General:Cartogriffi's Posts

Andrew Griffiths' Posts
Medium/Format	Online Forum
Interviewee(s)	Andrew Griffiths
Hosted By	Bethesda Forum Discord Reddit

These are a few notable comments from Andrew Griffiths on The Elder Scrolls setting. Griffiths is known as Hungry Donner on the old BethSoft forums, ZOS_AlanG on the ESO forums, u/Cartogriffi on reddit, and cartogriffi on the Bethesda Game Studios Discord. These comments were originally archived by The Imperial Library.

2017

Who are you? (2017-10-26)

I'm the Community Content Manager at BGS. I mostly work with modding and creation club.

Is the Creation Club canon? (2017-10-03)

I am not an official arbiter of Bethesda lore, but I hope you don't mind if I chime in. Creations are official releases, but it's also understandable that a site like UESP or the Imperial Library would take CC with a grain of salt. We do consider lore implications when reviewing proposals, particularly something trying to heavily enmesh itself into the world. Connections to the world are great, but we also want to avoid anything being too impactful. That is, we want things to fit into the game world, but we're also not looking to greatly expand the lore of the game. With historic items, like artifacts, simply existing can have implications for the lore. Although artifacts in Tamriel do have a habit of disappearing and re-materializing in other places. I believe this was even noted in the description of Chrysamere in Daggerfall.

What's Bethesda's relationship to lore and canon? (2017-10-26)

We try not to make proclamations about the lore. So much of its richness comes from the fact that it's almost entirely encountered first-hand, and through texts written by in-world authors with their own biases, opinions, experience, and misconceptions.

What about items from other games? Are those canon, too? (2017-10-26)

Promotional items are sort of a category of their own.

Previously was I wan [sic] analyst, and one of my ancillary duties was actually Customer Support's​ go-to-guy for lore questions. I also had the opportunity to assemble and run their introductory sessions for TES lore, which was a blast. Although this does not make me an arbitrator for TES lore, so please don't weigh anything I say will too much authority, because I'm not in a position to even make those proclamations I said I wouldn't.

How are the Crusader's Relics added in the Creation Club carried by random bandits? (2017-10-26)

We are aware that in Oblivion, the crusader relics would be unequipped if you committed sufficient crimes. While they function differently in TES V, they are still divine relics. The bandits wearing them are not intended to be proper recipients of this equipment.

How is it possible that Sheogorath's staff, which supposedly grants his powers, is available to players in Skyrim? (2017-10-26)

Artifacts of Sheogorath are variable by their very nature. If this is the same staff physically, and there's no way to determine that, it doesn't necessarily mean it's still invested so intimately with his core being.

This is the Staff of Sheogorath. At least that's what it looks like, acts like, and is named. What that specifically entails with the Mad God is harder to pin down. You could call that convenient for me, but it wouldn't be the first time we've taken advantage of such conveniences.

Why does the Creation Club place Stendarr's Hammer into Markarth's Dwemer museum? (2017-10-26)

I wouldn't read too much into the dwemer thing for Stendarr's Hammer. Markarth only has one museum.

2019

Was Cyrus part of the crew of the Dead Man's Dread? (2019-11-15)

The Cyrus quest simply brings you to where his equipment ended up. Whether he was with them at the time is intentionally left open.

On the existence of the previously missing Daedric X and Y (2019-11-15)

The missing letters were added in by Gary. While it's true this wasn't part of an official release and therefore not technically cannon [sic], I'd say it's close enough.

But I guess one of them is in an official release now!

Is Jyggalag no longer associated with the Isles? (2019-11-18)

There are many small nods to the Shivering Isles, and Shivering Isles, although we certainly aren't bringing over everything.

It's true Jyggalag has separated from Sheogorath, but I'd say it's incorrect there is no longer an association. It's presumably a different sort of connection than you'd get from something like Wabbajack, and no doubt more orderly.

2020

On the Dwarven Armored Mudcrab Creation (2020-01-27)

It's a reference to a joke in PC gamer.

