Morrowind Mod:Mod Interview: Talking with Morrowind Modder, Connary

Article originally written by Gstaff, and hosted on the Bethblog.
Original post date: Tuesday, November 6, 2007

Introduction

This week we’re chatting with David Molinero, better known in the Morrowind modding community as Connary. For a living, Molinero works as a freelance digital illustrator; work that includes doing scenery layouts for books and television spots. In the last year, he also spent time participating in some amateur videogame development. When he’s not working, he likes to “get lost, preferably in a fantasy world.”

This past week Connary took the time to answer some questions about his contributions to the Morrowind modding community. Here’s what he had to say:

Interview

Gstaff: What got you interested in modding Morrowind? Was it your general interest in modding, or did you just like playing Morrowind that much?

Connary: There are two basic reasons, the first is Morrowind itself. I’ve grownup playing videogames since it was a funny bunch of pixels on a Colecovision to the new graphic splendor now. I think Morrowind is the most fascinating and immersive game so far. I can remember clearly the times when I played this game at night illuminated only by a single candle trying to discover in a dictionary what they are saying to me because I role-played the fact I didn’t know the Vvardenfell (English) language. It was a funny way to learn English.

On the other hand, I’m trying to open my work field possibilities with videogame development. With the Morrowind tools I am experimenting improve my artistic capacities in texturing.

Gstaff: I’ve seen you’ve done quite a few mods for Morrowind? Do you know how many you’ve actually done?

Connary: Dunno, the best direction to get a current count of my mods is the Planet Elder Scrolls list. It seems like a very large list, but there are a lot of mods that are of only one creature re-textured.

There are a few more in the works, but all of them share and are part of the same project for a complete Morrowind re-texture.

Gstaff: Of the work you’ve done, what would you say is your finest work?

Connary: It’s impossible to me decide between my works, all of them give me a lot of satisfaction and presented their own challenge. I’m very proud with the Bestiary because it was very interesting to try to redo the guard with elephant skin or the lamecorprus with real leprosy bulbs.

Gstaff: How long will that project take to complete?

Connary: Re-texturing all of Morrowind will be a large project and it depends of my real job projects. I will work intensively this month to improve my texturizing skills three levels more (yes, my life is like an RPG).

Gstaff: Any projects you can talk about that you ended up canceling? Also, do you have anything cool in the works?

Connary: Canceling a mod its not an option for me, LOL! In fact, I’m working with the objective of a complete re-texture in mind, and I’m working on final versions for all the mods to get a complete texture pack with a fluid and interesting new look that maintains the original old feeling.

Gstaff: When you’re not modding Morrowind, what other games do you play/mod?

Connary: I’ve discovered recently the old classic game Jagged Alliance and enjoy it a lot.

Gstaff: Any game out there you’d like to take a crack at modding?

Connary: I will mod Oblivion with the intention of practicing with the new technologies implemented in the game textures, but without the intention to get a useable or uploadable mod.

Gstaff: Outside of your work, what are some of your favorite mods?

Connary: Less Generic NPC mod fits perfectly my interest of deepest inmersion in a game.

Gstaff: Have you considered becoming a game developer?

Connary: Absolutely yes.

Comments

(as of 18:53, 02 November 2014 UTC)

BlackIce, Leftie said on Tuesday, November 6, 2007 at 4:57 pm:
So.. He hasn’t done any mods to improve the NPC faces has he? I desperately hate them..

Riudo said on Monday, November 12, 2007 at 6:03 am:
The only mod thats really needed anymore is a “multiplayer” mod, but retextures always tend to freshen up morrowind a bit!

GuardianAngel said on Friday, July 17, 2009 at 11:19 am:
No, Connary has not made any face textures for NPCs, but his works in retexturing the various locations and creatures of Vvardenfell are amazing. Connary makes Morrowind closer to “real” than any other modder out there.

ps- If you really want a good face/head replacer, go get “Vvardenfell Visages.” UQForgotten’s faces are, like Connary to landscapes, the very best. Better Heads is Helpful, too.