Trends of the people

I released the Vigilance Greatsword on the Skyrim Workshop because I didn't think keeping it to myself was right. Not exactly in those terms, though. It was more like something I felt I should do because, well, why not? If I kept it to myself, it'd be something I'd hold onto for a bit and no one would be the wiser. While that has a certain appeal, I released the sword anyways.

Upon release, I had several requests to do other swords and figured it would be a good idea since I had tried for so long to get into 3d Modeling and forgetting all I had learned would be both frustrating and a waste. So, off I went to create more weapons. Sure, I haven't grabbed a huge audience, but I smile every time someone thanks me.

Every subsequent release garnered more requests to do weapons. Sometimes I'd do them (either because I was going to do them anyway/already doing them or I liked the weapon), other times, I wouldn't. Now, though, I've been watching the comments shift to "make armor X". Everywhere I turn it's an armor request.

I just have an aversion to making armor. If you've read or even used my leather duster mod for Skyrim, you'd know what I'm talking about. Random vertices not showing, polys "wobbling" when bones move (makes it hard to gauge where problem spots are ingame), the mesh not showing at all, etc. It's some setting I didn't check/uncheck upon export, a default setting that screws everything up, some obscure work around I'd have never guessed, or I haven't done the same thing a dozen times for it to magically work yet (mostly this).

Before Moving Bones

 

After Moving Bones. Note the size difference, both legs have the same weights.

Setting the skin weights is easy, if tedious. I just hate all the little things that go wrong whose only solution has been to try the same exact thing over and over until it works and, well, that's almost always been the case. Meshes just magically work for no apparent reason. The only thing that's changed is my frustration level (is that some sort of requirement for making armor?).

Now, the solution should be simple then, make the mesh and have someone else rig it! Eehhhh, I really like to do stuff on my own. I also figure that the more I know how to do, the more likely I'll a) do it and b) be able to legitimately claim it in a job interview. As Jim Rivers, the Hiring Manager at Obsidian Entertainment, said, (some paraphrasing here) "Don't put anything on your resume that you aren't comfortable with because it is my job to put your skills to the test and make you break. And I'm good at my job."