This week we talk to the Cyberpunk 2077 modder most famous for his alternate appearance mods, Seracen. We catch up with him as to how he got into modding, what he likes and doesn't about 2077 and what mods he is most proud of plus future projects. Enjoy!
First can you tell us a little about yourself, where you grew up and what attracted or inspired you to get into modding?
I am a first generation American actually, born in the South. I didn't get into gaming until I was maybe 10. As for modding, I'd dabbled in some of the Elder Scrolls games, and a few Bioware games as well. But something about Cyberpunk just spoke to me. And while the modding scene uses a lot of unofficial tools, it's robust and welcoming. I also just didn't want to say goodbye to Night City. So modding was a way for me to stay engaged with the content!
How did you learn scripting/coding?
I took a few classes in high school, and did some IT freelance in college; but I mostly learned the systems for modding by myself, or through community tutorials.
What drew you to cyberpunk 2077 or/and the cyberpunk genre as a whole?
I think early 90s anime really got me into it. Armitage and Outlaw Star were among the first I ever saw. I also liked Johnny Mnemonic, and of course Matrix. So I've always been a fan of the genre. It saddened me that there were so few AAA titles in the genre, but I have enjoyed Deus Ex and a few others, and hope this is a sign of more to come.
What message, to you, does the cyberpunk genre imply or relay as a viewer, fan of that aesthetic?
To me, Cyberpunk seems to be about two different core themes, depending on the philosophy of the writer. One is repudiation of the system, to create a paradigm shift. The other is the system grinding down such rebellion, with cold inevitability. All the other stuff (the nature of digital life, exploration of the human psyche, the societal cost of such advances) are certainly interesting wrinkles that play against those two core backdrops.
What mod tools that are not in 2077 would you like to see in the sequel Project Orion?
Aside from more story content (perhaps even additions to the endings), I'd love to see more content with the companions (romanceable or otherwise). I'd also love repeatable missions and nightlife content. Such as races, or merc contracts and gigs. Even some minigames that we could play with followers, like billiards. Nothing beyond what we've seen in Skyrim's RADIANT AI system, or Fable's Pub Games. Nothing groundbreaking, but it would be fun and add life.
What drew you to the 2077 game specifically? What keeps driving you to keep making content for it?
We've never seen an open world concept done with such a rich sci-fi world. Fallout comes close, but it's post-apocalyptic, so we never got to revel in the ambience of technology against the advanced neon city, as with this world. Much like the film Blade Runner...Cyberpunk is an experience you just want to immerse yourself in.
What about the 2077 characters specifically got your interest? All time favorite NPC in 2077 and why?
So an interesting conclusion I came to, as a modder: I really can't play favorites anymore. After spending so much time modding for these characters, it almost feels like a relationship, like I went on my own personal journeys with them. So I can't really answer that question. If I HAD to pick one, it would be my custom character conversion, Rhino Ward, simply because it was a project unlike any other, and took so long to make. Prior to her, it was actually Claire. Even though I don't have huge investment in the character, working on the Claire mod really taught me a lot of things, and got me started in Blender.
What tools do you use to make your mods? How long does it take to go from idea to posting a mod on the nexus? What's the process?
The tools vary. At the start, it was basic Hex editing programs, and Noesis. Eventually, I threw Blender into the mix. Now there's WKit. Regardless, it all begins with a concept. If you have an idea you really like, it doesn't take too long to learn and implement. I've helped some people learn the systems, and within a week/month, they were able to come up with a basic test run of their idea. It's all about concept, then organization. The iteration is almost second nature, once you get started. That's actually where Twitch comes in. I'd just listen to channels in the background, as I worked on my mods. Granted, there are some ideas that are just a bit too ambitious for the current toolkits, but the systems are always evolving. Viable story mission mods would be the dream. A few mods have dabbled with it, rather well actually, considering the limitations. But I'm not announcing anything concrete, until I have some reliable method of creating it.
How long have you been doing modding?
While I created some small personal stuff in prior games, I didn't really delve into public modding until perhaps a month after Cyberpunk 2077 dropped. So about 2 years, by that measure.
Do you think these are skills you'd like to make a career of on some level or you prefer it as a hobby?
It's totally a hobby. I'm in school for something completely unrelated. I don't know if I'd want this to be a full time job. You run into the issue of whether it would still be enjoyable. And taking commissions is always a tricky prospect for me. Donations are fine, but I don't want to constrain myself to a client's schedule, considering my time constraints.
Could you list 3 mods you are most proud of (feel free to link them) and tell us for each one why you made it and why it makes this list?
Well, the Rhino conversion for River is obviously first. Spend a lot of time making her. Aesthetically, I was already a fan of Rhino. It was amazing to find others of similar persuasion. Then, working her into the game as a companion (albeit at the cost of River) was a unique experience. That first run with her in the game was quite the experience for me.
https://www.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/mods/6425
My next major project is still in progress, but it definitely needs to be on this list. It will be a combined Player Home, Radio Station, and Custom Follower mod. I've already dropped 200+ hours on the house portion alone, and I've managed to get input from several voice actors and musicians. Not to mention the help I've received from fellow modders. So it is a true labor of love and collaboration.
This mod page is reserved, not accessible until I complete and upload the work:
https://www.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/mods/7554
What people mostly know me for are the alternate appearance mods, so it's tough to pick between the ones I have created. Misty was my first one though, so that is a special one. But I think the one that really has to make the list is my Claire Alternate Clothes/Faces mod. Because that was when I first started playing around with changing and mixing face assets as well as clothing. That mod is still a bit of a mess, in terms of installing, so it will need some TLC eventually, but it really broke ground on a lot of concepts for me. I'm still rather surprised that I was the first to play with mixing and matching skeleton and texture assets like that (ie: Judy's skull with Panam's face textures will look unique from either of them).
https://www.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/mods/2030
It's still sort of wild to me, that I'm a known entity in the modding scene for this game. Much less, that I actually came up with certain concepts first. It's even more wild to see people I helped as they started modding, and seeing them gain success in their own right. This community has been a real uplifting and heartwarming experience, on the whole.
And my most controversial question... Which of the following labels would you assign to whom (one each)? ;)
Marry, BFF, FWB(friend with benefits), Casual Friend, Indifferent, Hate, Kill
As I said before, I really can't make that sort of decision, just because I spent so much time modding these characters, but I'll do my best.
Evelyn: Casual
Goro: Hate (I don't really HATE him, it's just that he just makes bad decisions, and is tragically blind to the failings of his Corpo masters, I get the love for him, but I'd cut him out of my life)
Johnny: Kill (he'd probably thank V, all things considered)
Judy: BFF
Kerry: Indifferent
Panam: Marry
River: FWB (if we assume Rhino Ward, otherwise this is BFF).
And finally what are the socials people can find you, and do you do commissions, requests for mods? Any final words to the readers? Thank you for your time!
I don't really do socials, nor do I take commissions. But requests and donations are always welcome via Nexus.
https://twitter.com/GeminiReactor
https://www.nexusmods.com/cyberpunk2077/users/1628464?tab=user+files
https://www.deviantart.com/seracen