Is the next Creation Club release delayed because of COVID-19? (2020-04-06)

Creators can still work on their projects, and many currently are. However, with the disruption from COVID-19, we aren't looking to launch any new content. Even after our situation starts returning to normal, it could be a while before things have settled down enough to consider the next release. There is simply too much up in the air at the moment to provide much information, so I do not expect to elaborate further.

Quests for future Creations (2020-09-17)

The original plan with the Blades armors was not to have quests. They'd be craftable once you unlocked that material, and would occasionally appear on merchants/NPCs. If I remember correctly, this was nixed because if you weren't a smith, acquiring these came down to a matter of RNG. Given the large number of them, we did make them misc. objectives so they wouldn't fill up the main quest window for new characters. Strangely there was nearly zero commentary on this fact, but I guess no news is good news.

The Expanded Crossbow Pack took this a step further, with a really pared down quest. Folks didn't have a problem with this, and we did notice.

Semi-related, the next release was supposed to contain an experiment in the opposite direction: creations that were only quests, rather than focused on new equipment or house as the reward. We approved one for each game, but with the delay both have since picked up some new items.

The large Crossbow back instead because our test case for generally lacking a quest.

I'm guessing content was completed but because of the situation it couldn't be released so now we have a years worth of content. Sounds quite enticing indeed. (2020-10-02)

Yep.

Finally my chance to get this off my chest: Skyrim had a scheduled Creation Club release for the end of March. Content was locked. Screenshots taken. Patch was ready to upload to XB/PS/Steam. Scheduling was set. Sneak Peek was ready to be formatted.

Then, on the Monday we were supposed to upload the patch and begin final QA, the entire company transitioned to Work From Home. I can't go into detail, but release became impossible.

This, by the way, is why we won't discuss dates until a Sneak Peek goes live. Because things can get derailed quickly.

They actually have a creation coming out that's focused on questing. (2020-10-29)

We have something that was initially created to be an experiment in simply being a quest. Now that it includes "loot" it's closer to traditional fare. We think folks will enjoy what it does differently, but if you jump to conclusions you'll just set expectations it can't reach. Or pass things on half-remembered and potentially create rumors I need to stamp down.

It's been a long wait with a lot of uncertainty, we understand. It's been a long wait with a lot of uncertainty for everyone working on this as well. But please be careful passing along information.

On changes to post-release Creations (2020-11-06)

Most patches have included updates for some creations. The suggestions that we don't update, or even that we don't allow updates, is incorrect and unhelpful.

Many creators chose to be anonymous.

All creators work with internal developers on their content.

Criticism is welcome, but it needs to be kept civil and constructive.

On alternatives to getting Creation Club quests naturally rather than all at once (2020-11-27)

The original plan for Creation Club was an essential merchant who would sell the more mundane CClub additions, as well as "tips" that would start any quests. There were many advantages of this model, but there were also many problems, and it was dropped.

We've revisited it a few times, as we would also like to avoid starting a ton of quests at once, but there are no good ways to resolve these matters. And changing these quests retroactively adds a large additional complexity. We may revisit it again, but I'm not optimistic we can properly resolve these matters.

2021

Modding on the official BGS Discord (2021-05-24)

I first joined the Bethesda forums in the summer of 2000. I lurked a little prior to that, including on the Redguard bulletin board that proceeded the UBB forums. When I joined there were maybe 3000 registered accounts, only a handful of active members. Although two years on there were tens of thousands more accounts, and they all wanted to know the location of the Dwemer Puzzle Box.

I was a volunteer forum moderator from August 2002 to October 2012, at which point I "went pro" and joined Custom Support as a social analyst. While I assisted on social media as well, my focus was the Elder Scrolls Online forums. I even had the opportunity to serve as acting producer for those forums, and later assisted with the launch of the Bethesda.net forums, and moreso their re-launch with NodeBB.

