Hello SnowRunners!
In today's modder interview, we welcome Poghrim, who also happens to be a moderator on our forums and Discord! Suppose that makes him a mod mod. Anyway, let's get on with the questions!
How did you discover SnowRunner? What about it appealed to you?
I was intrigued by MudRunner, but I didn't play all that much of it. However, I was extremely excited when I saw the trailer for SnowRunner.
I particularly adore the immersive nature of the game. Driving a large commercial vehicle out of a quarry on a rainy Michigan night in first person was probably one of the best experiences that I've had from singleplayer games in recent years.
Another aspect that I love about the game is the level of detail of the vehicles. Sure, it's simplified for the sake of optimization, but the primary components are still there. And it's just a joy to watch the suspension components bounce over rough terrain.
How did you get into gaming?
I was surrounded by PCs pretty much since my birth, so I guess I was a "gamer" before I even went to kindergarten... Some of my earliest memories are of me playing something on PC. Probably the first game that had a major emphasis on ground wheeled vehicles, especially commercial ones, would be "Hard Truck 2", quite a fun, but quirky truck driving game.
Could you tell us a little bit about your background?
Quite the sociophobe, I've been leaning heavily towards technical or artistic subjects of education, which ended up in me choosing 3D animation as my primary focus in high-school. During that course, I found great joy in bringing life to inanimate 3D objects and giving them a living character. It's also gives me quite a bit of insight and intuition when working with a game engine.
Mod: Poghrim's Universal Addon Collection
What got you into modding?
Having finished high school, I struggled to get into higher vocational education for various reasons (not all of which are any fault of my own), which was made even more difficult with the first Covid19 outbreak.
Right before the start of the pandemic, I was able to participate in a short preparatory course for a big name game development school, where one of the things that I took away from it was a quote from one of my mentors "You won't become an expert in something until you have spent 10.000 hours doing it."
I took that phrase quite literally and decided to combine something useful with something that I liked. And what do you know? SnowRunner was about to be released. A new entry in a series of games with a vivid and lively modding community.
Have you modded for any other games?
No... at least not yet. I was, at one point, peeking into how mods work in the game Mount & Blade 2: Bannerlord, but never fully committed to it.
What's your favourite SnowRunner mod?
I can't really pinpoint any specific favourite mod. Any mod that adds something new and unique has a good chance of becoming a "favourite" of mine.
What would be your dream change or addition to SnowRunner?
It would probably be a more chaotic and impactful weather system, along with the ability to assign a lot more functions to animate buttons with. Imagine driving in first person in a thunderstorm, with wipers desperately trying to wipe away the downpour, revealing slivers of the washed out road in front of you. Or a strong blizzard in the mountains, swallowing the valley under a cliff-side road into ghostly white nothingness.
What’s your favorite thing about SnowRunner?
I've referred to it already, but I absolutely adore the immersiveness of the game. I am a huge fan of games that you can fully immerse yourself in. Games like Skyrim, Deus Ex, etc. And SnowRunner has immersion by the truck-load (pun intended).
What advice would you give to people who would like to get into modding?
Not sure if you can count this as "advice", but anyone that is interested in modding SnowRunner (or any other game, really), should be wary of how much effort it actually takes. But just because something isn't trivial and immediate, doesn't mean that it's not worth it. Overcoming obstacles is one of the best ways to learn something. And the various modding communities, not to mention the official SnowRunner Discord server, are full of people that are willing to assist and guide you through any issues you might encounter.
Working on any exciting mod at the moment?
I'm always working on something...
One of the current projects is to add more customization features to the Tenno T-21 in the form of various addons and paint jobs.
But on a more exciting note, I'm almost done making a sporty facelifted version of my Volvo C3-series. (I also have plans to make a rally/raid version of the Z-31 from my Z-series to accompany it.)
Here are some WIP screenshots:
After that, I'm planning on making a set of industrial vehicles, designed mainly from fantasy. (RWD or AWD tractor / Articulated Tractor and a self propelled crane)
Lastly, I may or may not be working on some unique features for custom maps.
What’s your all-time favourite real life vehicle? What about SnowRunner vehicle?
I'm a relatively simple person, so would have to pick the Volvo V70 (2nd gen). In SnowRunner, it would probably be the International Paystar 5070. The simplistic and functional design, paired with meaty single off-road tires is a winning combination in my mind. Sure, it's a bit top-heavy, but that's what makes driving fun!
Wildcard Question: Which fruit or vegetable do you believe best represents you and why?
A Squirting Cucumber. Because of my "machine-gun approach" to making up excuses to do or not do something. Alternatively, once I start working or get inspired to do something, there's pretty much no stopping me.
A bold choice, Poghrim. o_O Thank you so much for joining us!
Check out and play Poghrim's mods on mod.io.
If you have questions you'd like to see added to these interviews, feel free to suggest them and we may add them! 🙂