..creating and maintaining Skyrim’s brand new scripting language. This usually involves not only creating new language features and functions, but also writing up a metric ton of wiki documentation, various external tools (which includes a full-blown compiler), editor additions, and on-the-spot support for other coders, designers and artists working with the new system.

Hopefully there won't be a whole lot of need this time around for a script extender.

But I know you guys will do it anyway. You like the challenge.

So I'm very curious how long it will take to figure out how to extend the new system.

A related question: Why did you make this new scripting system from scratch, why not extend the old system? Is there a major difference at the very foundations of them?

I think you'll see when you see the differences for yourself

I'd bet the SE team will find their way in *pronto. They're awfully crafty.

*Day one in FNV's case

Heh, they have to be to figure out where to plug things in in a compiled exe. But I doubt they'll get it day one - this is a bigger change then OB to F3.

I've always been curious...what do you devs think of OBSE? Have you seen (in it's Readme) the list of features that it adds? What do you think about them?

Personally I spent some time on the F3 and Oblivion wikis, figuring out what people liked/didn't like from the old system, and what kinds of things the script extenders added (on top of working with our design team and figuring out what they wanted as well). So at the very least some of the things were simmering in the back of my mind while working on the new stuff. But I didn't intentionally take anything directly from them.

First priority is to the designers here - giving them what they need, and making sure they have tools that work to do their job. But you guys are always in the back of my mind and I look forward to being able to speak more freely and help out once the mod tools are released

Thank you, SmkViper for taking time to interface with the community. I hope more Bethesda Game Studios Devs continue to get Involved. I know you guys have to move on to your next project/job, but I hope you guys continue to drop-in once in while to give your input and advise for years to come.

I hope it won't be years as I would expect the mod community to get self-sufficient after a while. But for the first several months/year or so, I don't see why not. We'll just have to see how it plays out.

Any chance we can get a wiki started on at least some functions of the new CE? I'm sure many would like to start to give more substance to the mods they're already planning.

We internally have a wiki, which will most likely be cleaned up and released like we've done for the previous games, but I would doubt we'd release any of that early.

(And don't you dare remove the spaces around the brackets)

You don't have that worry any more with the new system. And, in general, less wonkyness in terms of the syntax. It's much more consistent and when you get something wrong the compiler will complain loud and long.

You know what would really blow our socks off right now? Information.

Will there be a Creation-Kit Wiki? Any chance we get access before the game is released?

Heck, even a (current) map of Skyrim would be great for planning our mods. (e.g. is there a town next to the coast / mountains / forest ? etc.)

I'd love to give some more info - at least in terms of the scripting system - but until more info has been disclosed by someone not me there is very little I can say.

I can say, however, that I've put a lot of time into the internal wiki's scripting-related pages for our designers, so if that gets made public like what was done for Fallout and Obllivion (after a clean-up pass) then you'll get to benefit from it.

If not, then I guess I'll have to track down whatever wiki you guys set up and get to writing