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About this video
WELCOME TO THE HATZONE
Click the hat above to see the dev blog. Or don't, it's your life.
The Hatboy Project is an upcoming mod allowing FemShep players to romance Jeff "Joker" Moreau in Mass Effect 3. Without this mod, he is not available as a romance option in any of the games. This mod creates an all-new romantic narrative for the player to explore by repurposing existing dialogue across all three games, and also by adding in new dialogue via other methods involving a lot of patience, technology, duct-tape and prayers. This milestone video showcases one of three dialogue paths to have this particular conversation.
Mod Features:
FAQ:
Q: FemShep players? ManShep version when!?
A: Whilst I've always interpreted Jeff as being pretty straight, my personal interpretation need not be law! The reason why a ManShep version is not included right out of the gate is because he doesn't have all of the same dialogue FemShep has that I am using to create these conversations. An entirely new script from scratch would need to be written. In addition, ManShep and FemShep are different to animate, and this creates the need to re-do all animations involving them interacting. This is very demanding for just one person to have done once, let alone twice. Right now, this mod is only being developed for FemShep.
Q: What about EDI?
A: Vanilla's got you covered if you'd prefer that content. I have restructured dialogue pertaining to EDI and Joker's relationship to just quietly sidestep any romantic implications. EDI is absolutely still functional as a character. They're just really close, good friends!
Q: What languages?
A: Spoken language is English. If you'd like to assist in translation efforts, please get in touch.
Q: Will it be compatible with...
A: I am making efforts to create patches for all the big mods likely to run into compatibility issues. By its very nature, this mod changes a lot of files across many areas of the game. As I get closer to deployment, I will have a clearer idea on what's going to play nice. If you develop a mod yourself and would like to proactively assist with ensuring our work is compatible, please get in touch.
Q: Okay, is this just for the basegame? How about Citadel DLC stuff?
A: Citadel content is planned, yes!
Q: Wait a sec... did... did you... did he help you with this?
A: Ahaha. Ha. You are very sweet. I wish. No. Your ears deceive you. I forced a computer to listen to every single piece of Joker's dialogue across all three games for a thousand hours and this is what it came up with
Thanks & Acknowledgements for Stuff Done So Far:
Exkywor - For help with adjusting some cameras and showing me the principles behind it
Beccatoria - For endless patience with my questions, and detailed explanations on various processes
Lunk - For similar levels of patience, for troubleshooting with me, for suggesting best practises
Mgamerz, SirCxyrtyx, Henbagel - and all involved with the toolset
DanRuta - For his pioneering work on xVASynth, without which this mod would not be possible
Mod Features:
- Alters the relationship between Joker and EDI to remain platonic by restructuring dialogue (Why would he say that stuff in front of his true love, am I right?)
- Adds many new branches of dialogue to conversations (Insert some very Dad-Rock sounding sentiments like "Love is a journey," or whatever.)
- Adds ambient dialogues (Look, not everything needs to be a serious discussion, y'know.)
- Allows the player to lock-in and commit to a romance with Jeff (Look, I'm not saying never, I'd just like it to be closed to start.)
- Adds a romance scene (In keeping with all of the others.)
FAQ:
Q: FemShep players? ManShep version when!?
A: Whilst I've always interpreted Jeff as being pretty straight, my personal interpretation need not be law! The reason why a ManShep version is not included right out of the gate is because he doesn't have all of the same dialogue FemShep has that I am using to create these conversations. An entirely new script from scratch would need to be written. In addition, ManShep and FemShep are different to animate, and this creates the need to re-do all animations involving them interacting. This is very demanding for just one person to have done once, let alone twice. Right now, this mod is only being developed for FemShep.
Q: What about EDI?
A: Vanilla's got you covered if you'd prefer that content. I have restructured dialogue pertaining to EDI and Joker's relationship to just quietly sidestep any romantic implications. EDI is absolutely still functional as a character. They're just really close, good friends!
Q: What languages?
A: Spoken language is English. If you'd like to assist in translation efforts, please get in touch.
Q: Will it be compatible with...
