Late to the Game my thoughts on Inquisition, 5 years later.

Late to the Game my thoughts on Inquisition, 5 years later.

First of all I loved characters and the development they got during the game, as always Bioware knocked it out of the park in that department. I was really surprised when Cassandra, Viv and Sera wound up being my MVPs and my most-liked companions, because I had gathered I would disagree with them on a lot of things and that we just wouldn't get along, but as I played on I found many of Cassandra's ideals to be reasonable, I appreciated Sera's non-sequiturs for what they were and gave me a good laugh, Viv was a killing machine.

Now my gripe(s), Bioware really really shouldn't have tacked on that potion cap, or removed healing spells/class with the excuse of "the goal is to not take damage!" well yea ideally that's the goal in EVERY action/RPG game. I feel like the base game was stripped of any challenge and actual tactical thinking, with any and all opposition easily being destroyed by either Vivienne or Cassandra.

I did NOT appreciate how everything in the game seems to be a damage sponge; like I can understand that great bears, dragons and story bosses would be. Jaws of Hakkon was a particularly big offender of this, tuskets and bogfishers having become tanks and the would0be squishy spiders taking an inordinate amount of time to kill (this is with a mixture of Descent + Dragon/Inquisition arms & armor crafted with Tier 3-4 materials, with runes applied). This becomes even MORE apparent when you do Descent and realize that killing several waves of Darkspawn that they are all essentially damage sponges (yes yes I know standard DA DLC mechanics) but there was zero challenge or need of tactical regrouping UNTIL I fought the Guardian, which even then I was still able to laboriously and painfully cheese to death with a solo Sera once I figured out the glitching spot.

Trespasser, awesome story, really great update to what was left over in base game Inquisition, it felt like it was a timed mission because my Inquisitor's hand was blowing up (and I did NOT appreciate the over the top dragging around, lifting into air animations that also damages the Inquisitor & everyone around him for half health) so I felt like I had to hurry along and rush through each area because the hand was getting worse, and of course we're limited on what potions we can bring. Honestly the final fight with Saarath didn't feel as bad as I thought (even though with proper tactics & healing from DAO implemented it would have been better), Cassandra of course tanked him and was untouchable (much like she was during the Gurd Harofsen fight) and all of us managed to stay alive.

From JoH onward I was at level 27, which is the max level for DAI + all DLCs, had decent equips and even respecced a few companions to make them better suited for combat - and a lot of the battles were still a slog...like they didn't feel challenging and we weren't dying left & right (the Guardian killed us several times, Gurd killed us once) it just felt time consuming like they were bosses so of course they were going to absorb damage, but I felt like with the levels we were at and the right combination of equips + abilities would have made short work of them but I was wrong. I had done some googling about this, and it seems there have been threads about this in the past involving the tankiness of all the DAI enemies, like I figured by the time I finally faced Corypheus he'd be dead in minutes, no that too was a slog...though I suspect that was more of story purposes because he and the dragon were taking damage and putting up a solid fight then in a flash cut-scene they died one after the other.

When people are still having issues with these fights even after lowering the difficulty down to casual without any trials, I feel that it's a problem. I'm not advocating for the next DA4 game to be super easy but there should be options, there should be some degree of tactics involved such as choosing to fight Cauthrien the first time in DAO, getting past the Harvester in GoA. DAI was a good game, I feel that it's true potential was bogged down with fake difficulty (removing options & making enemies sponges is not an actual challenge, it's just time consuming) and telling players to "not take damage" is just a lazy attempt at justifying the lack of any real challenge (which I would argue only exist in the Guardian boss, Hakkonites, and maybe the dragon bosses).

The game was rife withe fake difficulty in the form of "damage absorbing" NPCs masquerading as intelligent AI challengers. All in all I enjoyed my time playing Dragon Age: Inquisition, I wish things were more like how they were in Origins or even in DA2 (potions, tactics, etc) I just feel like Bioware really dropped the ball on what was supposed to be a stellar game in the DA lineup.

