Arachnophobia - Hearts of Stone / Modding Question [Solved]

[Thiran]

So appearently the game adds a new type of enemy called "arachnophobes" which are basically nothing else but oversized realistic spiders. Problem is i and MANY other people
suffer from a condition called arachnophobia - it is not a simple fear of spiders or anything to "get over" it's a phobia. Nothing you can deal with so please just spare me these kinds of comments.

I was really looking forward to playing this expansion, however after i got home today and played it for a bit and had my first encounter with these things i actually suffered a panic attack due to my phobia and almost hit my head on the floor while i fainted.

I'm usualy a person who just reads the forums and never posts himself but i feel this has gone way too far. There are no explicit warnings (like there are for other sorts of
disorders) or any kind of indication that something like this was added to the game. I read two reviews by pretty big media outlets and there was no mention of these
enemies anywhere.

So yes i atleast TRIED to inform myself before i decided to add the expansion to my game. Hell given the nature of the trilogy there was no point in assuming they would add something like this in any way. Thier "spiders" have always been arachas (sorry don't remember the correct name)

I don't care that i spend a bit of money or anything but since developers don't seem to understand that things like panic attacks CAN be lethal i'd like
to know if there is any way to mod the game to remove said spiders or remodel them into something like nekkers or anything - hell arachas are no problem here since
they resemble scorpions more than anyhting else. In it's current state the expansion is just unplayable for me since those things "could" pop up at any time now which
gives me a sense of dread which is not funny. I am not "afraid" of them i PANIC, fear is just a wrong and way too generalized description for this.

And no i can't just "close my eyes" and hack away.. not on death march. And i'm not gonna lower the difficulty for that because it would pretty much trivialize the
rest of the game for me. And it's no solution either.

SHORT: Is there a way for me personally to remove/swap the models of the arachnophobes into something different? I really don't want to miss out on this
expansion. A quick answer is all i'm looking for, thanks in advance.

Oh and btw: Would it really be THAT hard to add a "arachnophobia" flag to games? is it really too much to ask? It's a serious condition and people like me have to face it's
consequnces enough as it is. And no i am not trolling i am not trying to be "funny" or looking for a way to poke at the game, this is a serious issue that needs to be way
more adressed than it actually is.

[Crimsomrider]

I think it might be possible, considering armor pieces have been replaced with others. Like Witcher Cat armor set replaced into the starting armor and so on.

I advise you to go to "Witcher 3 Nexus" (a modding community) and ask on their forums [MOD REQUEST] for help. I unfortunately don't know how to do this.

Perhaps you might want to send a request to the company that does the ESRB ratings or whoever and submit a proposal that they include Epilepsy and Arachnophobia into their warnings aswell.

Though I understand your condition, you can't expect developers ( who aren't psyche scientists ) to file every warning about every possible condition out there. Most known one is Epilepsy so most devs put that warning out. If you want Arachnophobia warning, you have to put the word out. Write suggestions to the proper people ^^

[fenixzenn]

it's a game so they won't hurt you. in fact consider this a good opportunity for you to face you fear and see if you can get over it. kill those spiders!

[Thiran]

Thanks for the suggestion, i do know about the nexus and might post there aswell but since there is no real "redkit" for TW3 i hoped for a quick/dirty edit.

Originally posted by fenixzenn:

it's a game so they won't hurt you. in fact consider this a good opportunity for you to face you fear and see if you can get over it. kill those spiders!

Like i said i actually fainted becuase of that today. Not gonna risk that again. Again a phobia is (sadly) not a simple fear but an irrational reaction that can cause panic attacks and heavy breathing etc. But since in almost every game to date it's possible to mod them out i didn't felt like being vocal about the issue rather than share my gratitute with the mod creator ;)

[-=PR=-moon knight]

I'm a psychology student, and for this reason I really advise you to talk with a psychologist about this. Your is not a phobia anymore, is a real and dangerous problem and needs to be solved.
Do not underestimate it.

[Thiran]

Originally posted by moon knight:

I'm a psychology student, and for this reason I really advise you to talk with a psychologist about this. Your is not a phobia anymore, is a real and dangerous problem and needs to be solved.

Let's just say thier size and sound design in the game adds to the overall problem aswell. I actually never fainted in real life because of a spider (although i panic and look for exits immediately - i know that's a problem but one i can live with since no one else suffers from my reaction and i was never physically overwhelmed by it.) But thank you for your concern.

[ShadowOfNoc]

Okay, lots of things wrong with this post. If you are truly not trolling, then my response is below. If you are trolling, then hats off to you because you played the 'I'm a victim, change/put warning labels on things for me' satire great.

