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Editor's note: The mod-maker interview series continues! Today CopperSun is interviewing PeacefulEnd, framework-maker extraordinaire.


You have not one, not two, but three very popular frameworks under your belt now (Custom Companions, Alternative Textures, and Fashion Sense). How do you come up with these?

I'm a bit of daydreamer, so I frequently get thoughts of "I wonder if this is possible..." throughout the day (not always related to SDV, but more often than not these days). Many ideas come from people mentioning pain points with the game however, such as Custom Companions (which I believe was originally based on Obamoose's request after I made Cosmetic Rings).

Your latest framework, Fashion Sense, has people very excited about adding things like wings or animated hats to their characters. Was it difficult to create?

It was actually rather straightforward, though I am taking it in steps instead of implementing everything at once (such as with AT/CC). It's also my third framework, so I am a bit familiar with how things need to be set up and I can reuse some of my previous code to get things working.

Do you do art as well for your frameworks, or do you prefer to stay on the coding side of things?

I do! All the tool sprites for FS and AT were made by me. I "recently" started doing pixel art (and art in general) back in January of last year. I'm always looking for an opportunity to improve it and making sprites for my mods is one way I do so. I am definitely more comfortable programming though!

Alternative Textures is beginning to see wider use as players realize the immense possibilities. Did you know when you started creating it that it would be so wide-ranging?

I imagined AT would have many use cases, though the scope of what the framework does definitely increased since its conception (it initially was just for placeable objects, and it now covers objects, entities, and buildings).

I don't think I have seen many mods use its full potential yet, such as changing a texture variation based on the weather/season or utilizing its animation features.

Modmakers have been routinely impressed with how responsive you are to requests and bug fixes. Do you not do anything but work on frameworks all day? How do you have the patience?

I'm usually at my computer for work, so it doesn't take much effort on my part to answer questions or resolve issues. I'm a fairly patient person (at least, I'd like to think so!) and I appreciate that people take time out of their day to report issues (especially so if they give more details than "it doesn't work"!).

Do you ever worry about burnout?

I've had one major burnout (it lasted a couple months) after the initial release of CC, though since then I've managed to stave it off by keeping my free time more varied, such as doing pixel art, reading, and other projects in-between modding. I'm not too worried anymore, as keeping things varied seems to have helped quite a bit!

How did you start coding, and what got you into SDV modding?

I started programming 8 years ago (was it really that long ago?) through my high school's offered courses and student club. Since then I haven't stopped programming!

For SDV modding specifically, I was going through yet another playthrough and I wanted the ability to order something without having to go all the way to Pierre's. That led to my first mod, JojaOnline!

What's the hardest part about making a  new framework? The easiest?
I'd have to say the hardest part is translating what your framework does into a readable format for mod authors to understand (or else they won't be able to use it!).

Having content pack formats that are easy to understand helps (such as the property HairSize in FS, which is self-descriptive), but I find documentation helps clear any potential muddiness the best.

The easiest part of a making a framework is coming up with the name!

Which of your mods do you wish got more love?

Hm. I'd have to say Multiple Mini-Obelisks, since I find it rather useful (albeit slightly cheaty depending on your usage). I was rather proud of getting it to work in multiplayer!

Do you consider any of your frameworks "finished" or are you always open to revising them?

I'm always open to revising them, as there is always room for improvement! Users often come up with creative suggestions I hadn't thought of, which in turn becomes a fun challenge to implement.

Was the move to 1.5.5 difficult for you?
For AT it was, as wallpaper/flooring changes were made in SDV 1.5.5 (for the better). However this means I need to support 1.5.4 and 1.5.5 (until the latter is out of the beta), which drastically increases the time needed to update or implement new features.

The reason for the extra workload is that each update needs to be tested and compiled on 1.5.4, then merged into the 1.5.5 compatible version (and again tested and compiled).

What's next from PeacefulEnd?

Currently I'm focusing on finishing Fashion Sense, with hat support coming soon and the rest of the roadmap to follow. After that I think I'll focus on my pixel art, at least until some new idea sneaks into my head!