Shortly thereafter I landed my current job at BGS, working with our modding communities.

You will not find someone who has been more involved across so many levels of the Bethesda forums. I have been here for over half my lifetime. I am the "forum guru." My participation here eventually got me into the industry, and then into BGS itself.

It's the end of an era, and I'm very sad to see them go.

But I look forward to continuing to work with the modding communities. I even have to admit that the majority of my community the engagement the past few years has been on Discord, albeit in smaller author servers.

I look forward to working with everyone moving forward, even if we're meeting elsewhere on the internet!

Has Snow Elf content been considered for Creation Club before? (2021-09-20)

I can't recall if any creators pitched something involve Snow Elves.

On the Space Core plug-in being Canon (2021-09-20)

I specifically demure, as I'm not in a position to comment on "canon." Both because I'm not a designer or lead, and because for myself personally, I find matters "canon" are antithetical to why I enjoy TES lore. Imperial Library and UESP did record my official non-comment on lore, so you can read it here: https://www.imperial-library.info/content/cartogriffis-posts

All this being said, I can confirm that the Space Core is Kynareth. Bet you didn't see that one coming!

On Scourge being wielded by the Dremora Valkyn Gatanas (2021-11-11)

Scourge being wielded by a daedra was a mistake. We were working off of the Morrowind lore, with some adjustments given the differences in magic system, and forgot it has been in Battlespire. We'll look at getting it fixed.

(Personally, if we'd realized I think it would have been more fun to give this to the daedra and explain why this was possible, since we could also touch on the difference in enchantment. But as a bug fix, it's easier to just move it off the NPC.)

Shadybunny mod and cc or one in the same because they are not made by the devs but by modders that's endorsed by the devs (2021-12-14)

When we use the term "mod" we are referring to content made and released by the community.

We use "creation" to refer to content that is developed within our official pipeline, and released officially.

Many in the community don't make this distinction, which is understandable. But this is how we use those two terms.

While this did have official involvement, it is a mod, and will be available through the Bethesda.net Mods system, not Creation Club or other channels for official content.

2022

On why the Beldama Wyrd were chosen instead of the Glenmoril Wyrd as the antagonists in the Spell Knight Creation (2022-06-15)

It's been a while, but I seem to remember Beldama was intentionally chosen. At the very least, I do remember reviewing all of the covens of TES II at the time.

I can't speak to the decisions made in this story, it's been a long time and I simply don't remember what conversations were had. But please note ESO takes place ~1000 years before Skyrim. Things change.

On cut content from the Fishing Creation (2022-08-30)

I think I mentioned it before, but originally Fishing was going to end with you fighting a living Emperor Crab, and then you could pay someone to hollow it out and turn it into a house. It was dropped for time constraints.

Also, I believe the crab as released is scaled down from it's [sic] original size.

What happened to adventure-type Creation Club content that focused on exploration (2022-09-30)

You're probably remember my tease of Bittercup. It was originally designed as a pure quest creation, with no new art or special reward other than Bittercup itself. We wanted to see what folks thought of something that was just intended to be a one-off experience (or three-off if you chose different paths with different characters).

However, the pandemic disruption resulted in some extra art, so Bittercup also launched with the gladiator stuff.

What kind of CC do you want to see happen? (2022-10-01)

My priority with Creation Club is helping creators make the content they want.

There are two times I got to write quest outlines - the Staff of Hasedoki (which was also an art recommendation from me) and the Dragonbone Cuirass. Kris Takahashi did an incredible job expanding both into proper adventures.

On Missing Tamrielic Lore Artifacts, such as Boots of Apostle and Daedric Crescent (2022-10-08)

An early plan for Ghosts of the Tribunal was going to have you find those boots, but they'd been damaged. Similar discussions were had about snapping the crescent into two one-handed weapons, since the full weapon looks kind of odd with default animations.

2023

On there being no Boots of the Apostle Creation (2023-08-29)

And Boots of the Apostle, although there's no way to add levitation to Skyrim without breaking a bunch of quests and locations.

