‘My Creation’ Interviews: Fallout 4’s Campsite Mod

With the recent release of Fallout 4’s Creation Kit and Mod possibilities moving cross-platform, we’ve decided to bring back an old Bethesda community favorite: modding interviews.

To kick things off, we’re highlighting fadingsignal (real name: Rob Vogel). A resident of Los Angeles, fadingsignal works in project management in the web/software space and also enjoys photograpy and making music in his spare time. Currently, Rob’s Fallout 4 mod, Campsite, is among the most popular mods on Bethesda.net and within Fallout 4’s new in-game Mod menu.

What inspired you to create the Campsite mod?

There are a handful of great camping mods for Skyrim that I really loved using, which became a staple of my gameplay - the latest and greatest of them being Campfire by Chesko. The design of Fallout 4, with its blend of urban and rural settings felt like the perfect setting for some camping. I started Campsite before the new Survival Mode was announced, and am pleased they work so well together!

How long after you started playing Fallout 4 did you come up with the idea?

Immediately!  As soon as I saw a settler in the wild cooking over a makeshift campfire next to a mattress, I knew that I wanted to be able to do the same whenever I wanted, and started jotting down ideas.

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Do you camp in real life?  Did that play a factor?

I do sometimes, yes, but it's been way too long since I've gone out. Maybe that's why I love camping in-game so much! I love anything in a game that pauses the action and makes you feel like you could actually "live" there, and mechanics like camping really do that for me.

Are you currently working on any updates to the mod?

I am. I'll be tweaking and adding a few things, including more colors, and a duffel bag you can drop and use temporarily to store things at your Campsite, as well as some other goodies. The goal is to keep this mod very streamlined and lightweight, so there aren't any major mechanics updates currently planned.

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What about new projects for Fallout 4?

I come up with so many new project ideas all the time I have to keep a journal! I do have a few new things I'm working on.

I've also been sharpening up my 3D modeling skills so I have some more clothing/armor in the works, as well as some gameplay mods to make the world feel a bit more alive after one reaches a high level and has killed off most everything in the Commonwealth. All of my mods on the Nexus will be coming to Bethesda.net soon, and will be refined for use on consoles.

Is there anything that stands out that you've enjoyed about the new Creation Kit?

There's a lot in the engine update for Fallout 4 that I really like, which does translate to new functionality in the Creation Kit; for me, lighting is a big one. Being able to craft very detailed lighting with lots of shadows is awesome. I also really like the namespaces for scripts, which help a lot with organization. Object Templates are also very powerful, and not just for weapons.

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Have you been experimenting with any mods from other users?

Tons! Elianora is the queen of house mods and has made lots of great stuff already. The Unofficial Fallout 4 Patch by Arthmoor is a must, Atomic Radio by Kris Takahashi is great (keep your eyes peeled for his upcoming Interesting NPCs mod). Conquest by Chesko is awesome of course. Realistic Ragdoll Force and Enhanced Blood Textures are a must for me, as is Darker Nights by unforbidable. All of the weapon mods by Doombased. I could go on and on! There is also a lot of great stuff in the works by other authors that will be coming to Bethesda.net soon.

What do you think about the prospect of having your mod make its way to consoles?

To put it simply, I think it's great. Modding has always been the great divide between PC and console players with regard to Bethesda games, and it's cool to see that gap closing, and for many of the awesome things that can be done with mods to be available to console players. Of course, it’s great to potentially have a larger audience for my mods, as well, but I'm really more interested in the larger impact it will have, and the longevity it might bring to the console that has been such a staple on the PC – all those folks can finally see what modding is truly all about. I think there can be some inaccurate perceptions from the outside that mods are mostly just silly stuff, so I'm excited for people to see the awesome gameplay mechanics, items, customization and even full-on overhauls that are available.

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Anything else you’d like to share?

Firstly, thanks to everyone at Bethesda for keeping mods a thing with their games. I'm spoiled at this point, and can't play other non-Bethesda games for very long, because I always want to tweak or add things. Also, note to anyone who'd like to get started in modding: patience is key. Myself and others definitely didn't learn everything we know overnight. It's best to start simple, like editing textures, or changing damage values for weapons to get a feel for how everything works together before you dive into making your giant dream DLC-sized mod.

It also helps to know what you want to make before setting out. All of my mods start with the desire to have something present in my own game, and it grows from there.

Lastly, thanks for the opportunity to talk shop here!

Keep your eyes peeled to Bethesda.net for more Mods from fadingsignal and new Mod interviews. If you’re already uploading Mods, don’t forget to enter NVIDIA’s Fallout 4 Mod Contest. Winning modders will have a chance to win more than $40K in prizing and engineering support from NVIDIA.