Skyrim

This mod Falskaar is kind of big

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Alexander Velicky has released Falskaar, a content heavy new land and quest mod set on an island of the same name. It's available right here exclusively on Skyrim Nexus.

The mod was designed to be as complete as a Bethesda Game Studios developed game add-on, and it's pretty damn impressive considering that Alex primarily designed and created the mod himself (albeit with a lot of help for the sound, testing, and working through bugs). Alex explained to Gamasutra that he is looking to apply for a position with Bethesda Game Studios.

"Falskaar was my full-time job," he says, noting that he worked around 8 hours each weekday, along with some overtime during evenings and weekend. "I put an average of 40-70 hours a week into the mod."

Velicky lives with his dad, who he says was "very supportive, allowing me to live here without paying rent or having to pay for food/bills, so I was able to work full time without getting a job of any sort."

The idea was that instead of going to design school, Velicky would cut out the middle man and directly gain experience with video game design by creating his own masterpiece.

"I made this mod partially because I love game design and it was incredibly fun to do, but also because I wanted to impress Bethesda Game Studios,"he explains. "I think they make a very unique type of game, and are one of the best game design companies out there."

The team at Bethesda has offered the 19-year-old advice over the last year or two, although he hasn't yet heard anything as-of-yet regarding a possible job following Falskaar development wrap-up.


According to the mod description the new content adds new land equal to 2 Skyrim holds, between 20-30 hours of play, 9 main quests and 17 side quests, new items, new spells, voice acting with over 30 voices, and a complete soundtrack of 40 minutes of music composed by Adamm Khuevrr.

You can download the mod and soundtrack from the mod page here.

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  1. chicky540
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    In response to post #8519155. #8519496, #8520186, #8520564 are all replies on the same post.
     

    god dammit, i was working on Talskaar..
     


     
    cmon, thats a joke, ... or? ... well, if thats no joke, now thats a really weird coincidence
  2. qwazey05
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    I think that he could. The main problem I foresee is that he is just very young and most companies will just shy away from younger hires. People change A LOT from 19-26 and if Alex wants to work for a AAA studio he will have to show that he is willing to get an education, develop a professional demeanor and learn how to work with teams. 
     
    Given the size of his first project, he is well on his way already. My recommendation would be focusing on education beyond game design and start thinking about where you want your role to be within a game company. Thinking that you'll land a job as a AAA developer because you essentially copied and expanded on a game world using a world editor wont happen. Its like creating a campaign in Warcraft III, cool and epic but you're using someone else's setting/ideas/story/concepts and editor. If people could use a companies SDK and make a cool and epic mod to get a job, everyone would... its just not how the industry works. 
     
    Again, I believe that he is well on his way to landing a top tier job, but that he needs to think about what sort of entry-level positions within a game company he will be able to grab. Art Assets? Engine Development? Find out what you want and start working towards it. Alex wants to be a developer obviously so he just needs to start making games in Unity. 
  3. peterclik
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    I'm just gonna jump in here and say that I tried to like this mod but found the voice acting so bad that I had to opt out. In fact I don't get where so many folks are complimenting that side of this mod, because to me it just flat out sucked. Don't get me wrong ya? There were a few actors (one, maybe two)  who knew what they were doing, but meh, most of it was poor, over-the-top, melodrama performances given with no thought to perspective or competing dialogue, and just generally badly done. The children voice over stufff was the best, no doubt because they only had to convey a few bits of emotion in a very ambiguous setting.
     
    I'm not suggesting it's easy to find talent to give over to a free MOD. That said, I know Vancouver Film School has a crapload of talent that works for free and will work just for recognition and a resume hit, so I'm sure there's other schools like that close enough to the author willing to lend a hand.
     
    Not that the game play, story arcs, and quest continuity wasn't spot on, so where that is concerned the author really did a great job. I honestly could have put in the hours to finish this mod and I really WANTED to overlook the voice acting and tried very hard. But I gotta wonder what people are on about with this mod. Because some (read: most) of the voice acting really sucks large. The first Jarl I encountered for example, I mean come on... that stuff wouldn't fly in a '90's N64 game. it's so over-the-top with ridiculous and unnecessary attempts at Arnold-esque accents (and dialect)... and even the old bloke in Riften that sets off the whole "quest".... that role was just badly done full stop. He sounded like Mr. Rogers on crack. It's soooo far over the top that it utterly breaks immersion, and turns the perilous world of Skyrim into some kind of wannabe Mario Bros romp in the woods. So yea,  sorry to the author but he needs to troll some acting schools for WAY better voice talent and completely re-do the dialogue content.
     
    That said, I have to give it up for his obviously incredible effort to provide DLC like content, it's ambitious and conceptually quite awesome. So in a very big way it's a damned shame this was so thoroughly tanked by such a critical oversight. I know there are some who don't bother with the acting chops required to pull this sort of thing off - and for those folks the game-play itself may have rocked the casba. For those of us who need that kind of nuance and attention to detail in order to keep the game immersive and "real"? This mod can't be given a serious thumbs up until that horrendous voice over stuff is replaced almost entirely.
  4. MasterDeluXXXe36
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    The mod is good but he will never get the job.
    Becouse what have he done?
    Created a mod with a modding tool. wowzers