First off, I think you made a wrong turn on your way here. Tumblr.com is that way --->

Second,
"but since developers don't seem to understand that things like panic attacks CAN be lethal"

The developers aren't at fault here. The question is, do YOU understand that it is your responsibility as the minority with a phobia in this situation to make healthy decisions for yourself?

How is it the developers responsibility to cater a game around a minority (you)?

If you had peanut butter allergies, would you blame JIFF because they don't cater their product to you? No, you simply wouldn't eat peanut butter.

If you were afraid of heights, would you blame an airline for flying too high off the ground? No, you simply wouldn't fly in an airplane.

Not only that, but a handful of video reviews on Hearts of Stone had gameplay playing in the background as the reviewer talked. In a ton of these reviews you could see these new spider enemies. I believe in either the GameSpot or IGN review, the guy even comments on them specifically saying they are a smarter AI because they attack at the same time and such. So, you, the one with the life threatening phobia that can cause you to faint and die, really did your research? hm? Research that YOU are responsible to do because its YOUR issue.

Good luck finding your spider model replacement mod. I really do hope you find one, and can enjoy this expansion. However, you might want to consider plan B though, which is just not playing the game. Remember, YOU are the one with the issue here, not the developers, not the game, and not the vast majority enjoying the new expansion with zero issues.

Again: As the one with the health problem/phobia, it is your responsibility to make healthy decisions for yourself. Its sad I have to say this, but then I remember what day and age we are living in.

[Thiran]

Originally posted by Sajius:

Okay, lots of things wrong with this post. If you are truly not trolling, then my response is below. If you are trolling, then hats off to you because you played the 'I'm a victim, change/put warning labels on things for me' satire great.

First off, I think you made a wrong turn on your way here. Tumblr.com is that way --->

Second,
"but since developers don't seem to understand that things like panic attacks CAN be lethal"

The developers aren't at fault here. The question is, do YOU understand that it is your responsibility as the minority with a phobia in this situation to make healthy decisions for yourself?

Yeah i was a bit exaggerating there since i was/am kinda angry about the situation. However i think we can argue over if there should be warnings about certain things or not all day. And i did not intent to come off with a "victim" attitute at all - i am sorry if my writing might be a bit misleading (english is not my native language.)

Originally posted by Sajius:

How is it the developers responsibility to cater a game around a minority (you)?

If you had peanut butter allergies, would you blame JIFF because they don't cater their product to you? No, you simply wouldn't eat peanut butter.

If you were afraid of heights, would you blame an airline for flying too high off the ground? No, you simply wouldn't fly in an airplane.

I Certainly would not. However due to my initial, relatively harsh statement that might have come off differently and i apologize.

Why wouldn't i complain? Apples and oranges in this case. If i'd be afraid of heights i would avoid heights, easy as that. However videogames are a different kind of story overall. Especially a game with "realistic" visuals like TW3. If they were poorly visualized i might just "get through" somehow but this is a different case entirely.

Originally posted by Sajius:

Not only that, but a handful of video reviews on Hearts of Stone had gameplay playing in the background as the reviewer talked. In a ton of these reviews you could see these new spider enemies. I believe in either the GameSpot or IGN review, the guy even comments on them specifically saying they are a smarter AI because they attack at the same time and such. So, you, the one with the life threatening phobia that can cause you to faint and die, really did your research? hm? Research that YOU are responsible to do because its YOUR issue.

Well that MIGHT have been my fault since i very rarely watch video reviews (just don't like the format) and prefer reading them instead to avoid being spoiled by it's background. If they were mentioned i probably wouldn't have run in a situation like this. However there was no point in assuming things the developers never bothered with before. And like i said earlier it was never that extrem (even in real life) before.

Originally posted by Sajius:

Good luck finding your spider model replacement mod. I really do hope you find one, and can enjoy this expansion. However, you might want to consider plan B though, which is just not playing the game. Remember, YOU are the one with the issue here, not the developers, not the game, and not the vast majority enjoying the new expansion with zero issues.

I certainly won't be able to play it until i can mod them out (this is the exact reason WHY i avoid discussions about this topic btw.) Yes i do have an issue with spiders and i never accused anyone having made a misstake at all.

All i was trying to say is that it probably wouldn't take a lot of effort to inform customers about stuff like this in thier games since i can assure you - arachnophobia is one of the most common phobias in the world. Nothing else to be said about that except that i do respect developers for thier artistic view of the game, even if it means including spiders although i do think it is unnecessary and a problem for A LOT of people. Most are just not very vocal about it and like i mentioned earlier - in 95% of all cases there is a simple fix/mod for it. This topic was just asking around if SOMEONE knows about a quick edit i could make - not to open a discussion about the whole thing.

