Monthly Modder: -TheDogOfWar

Looking for a unique place to rest your head in Fallout 4 and Skyrim?

-TheDogOfWar talks to us about his creative and customizable player home mods.

-TheDogOfWar specializes in creating player homes such as Fallout 4’s Featherfall House (PC, Xbox, PS4) in addition to several others in both Fallout 4 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. His mods push the limits of the Creation Kit to include creative flair such as hidden entrances and passageways, as well as customizable features to make the homes fit your character and play style.

In Featherfall House, -TheDogOfWar also includes a rich, deep lore that the player can investigate for this location shrouded in mystery. The mod boasts multiple new locations, an interior workshop, unique storage containers, as well as customizable decor for walls, floors, and bedrooms. If you’re a player that loves uncovering the sinister secrets in a location and/or creating your ideal Commonwealth refuge, download the “Featherfall House – Player Home” mod, available on all platforms, and seek out the “Long Forgotten Tunnels” deep in the Glowing Sea.

Your homes are known for their creative designs, and their customization. What’s the most surprising customization you were able to pull off?

I can think of a few, but the 'Detachable Fake Wall' from Maple Manor sticks out the most. I was clueless on animating objects back then but had the desire to create a secret wall that was interactive. At that point, I came up with the idea to create a new weapon and swap the model with one taken from a piece of wall. Finally, I made an invisible weapon rack that only accepted the fake weapon/wall piece. Positioning the weapon rack was a nightmare, though! Aligning it correctly was a matter of trial and error.

You’ve also been attacking successively more in-depth stories to your homes, including a full quest for Featherfall, what was that like?

It was exciting, but, at times, challenging. Since Featherfall was designed with PlayStation's external asset restrictions in-mind, I couldn't simply create my own scripted quests, so I had to reverse-engineer the base game scripts. The PlayStation restrictions resulted in many Eureka moments within the Creation Kit, so I'm grateful for the barriers in a way. I've learned a lot due to them!

What are some of your sources of inspiration?

Playing video games was always a primary source of inspiration. It's amazing to see what developers come up with in their games, even ones from decades ago! I guess I've drawn some inspiration from movies and other TV shows, too. Another source is exchanging mod ideas with Dawn, my girlfriend. She has helped improve some of my initial ideas, plus helped with a lot of early concepts.. not to mention she has always encouraged me. <3

Any future projects on the horizon?

Umm, yeah! I'm about halfway through another Player Home for The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, which should be released on all platforms. I have other home ideas for both Fallout 4 and The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. I'm also working on a substantial update for "The Path of a Psycho", at the request of my fans. Hopefully it'll be out this Halloween!

What is your favorite part of modding?

Stepping back from a project, seeing the final result and using it in my own playthrough. It's satisfying to see others get use/enjoyment out of my mods, too!

Any mods you’d like to recommend?

Firstly, I'd suggest Mörskom Estate (Xbox, Nexus), by DarkFox127 and Elianora. DarkFox127 also has a bunch of Creation Kit Tutorials on his YouTube Channel that've helped me out, in my early modding days. (I actually wrote the music for the "Mörskom Estate 2021 Trailer" to show thanks for his tutorials.)

And finally, here's an old (Oblivion) mod called "Shadowcrest Vineyard" (Nexus), by Korana - It's one of the first player homes I'd ever downloaded from the nexus, in '09 . It blew my mind with its creativity and detail, back then!

Profile links: Bethesda.net
Featherfall House (PC, Xbox, PS4)