It’s time for another road trip through the Modlands! This time, our driver is Cyt, whose vehicle mods are very varied and extremely popular. Their main mod is “Shark and Cytt’s Kentucky Car Overhaul” (SCKCO) which re-imagines and adds to our vanilla vehicles, while still trying to be accurate to our setting. The mod adds car interiors, multiple new animations, and seventy new vehicles and variants to be found all around Knox.

In addition cyt, along with Shark, has created multiple intriguing standalone vehicle mods, including a huge Volvo bus, souped-up Mercedeses, a McLaren F1 (one of the world’s fastest production cars), an M113A2 Armored Personnel Carrier, and a Soviet BRDM-2 scout car. Cyt also worked with Shark, Chuck, and Jade on the Expanded Helicopter Events mod, previously featured on this very mod blog.

We followed the column of fumes and the rattles of diesel engines to a boarded-up mechanics shop, where we found Cyt tinkering away at their mods. We were able to convince them to take a break to answer some questions about themselves and their mod!

CYT

Who are you in real life? Tell us a little about yourself.

“I’m Mert, currently on the Aegean side of Asia Minor, and I go by “cyt” online. When I’m not working on 2D/3D arts, I mostly engage in wildlife/landscape and action photography. I’m the tenant of two cats who run the show at my house.”

How did you first discover Project Zomboid? Why do you like it?

“I discovered Project Zomboid on Desura, got my Steam copy sometime around the vehicle build, and started playing it. It’s a different game today compared to the Desura days, and it has everything that I would ask for in a sandbox game, allowing you to write your own apocalyptic story.”

Please give us a quick overview of all the vehicle mods you created. Do you have an interest in vehicles in real life?

“My main project for the last two years has been SCKCO. Working with Shark and receiving input from Zhenja1, we are producing all the types of cars you could see in Kentucky, ranging from countryside vehicles to luxurious Cadillacs. More than 70 unique cars and their variants are included in that pack. Realism is one of the key features of SCKCO; every car is period-correct, down to its trim packages. If it wasn’t on sale before 1993, we’re not adding it! Additionally, the mod adds animations and a few other bits of flavor, such as roller shutters and sliding truck doors.”

“Before SCKCO, we developed a few military vehicles with Shark, such as the XM93, BRDM, HEMTT, Interim Fast Attack Vehicle, and Chenowth Desert Patrol Vehicle. The experience we gained enabled us to work on the massive pack that SCKCO has become. Military Environment Addon includes military-related radio tiles and respective items, as well as vehicle frameworks that we use for our M113A2 APC and future military-related vehicles. Other mods, such as the McLaren F1, FJ75, International 4700, and Unimog (my favorite vehicle), are one-off mods that I’ve created for myself and released to the public.”

“I’m interested in any self-propelled vehicle, including aircraft and ships. The reason I’m mostly focused on cars is that we can’t find ways to implement other modes of transport into PZ without it being a poor experience for players.”

“As for real life interest in cars, I actually designed a livery for Saito Motorsports Group’s Mazda MX-5. SMG competes in the Mazda MX-5 Cup, which features 14 rounds across 7 different tracks. The 2024 competition is ongoing, and SMG are near the top of the leaderboard so far!“

How did you get into making vehicles for PZ? Have you made vehicles or models for other games before? Do you have any training in 3d modelling/coding etc.?

“I am fully self-taught in 2D/3D graphics, including vector graphics and VFX. My parents are computer addicts, and I still remember them trying to beat “Prince of Persia” and “DOOM”. My father also does technical drawings of water pumps/turbines using AutoCAD. All of this fueled my interest in the subject.”

“My creative journey in 2D/3D graphics started with SimCity 4. As a young “virtual” mayor, I wanted landmarks of my real-life city to exist in my Sim city. I grabbed Gmax and started modeling architecture I liked. Other than Zomboid, I’ve created liveries for Digital Combat Simulator and had a few plane/vehicle mod projects that weren’t released for public use. For Zomboid, I wanted my game to have some military vehicles, so those were my first mods.”

Tell us about your vehicles. How many have you made, in total? How long does it take to make each vehicle? What is the most difficult part?

“I don’t have an exact count, but it’s around 100 vehicles. Currently, I have 159 gigabytes(!) of mod-related files. It includes all source material for models, textures with masks, substance materials that I designed to speed up workflow, and all the logos I made with vector graphics. The hardest part was finishing the M113, which took a whole month to model, texture, rig with my custom bone structure for tracks, and animate it. For me, the most difficult part is always obtaining good quality source photographs of cars, with depth. Blueprints are always two-dimensional, so without good photographs, a vehicle model’s curves can’t be designed well.”

Which would be the best, and worst, of your modded vehicles to have in a real zombie apocalypse? Which would you most like to own in real life?

“In a real zombie apocalypse, the best vehicle would be the M113A2, which is a safe, all-weather/tracked tin can! The worst would be the McLaren F1. Getting your rare car scratched would be nerve-wracking for a car enthusiast, even in the apocalypse.”

You have collaborated with other modders on Expanded Helicopter Events and the Military Environment add-on. Tell us about these collaborations, and how they came about. Do you enjoy working with others? Is it easier or more difficult than working alone?

“It all started with my fighter pilot mod. Shark contacted me, and we started making mods together. I got into EHE with my UH-60 model, and we haven’t stopped since then. Working in collaboration brings new ideas to the table and expertise. When you have like-minded partners and your visions align, the product ends up being superb!”

Is there anyone in the PZ community (or beyond) you would like to give a shout-out to? Which mods or maps by other users do you enjoy or find interesting?

“Scavenger and his inspiring mods are a must, as are hehehemann’s repair overhaul, and AuD’s QoL mods like Cartography Modifier and sound effects for item actions.”

“Shoutout to Shark, Zhenja1 and Chuckleberry Finn, Chuck’s Game Night is a great addition to PZ’s multiplayer experience, bringing Monopoly and Uno to our favorite game.”

“And thanks to my friends Jedasd and the best virtual marksman of Ankara, Erdem.”

What’s next in your vehicle plans? What’s the dream?

“Nothing specific yet, but we have a long list of cars on Trello waiting to be done, along with another project or two!”

Thanks to cyt for taking the time to answer all of our questions! You can find all their mods here.