Anna Castiglioni Interview PT-2

A little over a year ago I had the pleasure of interviewing Anna Castiglioni; a bright mind with a voice to match. She has lent her voice to various Skyrim-related projects including her very own mod "Anna NPCs", and has narrated several audio books.

I had the privilege of being able to set a time and date to have another sit-down (via Facebook) with Anna for an update on her on-going projects, as well as to get her opinion on current developments in the modding community as well ask some questions that were not asked last time.

In today's post we'll be cover the following topics:

• Creation Club
• Skyrim Special Edition Creation Kit
• Mods for consoles
• The Elder Scrolls VI
• Dragon Age...and more!

It is my pleasure to re-introduce Anna Castiglioni, voice talent & mod author for our sequel interview.

Photo from Interesting NPCs (Old Site)

AedanStarfang: alright first off thanks for agreeing to do a second q&a with me

Anna Castiglioni: My pleasure :)

AS: Not really a question, more of an observation; I've seen a youtube video of your recording lines in action do you usually record from home or at a studio?

AC: In home studio
I built up the walls with padding, the thick pyramid kind.

AS: Your voice acting is professional quality and it shows in your mods that you voice (like Anna NPCs), I don't think everyone realizes just how professional your VA modding is.

AC: Well thank you very much!  I try to always put out the best quality I can, both in voice acting, and mods.
I've taken a lot of training, workshops, and learned a lot in doing the audiobooks, always trying to get better at my profession, because it's something I really love doing (and happen to have some skill in!)

AS: I'm surprised BioWare hasn't contracted you out to run lines for the next Dragon Age game

AC: HAHA I wish!  From what I've found out though, is video games, like animation and cartoons, seems to be very competitive, and to get into anything BIG you need to have an agent who's in there.  I'm still trying though...

AS: I bet building up a nice repertoire with excellent VA-work for top-notch mods couldn't hurt, and you also do audio recordings (books on tape?) as well right?

AC: I would REALLY love to voice in DA dreams
Yes audiobooks, so far I have 25 across multiple genres. I just started number 26, a sci-fi novel about aliens and futuristic human society.  The Jakkattu Vector, by P.K. Tyler

AS: What is your favorite genre to read/record for if any?

AC: Fantasy, definitely.  I love getting to create voices and personality for creatures, like Dragons, fairies, nymphs.  I also really enjoy narrating mysteries.  The tone is often completely different, and the suspense is fun.
Third favorite might be romance.  I never was much of a romance reader for fun, but oddly, it's quite fun to narrate, lol.

AS: Back to mods, what was your very first mod you ever made?

AC: A small quest mod called Loves Labors Avenged.  That was also the first time I voiced a character I wrote, and recruited other VA's.  Learned a lot in that mod.

AS: Was that for Skyrim?

AC: Yes, I've only really modded for Skyrim.

AS: Was that your own creation, or someone else's mod?

AC: Mine... you asked what was my very first mod I ever made :) Actually that's not true, my VERY first one was a vanilla male Wood Elf companion, and a fetch quest to get his stolen flute. Classic Creationkit.com tutorial.

AS: Seems like you know your way around the CK rather well, did it take you very long to become accustomed to it?

AC: Yes. I actually stayed up all night trying to figure things out, messing it up, trying to fix it, and sometimes I hit stride, and got excited and stayed up b/c I was so engrossed and suddenly it was 6am... I actually never pulled all-nighters before, not even in college!
There's still plenty I don't know though... but for what I want to do, I think I know enough, for now at least.

AS: Making followers is usually the go-to mod when it comes to Skyrim, lots of people want to know how to do it and too many give up because it's too confusing and you definitely seem like you have a handle on it. Anna NPCs as an example of a mod that flows so natural it could be part of the base game

AC: Thank you, a lot of that came from Shrike too, my modding partner. He figured out the Sandboxing thing from Serana, and did a lot of the fancy AI, like riding their own horses and wardrobe function.
(He's also a programmer IRL so I'm sure that helped! ha)

AS: Speaking of Anna, did you work with anyone else with the voicing besides Michael?

