New mod in the works

[the_j_1986]

Information about the mod (This will be updated with varying degrees of frequncy)

 

Percent complete (estimated): 22%

 

Current Status Update:

Been beating my head against the wall trying to get the guards to follow their @#$% schedules, and haven't had much success. So started working on interiors again, and had some more progress with the smith/clothier. Also been fooling around with effect shaders, water types, etc. to get a feel for them (never know when these could come in handy). Waiting for a word from chooch, as I haven't heard from him ina bout a week. Putting out a request for additional help (details below).

 

 

The Plan (A full description):

 

The is a mod that will take place after the main quest, to supply the player with something to do, and have a quest that has permanent and noticeable effects. The quest, while simple to state, is not so simple to do: build the Flying City of Peragus. A city modeled after ancient Ayleid ruins, built and designed using revolutionary concepts in magic and science.

The quest to build the city will start not long after the end of the main quest, and will begin from an unlikely source. With a financial loan from the Empire, you are granted land for the city. The path will be expensive, and have many challenges to face, but the reward is grand. You will be named Count or Countess of a great city, and have all the privileges connected to the title. Some of which will only be known when the act is done.

The city itself will have many different attractions and services. There will be a smith that will be able to supply nearly any weapon or armor available, and a clothier and jeweler that can do the same with clothing and jewelery. An alchemist with access to nearly every ingredient in the province, and the knowledge to turn those ingredients into powerful potions. A tavern with plenty of space, a large fireplace, and an excellent bartender. A prison thought to be inescapable. An observation tower, where the view is awe inspiring. A barracks designed to be comfortable, so the expertly trained guards will work at top efficiency (yet despite this fact, a thief or two might be a resident). The Training Arena will offer service free of charge, and has a wide variety of challenges to chose from. There will be local guild halls for both the Fighters Guild, and the Mages Guild.

The Palace has a simple, yet elegant design that maximizes room without sacrificing beauty. Inside the Palace is one of the most comprehensive libraries in the Empire. The throne room is large, and has a sense of power, and can be used as a ballroom or court. In the throne room is an area for displaying items of varying types to the public, and to yourself. A private area for the Count or Countess is accessible by the throne room, and has it's own route directly to the Library.

There will be more to do even after the city is built, for there are loose ends that will only become evident when they start to unravel. These too will grant their own rewards.

 

 

List o' Problems (what I need help with): [ASAP] [Near future] [Eventually] [Position Filled]

 

Interior furnishing

Placing of furniture, adding little details like books, plates, personal effects, etc. Details of all of the cells are not determined as of yet, as some of that will require the list of npcs.

 

Exterior landscaping

Placing of gardens, lighting, and decoration. Also making paths/roads. Note that this is on a giant slab of stone, so this is not what you would normally be working with.

 

Guard AI Packaging

I have a plan for where they should patrol, when there shifts are, and who does what. But my skill with the packaging system is not that good. I can't make the patrols as complex as is required (ie, cycling through three or more destinations, instead of just two).

 

Textures

I have some textures I edited myself, but they are mediocre at best. I need someone to clean them up (both rgb maps and glow maps, where applicable), and I need a normal map made. By clean up, I mean blending some of the edges so that it doesn't look blocky.

 

Detailed storyline

I have the basic storyline, and some events are partially detailed, but I need some help figuring out the exact sequence of events that will make up the storyline. Also, I'll need some help with giving the NPCs some background, ie what they did before coming to Peragus, where they came from, etc. Essentially, I need a story writer.

 

Dialog

I don't exactly have a gift with words, so I'm going to need help writing what will actually be said. I can supply what needs to be said (mostly), but I can't give it personality.

 

Testing

Eventually, I'm going to need some beta-testers. Not that I'm not having a lot of testing done now, but I'll need some people that will follow each of the NPCs to make sure they are following their schedules, make sure the quest works in different situations, walk through the city looking for any clipping and placement issues, etc.

 

 

Current credits:

 

Staff:

Omegano

Original concept, exterior and interior construction, scripting, NPC creation, textures, storyline

 

SickleYield

Textures

 

chooch

Storyline, NPC creation

 

WarKirby

Storyline

 

 

Thanks to:

Paulo_Minty

Vagrant0

M3lisk

Tiberiu

sleaaels

GBHis

Abramul

WarKirby

 

For help with various items, whether I acknowledged it at the time or not.

 

 

Special Thanks to:

IAMTHEEMPORER

For supplying the modding community with The Ayleid Architecture Project. This mod wouldn't be half as good without it.

 

Reznod

For allowing people to use his Mannequins in their own mods (including mine!).

