IDEAS NEEDED! - Collage of Winterhold Overhaul

[UDK450]

One problem that I had with the College, and many others no doubt, was that it was too awfully short. An establishment such as the College should have students across the land doing research and studies at various ruins and such. It is too easy to complete at a lower level too. Would it not be possible to create multiple tiers of quests. The Tier 1 College questline would be learning the ropes, and maybe saving the college from something. The normal questline could fit this T1. However, do not let the player become the Archmage yet. He just got there. Instead, have many more missions while the professors "meet" to decide who shall replace him. After T2, and the player can choose to become the Archmage when offered, have a third tier. This third tier will be doing tasks as the Archmage. I can elaborate more if this idea is liked. Just throwing out something I thought about real quick.

[canis39]

We're making a collage about Winterhold? I am so confused.

[EnaiSiaion]

The main issue with the College ("Collage"?) quests is that the College people don't seem like normal humans (or elves).

 

It is unrealistically unconcerned with what people do with its teachings. Necromancy is okay, fireballs are okay, and no one really cares.

In fact the rest of the world doesn't care either; you'd think the Stormcloaks would consider it a yummy war asset while the Imperials would probably want to introduce a licence and background check for prospective apprentices, or at least disapprove of the whole "yeah sorry about the mana wraiths, hope no one died" thing.

Also they appear to have a slapstick view on violence. They deal in weapons of mass destruction and look down upon restoration magic, despite not being a military academy or superhero training institute but a place of knowledge.

Imagine MIT offers mainly courses in nuclear weaponry and missile guidance and the professors snub the colleague who teaches wireless communications because you can't kill people over the radio. No one bats an eye at this, except people who just hate technology in general. Your mentor sends you on a field trip to North Korea to retrieve secret documents before he lets you graduate. When you return, a software error causes an orbital laser to shoot at a civilian neighbourhood, and due to pure luck and quick intervention no one dies except the dean. Afterwards you swagger out as the new dean with the machine gun drone you designed under your arm and everyone thinks you look smart.

In fact, the College's attitude seems to be that of an overgrown shopkeeper. Welcome customer-do this quest-your reward is spells!-thanks for your business-bye. This may be how players approach this kind of quest chain, but if I wanted a world that is based on how people typically play games I would reinstall Saints Row.

 

 

I was thinking that recommendation quests could include PR-driven tasks, as the college has a poor public image, perhaps being sent on assignment to cure someones ailments, resolving disputes with non-hostile magics, providing enchanting services etc.

 

I don't think the College would care much, otherwise they would have started caring when everyone else disappeared into the ocean, or perhaps when they accidentally released dangerous ghosts and can't figure out how to stop it.

--

About magic puzzles, don't just require the players to Firebolt Dat Door. Implement puzzles that don't require any fighting at all, but smarts to solve.

 

In Dunaduan I used to have a puzzle that had two dwemer ghosts controlling a laser turret that was slow to aim but powerful enough to blow up the ground tile where it hits, revealing electrified water. You had to shoot steam pipes to banish the ghosts before there was no floor left to stand on. All your enchanted weapons were useless there.

 

This also prevents people from taking their daedric killstick of inferno (with a MagicDamageFire enchantment) and triggering objects that are supposed to go off only when hit by "fire spells".

Edited April 19, 2013 by EnaiSiaion

[chacotaco91]

I'm glad you like my idea. The only reason I'm still going to vouch for initiates island is because A: It allows for a social dynamic by adding in various initiates you must compete with and B: Since there's already an expedition to sarthal, I think it my be a bit repetitive to have "lets go on an expedition to an island. (player finish modders quest) Now your back, lets go on an expedition to Sarthal!"

 

It be fun to have say, 4 other initiates with you who all have strengths and flaws. However, they all get killed on the island due to giving in to some desire or lack of wisdom.