AC: Yes several others.  Jessica Osborne, Christian Gaughf, they are all listed in the Voice Acting section of the Credits article on the Nexus page, and on the Blog.
Michael certainly did the most though, 2 main companions and some side characters.

https://annafollowers.wordpress.com/credits/

AS: Will Anna be receiving any new updates?

AC: Yes, I've got some plans to flesh out some of the characters, and the last quest I added, one based on a DAI quest "Wicked Eyes Wicked Hearts."

AS: Ooh that sounds intriguing, I remember that quest quite well actually

AC: I had already had a quest in mind involving a ball and milling with dignitaries, where Elyndra will show the Player around, and after playing that in DAI, I suddenly was inspired and had a jumping off point.  Now, with the appearance of OSA and other animation mods, I hope to add actual dancing and kissing, like in Skyrim Romance Mod.

AS: You've also recently released some new mods both for SSE and Original Skyrim

AC: Yes, Dunmeri Great House Robes, Dunmeri Banners, and 2 Inn mods, Anna's Four Shields Tavern, and Anna's Frostfruit Inn
I'm working on a couple other companion mods too, off an on for maybe a year now.

AS: Were there any influences from Bioware characters on your followers? (I'd love to see a Morrigan & Leliana type)

AC: HA, I have exactly that! Morrigan and Leliana, with Skyrim-lore stories and custom voicing.
I have a Fenris companion out already.  Working on a Brynjolf makeover.

AS: Would you say that Elyndra could be the Cassandra of Anna Npcs?

AC: Sure, she is pretty similar as it turns out. Completely coincidence too if you can believe that
Strong warrior with very strong political beliefs, loyalty, secretly a romantic...

AS: Have you been exposed to KOTOR and/or SWTOR?

AC: noooo, I have no idea what those are

AS: Man if I had the cash I'd send you copies of Knights of the Old Republic I & II (both Bioware games), a Kreia character would be AMAZING! And a snobby know-it-all Bastila type (to counter Anduniel) would be great

AC: oooh!! Knights of the Old Republic! I have seen that on the Bioware site, just didn't know the abbreviation.
Teryn's a snobby know-it-all ;)

AS: So, Creation Club what's your opinion on it?

AC: Haven't really kept up with that at all, but to put it simply, I think modders should be able to make money from mods they create, and people can still choose to use them or not. I believe that a platform (CC or other) that would allow selling mods, and checking they are high quality, could potentially drive UP the overall quality of mods.

I know people who are willing to pay for mods that are high quality. It's not a bad thing, and people who complain that "mods should be free"... well, I don't think they've taken into consideration how much time and effort the modders put into their work.  People either genuinely appreciate the work, or they complain about this or that aspect of it.

AS: Modders, like starving artists still need to put food on the table and Creation Club I think is the only legal method where select approved modders can financially benefit from mods

AC: I agree!

So far I've mostly heard ranting and raving about CC, and honestly, I'm kinda disgusted by it. Granted, I don't know the rules, but modders are generally really nice people who help each other out. Some believe it should all be "free knowledge" and some would like some compensation for their time. Nothing wrong with that.

I suppose it's not much different from someone selling leveled up characters or stats for another game, or hiring themselves out as a DM for hire.

AS: My opinion on the matter is I think if you're using someone else's software/game engine then you need permission from that entity before you can financially benefit from it. HOWEVER, I think more "fans" need to be a bit more generous with their wallets and donate to more modder's fundmes and patreon pages, they should be paid and rewarded for their hard work and time regardless if it's from said entity or by the public.

AC: Well said, well said :)

AS: My personal issue with Creation Club isn't the "paid mods" aspect perse, it's Bethesda's involvement and I'm sure you've heard it before.

AC: I wish I could get more Patreons :)
If it's anything like the Steam Valve issue, where they would take 60%

AS: Like you take several talented modders on their own and they can create a truly magical experience something you most likely will never get from Bethesda these days, because now all you will get is Hearthfires 2.0 and rehashes of the same DLC.

AC: I thought it should be the way around. Yes they created the game and the kit, but the MODDER did the work. THEY should make at least 50%

AS: I agree, the company should get their cut, however the author put in all of the time and effort.

