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Created landscape - looking for help, advice, criticism... praise :D

RHodeidra

By RHodeidra
in Skyrim LE

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RHodeidra Enthusiast

RHodeidra

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Atmora, also known as Altmora or Elder Wood in Ehlnofex, is a frozen continent located far to the north of Tamriel, across the Sea of Ghosts.

It was home to a race of men known as Atmorans around the Merethic Era.

 

Hello all.

About 2 months ago I started messing around with the creation kit.
I soon found out it's quite easy AND quite hard.

I also found out that while making interiors is really really easy, making a nice and organic-looking one was something different...
So, I then started making a worldspace, and MAN, MUCH more fun :D

So, after making a few islands of different types, I came onto this guy:

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/36915/?

Something about the idea spoke to me, and as I read about his plans I thought I might as well try and make an arctic landscape.
So I went on the /r/teslore subreddit for advice and got started.

Now, those guys are ... insane. Insane in a fantastic (both kinds) way.

That was a month ago.
Please not that I still have a full time job so if this is underwhelming I get it. please now these pics do not show all details. Not even close.

A very small example of my work so far (taken from the creation kit, so imagine snow ... everywhere.) can be seen in the following images.
These images are made to show a large scale view, but I have started and completed some runs of the islands on small scale objects, like the graveyard, the outposts, the harbours, the lighthouse and the shrine to blessed Azura.

I have tried very hard to mix "frozen, snowy and abandoned" with "ruins from ancient Nords", meaning I try to keep it all very empty yet still obviously displaying the fact that this land was once inhabited by the Atmorans.

It's a fine line but I believe it is working out quite well.

 

Here for your consideration, and with some comments:

 

http://i.imgur.com/iMnXAPj.jpg
This is the western half of the main island. It's a mix between a large fishing and hunting settlement and a religious area, devoted to the dragon clan.
http://i.imgur.com/R9RlQnd.jpg
The Eastern half, with the main temple and the main harbour. I have mixed existing Nordic stone with ancient Nordic stones to get this effect.
http://i.imgur.com/j53ZsQg.jpg

The most Western part of the island, housing a secondary temply and a small mine. (this would be an example of an area I would like to have someone help me with an interior)

 

http://i.imgur.com/IpA8glP.jpg

As you have seen, a huge glacier covers the continent. However, a small crevasse made by running water allows access to ... something :D

 

http://i.imgur.com/sPXSgor.jpg

An icelake !!!! where I plan to add content and encounters (both creatures and an ice cave you can't really see from this angle) I've started with and have completed plans for the interior, but have not finished it.

 

http://i.imgur.com/BD5mFjN.jpg

When I say we "go" to Atmora, I meant "try to go there but hit an iceberg and try to survive :D

 

http://i.imgur.com/GPlb0nZ.jpg

An ancient fort, part of the quest in the middle of the map. In the distance you can see the glacier and a smaller outpost.

 

http://i.imgur.com/Ut3kcgR.jpg

I have named this area "grave of the fireflies". This area is a graveyard, and houses a mausoleum for the more rich and honored Ancient Atmoran dead. This instance I finished myself but didn't really enjoy doing it :D

 

http://i.imgur.com/qBHwhQY.jpg

Ah, Azura. She was honored here too. This will be one of the option areas to reach for quest rewards. I find it ESSENTIAL to show that these humans lived in a time rules by the dragons and their beliefs. I plan on adding much much smaller token to the Daedric Lords.

 

http://i.imgur.com/spWS5Hp.jpg

Well we have to take of from somewhere so I adjusted a single cell in Solstheim to a dock for the ships of the expedition to take off from.

 

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For scale ; these 2 pics were taking in the CK with uGridsToLoad 21 (which is BIG!). That square in both pics is about the size of Solstheim.
Not every island is depicted, and neither is the icelake. (can't add the picture due to forum restrictions)

http://imgur.com/HyRdgdW

http://imgur.com/F0zUXTs

 

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If you looked at the images and thought "huh ... this guyr really really likes blue and grey ..." you are RIGHT :D
It is meant to look like a very very very VERY cold place. I can spoil that there will be a single area with living plant-life,

but otherwise this area has been uninhabitable for a long long time...

These weather types I show are meant to really hammer down that THIS s#*! IS COOOOLD !

