Underground Home Quest

[morozek]

I've been thinking about this idea for about a year, but it is beyond my modding abilities and wanted to throw it out there for some of the experts to mull over. If anyone feels up to tackling it I would be forever grateful and in awe. :happy: There are some obvious challenges, but I will address them as I come to them. I am going to step through the quest and am attaching rough 'drawing' to illustrate how I am envisioning it as I go along.

 

1) Informing the player in-game: Instead of simply announcing the creation of the map marker, I think it would be more seamless to have the NPCs add a few optional lines of dialogue to their conversation, ie "Did you hear about the mining accident in the Valus Mountains?" or "What do you know about the cave-in out near Morrowind?" Once this dialogue is heard, a map marker is added. The dialogue may repeat at random until the player arrives at the location.

 

2) Location: A good location would be out in the rugged Valus mountains near the Morrowind border. A steep slope (or cliff face) with a commanding view of Cyrodiil is prime.

 

Here is where is gets tricky. I know that there are inside worlds and outside worlds, and never the twain shall meet, but I have wondered if it is possible to make an outside world that feels like it is actually inside? At the top of the mountain, there is a small shack with a sheep pen. The cave-in has occurred under the pen and several of the animals have fallen 'inside'. This also would be one way of entering the 'cave'. But there is no 'gateway' between the inside and outside of the cave, it is all part of the exterior world, just parts of it are decorated as though they are 'inside'. I hope that makes sense? Instead of making minor adjustments to the terrain (as in hills or valleys), this would involve making a 'hole' then expanding into a concavity, and redecorating the surface to appear as though it were the inside of the cave.

 

This 'cave' would have two opening at the beginning of the quest: one on top:

 

 

and one on the cliff face

 

most likely in separate cells (not necessarily adjacent to each other).

 

Entering via the 'cave-in' you would fall some distance onto a pile of rocks and rubble, and could look up to see the open sky above. There are the bodies of some animals and miners (or goblins) scattered on, around, or under the rocks, along with various mining implements. There are three door leading off of this cavern (connecting to 'interior' worlds). One leads to a 'bottomless' mineshaft (to be developed later in the script), another to a dead end tunnel (also to be developed later) and the third to an ascending passageway that 'winds' around parallel to one edge of the cavern, and ends in another doorway. This door leads to the 'cave-opening' room (the other exterior world). This cavern would be the miner's camp, decorated with bedrolls, campfire, rough table, etc.

 

.

 

Upon exiting the cave, the quest updates with something along the lines of "I believe this place could be turned into a nice little place, I should visit Mr. XYZ in Cheydinhal.

 

Mr. XYZ (insert suitable name here) is an NPC in Cheydinhal who builds and remodels homes, and you would 'buy' the 'upgrades' from him.

 

Bedroom upgrade: the 'cave-opening' cavern is converted into a stately bedroom with smooth stone or marble floors, nice furniture, plants, etc., that continues out through the 'opening' onto a wide terrace on the cliff face, facing West.

 

 

 

Main Room upgrade: The main cavern ('cave-in') would be converted into a fine main hall, complete with arboertum. The lower level includes a dining nook, fireplace, sitting area, bookshelves, study area. The doorway to the ascending passage (to the bedroom) has a nicer door placed, to match the decor of the room. In the center is an arboretum, with several trees and other plants. There is an upper level in this room, that basically encircles the arboretum and has stone benches and perhaps stands for mannequins or other displays. The upper level is accessible through a slight extension of the ascending passageway (beyond the bedroom door) and adding a doorway that matches the one below. Of course, the opening above can be seen from below. A stone railing is added around the 'cave-in' point so that no one can easily fall in. :tongue: I thought the Meos Globe mod resource, the Static Scroll Set Resource, and the Meos Modular Fireplaces Resource might be possible considerations here. This drawing is from the upper level.

 

 

 

Kitchen Upgrade: The short 'dead end' tunnel is expanded into a working 'kitchen' or alchemy room, complete with alchemy 'sink (maybe Hel Borne and Ranokoas Functional Alchemic Sink Resource?), along with other kitchen/storage decor.

 

Entrance upgrade: The 'mineshaft' door in the 'cave-in' chamber is upgraded to match, and opens into a small 'elevator'. Close the door and press one of the buttons. The bottom one transports to an entrance at the base of the cliff. I had also thought about making a road lead up to the entrance, and including a small garden and/or stable near this entrance. The second button transports to the 'hydro room', the third to the main/cave-in chamber, and the fourth to the upper end of the ascending passage (near the bedroom/cave opening doorway, and the door into the upper level of the main/cave-in chamber. A possible fifth could lead to an exit and stairway leading up to the top of the mountain where the cave-in occurred. This area could be further developed with a park and/or gazebo.

 

Ascending passage upgrade: The ascending passage is cleaned up with doorway improvements, floor and wall coverings, and perhaps regular niches in the wall along the corridor to place mannequins or set up other displays.

 

'Hydro Room' upgrade (yeah, it could use a better name. :tongue: ) IT's basically a round room in the center of a circular aquarium with the fish (slaughterfish/giant slaughterfish) are swimming around. A fountain in the center and several benches placed around for meditation/contemplation. The elevator exits the room. A bookshelf at the other end of the room could connect a secret passage to the kitchen (Modders Resource Moving Book Walls).

 

 

 

Suggestions or other ideas are welcome. If anyone is willing to tackle this challenge, it would be awesome and I would not be inclined to micromanage. :tongue: It's just an idea that I thought would be cool, but was beyond my abilities to realize.