AC: Haha, I still think Dawnguard was the best DLC, the first one.

AS: Well my problem is not the percentage (perse) that Bethseda is taking, but the fact that they are even involved with these modders in the first place.
Like I'm not concerned over paid mods, because let's be honest, an awesome modder like yourself or Enai Siaion - puts out a really wonderful mod people will pay for it

AC: Uh-huh, like they cared nothing about mods in the beginning.
:)

AS: It's the idea that Bethesda is profiting from your hard work, and basically it's lazy DLC (not calling the modders lazy, calling Bethesda lazy for "outsourcing" and underpaying mod authors for work they could have done themselves)

AC: We can please direct those mod people to my Patreon, lol
Yes I totally agree. There have been so many mods that basically FIX problems that should have been fixed in base game: missing quest elements, missing lines, script bugs, you name it.

AS: What about when talented authors get recognized for their work and actually get hired professionally by a game company? Alexander J. Velicky got a job at Valve? I think for his work on Falskar.

AC: Yes he did!
I think though for game design the hiring's a bit different. That would be part of the core team behind a game. Voice acting is added last, and as a short contract, usually.
But yeah I get what you mean!

AS: I think it's probably safe to say that you (and Michael) are probably some of the more versatile V/O talents on the mod scene, I'm confident you all will get picked up onto a mainstream game.

AC: Thanks!

AS: There were a few small things left I wanted to put out there before we call it a day...

AC: Sure, ask away.


AS: how much difficulty (if any) did you experience using the SSE Creation Kit compared to the Original 32 bit Skyrim Creation Kit?

AC: Honestly, I don't like the SE CK. Technically it's really not any different, but it needs to "refresh" itself after every little thing I do, and each time generates a list of errors. Mostly only about 10% of the "errors" even have to do with my mod I'm currently working with, but errors in the basic game. Those weren't a problem in 32-bit CK, but the SE throws a fit about them. It's just too annoying. For that reason alone, I haven't worked much with it, only enough to port the mods I've already developed in "Oldrim."


AS: What's your opinion if any on the mass of recent Skyrim ports (Switch, PS4, etc)?

AC: On one hand I think it's great to be getting it to those other platforms. Don't know much about Switch, but I'm disappointed the PS4 doesn't support external assets, so I can't port any companion mod to PS4 so my friends who have it can play.

AS: then there's Skyrim VR too I wonder if all of this is just to delay us until VI comes out

AC: Skyrim VR, as in virtual reality? Did not know about that!

AS: Yea it's either out now or coming out (I lost interest after SSE lol)

AC: Haha understandable

AS: Speaking of Elder Scrolls VI, do you think you might bring Anna into TES 6 - wherever it may take place?

AC: I'd be open to it of course, would have to see once it comes out!

AS: If it takes place in Valenwood, well you'd pretty much have to.

AC: YES! I hoped it would be, but if I hope too much and it's not, I'd be upset, so I don't hope much. I'll just wait and see.

AS: Maybe port Anna into Fallout 4 as a perky elf-cosplayer lol

AC: Ha, not sure about that. I'd have to buy F4, and since I'm just not interested in that kind of world setting, I wouldn't buy it unless it's SUPER cheap. I don't even have time to play the games I already have, lol.

AS: Aww I'd really recommend trying Fallout at least New Vegas it is the best one (totally not biased lol) after I played it back in 2016 I'd wished I had played it sooner! Same for DRagon Age origins which I knew about back in 2009 but didn't play until 2014

AC: I did try FNV, didn't get very far, got bored...

AS: So do you have any up-coming projects that fans should know about?

AC: Finishing my Frostfruit Inn mod by giving the Bard some songs.
and my Morrigan-Leliana companions
and finishing Brynjolf Companion

AS: definitely looking forward to those Dragon Age companions

AC: Trying to get Morrigan to shapeshift in battle like in DA.

AS: That'll be interesting to see in Skyrim! Are there any other DA-related characters you would like to see in Skyrim, maybe include in a future mod?