 

For instance, there could be a room of muting (think of Potemas cavern with that weird drain effect). One of the initiates is an extremely powerful mage (much stronger than you), but physically frail. In this room his magic is suddenly useless and he's killed by an enemy because he's physically frail. Hopefully as a mage player you're not overly multifaceted in your skills and so find the sudden loss of magic a real challenge.

 

Another situation could be an initiate losing control in their desire for magical power. They gain an item/power on initiates island that allows allows near limitless access to daedra. However this initiate summons too much, loses control, and is killed by their summons. Player must then defeat said summons. (The item reward could be interesting for this scenario, though I don't know how well the scripting would work. It could be a ring that allows the player one or two extra summons, but with a 35% chance your second or third summon is hostile to the player.)

 

Anyways, I'm ranting. New islands no matter how small are awesome. Why? Because a lot of the veteran skyrim players (especially mod users) have already clocked 400+ hours into the game. The problem with adding current dungeons, quests, items to the original skyrim worldspace is that.....its in the original skyrim worldspace....the one we've played for 400+ hours.

 

With an Island, (or new valley/mountainscape, like the lost vale etc) the new landscape is just a huge refresher.

 

I'm a brand new modder, but I'm going to release my dungeon I learned the C.K. hopefully sometime this weekend. Was a real learning experience for me, but slowly learning the ropes. I think I can help out with one of your interior cells.

[jackowonderful]

i'd quite like a mage quest where each of the parts and plot don't progress too much 'till you meet some complicated prerequisites. read about certain things and have certain magic, collect specific artifacts, bully the right people, get the right bits of info; but without them telling us what you need. it'd even be cool if you could get too the next stage in various ways, but if the options were varied enough that'd be the case anyway.

 

just adding difficulty and dungeons and things-to-overcome can only really add to the gameplay, which is cool; the plot will still be a point a to point b story.

[Iconic985]

Hey guys I know its been a while but I thought I would give you guys an update on how the mod is going! :biggrin:

 

What I've Done:

1. Finished the "Initiation island's" exterior
2. Finished and added a alchemy/enchanting laboratory with an alchemy vendor
3. Added new enemies and areas to the Midden
4. Added a security force to the college. Now it has its own private army of battlemages!

I might add the ability to change your form to a flame atranoch (Just like a werewolf does)

 

By the way, thank you for all the support and ideas you guys have given me so far! If anyone has any other ideas the would be greatly welcomed. Also if there are any good level designers out there who would like to lend a hand with creating some dungeons just message me.

 

Again, Thanks everyone! :biggrin:

 

Alchemy Laboratory

 

 

 

[TehKaoZ]

I'd like to see some classrooms, The "lecture hall" in the vanilla is okay but all the teacher's have to cram into that hall to teach lessons? nothing too grand, just some small rooms for the professors to teach, a desk to organize work.

 

Just an idea

[UDK450]

Do you need someone to assist in writing out quests and such?

[eLucifer]

Some classes on five each schools of magic that you can attend to get access to unique spell tomes and other magical items.

[OpenWorldAddict]

I think the idea of getting letters of recommendations in order to even get into it is a good idea. This the way I think it should work.

 

After hearing about the College of Winterhold, if you ask how you can apply, you are directed to a mage that has already graduated from the college. That mage would then have little test for you to test your magical abilities, and after you pass, the mage tells you that she will write a letter of enrollment to college recommending that you be considered enrollment.

 

After a week, you get a letter from the college saying that you're enrollment is being considered and are given the application instructions. This includes:

 

1. Getting a letter or recommendation from each of the court wizards. Of course each court wizard will want you to do a favor for them tests your magical abilities even further before sending their letter to college.

2. You'll be given a list of supplies that you'll need, which may include certain books, a staff, etc. (this for realism. All colleges require supplies, a college for mages should be no different.)

 

A week after you recieved your last court wizard letter of recommendation, you'll get a letter saying that you're application has been accepted an you are now enrolled in the college, and that classes start soon.