[Gritsunorak]

I think your best bet is to go to nexus forums, find ANY replacement mod, and ask the author if he can make it so that the spiders are replaced. Sometimes mod makers like taking requests and might be nice enough to do it. Best of luck

[Thiran]

Originally posted by Gritsunorak:

I think your best bet is to go to nexus forums, find ANY replacement mod, and ask the author if he can make it so that the spiders are replaced. Sometimes mod makers like taking requests and might be nice enough to do it. Best of luck

Thank you very much. I already posted a mod request on the nexus forums. If nothing happens there i'll follow your suggestion. Even though i'm pretty sure all i'd need is someone telling me how to do it myself but going through the game files without having some experience with the tools available might be a bit overkill.

[ShadowOfNoc]

Originally posted by King Insane™ ♕:

Originally posted by Sajius:

Okay, lots of things wrong with this post. If you are truly not trolling, then my response is below. If you are trolling, then hats off to you because you played the 'I'm a victim, change/put warning labels on things for me' satire great.

First off, I think you made a wrong turn on your way here. Tumblr.com is that way --->

Second,
"but since developers don't seem to understand that things like panic attacks CAN be lethal"

The developers aren't at fault here. The question is, do YOU understand that it is your responsibility as the minority with a phobia in this situation to make healthy decisions for yourself?

Yeah i was a bit exaggerating there since i was/am kinda angry about the situation. However i think we can argue over if there should be warnings about certain things or not all day. And i did not intent to come off with a "victim" attitute at all - i am sorry if my writing might be a bit misleading (english is not my native language.)

Originally posted by Sajius:

How is it the developers responsibility to cater a game around a minority (you)?

If you had peanut butter allergies, would you blame JIFF because they don't cater their product to you? No, you simply wouldn't eat peanut butter.

If you were afraid of heights, would you blame an airline for flying too high off the ground? No, you simply wouldn't fly in an airplane.

I Certainly would not. However due to my initial, relatively harsh statement that might have come off differently and i apologize.

Why wouldn't i complain? Apples and oranges in this case. If i'd be afraid of heights i would avoid heights, easy as that. However videogames are a different kind of story overall. Especially a game with "realistic" visuals like TW3. If they were poorly visualized i might just "get through" somehow but this is a different case entirely.

Originally posted by Sajius:

Not only that, but a handful of video reviews on Hearts of Stone had gameplay playing in the background as the reviewer talked. In a ton of these reviews you could see these new spider enemies. I believe in either the GameSpot or IGN review, the guy even comments on them specifically saying they are a smarter AI because they attack at the same time and such. So, you, the one with the life threatening phobia that can cause you to faint and die, really did your research? hm? Research that YOU are responsible to do because its YOUR issue.

Well that MIGHT have been my fault since i very rarely watch video reviews (just don't like the format) and prefer reading them instead to avoid being spoiled by it's background. If they were mentioned i probably wouldn't have run in a situation like this.

Originally posted by Sajius:

Good luck finding your spider model replacement mod. I really do hope you find one, and can enjoy this expansion. However, you might want to consider plan B though, which is just not playing the game. Remember, YOU are the one with the issue here, not the developers, not the game, and not the vast majority enjoying the new expansion with zero issues.

I certainly won't be able to play it until i can mod them out (this is the exact reason WHY i avoid discussions about this topic btw.) Yes i do have an issue with spiders and i never accused anyone having made a misstake at all.

All i was trying to say is that it probably wouldn't take a lot of effort to inform customers about stuff like this in thier games since i can assure you - arachnophobia is one of the most common phobias in the world. Nothing else to be said about that except that i do respect developers for thier artistic view of the game, even if it means including spiders although i do think it is unnecessary and a problem for A LOT of people. Most are just not very vocal about it and like i mentioned earlier - in 95% of all cases there is a simple fix/mod for it. This topic was just asking around if SOMEONE knows about a quick edit i could make - not to open a discussion about the whole thing.

Nice long response that said absolutely nothing :)



You continue to side step the issue, and you admit and repeat it multiple times.

It all boils down to this: YOU are responsible to do YOUR own research for a problem YOU have. Research that you did NOT do.

You even admitted above: "Well that MIGHT have been my fault since i very rarely watch video reviews" - There is no "might" have been your fault. It is 100% YOUR FAULT for not watching/researching for a problem YOU have.

Then you say: "All i was trying to say is that it probably wouldn't take a lot of effort to inform customers about stuff like this in their games"

Okay, so should they also include:
Warning: Game may contain blades of grass for people with Hastenburaphobia
Warning: Game may contain swords! Can't forget Aichmophobia
Warning: Game may contain witches! Wiccaphobia.
Warning: Game may contain large outdoor spaces" for people with Agoraphobia.
Rhabdophobia. Fear of magic!
Don't forget Drakonophobia! - Fear of Dragons!

