Hello SnowRunners!
Today we have a map maker who's won the monthly mod awards on several occasions! He's created a long list of fantastic new environments for all of us to explore and get stuck in. Please give a warm welcome to DerEggen!
How did you get into gaming?
Born in the late 80's, my first contact with gaming probably was the GameBoy and Super Mario. The first game on PC I really played a lot was The Settlers 2 on Win 95. I learned to build my own PCs and stayed a PC kid ever since.
Could you tell us a little bit about your background?
My name is André, I am from Germany and originally studied mechanical engineering before eventually ending up in the IT sector. I process data and information for a company that does land surveying - or to put it very simply, I also create maps in real life 😃
What got you into modding?
Cheating. My career as a modder began early when I started modifying games via the game console with cheats and later tampering with the game files - at that time, of course, these were only single-player games. Until I came across the Runner franchise, I only ever did it for my own amusement. My first published mod for the franchise was a map in 2014. The rest is history.
Where do you start with your mods? What’s your process and what triggers the idea?
I usually start with an idea for the main mission or the main theme of the map. Then I think about which environment would fit best. The editor makes it possible to import real elevation data, so-called 'dem' or 'gdem' data, in form of a simple .png image file. So I get such data from parts of the earth that match my idea, import the data and start to fill this terrain with roads, houses, factories and vegetation - that's how Meteor and Lake Coap were created.
Sometimes, however, I find an interesting landscape, import it into the editor and only then start thinking about suitable missions - that's what happened in the case of Kodar Desert, for example.
Either way, the layouts of my maps are very much inspired by the terrain, the terrain tells me where there is a good place for a city, where roads can be placed or where rivers flow.
How long does it generally take you to make a map?
For very large maps with elevation data generated terrains, lots of details, custom structures, missions and localization for different languages, I had to invest hundreds of hours and it took months to build and test them.
But you don't always need that much time. The editor offers the possibility to use prefabricated 'references'. These are small parts of the original maps from the game that you can use on your own maps - e.g. the garages, factories, even whole settlements. If you have mastered the most important functions of the editor and make good use of the references, you can build a medium-sized, basic but good looking map with roads, paths, forests, a river, a few meadows, a settlement and a few factories in 50 hours or less.
In the end it's a matter of practise and how many details you want to add to your map.
What’s your favorite part about making maps?
You can be incredibly creative and bring a landscape to life piece by piece according to your own ideas - whether you want to build an American off-road park or a mini-desert in Siberia.
I really enjoy putting on my headphones, listening to music and getting lost in the world I'm just creating. You have to put in a lot of work and sometimes a lot of hassle, but when you get the feedback from the many players who enjoy your map, it's very motivating and satisfying.
Have you modded for any other games?
Nope, I started publishing maps in MudRunner and am currently on Snowrunner.
What's your favorite SnowRunner mod?
When it comes to my personal favourites, it's the Unipog by Poghrim and the Mod Localization Tool by Allozorro. The tool is not a mod and very few people will know it, but without this program I would not be able to create a language selection for my maps. And the Unipog is a fantastically made expedition truck that I love to use for test drives on my maps.
But generally speaking, when someone takes the time to build a mod to the best of their ability and shares it, it's always worthy of a thumbs up and a thanks!
If someone could only download one of your mods, which would you suggest?
Always the latest. Even though I've been making maps for quite some time, I learn something new with every project and each new map is better than the previous ones.
What would be your dream change or addition to SnowRunner?
Sometimes I would like to be able to get out of the vehicle, walk around the area and maybe even interact with the world in some ways.
What’s your favorite thing about SnowRunner?
The game is simply the best and, thanks to the many mods, the most versatile off-road simulation currently available.
And apart from the pure content, I like the community that has formed since the beginning and that has enriched the series ever since.
Would you say the barrier of entry is harder for map making than for vehicles?
I can't judge that too well, as I have never built vehicles myself. But I think it's easier to build a nice little map with a few simple missions than a fully functional vehicle. If you want to build high-end vehicles or maps, you certainly have to practice and learn a lot in both cases.
However, the editor is already installed with the game and you really only need to know this one program if you want to build a map. You can read through the official guide chapter by chapter and build your first small map along it. There is also a second guide, written by a user in the official Snowrunner forum, which offers a quick guide for the first map. As the guide is written from a more user's point of view, I can really recommend it for beginners: https://forums.focus-entmt.com/topic/61859/the-big-book-of-snowrunner-map-making
What advice would you give to people who would like to get into modding?
It cannot be said often enough, start small and get in contact with other modders! Many who start modding have great ideas and throw themselves into the work with eagerness and enthusiasm. But unfortunately they take on too much and eventually give up in frustration because they underestimate the workload and don't get done what they had in mind.
If you want to start building maps, you should begin with a small map of no more than 1x1km². Then, with the help of the guide, get to know the various tools and functions of the editor and start designing your map.
The first successes will soon show but so will the first problems and questions. With both, you should go to the official Discord channel. There are many other modders who can help you. And you can show others your progress, which helps a lot to keep you motivated.
On YouTube there are also a few helpful videos from Remoh on the subject of map building for beginners.
Working on any exciting mod at the moment?
Of course! I am currently working on a Russian region with three maps. Poghrim has also made some custom models and custom cargos for this map, so players can look forward to some unique and hopefully fun missions and locations. Unfortunately, the maps are still a long way from being finished.
What’s your all-time favorite real life vehicle? What about SnowRunner vehicle?
I'm not a car nut, but the Mercedes Unimog has always fascinated me. For decades it has come in countless variants and conversions and the off-road capability of this truck is legendary.
In Snowrunner I would probably choose the Tayga. I've dug myself through many mud holes with it.
Wildcard Question: Combine two animals and name your creation.
Obviously the world needs flying spiders, the Flyder - a very good reason to stay home and play videogames 😃
Ok the Flyder sounds horrifying, but thank you for the excuse to stay home and play games!
Check out and play DerEggen'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! 🙂