“I didn’t know what game to play, and then I thought of Baldur’s Gate 3,” modder Hippp0o told me.
“I’m already [its] Story mode, and not really wanting to start a new campaign. I really just want to use it as a turn-based combat simulator with my own custom/modded characters. [the] Script extenders and Lua were not new to me. So I quickly conceived and wrote the basic concepts that are still used in today’s version of ToT – maps, scenarios and enemies. This was the initial plan.”
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This early concept eventually evolved into Trials of Tav – or ToT as Hippp0o calls it there – a rather sprawling BG3 mod that adds an entire standalone roguelike mode to the game, specifically for those who, like the modder, enjoy fighting off waves of enemies with their own party. After all, you can only have so many in-depth camp conversations with Gale, or so many charming little quests with Karlach, until you’re overcome by the desire to just kill a bunch of stuff – preferably in a way that requires less planning than your usual dark impulses.
Still, it’s interesting how Trials of Tav ultimately chose to find its way between its simple beginnings and its complex present. As mentioned, Hippp0o didn’t go the way that most expensive mods seem to go. Rather than starting with a big, lofty goal and then gradually refining that idea into something more practical, focused, and achievable, Hippp0o did the opposite and came up with a specific, streamlined vision and built on it based on the feedback they received.
“I didn’t initially associate it with roguelikes because I just made it as a combat simulator,” the modder admitted. “When I released the first version called ‘Just Combat’, which only contained the basic concept, people commented on it and compared it to a roguelike.
“The mod didn’t get a lot of traction because the UI wasn’t there and there wasn’t much for users to play,” they continued. “After joining the Larian Studios Discord and another mod-related forum [server]After that, I tried consulting with people, and they helped me shape the roguelike features we have today.”
There was a big obstacle in the process of making the mod closer to a roguelike game – Hippp0o had not actually played what they considered to be “well-known” roguelike games on the market. In their opinion, the closest games to Hades were action RPGs like Diablo and Last Epoch. However, some serendipity made them understand that this path was the best way to help turn the core combat elements of Trials of Tav into something more interesting.
“Another factor that has played a big role in our success today is,” the explanation said. [modder] Norbyte coincidentally implemented IMGUI as a custom user interface [the] Scripting extenders, and at the same time I was looking for ways to let users interact with my battle simulator module. You could say it was a perfect storm.”
Hippp0o spent at least two months developing and coding the project before releasing the version of Trials of Tav that can currently be found on Nexus. “The biggest challenge was definitely the feeling that it was never good enough and that there never seemed to be features that came from suggestions,” they say of this time.
“Another challenge to overcome was the original game itself,” the modder added. “I used [the] Script Extender is my main interface to the game’s underlying systems. It’s not always easy to get the game to the state I want it to be. Norbyte did a lot of work to make this happen, but there are certain limitations. Thankfully, with Script Extender’s latest features coming out in a timely manner, solving the mod’s UI/UX issues has been easier than expected.”
After a short break after they initially released the model, Hippp0o says, “the feeling started to grow stronger again as more and more people started to give their opinions and suggestions.” “I did,” they explain, “but I have to say that I sometimes don’t have the motivation to read the reviews. Still, the positive feedback is great and it’s definitely worth it after spending so long working on this project.”
They plan to continue incorporating this feedback into the mod as it evolves. “The list of things to add and improve is long. I’ll definitely be busy working on them as long as I’m motivated,” Hippp0o revealed. “One of the most requested features was adding vendors to camps, which will be implemented at some point.” They also have some ideas for other mods they’d like to “try” in the future, some of which “have to do with character customization or making DM tools related to Trials of Tav, as well as [adding] PvP [to it]”
Given that Baldur’s Gate 3 is in an interesting place right now in terms of mods, with the release of Patch 7 in September and the much-anticipated Larian official mod tool coming out of beta and alpha testing, I also asked Hippp0o for his thoughts on the game’s current modding situation.
“While mod tools are coming soon, the modding industry has been thriving since launch, with a constant flow of creativity and talent,” they told me. “There are a lot of tools that the community has made, of course, like Norbyte’s Script Extender (SE), and [the likes of] Framework [and] VScode extension.
“I think people who want to start modding shouldn’t give up on doing so just because Patch 7 is coming. [they] Proposed [to us]it seems that modding tools will only make this endeavor easier without having to acquire specific knowledge. They will also open up new possibilities for gamers on consoles. This does not mean [they] It will make possible many things that are impossible now.”
“There’s still a lot that’s not accomplished with current tools. [at the community’s disposal]” they added.[The] The script expander is particularly powerful, and many people are still trying to explore the huge possibilities it brings. Trials of Tav is an example [of this] Therefore, it won’t benefit much from mod tools. This is also why it will most likely never come to consoles or Mac: it’s too dependent on SE.”
So if you’re like Hippp0o, and you’ve invested enough time in Baldur’s Gate 3’s main story since the game’s release to start coming up with ideas for mods that could help turn it into something fresh, you have two choices. You can wait for things to become a little easier for newcomers, or you can dive in and get a head start, trying to master all the great tools that are out there.
Just like trying to choose the right group of people to share a tent with, the ideal answer may depend on your comfort level with certain things.