A: I am making efforts to create patches for all the big mods likely to run into compatibility issues. By its very nature, this mod changes a lot of files across many areas of the game. As I get closer to deployment, I will have a clearer idea on what's going to play nice. If you develop a mod yourself and would like to proactively assist with ensuring our work is compatible, please get in touch.
Q: Okay, is this just for the basegame? How about Citadel DLC stuff?
A: Citadel content is planned, yes!
Q: Wait a sec... did... did you... did he help you with this?
A: Ahaha. Ha. You are very sweet. I wish. No. Your ears deceive you.
Thanks & Acknowledgements for Stuff Done So Far:
Exkywor - For help with adjusting some cameras and showing me the principles behind it
Beccatoria - For endless patience with my questions, and detailed explanations on various processes
Lunk - For similar levels of patience, for troubleshooting with me, for suggesting best practises
Mgamerz, SirCxyrtyx, Henbagel - and all involved with the toolset
DanRuta - For his pioneering work on xVASynth, without which this mod would not be possible
10 comments
Then... we didn't get it. And I didn't touch Mass Effect 3 for years. Actually till this year. The way they did us dirty with ME3, Joker being relegated to 'dating his computer' felt like a spit in the face.
This is all just a way of saying I am in support of this. I want this so badly I wish I spoke another language so I could help. I can't wait to see what comes of this, if it comes to Legendary Edition. I'm here for it.
Hatboy is on track for release in early August.
It's coming to Legendary Edition but it'll be a while as I recreate it in the new game. I'm anticipating N7 day this year for LE.
I hear you. I made posts like that, too. It just makes so much narrative sense. Joker never asked anything of Shepard. Never required anything more than what they were already doing. The one guy who was there from the word go. It is compelling dammit
Hang tight, because I can see the end of the tunnel, now... It'll get there...!
What you're doing is the ONE thing I've dreamed about but never thought possible since I first played ME. I remember seeing that someone was working on a similar thing years ago and they never finished it and it broke me. Then I saw a video snippet on youtube that turned out to be just a silly joke. Then I got so desperate I started struggling with ME3Explorer on my own. Then I gave up because I had zero IT/game design/anything background. Then a couple of years went by and I started working on my own project again. Then just a week ago or so I cried over Joker never being a possible romance option. Fast forward to today and I'm working on my own project again. But then I get curious. Not expecting anything, I search for Joker romance mod on the web. This page is the first thing I see. I can't think for a full minute that's just how shaken I am. I open this mod's page, read it was posted on April 1st and I want to cry because yes I've fallen for another joke again and my dreams will never come true. But then I see the Tumblr link and suddenly it doesn't feel like a joke anymore. There's hope it's all real.
And I just want you to know that finding this, finding your hard delish legitimate and real work is bizarre. It's both an enlightenment and a fever dream. I cried actual tears. And I will never manage to thank you enough for this mod, because we're talking years of me yearning for this mod here, and you're just- you're a hero. Things like that make me glad to have managed to survive this far, oh wow. Ehem. Enough of that, now. Thank you so much. Thank you so much for doing what neither Bioware nor I could do. I will support this project to the end of all times.
Well now. I also have some more straightforward things to mention, ha.
First of all, if you may ever need any basic help with this project, audio-fixing, translation, proofreading, anything, PLEASE just let me know. You deserve all the support in the world with this and I've literally seen what work you're doing and I still cannot comprehend just how it's 10 times better than anything I could have ever imagined or expected.
Second of all, do you by any chance have any schedule set so that you know what comes when? Do you have a certain time window during which we, the audience, can expect the mod release? Asking mostly because the moment this drops I'm replaying the hell out of the trilogy.
Third of all, will custom textures work in this mod, or are you working on your own textures for this?
And finally, if we get the vanilla EDI/Joker check-out-my-copilot dialogue does the Flux conversation happens as in the mod anyway? Or am I misinterpreting the description and this copilot EDI dialogue is ALWAYS changed whenever we download this mod?
