• published the article Skyrim $15,000 Challenge Update

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    Curse has an exciting announcement to make about the ongoing Skyrim $15,000 challenge!

    The NPCs/Character contest category has been the second category to hit the 35 submission limit! This means that we've given out our prize pool for the "NPCs/Character" subsection of the contest. Any mods that are submitted that would fall under this category will no longer be eligible to earn the prize amounts listed on our Skyrim contest chart below.

    Only the following categories are still eligible:

    - Dungeons/Quests
    - UI/Maps

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    However, that doesn't mean that you're 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.

    Keep those mods coming! We're excited to have already given out that much cash to authors. Thanks to all of you for sharing your hard work and creativity with us!

    Posted in: Skyrim $15,000 Challenge Update
  • published the article Mod interview with KrimsonLust

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    Today we will be featuring two mods created by KrimsonLust: Female Warpaints and Male Warpaints.

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    The character creation system of Skyrim brought us a lot of new features that were not present in its predecessor Oblivion, allowing us to customize our characters even more. One of those features is the ability to choose from a selection of warpaint patterns.

    When the Creation Kit for Skyrim is available this will likely be one of the aspects that will be expanded upon by many mod authors, similar to what happened with eyes and hairstyles for Oblivion.

    We still have to wait until the Creation Kit gets released in January, but KrimsonLust already went ahead and created two mods that replace 20 existing warpaint patterns, 10 for each gender. The designs vary in style, which makes them suitable for different characters and races. You will still be able to use the race-specific warpaint, as these mods only replace the generic warpaint that is available to all races (except the beast races).

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

    Quote:

    What was the inspiration for the creation of your mods?
    My inspiration for creating the warpaints was at first because I wanted my character to have more of a tribal look. After posting my first few I started getting requests for different warpaints so I continued doing it for other people.

    How much time have you spent on the development?
    Each warpaint only takes me about 20 minutes. A pack of ten warpaints can take up to 4 hours. It can be a bit time consuming because most of the time if I change a file in the texture folder it doesn't register in the game until I restart it. I haven't found a better way to view the warpaints as I create them... yet :)

    Did you come across any problems while working on these mods?
    The warpaints are fairly straight forward and easily done since you are only working with a black and white picture. The only problem I have really encountered is where the image stretches on certain faces, but that isn't anything I can really fix.

    What tools did you use in the process of making your mods?
    To edit the .dds files I use Photoshop CS5 and my trusty Wacom Graphire tablet.

    Currently your war paint mods are replacements, will you change them into add-ons when the Creation Kit is available?
    Yes, I will change the warpaints to be add-ons so people will have the option to keep the original warpaints if they desire.

    Are you planning to add more content to your current mods?
    No, the warpaint packs that are out will stay the same for now, but I will be making additional packs for males and females to download, as well as taking more requests.

    Do you have any advice for others who would like to start modding?
    Start with something you're interested in, or something you have skill in. It was easy for me to edit texture files because I have skill with Photoshop. Don't get frustrated if something doesn't work right away. Take a break and come back to it and it will probably be something simple that you overlooked... either that or search the forums :)

    Could you tell us about any other mods you have planned for the future?
    I'm currently learning how to mesh with 3d studio max because I've been wanting to design my own armor and amulets, so stay tuned :)

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

    Posted in: Mod interview with KrimsonLust