AC: thought off-and-on about making an Alastair follower
but that would be well off, after seeing the reception of Morr-Leli
I'd like to see Dorian though!  Dorian and Fenris banter!

AS: You could always top off your Anna NPCs anthology with a Corypheus-like enemy

AC: ha, now there's an idea!

AS: Dorian would be AMAZING!

AC: just have to recruit a good mesh artist to make an outfit made of belts, lol!

AS: Maybe get permission to use the regal huntsman armor?

AC: hm, maybe
I do love that one...

AS: Anna, I wish I had more to ask but I think that pretty much covers it for tonight at least :)

AC: Okay cool, I gotta get to my audiobook recording too. Thanks very much for having me again, I appreciate the continued interest :)
If you want to know anything else just message me!

AS: Thank you for taking time out, I hope we can do another Q&A down the road, maybe after Beyond Skyrim: Cyrodiil drops?

AC: sure count on it!

Links:

• Anna's Youtube Channel
• Anna's Nexus Mod Page (Skyrim)
• Anna's VA page
• Facebook Page

Q&A with Anna Castiglioni

In this week's Interview I have a Facebook Q&A with Anna Castiglioni - voice actor, gamer, and modder! If you listen to audio books you may have heard her reading "Bedding an Assassin" and "Diviner's Prophecy", and if you have played Skyrim on the PC and used mods then you probably have come across her amazing "Anna NPCs mod". My inner fangirl has been outed because I just can't contain my excitement for this interview, guys and gals here is as promised my Q&A with Anna Castiglioni!

Me: "Okay a little backstory, what got you interested in voice acting?"

Anna Castiglioni : "That's a really long answer. I did stage acting as a kid. Then a few years ago I started voicing for some PC game mods. I enjoyed it so much that I started taking workshops and classes, and learned about the business."

Me: "What was the first videogame that you ever played?"

AC: "Final Fanstasy 2 on PC.  No, the FIRST were some Atari games, spelling games and such, lol."

Me: "Mine I believe was ALF for the commodore 64, it wasn't much in the education department but it was fun at least."

AC: "Ah, I also played an Alf on PC. And Tink Tonk Goes to Town or something."

Me: "Okay what genre of videogames do you feel are the most fun to play?"

AC: "My favorites are fantasy RPG, or just fantasy in general. I also really loved Assassin Creed II because it's Renaissance Italy, which is my favorite period in history."

Me: "Aside from voicing mods, you have also read for some audio books like "Bedding an Assassin" and "Diviner's Prophecy". Would you like to talk a little about those projects? Were they any more or less stressful or fun than voicing for a mod?"

AC: "It's fun to be able to voice for ALL the characters, not only females but also the males. I also enjoy the narrative parts. The challenge comes in keeping all of them consistent, and different. It gets a bit stressful if I have whole bunch of males, or from a male PoV in his voice. Then I have to rest more often."

Me: "I can remember listening to like "Heir to the Empire" on audio book back in the day and reading along with it and thinking it was just like a movie, so voicing for an audio book is really cool and inspires some of us (like myself) who are too lazy to read, to read lol!"

AC: "That's wonderful!"

Me: "So...SKYRIM, first off what is your opinion of it? Lots of Elder Scrolls fans (primarily the Morrowind & Before era) think it caters too much to the "casual" masses, but you can't deny that it is easily the one PC game with the single largest modding community in existence."

AC: "I only came to Skyrim by chance, and I had not played previous ES games. My husband bought it b/c he thought it looked interesting. Our entire household was instantly addicted. I think it appeals to so many people because you're allowed to do whatever you want very early in the game.  Then with mods, there's essentially endless potential for replay."

Me: "And then of course, "Anna NPCs" a wonderful follower mod that I must admit I have never not used. Anduniel, she's a Wood Elf (Bosmer) if you notice my profile picture (Robur) is also a Bosmer (a bit more classically Kirkbride)."

"Robur" my Bosmer MC 

AC: "Bosmer are my favorite ES race :)

(except for the cannabilism thing...)