 

Thanks for reading!

 

Morozek

[Skevitj]

I know this is a useless post, since modeling something like that is well outside my capabilities... but it has to be said...

 

Seriously, if everyone who wanted a mod put that much effort into describing it, finding resources, drawingboard prototypes. This site would have the turnover of half the games industry and guality to beat it. Most people are: "I want this done from this by now, cant be bothered looking for links, you can search. oh and btw I'm claiming all credit cause its my idea"

(Ok, slight exadgeration, but there are people like that)

 

You deserve to have that mod made just from the effort you've put into into that description. From my experience though, it would be a lot more efficient (easier to organise and more likely to get modelers to help out) if it's split up and you create seperate threads for the individual components, such as modifying the mountain to contain unlinked doors and the external cave as 1 thread. The whole thing together just looks daunting, not impossible, just a truck load of work (for 1 person to attempt individually).

[morozek]

From my experience though, it would be a lot more efficient (easier to organise and more likely to get modelers to help out) if it's split up and you create seperate threads for the individual components, such as modifying the mountain to contain unlinked doors and the external cave as 1 thread. The whole thing together just looks daunting, not impossible, just a truck load of work (for 1 person to attempt individually).

 

Skevitj-

 

Thank you for your input. I had tried to do some preliminary work, but it is, as you correctly say, daunting, and my modest modding efforts don't exactly extend into teambuilding and project organization, so it never occurred to me to consider it that way. :huh:

 

If I am understanding you correctly, it appears that it would be broken down into several major areas:

 

1. 
    
   
2. Extensive or exaggerated external cell editing and testing (see attached photos):
    
    
    
   
3. Some mesh construction and/or conversion to use 'cave' or 'room' meshes in an external cell environment
   
4. Straightforward Interior Cell design
   
5. Scripting to change external and internal cells as quest progresses
   
6. dialogue preparation/voicing (optional)/insertion into global NPC dialogue pool
   
7. NPC 'construction contact' development, with purchasable inventory linked to quest progress.
   
8. Probably lots more that I am overlooking and/or unaware of????? :sweat:
    
   

:confused:

[morozek]

 

1. 
    
   
2. Extensive or exaggerated external cell editing and testing (see attached photos):
    
    
    
   

 

I guess the million dollar question for this concept is "Can exterior world cells be edited so that one part of the cell is physically above or below another parts of the cell (true 3D) or are they modified 2D (in that no two points can share the same x,y coordinates but differing 'z' coordinates)??????"

 

This is the Key Element to the concept, and if it cannot be accomplished then it won't be worth pursuing.

 

Anyone please able to shed some light on this issue?

 

:geek: :cool: :mellow:

 

Thanks!

[leewise]

 

1. 
    
   
2. Extensive or exaggerated external cell editing and testing (see attached photos):
    
    
    
   

 

I guess the million dollar question for this concept is "Can exterior world cells be edited so that one part of the cell is physically above or below another parts of the cell (true 3D) or are they modified 2D (in that no two points can share the same x,y coordinates but differing 'z' coordinates)??????"

 

This is the Key Element to the concept, and if it cannot be accomplished then it won't be worth pursuing.

 

Anyone please able to shed some light on this issue?

 

:geek: :cool: :mellow:

 

Thanks!

 

This is beyond my minimal modding abilities too, but I wonder if you couldn't fake it by making a big hole in the landscape, and then fill it in with static structures that reach up to "ground-level" and overhang to create an opening smaller than the actual hole. Then tidy up the landscape above with rocks and bushes and things to hide the join between the actual surface and the static structures. The only trouble I see with that is that I believe rain would fall through the structures.

[ub3rman123]

I know how you can do it.

 

First, the hole on top is easy. Just make a crater in the ground, and shade it to black on the inside.

 

The side hole may be a bit more complex. YOu won't be able to see it on the outside. First, build a cave underneath the landscape. The landscape is only visible from the top, so the player can see through the wall when they're on the inside of the cave. The collision still is in play, though, so you';ll have to put bars or glass or something over it.

 

I have the capability of making it, but I've got too many other things waiting on me. I can add it to my list of ideas to make stuff, though.

[leewise]

I was thinking that you could make a big crater with steep sides in the landscape, use cave meshes to construct a cavern with an opening in the center of the roof and a surrounding roof overhang to cover the gap between the cavern and the crater, drop the building into the crater, then add rocks and things to disguise all the edges. Cave meshes are normally used in interior cells, but I don't see why they *couldn't* be used for this. Except for the problem of rain falling through the meshes, of course.

 

I was thinking something similar for the bedroom cave -- a steep-sided slot in the landscape, filled in with a static object that has an open cave at the bottom and rocks and things filling in the slot all the way to the top. But there's still the rain problem.

 

So, you were thinking a crater that shades to black, which acts as a trap, so if the player gets too close, he "falls in", i.e., teleports into the actual cavern which is underneath the landscape? Then he could look up and see the sky, but could not climb out again. Also the rain problem might be solved (I've never investigated whether rain falls through the landscape). Likewise perhaps the "bedroom cave", i.e., if the player gets too close to the opening, he "steps in" -- not quite so immersive as morozek desired, but doable?

[ub3rman123]

Lighting would look wonky, too.

 

So one could add a triggerbox to the hole on top that'll teleport the player into the cell inside, and create a 'dummy' skybox above to simulate the exterior (Can't see everything from that angle, anyways) by adding some trees around the outside of the rim.

 

So if we make a dummy exterior for it by just making an interior with a skybox, it'd solve most of the problems.