RoA: Concept Artists/Interior Level Designers Wanted

[ZekAonar]

Just thought I'd put this out there:

I am currently acting as the Project Leader of a long-term modding project which introduces the world of Asuron to the Oblivion engine. Based on the original fantasy universe I invented in 2005, Realms of Asuron endeavours to introduce pieces of a fictional shattered planet, one land at at time. The first is Nordenia -- a cold, rugged island to the north-east, divided amongst the tattered remants of four ancient Human Kingdoms. Steeped in mystery, violence, and political intrigue, Nordenia sits at the brink of total war. RoA: Nordenia -- the first mod in the anticipated series -- will introduce players to this Realm and the story behind it -- with an emphasis on immersive role-playing mechanics vs the classic hack-and-slash quest-grinder design that tends to plague many RPGs today. Another objective is to portray the medieval fantasy genre semi-realistically, with "magic" only taking form through alchemy and "arcane-punk" technology. I am also (of course) striving to realise it as closely to my original vision as possible, and the mod will hopefully serve as a proper epilogue to the upcoming novella.

I am currently working alone on the modding side of things, but I am also collaborating with an experienced music composer to form the mod's soundtrack. The soundtrack will be produced by none other than Richard Abbott. You may recognise his work from MERP (Middle-Earth Roleplaying Project)! We are working on producing a purely original soundtrack for the mod, replacing the title, public, dungeon, explore and battle themes. In the future, we are hoping to have a dynamic music script in place, so that we can, for example, develop region-specific tracks.

Also, I am using 100% vanilla textures/models at the moment (and I do not expect that to change for quite some time), but I am open to the production of concept art. You aren't expected to do any 3D model work, etc. At the very least, you need only provide images with captions depicting your ideas in detailed fashion. I would just like to pave the way for more refined work so that we have a bit of artistic direction to work with later. Also, it would no doubt help with the production of the soundtrack. You can tackle any area of concept art you like -- armour, weapons, monsters, landscape, architecture -- just remember the genre: dark medieval fantasy. Think along the lines of the Diablo, Witcher and Gothic games. And if you need further direction for anything at all, you need only ask, but since my writings only primarily cover the story and the general atmosphere of the world, much of these assignments will allow full artistic license. For example, I never really described the monsters, the weapons, or the armour across the Realms, so let your imagination run wild. Only bear in mind that, regarding weapons and armour, this is before the age of full suits of plate, and that this is not a high fantasy with shiny or otherwise magical equipment.

I am also ready to begin accepting help in terms of interior level design -- It would be a nice, huge weight off my shoulders for the future, again, for the same reason as concept art. Nordenia will feature a great many interior level types, from twisting mines and winding caverns, to expansive subterrane "arcane-punk" complexes littered with all manner of tricks and puzzles, to the unique and super-massive 'lairs' which will play a major role in the sub-plot of each region, and will feature a host of dramatic bosses. As an interior level designer, all you would need to do is supply blueprints of these various interior locations. As with concept art, you aren't required to work with the Oblivion CS -- just provide detailed images/maps depicting your vision. You will be given absolute freedom in building these interior 'playgrounds', and, as such, the position will demand a lot of creativity and logic. If you have some skill in scripting, that's a bonus, but not a requirement. As time goes on, we will hopefully have some help in that area, so that our traps and puzzles may be more complex.

Again, none of this is incredibly urgent business at the moment, but I thought it would be a good idea to formally announce my work at least. I typically release an update to the file at the end of every month. That said, the March update is coming soon, and will introduce a new heightmap + all 9 base landscapes. Looking forward to another smooth release, and I hope that, at the very least, these words grant some additional exposure to the project :smile: I have also attached some screenshots for proof of concept.