Me: "I have to say I'm not sucking up when I say that Anna NPCs is an essential in my load order, the followers are amusing and useful and the amount of lore used in their conversations is extremely impressive. Did you research much into the lore of the Elder Scrolls while making Anna Npcs?"

AC: "I'm so glad you're enjoying it so much, thank you! Yes I did research for some characters when creating their backgrounds and quests, like Valenwood towns, Redguard history. For Teryn I relied mostly on the voice actor Michael's expertise, as Dunmer are his favorite."

Me: "Now while playing with Anna and Teryn in my party and asking them questions and what not, I noticed that I would gain points sometimes if I said something that they agreed with and this reminded me of Knights of the Old Republic and Dragon Age, where your actions/comments towards your party members would affect their disposition towards you in some way."

Were you at all inspired by Dragon Age?"

AC: "Oh yes, I love DA! And yes, I said that on the mod page. The party banter is largely inspired by DA banter, though several are more original.  The idea of Approval is also after DA, as well as giving gifts."

Me: "I know that whenever I start up a new game I usually always head into Riften and pick up Anduniel, I love the meadery side quest -- and playing as a Wood Elf (I'm using several Bosmer-related mods such as Bosmer Armor Pack by Maty, Green Pact Armor by ArcZeroEssentials, and ESO Bosmer Antlers) and it kinda feels like I'm running a little Bosmer gang after I get Anduniel and Vahelmin (from the Riften Misfits mod) and proceed to find a location fit for her meadery."

"I also noticed that you have created a compatibility patch for those who play "Moon & Star" so it moved the meadery over towards the Mill
Its pretty cool when mod authors make compatibility patches for other mods, so that gamers don't have to choose."

Anduniel, the central character of "Anna NPCs"; she is a fully interactive & marriageable follower, but like Dragon Age there some demands and prerequisites which need to be met. 

AC: "Have you played with Mareen? She's also Bosmer. And there's Daenlyn from Interesting NPCs. Yes the patch moving the meadery is for Aurora Village and Undeath, but also works for Moon and Star. I don't use any of those, though. However, the standalong Anduniel mod came out long before Aurora Village and Undeath. Shrike is the one who made the patch, as it's easy for him to do. Not easy for me."

Me: "Mareen is the sassy smuggler in Dawnstar?" 

AC: "Yes." 

Me: "Yea I recruit her with my Thalmor-hating Maormer

I'm sorry for the patch mixup, I've had SO many mods in my load order in the past and yea lol :P

Did you write all of the dialogue for Anna NPCs, or did you have help in some areas like with lore and what not?"

AC: "I wrote all except for parts of Teryn's story. Michael (the actor) wrote some of his backstory, and Old Book also chipped in for his Main Quest discussions. I wrote the rest. Sometimes after doing some research I would ask Shrike for an opinion, make sure my lore work, and he said sure.

Oh yes, Old book also wrote a few banter scenes for Darion and Teryn."

Me: "Darion Fleetfoot, the half Nord half Altmer pirate in Solitude"

AC: "Aye!"

Me: "I love his singing
Just listening to the song about the Twilights I could tell I was an TES nerd because I caught all of the references"

AC: "Haha! I didn't :-/"

Me: "Did Michael also voice Darion?"

AC: "Yes.
He wrote the Twilight song (the words. the tune is an Irish tune)."

Me: "It definitely sounds like a sea-shanty, and it's waaaaay better than the in-game bardic songs
I was actually joking a few days ago about petitioning to have them replaced with your versions."

AC: "Oh? Perhaps my "Fall of the Snow Elves?"

Me: "Yes! I much prefer Fall of the Snow Elves over "Age of Oppression" bleck lol"

AC: "Haha, Thank you!"

Me: "So Nadina, she's a feisty Redguard mercenary found in Falkreath or was it Morthal?"

AC: "Falkreath. Lorelei is in Morthal."

Me: "I really like Nadina, I used her when I fought a mini-Numidium in Moon & Star (the only time I used that mod) and she's an awesome combatant."

Robur and his "Bosmer gang".

