Plop the Growables, Forest Brush and Theme Mixer - These are just a few of TPB’s popular mods. Hear how he got into modding, and how that landed him a job at Colossal Order!

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My name is Tai AKA TPB, and I'm a gameplay programmer at Colossal Order.

How did you get into Cities: Skylines and modding?​

I was an active member of the Simtropolis SimCity 4 community back in 2015. Then, Cities: Skylines came out, and there was a huge flurry of activity about this new game that seemed like a worthy contender for dethroning SC4's supremacy.

I decided to give it a go, and got hooked immediately. Initially, I just spent a lot of time in the asset editor making interchanges, parks and the like. Pretty soon though, as mods began popping up like mushrooms on Steam Workshop, I became intrigued by the code-based mods. They seemed to offer endless opportunities for adding new features or fundamentally changing how the game worked.

Other than basic HTML and CSS, I had no prior programming experience at the time. But, with a lot of help from knowledgeable modders, I started learning C# and embarked on a journey that would ultimately lead me to moving to Finland with my family to work for Colossal Order full time.

What is a significant mod you made? Why is that special to you?​

My favourite creation has to be Forest Brush. I really enjoy creating natural scenes and rural types of towns. I always found it very tedious and time-consuming to create realistic looking forests in the game due to the limitations of the game’s tree brush. Forest Brush was my solution.

How did you end up applying for a job at Colossal Order?​

When I was young, I had a difficult time figuring out what I wanted to do. I ended up working low-paying jobs in various fields, which didn’t really advance my career in any meaningful way. This lack of direction was also affecting my mental health a lot. I was feeling stuck and unfulfilled.

My modding hobby, on the other hand, was making me quite happy. I really enjoy seeing a creation come to life. That feeling you get, when all the parts fall into place and things just work, is simply priceless.

So it was with great excitement that I one day opened my inbox to find an email from Colossal Order informing us modders that they were looking for junior gameplay programmers. Even though I was full of self-doubt, I decided that I really had nothing to lose, and applied. You can only imagine my surprise and the utter feeling of happiness when I heard I got the job!

What is it like working at Colossal Order?​

We get free cake. Compared to any other job I've had before, working at Colossal Order feels like being in some sort of workplace Valhalla. Where can I start? Awesome co-workers, best boss in the world, a bunch of perks, a lovely country, I could go on forever but... did I mention we get free cake?

How do you spend your free time now?​

I never really technically "played" Cities: Skylines before, unless you count modding as playing. Nowadays, I don't play nor mod the game anymore. Instead, I spend my time with my family, and on improving my existing skills and learning new ones.

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Hiring Modders series

• Part 1 - Hiring modders
• Part 2 - TPB
• Part 3 - Boformer
• Part 4 - Bad Peanut
• Part 5 - Avanya

 

[Fox_NS_CAN]

So can we get Forest Brush added into the game? Along with a tree eraser if it doesn't already have it.

 

[Mr Maison]

I still have a smile on my face for TPB. I remember the early days with him on Simtropolis. Later I almost thought we was gonna lose him as an active member then things changed for the better. Congrats TPB!