A Starfield modder who’s already re-created the iconic prison cell from the start of Oblivion says it’s part of a group project dubbed “Starblivion”, that they hope will end with an “Elder star system” featuring a re-creation of Cyrodiil.
The mod in question, ‘Oblivion Alternate Start‘, aims to do exactly what it says on the tin, giving players the chance to kick off their Starfield adventure via TES IV’s Imperial City dungeon intro sequence. While its author, modder Ronaldmcdonld, still has work to do creating the sewer sections that comprise the actual dungeon beyond that initial cell, it does look pretty impressive so far.
In the descriptions of that and some other Oblivion-themed Starfield mods they’ve recently put out, Ronaldmcdonld alluded to a “Starblivion team” they were working with. “Tamriel’s vibrant and variant landscapes have been our home for years, a realm where our passion could roam as free as the howling winds that approach the gates of oblivion and beyond,” they wrote, “But as we looked up at the stars above, we saw the potential for magic far greater than what Skyrim’s engine could offer. Starfield’s cutting-edge and vast cosmic canvas present us with the chance to reimagine Cyrodiil like never before.”
This certainly isn’t the first time an ambitious idea about bringing the Elder Scrolls to the Settled Systems in some form has been pitched online, so VG247 reached out to Ronaldmcdonld in order to ask them about the nature of their project.
The modder told me that they’ve got two current goals, with one being to continue re-creating and adding different aspects of Oblivion to Starfield, as they’ve been doing, and a wider vision of they’d hope to achieve down the line. “In case I’m not around, I would like to finish the most crucial elements so that it’s easier to pick up for other people if they wish to continue, Ronaldmcdonld said, “As far as my vision is concerned, if you download the mod after a loaded save you will get a signal to the Elder star system, if you download the mod and start a new game you will start traditionally like Oblivion.
“Right now, the main concern is to finish the alternate start mod in its entirety, from prison cell to that sewer gate. Then there are talks of copying the Dazra landmass over and deleting everything for the start of the Cyrodiil recreation process.” In terms of the size of the team they’re working with on the project, the modder told me that “a few here and there that have worked from other projects helped contribute, right now it’s just four people”.
As to what motivated them to start bringing a taste of Oblivion to Starfield, they explained: “I simply love the game and the memories it gave me, and would love to rekindle that love and experience for other people in Starfield. Bethesda started this whole thing with adding the Adoring Fan to Starfield, we the modding community are just finishing the job.
“I’ve always modded games for years and am actually an indie game dev and work with Unreal [engine] 4 specifically on a project that I will not discuss at this time, but all this experience made it easier as far as making meshes and textures and learning the file formats associated with them.”
In addition to the kind of modding work outlined above, one of the Oblivion-themed Starfield mods Ronaldmcdonld’s put out so far is an intro replacer that uses the Runway AI program to generate a joke version of TES VI’s opening. Given the quite controversial or polarising nature of generative AI’s use in modding (especially when it comes to the likes of voice acting), I asked the modder for their views on the topic, and whether they’re planning to potentially incorportate AI into any of their other Starblivion work.
“Honestly it was just for shits and giggles,” they replied, “at times it does impress, but don’t worry, the most AI will ever be used for is maybe to enhance textures or pictures, such as the loading screen ones, just basic stuff. Everything substantial to the experience and memories will be handcrafted.”
Obviously, it’s up to you if you consider that a potential deal breaker in terms of being interested in this project, or if you want to keep an eye on its progress to see if Ronaldmcdonld and co do end up achieving their goals.