[WIP] The Black Marshes

[Ibsen3]

I was hoping to have the beta release ready by the end of this year but I'm not getting much help with the modding so I don't think we'll make that target. However, we just fully generated the fourth of the five beta regions this week so we're still making pretty good progress, I think. There's still a lot of interiors, landscaping and dungeons still to do and I'm not keen on working on regions outside of the area we outlined as developing for the beta but I may be changing that strategy soon. This means that the released beta will actually look a bit more like a complete worldspace.... :)

[Ibsen3]

Quick update: besides mapping out a complete gridmap for the whole worldspace, we've fully generated the fourth of the five beta regions and I'm currently working on landscaping it. This includes one of our big cities, Soulrest, and is a very unusual one for the Black Marshes because, due to its proximity to Elsweyr, it's the driest and rockiest area in the whole country (see below). This is due to the coastland presence of the Imperial navy and marauders from abroad who have striven to make the most of Argonia's natural resources and hence altered the landscape significantly....but they only got as far as the Parchlands.....

 

The Parchlands features turtleshell huts, coral reefs, fossil logs, pineapple plants and many other unique features besides the usual collection of trees, textures and flora from our modellers....here's a sneak-peak of a dried-up riverbed (the rest of the country is mostly grassland with some sand and some dried-up soil):

 

http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/Ibsen3/Parch.jpg

[Ibsen3]

I'm amazed by how little interest our TesNexus thread gets by comparison with Bethesda's. I always had this place down as the core OB site. Ah well, here's a (fairly) recent update on progress for those who are following this. It's the same as what we posted at Bethesda some time ago:

 

I haven't updated this thread in a while but we have, as always, been working hard. So this is just a small teaser selection of the progress we've made since the last update.

 

We now have Guar mounts (and hopefully lizard mounts soon), a complete new set of armours for the Factions, loading screens, tons more clutter, specialist furniture with a shroom and root motif, a complete new architecture set for the amphibious Paatru race, new Argonian and Lilmothiit races, a soundtrack getting rapidly close to completion, a new mossy cave tileset, some new dungeon clutters and traps, yet more potions, diseases in development and much, much more...all regions within the plan for the beta release have now been fully generated, courtesy of sandor. Creatures are already selected but just need to be added. We could use someone who is good with levelled lists.

 

Here's a taster of what people usually want, screenshots of the latest progress:

 

• Chasepoint - Totally revamped by Xaeaix (normally our sound guy): http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/Ib...hasepoint01.jpg & http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/Ib...hasepoint02.jpg .
  
• The Everglades region - Half of which has been fully landscaped by myself (other regions like Blackwood are completely landscaped): http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/Ib...rglades01-1.jpg & http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/Ib...verglades02.jpg .
  
• Glenbridge - This is a town I designed that has fallen into the swamp: http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/Ib.../Glenbridge.jpg .
  
• Hist Shrines - This is the first glimpse of Shadowgame's fine piece of work: http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/Ib...HistShrines.jpg .
  
• Mossy Tree - Just one of the hundreds of unique and imaginative objects from our modelling team. This one is by zaneeba slave and adapted by the prolific and talented Koniption: http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/Ibsen3/MossyTree.jpg .
  
• Rock Grove - I revamped this settlement completely, building the Darkmoor region around it. You can see the new swamp water in the first pic: http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/Ib...kGroveWater.jpg & http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/Ib...RockGroveDM.jpg .
  
• Soulrest - llamaranger's wonderful new city is still a WIP but this is the progress made on the Upper class area of this major Kothringi city: http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/Ibsen3/Soulrest.jpg .
  
• TenmarWall - My first settlement for the project now has every interior and NPC completed. Many, many thanks to jucklesjenk and Dozent for helping out with other interiors this month: http://i434.photobucket.com/albums/qq70/Ib.../TenmarWall.jpg .
  

I'll leave some other sights to your imaginations for now! ;)

 

Btw, here was the teaser that DoZeNt released a while back:

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[chris 07]

wow you guys have been busy since last i checked up on your progress keep it up!

[Pushkatu]

One of the mods I've been waiting for in the last couple of months. I realy like how things turned out to be. Keep up the good work guys!

[ZombieUK]

Yes I know this Thread is an Olde One But You Guys dont know what your Missing Out on.

 

The Black Marshes is Certain a Mod to watch out for. the Current Pocess of the Mod is very much alive and Should get as much attention as possible cos Like I said You dont know what your missing out on.

 

I have a copy of the Beta Stage mod itself and what I seen, It on Par of Style as Elswyer, deserts of Annequinna (sorry for Typo)

 

Keep Tabs on this!

 

(I seriously need to check on the progress myself cos Not been there for yoinks!)

[finestanonymous]

Is this mod still being worked on? the work thats been put into it looks stunning! i've been waiting for a black marsh mod for ages!! i really hope this isnt a dead project :(

[vvk78]

Can you guys please (pretty please) pre-release the Garuda race mod, so we can beta-test it?

 

It looks spectacular and if it can fly, omg, that would be awesome.