AC: "Thanks ^.^"

Me: "Aries :( 

I cry a little whenever I see him
I avoid him unless it's my Bosmer (who is more of a dog person anyway), because I don't want him left sitting there in a pond, by himself with spriggans about."

AC: "You know he's got some banter with certain Followers: Elyndra, Anduniel, Mareen, Teryn, Darion, Nadina, Zorya
and Valyen." 

Me: "Who was your favorite character in Anna NPCs to create (voice, script, background, etc)?"

AC: "I really liked creating Nadina. It gave an outlet for my own sarcastic humor. And I loved making Elyndra, my Knight :)"

Me: "Elyndra is a character I found by accident. Like I decided one day "hey let's kill everyone in Fort Greymoor" and then there she was kicking-ass next to me, her backstory was very interesting as well."

AC: ":D" 

Me: "So I got just a few more questions, as I don't want to take up too much of your time."

AC: "No problem!"

Me: "Okay I have a few questions similar as to what I asked Rebecca "Burger Becky" Heineman
What are some causes that you think need more attention in modern videogames?"

AC: "I'm not sure I understand. By "causes" do you mean things like gender roles?"

Me: "Yea like gender roles, sexuality, etc."

AC: "Well, I'll use DA2 as example. From a player standpoint, it seems like the devs made it with a specific Player in mind (male straight Mage), with the other options (female, rogue/warrior) as secondary and with fewer actual consequences of actions. So female players, while we still have "options" it felt like they weren't as personalized. By contrast, Skyrim simply has all options open by way of being vague, no restrictions.

For myself, I generally don't get into those kinds of issues. Elyndra talks about it a little though."

Me: "It seems like your mod is pretty inclusive though, like anyone can marry Anduniel or Teryn if they were interested?"
AC: "Actually Anduniel will only marry a male human or Elf, and Teryn only an Elf, either gender. There are specific backstory reasons for this, and they talk about it. But some of the Followers have no restrictions, because it doesn't particularly matter to their backstory.

The only kind of play I don't offer is a gay male. And that's is simply because I can't relate, and I don't want to just wildly speculate and write a gay male character, and be wrong!"

Me: "Understandable. But all in all Anna NPCs are wayyyy more interesting than most of the vanilla followers, with an exception to Mjoll and Serana.

So....next question, is it true that you are or were working on the "Beyond Skyrim" project?"

AC: "Beyond Skyrim: Yes, I voice some characters in "Bruma".

Me: "I am sooo excited for Bruma to come out like you have no idea! Can you talk a little about Bruma?"

AC: "Lol, unfortunately I only know a bit from the voicing I did. I did an alchemist in the town of... Applegate? Something like Apple. And a few other general voices. I don't even know when it's coming out."

Applewatch as seen in TES IV: Oblivion.

Me: "Applewatch? It was a farmhouse back in TES IV: Oblivion."

AC: "Yeah that could be it.

Last contact I had from the voice manager was that he still needed to finish writing and then post the rest of the lines."

Me: "Do you have any plans for future Skyrim mods?"

AC: "Nothing huge. I made a Brynjolf overhaul and Follower mod but haven't released it yet. I have a few other small tweaking mods I made for myself.

I was thinking of doing something like a Follower male that re-vamps one of hte vanilla voices, like I did with my Fenris mod from DA2." 

The infamous Anti-Mage follower from Dragon Age 2; you either loved or hated Fenris as there was no in-between with him. 

Me: "I tried out your Fenris mod, LOVED it. He really is like DA2 Fenris, and I love how you were able to use what was given in the game files (Gideon Emery's imperial voice lines) to make him."

AC: "Thanks! My Brynjolf is like that, all the functions. plus romance and marriage."

Me: "Have you played any of the Fallout games?"

AC: "I only played F3 and FNV briefly, the intro and a couple hours in."

Me: "I play New Vegas whenever I'm not playing Skyrim, in fact believe it or not I just barely go introduced to the Fallout world like 5 months ago. I've been using this great mod called "Niner" (by Mishaxhi), and "Willow" (by llamaRCA) and I keep thinking something's missing like a touch of Anna"

AC: "Aww.
I've heard of Willow.
You should try out the Panser Follower for F4"

Me: "I think fans of FO3/NV & Dragon Age could greatly benefit from some Anna Npcs-esque mods even if it's just one follower"

AC: "Well, I'll think about it. I have had people asking.

