in our $3,000 grand prize giveaway so long as it’s submitted before our deadline, January 31st.

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Today we will take a look at Hillside Home Quest, a mod created by Shawkab.

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While we are still waiting for the Creation Kit to get released various mods have been created that were thought to be impossible at this moment, like new quests and player homes. Shawkab’s Hillside Home Quest is one of those creations.

This mod will not only add a new player home to the game, but also a quest that needs to be completed in order to obtain it. So that means you will have to do a little more than paying a sum of gold to get access to your new home! It all starts in Breezehome, the player home situated in Whiterun. Before installing this mod, make sure you have the house fully decorated, or else the quest will not start. The quest itself will be more challenging than most quests in the game; due to the lack of any map markers you will have to do some exploration to complete it.

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Find out more about the creation process of this mod below.

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What was your inspiration for creating this mod?
The location was my main inspiration, I found it way before I knew anything about modding and wanted to have a house there.

How much time have you spent developing it?
Way too much... Everything needs to be placed individually, I found a few tricks to make it a little simpler for me but I think we're looking at around 40+ hours for this one so far, most of that was spent after I released the beta because of bugs, etc.

Did you come across any problems while working on your mod?
A lot, The problem right now is I can't create a NAV Mesh (Navigation Mesh,) which allows spouses/companions to move and live in your house, this is something I wanted to keep intact but I slowly realized how impossible it would be to keep in.
Since I released this mod I have had to recreate the entire thing from scratch, placing every piece of celery and every wall individually so that it could be in its own Cell (zone.) I also had issues with bookshelves, weapon racks, and mannequins which were activating oddly during a load... they're now working 100% for my 0.2 update.

Has it been difficult for you to mod without the Creation Kit?
I guess with my complaining so far it would seem so :)
It's hard, but I find it is the best way to learn. Things may be hard now but when they become easy, it will just seem that much easier for those who learned it the hard way after the construction kit is released.

What tools did you use in the development process of your mod?
TESSnip, FNVEdit, and a small amount of GECK to create a new Cell.

Are you planning to make any changes to your mod when the Creation Kit is available?
I still think I can make most of the changes before the CK, but after the CK I plan to add a Navigation Mesh which allows players to have their followers and spouses come in the house with them. I want to eventually code a house pet, or a personal maid, etc.

Could you tell us about any other mods you have planned for the future?
I like doing things that no one else does, pushing what is possible at the moment so I am always learning something. I have a few ideas for some quests, and more houses. When I learn something new I try to make something out of all I have learned.
Right now I'm working on a quest for thieves. It will include a underground passage under a major city, and inside the passage there will be ten chests. To receive the contents of those chests you will need to find the 10 keys that open the chests; these ten keys are hidden throughout the city. The keys can be somewhere as simple as a barrel, but as difficult as a Jarl's bedroom in a locked strongbox, or maybe even in the Jarl's pocket. You might even find notes leading you to some of the harder keys.

Do you have any advice for others who would like to start modding?
If you really love Skyrim, finish it first, then start modding. Modding can tend to taint your perspective of the game.
With that said, just jump in, it’s fun as hell and there are tons of tutorials and resources online right now, specially for texturing and modeling.

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Thanks to Shawkab for creating this mod and for participating in the interview.