» Thu May 03, 2012 10:46 pm As for mod descriptions like Vija's, based on the other reviews, I think the thing here is not to just spit back the mod's description, they can read that on the mod's download page. Ideally you should write a proper review and present the highlight features you were most impressed with.
I guess I shouldn't write a review, being the author, but here is a nice, although long, review written by Vox Clamant for RPG Watch http://www.rpgwatch.com/show/article?articleid=161:
(EDIT: IT WOULD OF COURSE BE WONDERFUL IF FABLE INDEED HAD THE TIME TO WRITE A NEW UPDATED REVIEW INSTEAD, AS THIS IS FAIRLY OLD AND BASED ON VER 2)
(EDIT 2: A few hours later and I feel sort of awkward that I posted this
, I feel it sounds like bragging over my mod and I don't want to that... Feels silly to delete it, too, so I leave it with just this note on that maybe it wasn't so well thought out of me. My apologizes )in the hundreds of characters I have enjoyed over decades of RPGs, Vilja is the first and only character that somehow became "real" - a "person" you can picture that becomes an integral part of the story. I can think of no higher praise an RPGer can give a character mod than to say it became as real as a game environment can allow. And it is for that reason that the Vilja mod for Oblivion is the best character mod I have ever enjoyed.
Technically, Vilja is "just" a companion. But that is sort of like saying a phoenix spouting fire and swooping down on a battlefield is "just" a bird. What separates Vilja from any other companion I have ever played - mod or part of an original RPG - is her fully-developed "personality."
Companion skills: Vilja is exceptionally well-designed. I especially appreciate being able to set Vilja to be non-essential (so she will die if you just sit back and expect her to do all the heavy lifting) and an attack setting that has her sit out and not assist you unless you are in deep trouble (you can also set her to be an indestructible attack force and have her slog into every battle if that is your preference). Inventory control, wait/guard, and "go home," and changing clothes depending on the situation (casual, armor, swimming, sleeping…) options are solid. Perhaps the one technical issue that will disqualify Vilja for some users is that she does not use magic other than self-heals.
The following text regarding quests is redundant as the reviewer only playtested the first part of her first quest; she has totally five questline although at the time for the review she only had two, and he only played on of them as he hadn't realized it was only the start...
Quests: Built into the Vilja mod is a minor quest that is a lot of fun. It evolves over time and involves saving her sister (back in Morrowind) by finding the components to a potion. Please realize this quest is not even in the same league as Viconia or Lost Spires (below) but it is engaging, fun, and a nice diversion as you attack the other major quests. And a couple of the side characters you will meet as part of Vilja quest are worth the price of admission all by themselves! (OMGoodness the author must have laughed as she developed and voiced outlandishly eccentric Heneri - the one with the green hair in the picture!)
Personality: If all that Vilja offered was the companion skills and the quest cited above, I would just call this a "good" character mod, but probably would have selected one of my old companion standbys like Clair or Raewyn. But it is "personality" that raises Vilja to the top. Vilja has nearly 3000 lines of original voice acting built into this character. Vilja chats with you as you adventure. (It is today over 6000 voice entries)
The voice acting is professional and consistent. For those of us who have conducted multiple-session voice recordings, you will recognize how difficult it is to have consistent intonation and timbre over even a couple days, let alone the weeks it would take to record 3000 lines of text. To put this into perspective, if single-spaced on a standard word processing page Vilja dialog would fill at least 60 pages of typing.
And what is most engaging about the chatting is that perhaps two-thirds is specific to the quest or area you are doing. She will remind you of promises you have made. She will comment on people you are passing. Yes, a chunk of the chatting is about generic things (such as her abnormal fascination with mudcrabs and secret desire to date Azzan in the Avril fighter's guild) but most is directly tied to the plot and to what you are thinking. You will soon be struck by the amount of research and thought that went into all this dialog. There is precious little "filler" here. I remember one time when I got a quest to look for something (Imp galls, perhaps?) and as I exited the house I was trying to remember where I might find them - when Vilja commented "Now where will we ever find those around here?" I laughed out loud as she mimicked what I was thinking. That is a tiny example of how the carefully thought-out commentary is tied to the specifics of the events you are undertaking.