    1. pollotron666
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      Exactly, but some people here simply doesn't want to understand that.
    2. bMd153
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      I'd say it's a greater achievement then you think. I'm a student auto tech and I didn't make the tools I use, but I do spend the time to learn how to do things the right way. Did he spend the time to learn how to use his tools? Yes, yes he did. This mod is great for that reason. I believe he has shown a great deal of expertise and professionalism and that is what this article is praising.
    3. kostresa
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      I don't think level and quest designers need to program.They used the construction kit too. Game development is a pipeline. Programmers make the tools, then fix them as needed along the way.
    4. aynonymous
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      which makes it even more impressive since he couldn't go up to Bethesda and ask the programmers to add what he needed to the toolkit, if it lacked something he needed then he just had to do without and come up with some other idea to make up for it.
    5. chithanh
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      A mod , but a mod have same side with an offical DLC lol
      Even with Creation Kit , one man ( ofc except those voice actors ) make this mod isnt easy thing like you said friend .
  5. chriscobas
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    Just played this mod, and I must say: beautiful work done by a single person. Overall a pretty damn good mod. One of the best dare I say, done by modders. Bethesda: Give this man a Cookie!!

    On a side note: what some of the users here said is true, it's quite difficult to get a position directly IN bethesda, but keep this up and they will most probably hire you under some of their smaller filial companies to pick up some exp...

    Though, Alexander, I must say this: the importance of designing schools is NOT what the school teaches itself, is the chance to participate and collaborate with peers, and learn from other people that are there just as you, trying to hone in their skills. The importance is getting the support and evaluation of actual game designers that may be your teachers, helping you find some issues you didn't even know were there.

    Pick up more dev kits. try UDK, and Unity. Do your own stuff and build up your portfolio. You're bound to great things if you keep this up!
    1. kar2nz
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      chriscobas is right, but there is an additional element. people who run companies with educated people are looking for someone who can stick with something. having been to school for a few years, being responsible for keeping your own grades up without mom and dad on your back says something to the employer. it may not apply in your case, but to the employer it may be an issue, because that is what they were taught, and that is what they learned.

      as far as making negative comments, i made some after the first release. it was buggy... anyway, i did recognize the greatness, and i am giving it another go, like i did several times for helgen reborn. (alexander finally got that one right, at least i can play through it now.) but don't let constructive criticism get you down, even if someone understandably gets upset if their game gets bugged out about the same time they installed your mod. (that isn't what happened to me, i just couldn't finish it.)

      so, here is to another go at it. i hope you got the bugs worked out of it this time. i make much smaller simpler mods, and i make mistakes. boy do i....
  6. blackthndr9
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    What An incredible mod man , never seen any other mod better than this , this mod
    is by far THE Best mod in all of steam and nexus ( for Skyrim ) and i really hope that u will get a job on bethesda cause a talent and creativity like yours does not come Quite Easily, Keep Up The Good Work And You Will Be Even Greater.
    so like chriscobas i say , GIVE THIS MAN A DAMN COOKIE!!!!
  7. Erreandevon
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    best mod ever!
  8. evildeadhead
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    I bet every single person who puts a negative comment has never tried to make a mod. If you're gonna put someone down for their effort then show me your skills. There is a difference between constructive criticism and just being an ass. So it wasn't perfect neither were any of the games that are on Nexus or Nexus wouldn't exist.
  9. bullgod13
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    Focus on the mod. It's linear, it's big, but boring, it's created without much of imagination in both quest and map design. I don't know if a college degree is good for anything in game industry, but to create something interesting, a person should have experienced life a little to have something to draw inspiration from; read something, learned something etc. A 19 year-old very rarely has enough experience, or knowledge, to inspire others with his work and this mod is a proof of that in my opinion.
     
    Did you not read the big yellow post right before yours?  The topic of a college degree is NOT what this news article is about.~LIsnpuppy
    1. screendrop
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      I would suggest that over 4000 users that took the time to endorse, let alone the amount that downloaded it would disagree. As a modder, im offended that you would suggest that you can only get by from "experience". This mod is a testimony to modders, from all skill catagories, irrespective of socio-economic back ground, age or really, ability. Modding is about art and analysis and intellect and perseverance and dedication, like Hollywood before it went viral. If all you see is a "linear mod" that is "big but boring", you're clearly not looking for the right things, have a go at modding, spend some more time on the nexus and come back, THEN say that he didn't do any amazing job.
      Also, try not to mock moderators and staff, they're kind of important
    2. xTempest
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      Practically every single story arch in Skyrim is linear. Bethesda games are oceans with the depth of puddles.

      Why wouldn't it's "DLC" reflect that?
    3. hillster11
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      Please, PLEASE make a better one, i'm dying to see it.
  10. Jaradin
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    I don't think his detriment will be his proof of work but his age. He's clearly proven his worth by creating a significant mod through the Creation Kit, thereby establishing his capacity for level design and story structure, so that'll get their attention without a doubt. But Bethesda's one of the biggest companies in the industry - they don't hire young guys straight out of school unless they spend a couple of years in QA first. My belief is that BethSoft will offer him a QA position or recommend him to one of their affiliate companies. They'll want to develop his skills somewhere else, see if he's worth the time, then bring him back for the late stages of Fallout 4 or TES: VI if necessary. 
     
    He's clearly a talent and deserves the chance to pursue his dream to join Bethesda. But let's remember that even Todd Howard had to start with another company first before joining BethSoft - and that was in the late eighties. Alex still has to hop through the loops.
     
    Good luck to him. I'm sure if he ever does join BethSoft at a full capacity the Nexus community will herald him as a hero.