Oh, I tried to mod DAO, but oh my god, the modding system is so hard! Not the kit itself, making a character is easy. The hard part is the programming, getting your character into the game."

Me: "I guess that explains why there are only a handful of follower mods for DAO (I don't have DA2 or DAI for PC)."

AC: "I chatted with the author of the Gilmore mod, who recommended teaming up with a programmer, that's what they did."

Me: "Have you ever played any of the King's Quest games?"

AC: "Kings Quest!  Only number 7, many years ago. I loved it!"

Me: "Yes! VI was my first, but VII was a favorite in my home. It was like my first actual PC game
before I became a "serious gamer" (still not that serious)."

AC: "LOL."

Me: "I also played Torin's Passage, created by Al Lowe (whom I interviewed very briefly years ago) loved it, also Leisure Suit Larry (though more for adults)." 

AC: "I don't know those..."

Me: "Almost done, what goes into creating a mod the size of Anna NPCs?"

AC: "Anna NPCs... A LOT. A lot work.

First I create the character concept and write the script. I voice it any time between that and finishing the mod. I write banter, get ideas for quests. Make the Follower in CK, do the unique programming. Then add the special programming Shrike made to have them interact with the world."

Me: "So is there a lot of back and forth with fellow modders?"

AC: "Some of them have uniqe outfits.  Shrike created Mareen's and Nadina's outfit. I retextured Elyndra's Elven armor.  The making of cells and player homes takes a lot of time. Writing the recording the songs too.

Yes, with Shrike, and some with modders who give me permission to use their assets."

Me: "What would you recommend to aspiring modders? Because I know the creation kit and getting custom followers to work can be a hassle, but you've tried it and wound up creating one of the most beloved follower mods on the Nexus."

AC: "Aww *blush*
Well I did write a book on beginning modding!
Newbies Guide to Modding Skyrim: Tips and Tricks for the Creation Kit on Amazon, print and Kindle." 

Me: "Oh I'm gonna have to check that out!"

AC: "https://annafollowers.wordpress.com/books/modding-book-review-by-urshi/

Amazon links and review there."

Me: "What's your opinion on the controversy surrounding paid mods, mod picker, steam/valve, Bethsoft, mod piracy, etc?"

The Symbol for the "Forever Free" project, paid mods were a controversial subject when they were introduced and subsequently removed years ago and remain a "hot-button" issue today. 

AC: "Ooh. I'll be honest. I would LOVE to be able to make money on my mods. But for that, they would have to be all my material (no extra armors etc.). When Steam did that paid thing I had mixed feelings. I liked the idea, but I hated that they would take 60% of the money. I felt the mod author who actually made the mod should get at LEAST half. It's similar to ACX, the audiobooks platform I work with, they also take 60%. However, a modder buddy on steam loved the idea. He did the numbers and predicted he could make thousands off his mods. Everyone else I've talked with hated the idea of paid mods.

Sometimes people donate to me, and to those I say THANK YOU!"

Me: "Any advice for those of who want to pursue a career in voice acting or who just really love videogames and would like to mod our own stuff (but are extremely amateurish)?"

AC: "If you want to pursue voice acting, I suggest reading some Voice blogs, get an idea of what the job actually entails, and dispell any misconceptions you might have. And practice!"

Me: "Excellent! Thank you again Anna for this Q&A it really has been a pleasure and I hope I can post a chat with Michael for next time 8)

AC: "Thank you! Good luck, and Under Sun and Sky :)







Follow Anna: 

• Twitter
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• Anna NPCs (At Skyrim Nexus) 
• Fenris Companion |Special Edition

Links to Other Mods mentioned:

• Bosmer Armor by Maty473
• Green Pact Armor by ArcZeroEssentials
• Bosmeri Antlers - ESO by DRELDYN & TheDNightshade
• Riften Misfits by VRDaphni, VRApollo, & Tylar