We discussed a few ways to include these either without an enchantment, or "weakened" to the point it just allowed water walking.

On the difference between Creation Club and Verified Creators System (2023-12-05)

Nothing more will be released for Skyrim through "Creation Club."

However, the folks in Creation Club are now all Verified Creators and able to release content through the new program.

On Verified Creator Program Content Canonicity (2023-12-06)

I'm not a designer and can't speak about matters of canon. So I can't offer an opinion here.

Unofficially, I think the very nature of "canon" is antithetical to a body of lore primarily based on in-world sources written by potentially unreliable narrators. So, you probably wouldn't want my opinion anyway!

But I can say that Verified Creations by community members are not official, whereas Creation Club content is. ...

On if content from the Verified Creator Program is Canon if it's officially-published; i.e., it has "Bethesda Game Studios" as its Author. (2023-12-06)

[Note: It remains to be seen whether there will be any future official content]

I think this is a very reasonable way of viewing it.

While plenty of folks include community content in their headcanon, the conservative approach is to limit "canon" to official releases.

Why was my Creation Club application rejected? (2023-12-10)

No Creation Club application was rejected provided it included a portfolio. Every time we were ready to add more folks, we'd review past applicants as well as recent ones. We even re-checked portfolios to see if folks had added new material.

Sometimes, these reviews were targeted to authors of a specific type of content, or authors of a particular game. Sometimes they weren't.

An update on Verified Creator applications (2023-12-12)

Hi folks, a tremendous number of people applied to become Verified Creators, which is very exciting for the program. Just to set expectations, a full review of applications will occur through January.

To answer some common questions, if an application is rejected, you will receive an email. So make sure you're checking the address registered to your Bethesda.net account. If rejected, you are welcome to re-apply at a later date, and we encourage folks to do so.

A portfolio of content is required. Applications with out a portfolio will be rejected. Portfolios do not need to be Bethesda Game Studios mods, but should be applicable to making in-game content.

Most importantly, expansion of the program will start off slowly, and we will accept people in waves. With so many applications, we expect application review queues to vary. Please know we will endeavor to post updates here every month or two, so applicants know this remains active.

Can free Creations/mods use Verified Creations as dependencies (2023-12-21)

The rules for free community creations are the same for everyone, whether they're Verified or not. So, it's not something we went out of our way to clarify.

But yes, generally speaking Verified Creators can release free content that requires/modifies their paid content. Or approve such releases by others. There are potentially edge cases where things get complicated, but nothing comes to mind.

Will Verified Creations come out in batches? (2023-12-31)

Content releases individually as its ready.

We batched previously because a game patch was required for release, and we didn't want to patch too frequently. But the new system doesn't have a patch requirement, so content doesn't need to wait.

Since content isn't released in batches, messaging is a bit more complex, and how we message will likely evolve over time. However, we have a lot of options, including the in-game News blurb, and the banner at the top of the Creations menu. I imagine we'll also continue to release articles.

2024

It feels like consoles would actually benefit from having mod bundles/collections due to these limitations. Who knows, maybe we'll see "Verified Mod Bundles" soon (2024-01-06)

The ability to share load orders on Bethesda.net has been something I've wanted to do since I joined BGS in 2016. However, other matters have always taken priority. Maybe someday.

If we do ever do this, I wouldn't expect shared load orders to be "verified." A tremendous amount of work can go into assembling and maintaining a collection, especially in running interference so players don't go directly to mod authors with matters stemming from the collection itself. But I don't think it would go over well to have a paid collection that included free content. (And if the collection requires a compatibility patch, that patch can't be released through the Verified Creator program as we don't allow content with dependencies.)

When creating a Verified Creation, is it okay to use content from official DLC? (2024-01-17)

Verified Creators can use any official content bundled into the base game:

• Dawngaurd
• Hearthfire
• Dragonborn
• Survival
• Rare Curios
• Saints and Seducers
• Fishing
• New Resource Pack

There are some additional content resources added previously, like the Ayleid Dungeon set and Oblivion music tracks, which are also available.

