Skyrim Modding Interview – Pirates of Skyrim’s BigBizkit

[+Brodo Swaggins]

Yar really going to like our newest modding interview. This week we talk to BigBizkit, responsible for the popular Pirates of Skyrim mod.

What you do for a living?

Pirating.

What pirate fiction would you say most influenced your project?

Well, it is not so much fiction per se but I really like to think of the golden age of exploration as a source of inspiration. The times when people would set sail not just to get to places, but to actually go out and look for places and routes that have not been discovered yet (by Europeans). The times when seafaring nations like the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain used to be world powers because of their naval prowess. Other than that, there is also this series of blockbuster movies… there are currently four and a fifth one is in the making. I will not say anything about the quality of the movies, but they surely did have an impact on how pirates are viewed. As for games, a great source of inspiration is and has always been the eternal classic “Monkey Island” especially the first and second part. Oh, and there is also this fairly recent game with “black flag” in the title… you’ve probably never heard of it.

What features in the project are you most proud of?

When I created “Pirates of Skyrim”, I wanted it to be its own “system” so to speak. I could have made it into a quest mod where you would set sail, pillage some ships, return and mission accomplished, but instead I went for a radiant system where the player would have a reason to set sail to the sea of ghosts repeatedly, where you would want to pillage ships over and over. That is why the naval battles are randomly assigned and the loot is different every time, and so are the things you may or may not find on the ocean floor. In my opinion, the randomness of the battles, the loot, the ocean, etc. — in combination with the achievements you can unlock by collecting treasure that you may or may not find, contributes to the mods longevity and constitutes the best feature – and that is what I am most proud of.

Do you plan to continue supporting the project? And if so, what can you share from your current plan?

Sure. I have pretty much already shared my future plans in the forum tab at the mod’s file page. There are two main features on my list that I want to implement:

A Pirate Port

— I envision a safe haven for pirates on a small island. It would be rundown at first and only a few NPCs would hang around there initially. But as the player continues to bring in loot from his/her pillages market stands and decoration would be unlocked and more and more NPCs would appear there showing the place flourishing.

A Privateering System

—  You would be able to obtain a “letter of marque” from either the Imperial Legion or the Stormcloaks. This would give you permission to hunt down ships of the opposing faction. The player would need to set sail to the sea of ghosts, dispose of a crew of the opposing faction, and then return with proof of the deed (e.g. a banner) to Solitude/Windhelm to receive a reward. Doing so would earn the player a positive reputation with his/her faction, and a negative one with the opposing one. This would obviously come with some consequences like being blocked from ports, attacks from opposing privateers etc.

In your opinion, of all the races in The Elder Scrolls, which ones make the best pirates? The worst?

Best: I would say, lore-wise, it would have to be Redguards. Judging solely based on “style” I would say all the human races would be doing fine as pirates. The two pirate characters I play are both Bretons. Dunmer/Dark Elves also make for some good scurvy ridden, swashbuckling scum.

Worst: I like Khajiits alot and I know they are not identical to cats, but still, I find it hard to imagine that they would feel very comfortable at sea. There might be the odd cat though that would do well as a pirate. I also do not think Altmer/High Elves would make good pirates. They are often times portrayed as rather uptight, snooty, “high class” and such so it is hard to imagine them as sailing rapscallions. I envision them more as victims of piracy, for example if there ever was to be an Elder Scrolls game taking place on or around the Summerset Isles (wink wink nudge nudge)…

Outside of what you’re working  on, what mods/mod authors are among your favorites?

That is a tough question for somebody like me who is well beyond the 255 mods limit. Anyways, one of my favourite mods is Throwing Weapons Redux by Madrilous. It adds something to the game that was clearly missing and some of my characters’ builds depend on it as they make avid use of poison grenades and other explosives. I have heavily edited my private version of Madrilous’ mod but without him laying the groundwork many of my characters would be using “sword and board” rather than grenades and throwing knives. Bob’s Armory created by Mr. Dave offers a great variety of weapons and hats – some of them are featured in my mod as well.Another great addition is Automatic Crossbows by J3X.

Jaxonz is a modder who has created some essentials and who clearly knows what he’s doing. If you are in need of a good house mod, you cannot go wrong with one of Elianora’s mods. Last but not least, Matthiaswagg – one of the most helpful and capable people at the Skyrim Nexus Forums – and a skilled team of other modders are working on a massive mod called “Immersive Quests”. I cannot wait for its release as it is bound to be great.

Do I get (or am I forced) to walk the plank?

Don’t worry, you are just going to be fired out of a cannon. But you get to wear a bucket on your head – for safety reasons

In writing dialogue for the mod, did you find yourself increasingly using the letter “R�

Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. No.

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