So please, do not expect anything at max a very light snowfall, and no palm trees or great oaks.
Think "What if the vikings lived on Antarctica"

 

The surface area including the sea between the islands and the glacier is about two-three times Solstheim,
I'm guessing equal to Solstheim when counting only land surface area.

I base the shape of the Islands on this map;

http://wiiwillrockyoup.deviantart.com/art/Nirn-331771982

I know there is no real idea of the shape of the continent, this one of all the fan depictions spoke to me.

I also got started on a main quest involving the arrival (or as you can see in one of the pics- the shipwrecking) on Atmora,
and the survival and exploration of the area.

Quest should take about 2 hours to finish without optionals, surely 4 with optional quest objectives.

So why Atmora ?
Well, mainly because of this guy:

http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/users/187943/?

 

I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE Frostfall.
Don't get me wrong, that is one of about a dozen immersive mods I use, but surely Chesko deserves praise for making a Northern land ... cold. Seriously Bethesda ....

The idea of this worldspace is to use it together with a hardcore Frostfall. iNeed or RND, ... anything that adds immersion and realism you could want.
Water is frozen. Food is ... no food! Very little wildlife (to hunt). Incredibly cold climate. And you, trying to get back home.

And some things dwell here that should be left alone (DUN DUN DUUNNN)

 

So most of the quest is done, I mainly need to set up some scenes, and add voiced dialog.

I still to finish the NPCs: what they wear, and how they look. So far they are named placeholders with standard setups.

If you like the idea of a really really tough Frostfall experience, I could use some help.
I just do not like making interiors ... and I'd like at least 6 interiors on the worldspace.
I finished one myself, and added the basics for 4 others but I just would prefer to really kick the crap out of the exterior with my time, make the quest and create the encounters.

If anyone wants to help out, or even take charge by virtue of past experience, I'm open to conversation.
I'd like to finish and release it early next year, adding hopefully 8 hours to the game, while staying true to lore.
If anyone is up for some modelling, I have an idea for 2 items I'd like to allow the player to retrieve from the area. Nothing big though, no worries.

Mostly I would love to get the goddamned interiors out of my hands, and I would just have a few restrictions for them related to the quest line.

And if you like the pics, the idea I would like any remarks you would give that could help out.

Thanks in advance, and thanks to the modding community in general.

Edited by RHodeidra
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TheDarkPrince Proficient

TheDarkPrince

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You are doing something nice, so keep up the good work! Just remember that "snowy / arctic" landscapes will never mean "landscape without much effort put in it since it's all white and stuff". A lot of landscapers forget that, thus ruining their own nice works. Remember to always have a good eye for details because that's what keeps the downloads and endorsements coming, even after months after release!

Keep it up :)

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TheBawb Community Regular

TheBawb

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Very nicely done. I would have to agree with TheDarkPrince, the success of the mod is in the detail.

 

One thing I would look into if I were you would be the presentation, for example everything that is written here is in the same font/color. And the photos are links, whereas you could capture more attention by posting them in the thread.

Other than that, it's looking nice. Definitely looking forward to it's release.

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RHodeidra Enthusiast

RHodeidra

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I'll remake my post showing the pics straight away.
I also took some pics from birds-eye-view from the CK to show the size of the work so far.

 

EDIT there; done :D I might add a few more pictures by request. For example, I'll add one here later to show some if the detail I have in mind to show it is a currently dead, once living and breathing area.

Edited by RHodeidra
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TenderHooligan Enthusiast

TenderHooligan

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Wow. Looks beautiful. Though I do believe it's Atmora, not Altmora.

 

Also, I suggest you try coming up with some in-game reason for why you can go to a continent "frozen in time" (not just frozen in ice) and not get stuck, and how NPCs can live there. It's not 100%, but be prepared for lore fiends complaining a lot when it's released if you don't have an explanation ready.

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RHodeidra Enthusiast

RHodeidra

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My reddit post about the landscape, which I added some images to from the work I'm doing tonight:

 

http://nl.reddit.com/r/skyrimmods/comments/2lvhqg/im_hoping_to_make_this_work_into_a_mod_take_a/

 

Also here is a nice lil' image I'd like to add here. I think it LOOKS ok. I really really want to one day release this as a mod and any advise or help would be fan-tastic.

http://i.imgur.com/VIZyMjK.jpg

Edited by RHodeidra
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