Forums » Elder Scrolls

What makes a great Builder?

    • 56 posts
    April 28, 2014 9:08 AM EDT
    Skyrim's now almost 3 years old, and members of the CB group has been publishing great builds since the game's release. Every mechanic has been explored, both legit and illegal; every combination has been tried. Every person has its tastes, and a large part of Character Building (the act of making a build, not the group) has been about telling people why they should play this build. But for everything else, its a very good read, well-presented and do deserve praise, even if you have no intention of playing it, whether because it uses exploits/glitches, or simply because its not your thing.

    So, this is a question to prepare us for future TES VI builds: What makes a great builder? Is it the concept, the gameplay, the honeyed words, or a delicate mixture of them all?

    What does a builder truly need? (Im sorry, I cant resist saying that. :-D)
    • 661 posts
    April 28, 2014 9:11 AM EDT

    It takes time. 

    • 108 posts
    April 28, 2014 9:40 AM EDT

    A game mechanics insight, rewarding gameplay and clear instructions wrapped in a nice, lore friendly backstory. That is a great build for me.

    • 485 posts
    April 28, 2014 9:50 AM EDT

    I just throw words and pictures at the page until it looks good. 

    But for real theres a lot that goes into it. A good understanding of gameplay mechanics and depending on the build a good understanding of the lore are just a few of the requirements. A keen eye for good artwork is important as well. Those are the most important elements I can think of. 

    You can sometimes get away with not having a good understanding of the lore. I personally tend to avoid incorporating lore in my builds because I know I'll mess up somewhere and get pounced on by all the lore fiends here. 

    • 56 posts
    April 28, 2014 9:58 AM EDT
    Yeah. Sometimes the artwork seems to do the trick for a good read, though for me when it came to actually playing it, its not as awesome as in paper.

    Seamless gameplay is enough for me to like it. Not those things where in paper, its awesome but in practice is terrible because you have to charge a certain spell or power. And Ive seen a lot of it. :-)
    • 661 posts
    April 28, 2014 10:02 AM EDT

    Actually it doesn't just take time. It takes the right moment, and the right time to post. At least in my case it has. 

    • 739 posts
    April 28, 2014 10:52 AM EDT

    The ability to inspire someone else to pick up a controller and try a character. It's as simple as that...

    If you can write and illustrate something in a way that makes someone else on the other side of the world load a new character and get (another) 20 hours of great gameplay then I think there's something very special about that.

    People often forget that they are supposed to be presenting a guide for other people to follow, in many ways you're not actually writing for yourself. So being a great communicator both in your words and visuals is really important.

    Get some people posting builds just because they want to join in but have completely missed the point of what a character build actually is, 'Bloodworks' is saturated in them.

    • 56 posts
    April 29, 2014 8:45 AM EDT
    Very well said sir. :-)

    For me the biggest obstacle of making a build is that ability to put into words what you have experienced in-game and wish to share with others.

    Some new members are just so excited on sharing something they experienced that they instead will not be able to express what it is they want to share. Their vigor is commendable, but it is better served when tempered with forethought.
    • 249 posts
    April 29, 2014 10:56 AM EDT
    Creativity. What really catches my eye is when a builder does something unique with gameplay or roleplay that I would have never thought to do.
    • 490 posts
    April 29, 2014 11:39 AM EDT

    Creativity and imagination.

    • 133 posts
    April 29, 2014 9:51 PM EDT
    What a builder needs is time one his hands :P I don't know if it's just me, but it takes me a long time to write a build and even longer to play test.

    What you need to make a good build is dedication. It requires you to play test and work out game mechanics to play with. Although every mechanic has been seen that cannot stop you from being creative with your build. Mixing in role play and lore with the build is also good to have. And of course artwork! Artwork makes a build so much better to read and gives a overall better look to the build.
    • 9 posts
    April 29, 2014 11:03 PM EDT

    Personally I don't think it's as much work as a lot of people have made it out to be. A good builder just needs to know how to have fun and how to make a "pretty page". If you can come up with an idea that's fun, then you've done the hard part. Play it! See if your idea actually is fun or if it was just an idea that should've stayed just that - an idea. Put some glamour on it, paste it in the ning editor and make sure everything looks nice and is clearly explained. If I'm being honest, writing up a build and searching for art is all part of the fun of character building. Click the "Add Discussion" button and then be willing to take criticism and advice. Tada! The builder's job is done!