Thanks for chatting to us. Would you mind telling us what got you into modding?I have a background/job in game dev, and have used mods before for games like Fallout: New Vegas, Fallout 4, and Skyrim, but hadn’t actually made any mods myself until I was feeling really immersed in Cyberpunk 2077’s world that I felt it was worth seeing what I could make, and without being too late to the party!
What made you interested in making mods, and why did you choose to focus on what you have done?
It was during my second playthrough, meeting more of the characters, seeing more of the world, and enjoying the extra immersion that patch 1.3 had added that I realized, all of the parts are here; locations, characters, dialog, and animations. I bet I could mix these together and make a little mod where you can get a drink with someone in-game. That idea would eventually become Night City Interactions, but there was a lot to learn before that, and that’s when/how the Romanced Enhanced mods came to be.
How do you feel about your ideas being adapted by CDPR and integrating them into the game itself, such as with the “I Really Want To Stay At Your House” series?
Flattered! And a sense of validation and accomplishment. All my mods begin with an idea/design that I then try and turn into a mod people might like so to see CDPR officially implement something so close to my original idea, and people enjoying it, is very satisfying. It must have been a good idea.
You’ve made many mods that expand on the romance options in the game, who is your favourite and why?
Judy! She’s just so sweet, too good for Night City. There’s something very genuine about her. She gives V a powerful reason to live (she does make it hard to pick any ending other than The Star though!) It is quite the achievement to be the only person making quest mods for Cyberpunk.
What challenges did you face creating them?
Three big/general ones:
Understanding how the quest files and scenes work in Cyberpunk. I just threw myself into the files for small replayable scenes, like Judy in her apartment. Knowing how the scene went I was gradually able to match what was happening in the game to what I was seeing in the files. Learning how to edit them and add new stuff.
A lot of reverse engineering! I’d find a part, like a dialog or animation, from one scene and then insert/splice that into another scene. But we're only just getting tools now that can edit or even view the files logically. I've been reading/modding them all in notepad++ so far!
Modding it into the game so that it doesn't conflict with the game (or other mods ideally). Files like the game's journal, text, and subtitles overlap a lot, and it took the development of core mods like ArchiveXL and TweakXL to be able to start making proper quests.
Can we get a sneak peak of what you’re working on next?
I’ve got a couple of big mods in the inception and planning stage, but there’s not a lot to show when they’re just ideas still in my head! But I do have a project, something different (new challenges, new things to learn), that is getting close to release.
Artistic’ adds digital/interactive art displays to V’s apartments featuring pieces by some very talented artists related to Cyberpunk, and some from the lifepaths/tarot. V can find/buy/collect them around Night City to fill out their collection and have more choices with what they have on their wall. It’s been fun fleshing out the idea of custom art into more of a whole package/feature with items, details, messages etc.
Are there any other mods that inspired you, or you otherwise like pairing with your own?
Mods like Metro System and Pocket Radio went well with my goal of immersive experiences. Put on some music, ride the metro to a bar, and sit and have a drink. It seems CDPR also likes the idea, as they added versions of those mods officially too!
Do you have any hobbies or interests outside of modding and/or gaming?
Walking/hiking. It’s good to just get out there and unplug, though it still ends up being where I have some of my best problem-solving ideas/realizations!
Any shoutouts you’d like to make?
Big shoutout to Psiberx, and his core mods such as ArchiveXL and TweakXL, they’ve really been the key to making more and more advanced quests and features.
Is there anything else you want to say to the people reading?
You can find me on Twitter (X…) at twitter.com/DeceptiousPhil where I post about mods and updates, as well as work-in-progress stuff, and some ‘behind the scenes’ of my mods too. While I don’t take commissions, I do listen to feedback and like hearing new ideas!
In conclusion, if you want to jump back into Cyberpunk, with some more mods that improve the immersion and interactivity of the game, I thoroughly recommend keeping an eye on and tracking deceptious’ mods if you enjoyed his mods.Hopefully, you enjoyed this discussion with deceptious and his insights into modding Cyberpunk. Please get in touch with JustThatKing or Happybara if there are any other mod authors or collection authors you'd like to learn more about.
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A moderator has closed this comment topic for the time beingCongrats, choom!
Hey if I can't afford them in RL at least I can drive them in one of the best Open Worlds out there. Throw Judy, or Panam (thanks to AMM) shotgun in my ride, or my main hombre Jackie to slice up some mofos, or be turned into swiss cheese is all one guy can ask for in relaxing Sunday Drive.
Great article, and A+ mods Deceptious. I Love all you modders out there for your tireless, and often thankless time and effort put into your hard work. Never tried a mod until this game. At the rip age of 50 I'm so glad that I dove into experiencing what these fantastic authors/modders create. Your all saints doing Gods work IMO.
Much Love from me,
Mike....
Edit: How could I forget that Deceptious was the First person within 5 mins to help me out in Discord with a problem I was having with another mod. That echos what everyone else already said about what kinda person Deceptious is. Truly great mods and more so a great Choom that went above and beyond. This world needs more people in it like Deceptious..