What was your inspiration for creating The Weapon Mod Menu?

It was all schlangster's idea. (I swear, officer!) He came to me a few months ago and asked if I wanted to work on a new project. He had made a new plugin, now integrated into NVSE, to give us access to the weapon mod information but didn't have time to work on a new mod.

What did you find most enjoyable about creating The Weapon Mod Menu?

Working out how to get the idea in-game was the most enjoyable part for me, as it usually is. It's one of those "You should have seen it before I started" situations. I really enjoy that sort of puzzle.

What were some of the challenges you encountered making The Weapon Mod Menu?

Getting it to look like it fit in with the rest of the UI was one of the biggest challenges. I went through at least a dozen different layouts before I got one that didn't look too out of place.

What other tools did you use to develop The Weapon Mod Menu?

Since it's mostly just XML and GECK scripts, it was done with Notepad++. I had originally used icons for each weapon mod type and those were made in Photoshop. They made the whole thing too crowded in the PipBoy, so I took them out.

Roughly how much time have you invested in The Weapon Mod Menu so far?

I'd say it's around 40 or 50 hours total with debugging; it's a rather simple mod and I had it 90% done on the first weekend. I fell very ill shortly after starting and ended up forgetting about the project for a few weeks, though. To those who knew about the project, it must have seemed like it was taking a long time to finish. (Sorry, folks.)

Do you have any future plans for The Weapon Mod Menu?

I have a bunch of people helping me with a multilingual version. I still need French and German translations--PM me if interested. I'd also like to rewrite some of the inner workings of the mod, but there's no real priority on that.

Are you working on any other mods or projects? Any plans for Skyrim?

I still have a few for New Vegas that I'd like to finish and release. A neat one, inspired by my Quick Trade UI element, is a context menu with multiple slots that lets any mods use it for grabbing user input when looking at an object. As for Skyrim, I'll try to get something like The Mod Configuration Menu working. I'd also want to give the lighting a complete overhaul. I'm quite satisfied with the original game other than that.

What would you like to see in the next Fallout game?

I'll be happy as long as unrestricted modding still exists by that time.

Anything about yourself you'd like to share? Hobbies, interests, background, etc.

Well, I'm a terribly reclusive person. I'm also very creative and curious, which is handy when modding. I spend my days designing machines and components, mostly automotive, or researching patents and SAE papers; I'm a total boffin. I enjoy reading 19th and early 20th century engineering texts, with phrases like "got up bright all over" meaning a polished surface. I'm also fond of studying Nikola Tesla's work. Outside of the intellectual, I enjoy traditional woodworking, hiking, nature photography, and rifle marksmanship.

What are some of your other favorite games? Favorite mods?

Chromehounds was my favorite until it was shut down; I love a good mech battle. There's also Metal Gear Solid 4, Armored Core: Last Raven, Final Fantasy VIII, Digital Devil Saga, Hitman: Blood Money, Gran Turismo 5, Dead Island, and recent Call of Duty games. A good bit of variety.

Do you have any advice for aspiring mod authors?

Modding isn't paid work, so do what you enjoy; having it appreciated should be a bonus. Also, don't be discouraged by feedback or lack thereof.

Finally, do you have anything else you would like to say to readers?

Thanks for voting! I'm greatly honored for The Weapon Mod Menu to have been the top voted. I've been overwhelmed by the success of the mod from the start. I hope some of the success was due to my effort, and not simply for what it does. I'd also like to state that the Fallout modding community, both users and authors, is the best that I've seen. I find myself uneager to move on to Skyrim because of this.