Recommendation: Vilja is the first and only NPC I have discovered in years of RPG play that becomes someone you can picture and know. She becomes a person. Amazing. If you do not like the chatting, it can be reduced. If you need a magic user, she will not be the right companion. But if you are a true RPGer at heart, please give Vilja a try. This is an astounding mod in terms of development and effort. (sidenote: since ver 3, Vilja can also learn to use magic and you can finetune the spells she uses ingame. With ver 4 she is also romanceable.)
Technically, Vilja is "just" a companion. But that is sort of like saying a phoenix spouting fire and swooping down on a battlefield is "just" a bird. What separates Vilja from any other companion I have ever played - mod or part of an original RPG - is her fully-developed "personality."
Companion skills: Vilja is exceptionally well-designed. I especially appreciate being able to set Vilja to be non-essential (so she will die if you just sit back and expect her to do all the heavy lifting) and an attack setting that has her sit out and not assist you unless you are in deep trouble (you can also set her to be an indestructible attack force and have her slog into every battle if that is your preference). Inventory control, wait/guard, and "go home," and changing clothes depending on the situation (casual, armor, swimming, sleeping…) options are solid. Perhaps the one technical issue that will disqualify Vilja for some users is that she does not use magic other than self-heals.
The following text regarding quests is redundant as the reviewer only playtested the first part of her first quest; she has totally five questline although at the time for the review she only had two, and he only played on of them as he hadn't realized it was only the start...
Personality: If all that Vilja offered was the companion skills and the quest cited above, I would just call this a "good" character mod, but probably would have selected one of my old companion standbys like Clair or Raewyn. But it is "personality" that raises Vilja to the top. Vilja has nearly 3000 lines of original voice acting built into this character. Vilja chats with you as you adventure. (It is today over 6000 voice entries)
The voice acting is professional and consistent. For those of us who have conducted multiple-session voice recordings, you will recognize how difficult it is to have consistent intonation and timbre over even a couple days, let alone the weeks it would take to record 3000 lines of text. To put this into perspective, if single-spaced on a standard word processing page Vilja dialog would fill at least 60 pages of typing.
And what is most engaging about the chatting is that perhaps two-thirds is specific to the quest or area you are doing. She will remind you of promises you have made. She will comment on people you are passing. Yes, a chunk of the chatting is about generic things (such as her abnormal fascination with mudcrabs and secret desire to date Azzan in the Avril fighter's guild) but most is directly tied to the plot and to what you are thinking. You will soon be struck by the amount of research and thought that went into all this dialog. There is precious little "filler" here. I remember one time when I got a quest to look for something (Imp galls, perhaps?) and as I exited the house I was trying to remember where I might find them - when Vilja commented "Now where will we ever find those around here?" I laughed out loud as she mimicked what I was thinking. That is a tiny example of how the carefully thought-out commentary is tied to the specifics of the events you are undertaking.
Recommendation: Vilja is the first and only NPC I have discovered in years of RPG play that becomes someone you can picture and know. She becomes a person. Amazing. If you do not like the chatting, it can be reduced. If you need a magic user, she will not be the right companion. But if you are a true RPGer at heart, please give Vilja a try. This is an astounding mod in terms of development and effort. (sidenote: since ver 3, Vilja can also learn to use magic and you can finetune the spells she uses ingame. With ver 4 she is also romanceable.)
Well, that was Vox Clamant's words, not mine
What also might be interesting for some players to know is that some hundreds of the pvssyr entries are written for her by Terry Pratchett, who has been kind enough to take a great interest in Vilja and has been brainstorming over her with me since ver 2.
If I should point out one major feature with Vilja that isn't mentioned in the review and that differs her from all other companions, it would be her ability to take the lead and actually guide the player through Tamriel, or to walk side by side instead of trailing behind. She also comes with a customization package and a wide range of premade looks; i.e. the player can finetune Vilja to be anything that he/she likes.