 

KD Circlets would be fantastic head-armor to the Garuda (giving it a regal look), and the Eagle Sword (from Prince of Persia) would be the perfect weapon. These mods are already available on TESNexus. Cuirass armor, greaves and boots would probably not look good (unless they are short and semi-transparent like mithril/chainmail armor), as the beauty of the race is in its feathers/fur/talons/beak.

 

Coming to its stats, default combat can a beak/talon frontal attack, a swooping dive power attack. Since it is an eagle, we can give it binocular/zoom vision, night-eye, and endurance (eagles can fly for a long time), and balance these boosts by adding susceptibility to fire damage (due to its feathers).

 

Also, pardon me for saying this if I understood incorrectly, but aren't you guys trying to make the home for the Garuda look like a weaver-birds nest? Ideally, it should ideally be a large semi-open nest on a craggy hilltop, with a large animal skin as the bedroll. It will look very good to take screenshots of the Garuda standing proudly in his high nest, with a sunrise or sunset in the background. Again, this is just my suggestion, you guys know best.

 

Please think of releasing the Garuda race soon, even if it is incomplete, at least to a select few beta testers.

Edited January 20, 2011 by vvk78

[Ibsen3]

Hi folks,

 

Sorry for pretty completely abandoning this thread. I had thought we were getting no response so I switched my attentions entirely to Bethsoft's forums. Anyway, you should find more recent updates over here: http://forums.bethsoft.com/index.php?/topic/1082136-wip-the-black-marshes/ . Nevertheless, I'm going to post up a little of our more recent work here.

 

In response to some questions:

 

1) Yes, we're still going and, although we had hoped for an Easter beta release, we are pretty much reduced to just three contributors: myself (Ibsen's Ghost) who does all of the landscape modding besides most other things, Deeza who mainly works on interiors and some towns and cities and Koniption who is our prize modeller. With a skeleton staff of three it means we're struggling since we get so little help from anyone. Sometimes 'writers' offer help who are more of a hindrance tbh since they don't know how to mod. Ah well, we hope to have the beta release to you before Skyrim....even if it's not as complete as we'd like it to be.

 

2) The Sarpa/Garuda has been THE most troublesome creation in our history by a very, very, very long stretch. It's probably going to receive Koniption's attentions once she has finished work on the Paatru frog race. I don't want to release pics of that yet but I tend to think it's probably the most exciting new race ever produced since it's a model built entirely from scratch. Likewise, we now have Sloads! We're keeping the pics to our chests for now though...

 

So here are a few tiny glimpses of a rapidly expanding Argonia with stuff you've probably missed if you're not following us on Bethsoft forums or elsewhere....along with some stuff not seen before:

 

One of the original Argonian Species

One of my favourite unique interiors - a turtleshell hut

A very early shot of our capital city of Lilmoth, currently still a WiP

How I darkened the Murkwood landscape

Stormhold is a surprising accumulation of both Imperial and Barsaebic architecture, here is one example from the Castle interior

The Talu Swamps cover the Southern midlands and are about 70-80% water

The Vudai Marshes are a fairly recent landscape with quicksand, glowing poppies and spore trees

The poppies and spore trees cover the ground whilst massive mossy trees take over the swamy areas

One for the 'Garuda-lovers', Monago-Oag is our Sarpa town, partly adapted by Argonian settlers (hence the scaffolding)

Alten Corimont lies just inside the Arnesian Jungle (this is quite new)

Koniption's Plague Doctor treats the numerous tropical diseases infesting the marshes....with minimal success and maximum severity

Blackrose, like Lilmoth, lies outside our beta regions but is a prison city in the heart of the Talu Swamps

The first glimpse of Fort Swampmoth, overtaken by Argonian villagers since the Imperial withdrawal

The Hist Shrines are another completely unique aspect of BM, this one placed high in the mountains of the North above Stormhold

The Hist Shrines contain many narrow corridors and hidden threats. Victims of 'Bhuru' magic are just one.

'Root mould' creatures twisted by the Hist are another.

Hixinoag, one of our older settlements, now has full NPCs

A Hixinoag hut interior mainly used by tribal leaders and significant persons.

One of BM's earliest creations, the croc-helm, is worn here in Kulu-Hees, a Paatru/Argonian egg-factory/colony

 

Finally, we're still, as ever, in need of PROPER MODDERS. People who offer to maybe write a few things and add bits on lore are of absolutely zero use so please don't consider applying if you're going to join, download stuff and do nothing! I am genuinely keeping a blacklist of people who have been a thorn in our sides, wasting our time. We will soon be in the questing stage and we really need QUEST MODDERS (NOT quest writers!) and any others who can help out.

 

Hopefully, I'll have time to do a teaser trailer...but we'll see.

Edited April 25, 2011 by Ibsen3

[Deleted1848331User]

The pictures look really good! If thats what the mod looks like so far, I really can't wait to see the beta release. Especially since I love Black Marsh :rolleyes:

 

The black-gray building in Blackrose could use a bigger texture than what it has. The one you're currently using is either too small, or it is very low-res. Also, the fence looks the same (this is all on the right side)