Once again, this is a literal life-changer and at this point, I don't even know what to do with myself, I'm still just dizzy from finding out about this gem. I think I've followed you on every possible platform so ha I'm definitely sticking around for the many scrumptious updates and sneak peeks. Thank you sooo much for everything and take care!
failing to fix the NonSpkr lines not firingtotally fixing animations and planning camera shots. Reading this comment really makes all the work worth it. (I mean... not that Jeff isn't worth that work just on account of his sheer wondrousness anyhow, but I'm sure you get my meaning.)I also share a long history of loving the ballcapp'd one. Since the first second I clapped eyes on him in my XB360 copy of the first game, twelve years ago. Then he opened his mouth and started talking, and that was it. Love at first snark.
Can't begin to explain the sadness as the dialogue prompts just... never came, when it came to him. I wrote so much fanfiction and drew so much fanart. I worked in a tattoo shop around the time ME3 was in dev; I actually met the guy who went on to be the head of the character art department at Bioware one day as I was prepping up his transfer. He saw my N7 tattoo and we got to talking about things. He said he'd put in a word for me, and I've no doubt he did, but sadly the Powers That Be said no. So let it be known, fellow Shokerite... I did my level best for us back in 2012. I should like for you to imagine my face when The Dialogue Option appeared in the Flux bar conversation in ME3. I should then like you to imagine my face several seconds after. Honestly, it hurt so bad that I never finished my gigantic fanfiction I had been writing at the time. It hurt so bad that I never finished ME3. To this day, I haven't seen the endings of the game in context. I know about them, I know what they do, I know what happens... but I was crushed, man. Like a bug.
All this began when sometime last year I received an email notifying me of a comment on my ancient-ass fic (Tiger By My Side: World Rocking Edition, on AO3, if you wish for something Shoker flavoured to pass the time) I was so moved by their request for more after I'd been silent for 8 years that I rewrote the whole goddamn thing.
But, you see, in between then and last year I'd acted on the passion and inspiration Mass Effect had given me, and I'd gone to university and learned a ton about making games. I'd had jobs in the industry and had even done some time in QA, too so I knew how to be... patient, let's say. So I figured I'd investigate what the modding scene was like, because... hey, I don't listen too well when people tell me that things are impossible.
So. Enough of Memory Lane. What have you asked me, here...
1. Assistance of some kind: Excellent, do you speak any languages other than English? I will have several languages this will need to be localised for.
2. A Schedule: So, because of Circumstances, I am devoting pretty much all of my waking time into this project. I am usually awake for around 18 hours a day so I'm spending around 11-14 of them on this. Pretty much every day. Many scenes are now feature complete or near feature complete; plenty of FaceFX work still needs to be finished, and after the scene I'm working on currently, I mainly have ending content to worry about. There is also general tidyup here and there. Then, I have to do work on plot conditional checks to try and make Jeff's romance properly gate out others, and see if I can reasonably make other characters comment on it in keeping with the vanilla options, yadda-yadda. Mostly detail work. So, what I'm saying is, I unfortunately cannot give you a solid timeframe for v1.0 but rest assured, I have put my entire heart and soul into this for the past five months or so and I am not about to stop now. I am going to try and guess at 2 months-ish...? Bear in mind, this v1.0 release is for the original ME3... I will be recreating this mod for Legendary Edition, with a whole lot more content, including stuff in LE2.
3. The vanilla check-out-my-copilot conversation will not ever occur if Hatboy is installed. Hatboy changes the nature of Joker and EDI's relationship to remain that of respectful friends. He thinks she's hot, sure, but he's a little less... inclined to focus in that direction, since he's kinda into his true love Shepard, yanno what I'm sayin'? All of the scenes I have worked on are part of this mod. I have written them and pieced them together to create what I hope will feel like a cohesive and thorough experience. I am hoping to make his romance path as content-rich and satisfying as any of the other vanilla options, though of course... a little rougher around the edges.
Or scruffier, maybe...? Let's go with that.
Thanks again for your comment. Sorry this is so long... I love talking about this project.
A "They're Just Friends" mod that contains only the redirection/removal of that content is something I will consider.