"i actually suffered a panic attack due to my phobia and almost hit my head on the floor while i fainted."

Did your floor come with a warning that said it was hard and may cause injury if you fainted on it?

You really didn't think that there might be spiders in a medieval open world fantasy RPG set in the wilderness? Get real.

Its your fault for not researching. Own it.

Good luck on your mod hunt.

Oh, PS - you said: "This topic was just asking around if SOMEONE knows about a quick edit i could make - not to open a discussion about the whole thing."

If you didn't want a discussion about it, then you shouldn't have had 5 paragraphs about your phobia, blaming the developer for no warning labels, etc. before you got to the part where you requested a mod. Sorry, but nope. What you tried to do was use your OP as a mini rant + mod request, and are now back peddling because someone called you out on the rant part.

[Thiran]

@ Sajius Sorry but i don't see where you think i migh be sidestepping the issue. Like i said arachnophobia is a pretty common phobia and with games like TW3 and others to follow that offer a more realistic style of presentation and graphics i would appreciate a warning an optional thing which i ranted about closing my initial post.

However it is not my intention to discuss this until the next game comes out. You made your point and i admitted i might have been a bit lazy in my research but no i did not expect something like this in the witcher universe, even in the books - the ones i remember were described distinctively different than what we have in the real world. But don't quote me on that it's been a while.


Like i said - it was an unusual strong reaction but nonetheless i was not complaining about the developers (like you seem to imply) or avoid admitting to a mistake (which i did - although using google and reading reviews and SEARCH for "spiders" "arach" and "insects" are in most cases informative enough) but merely asking for something. Let's just keep it at that.

Originally posted by Sajius:

If you didn't want a discussion about it, then you shouldn't have had 5 paragraphs about your phobia, blaming the developer for no warning labels, etc. before you got to the part where you requested a mod. Sorry, but nope. What you tried to do was use your OP as a mini rant + mod request, and are now back peddling because someone called you out on the rant part.

Well i'm not really someone who posts stuff often and rarely do i even partake in discussions so yeah i might have ranted a bit but i NEVER blamed the developers - i just said that it wouldn't take much effort to put up a warning. Hell if i'd had to be politically correct all the time i'd be in jail by now :P

The paragraphs were there to make it unmistakably clear that this is an issue and needs to be adressed in a more serious manner than it actually is. Maybe the wrong place i don't know. But not one other person who posted seem to have a problem with it. Appearently there is no quick way to do it so i'll find someone experienced to solve this particular issue.

[ShadowOfNoc]

Originally posted by King Insane™ ♕:

@ Sajius Sorry but i don't see where you think i migh be sidestepping the issue. Like i said arachnophobia is a pretty common phobia and with games like TW3 and others to follow that offer a more realistic style of presentation and graphics i would appreciate a warning an optional thing which i ranted about closing my initial post.

However it is not my intention to discuss this until the next game comes out. You made your point and i admitted i might have been a bit lazy in my research but no i did not expect something like this in the witcher universe, even in the books - the ones i remember were described distinctively different than what we have in the real world. But don't quote me on that it's been a while.


Like i said - it was an unusual strong reaction but nonetheless i was not complaining about the developers (like you seem to imply) or avoid admitting to a mistake (which i did - although using google and reading reviews and SEARCH for "spiders" "arach" and "insects" are in most cases informative enough) but merely asking for something. Let's just keep it at that.

Originally posted by Sajius:

If you didn't want a discussion about it, then you shouldn't have had 5 paragraphs about your phobia, blaming the developer for no warning labels, etc. before you got to the part where you requested a mod. Sorry, but nope. What you tried to do was use your OP as a mini rant + mod request, and are now back peddling because someone called you out on the rant part.

Well i'm not really someone who posts stuff often and rarely do i even partake in discussions so yeah i might have ranted a bit but i NEVER blamed the developers - i just said that it wouldn't take much effort to put up a warning. Hell if i'd had to be politically correct all the time i'd be in jail by now :P

The paragraphs were there to make it unmistakably clear that this is an issue and needs to be adressed in a more serious manner than it actually is. Maybe the wrong place i don't know. But not one other person who posted seem to have a problem with it. Appearently there is no quick way to do it so i'll find someone experienced to solve this particular issue.

Ah okay, so you're just someone who needs to get the last long winded word in. No problem :) Take care and good luck!

[RPDrummer]

Hi guys.

If i send you my save can anyone of you complete me a mission in a cave full of spiders?

[ShadowOfNoc]

Originally posted by RPDrummer:

Hi guys.

If i send you my save can anyone of you complete me a mission in a cave full of spiders?

10/10.

[Apoc]

To be honest, they are really well made, sounds, graphics and movements. I'm not scared of spiders but they still creeped me out. Good luck in your mod quest.