On whether Verified Creators are hired (2024-01-27)

Just to clarify -

Creation Club involved hiring folks as contract developers working on Skyrim and FO4 content.

Verified Creators aren't hired, and retain ownership of their own content. This also means we provide far less input than we used to on what content Verified Creators make. (Although even with Creation Club, folks tended to pitch their own ideas.)

On installing Verified Creations mid-playthrough (2024-01-29)

Creation Club required content be load order neutral, and possible to install in the middle of a playthrough. With the Verified Creator program, both are strongly encouraged when feasible, but they are no longer requirements. For some types of content, they aren't possible.

In neither case have there been requirements regarding updates.

On the vetting process for the Verified Creators System (2024-01-30)

We vet folks into the Verified Creators program AND we review any content they release through the program. An overview of this process can be found in the FAQ https://creations.bethesda.net/en/creators/bethesdagamestudios

Comment Regarding Future Achievement Friendly Skyrim Verified Creations (2024-04-25)

Thanks folks. Looks like an error on the website. I've removed this from features until we can fix it. The ability to be achievement-save [sic] is still being worked on.

Confirmation of Bethesda providing support, including QA (2024-06-10)

1. We have done promotional work for the program, aned [sic] individual releases. There are no plans for Sneak Peeks, as that format isn't feasible when content is released regularly, rather than in patches. Verified Creators may discuss and showcase pre-release content themselves, and several have done so.
2. We do provide support, including QA.
3. Verified Content can certainly be lore friendly, we even added a "Lore Friendly" tag with this in mind. However, there's no longer a requirement to be lore friendly, as there was with Creation Club.
4. Verified Creators may choose to localize their content, but this is on the creator.

Creation Club and the Verified Creator program have their pros and cons. For some players, one or the other may be the clear favorite.

On the Lore Friendly tag and other Verified Creation categories (2024-09-30)

I was doing some research and noticed that the Verified Creations page Notes section says that they've been vetted by Bethesda. Google brings up several results citing UESP for the claim, but I can't find anything about where UESP got the info.

That's not correct, one moment.

The "lore friendly" tag is self-selected and does not represent official BGS approval.

With the Verified Creators, we are very happy to discuss lore matters with them. In these cases, it is not our intention to arbitrate the “truth,” especially as Elder Scrolls lore is generally presented in a subjective fashion, and this is foundational to the open nature of the series. Rather, we discuss whether something fits the lore and theming of the series more broadly. We may also highlight obvious discrepancies to established in-game writing which may be worth acknowledging, although not necessarily changing. (It’s also just fun discussing the lore!)

By "self-selected" do you mean Verified Creators can self-select going through the process of getting a lore friendly tag? Or do you mean that when a Verified Creation is uploaded, anyone can just put a lore friendly tag on it whenever they want? Has it been like this since day one?

Category selection is up to the authors.

It's worth noting, with the Verified Creators, we've never had a situation that required us to examine category selection. Maybe that will change some day, maybe not.

The upgraded platform also limits how many tags you can have, which the original platform did not. So choosing "lore friendly" is done at the exclusion of another tag.

On official terminology for Verified Creator Program Creations (2024-10-16 to 2024-10-17)

The confusion is understandable, though. As I understand it, a Verified Creator's mods are only Verified Creations if they have a cost associated ... with the exception of Bethesda's own free ones.

Folks may certainly use whatever unofficial terminology they wish to, but we never use the term "verified creation."

Creations are creations, whether they're released for free or released through the Verified Creator program.

Whether "we" includes you as an individual or not, this has me somewhat confused. I'm wondering about the term (and topics I may have missed). I was going to reply to this soon out of curiosity, but I was busy at the time.

These are featured here using the term "Verified Creation", but isn't that the official term?

As far as I'm aware, that template was corrected a few months back.