 

 

Original Post:

I'm currently in the process of making a new mod, The Sky Fortress (name may change). It at first was going to be just a single building, a mansion, but the ideas kept coming, and the project grew. It is now planed to be almost the size of a city, and contain the following:

 

Tavern

Armory/Vault

Barracks

Training Arena

Castle/Palace

-Throne room

-Library

-Quarters

-(Your) Private Chambers

 

It is using Ayleid architecture, using IAMTHEEMPORER's Ayleid Architecture Project. It is going to have various NPCs, and maybe have some quests. But to the point of this topic: What are your thoughts? Do you have any suggestions?

 

Current progress:

Throne room built, scripted giant column, minimally furnished

Armory built, scripted vault doors and defense system, no furnishings

Quarters and library built, no furnishings

Private quarters partially built

Exterior partially built, transportation to & from surface done

Edited September 25, 2006 by Omegano

[Minty_Paulo]

Armor Desplay Room ( For Mannequins )

and or in same room Desplay Cases ( Weapons, Armor, Books ans otherstuff ) :P

[the_j_1986]

Armor Desplay Room ( For Mannequins )

and or in same room Desplay Cases ( Weapons, Armor, Books ans otherstuff ) :P

That's why I made that area in front of the thone room! Thanks, I made two small rooms, but couldn't remember why. Will put display cases in there as soon as I'm finished with the Private Quarters

[Minty_Paulo]

What about Stables toooo 8)

[the_j_1986]

What about Stables toooo 8)

I'd have to figure out how to get horses up there first. As is, the only way up there is a magic stone that teleports you up. Acts like a door, so I don't think a horse can use it. Any ideas?

[Minty_Paulo]

What about Stables toooo 8)

I'd have to figure out how to get horses up there first. As is, the only way up there is a magic stone that teleports you up. Acts like a door, so I don't think a horse can use it. Any ideas?

I can see where that can be a problem

 

P.S Can you say where the Location will be?

[the_j_1986]

What about Stables toooo 8)

I'd have to figure out how to get horses up there first. As is, the only way up there is a magic stone that teleports you up. Acts like a door, so I don't think a horse can use it. Any ideas?

I can see where that can be a problem

 

P.S Can you say where the Location will be?

Along the road to the west of Chorrol. Considering it's very high in the air, and only has a single structure on the ground, there probably won't be any conflict problems with other mods. Probably.

[the_j_1986]

Would you like me to upload the file now, even though it still needs a lot more work before it can even be called beta? It WILL require a download of a very large file due to the retexturing of many items.

[Vagrant0]

Focus more on quest type stuff related to this pace, and less on adding all the usual crap that people want in house mods. There are already a hundred or so unnecessary house mods out there. Adding another one, no matter what it has is only a waste of time and effort. So you want to learn how to mod? A house mod isn't the way to go, you focus too much on adding stuff solely for the player, and not enough on the AI and scripting stuff that defines a good mod from a bad one. You are making a town to go with this... Make the town the focus on the mod, give the NPCs some personality and distinction, add some quests, break the mold.

 

I say this because all the time and effort spent trying to get a new house mod will only make that mod like the 20 others that have the same exact stuff, just a little different. With the same amount of time and effort spent, you could have a fully populated city, and some small quests which would make your mod stand out.

[the_j_1986]

Focus more on quest type stuff related to this pace, and less on adding all the usual crap that people want in house mods. There are already a hundred or so unnecessary house mods out there. Adding another one, no matter what it has is only a waste of time and effort. So you want to learn how to mod? A house mod isn't the way to go, you focus too much on adding stuff solely for the player, and not enough on the AI and scripting stuff that defines a good mod from a bad one. You are making a town to go with this... Make the town the focus on the mod, give the NPCs some personality and distinction, add some quests, break the mold.

 

I say this because all the time and effort spent trying to get a new house mod will only make that mod like the 20 others that have the same exact stuff, just a little different. With the same amount of time and effort spent, you could have a fully populated city, and some small quests which would make your mod stand out.

Already planned on doing somethings like that. Only the display rooms and personal chambers are really for the player alone. The barracks, tavern, library, etc. are for the NPCs just as much as the player. And I'm going to eventually make it so that you have to complete a quest, or series of quests, to have access to the player's areas. Instead of buying the house, you have to prove your worthy of it, or something like that.

 

Before I can add NPCs or quests, I first have to build all the areas, furnish them, make sure all the scripts work, and put in a pathing grid. The last one is going to be the biggest problem. Somehow I "damaged" the pathing grid generator, and can't just click a button to have one made. I'd either have to get someone else to do this for me, or do the entire thing by hand. Not a pleasant thought. This mod is still a LONG way from being finished. As I said in my last post: It can't even be called a beta yet.

 

But as for "breaking the mold", the last mod I was making for Morrowind was a perfect example of my ability to take models from other parts of the world, and use them in creative ways. I made a blast furnace out of blocks, a single fire, and a dwemer machine, a prison out of force shields, a vault on a wall with a dwemer door, a hot spring from a pool, need I go on? You can expect things to be used in ways you wouldn't normally think they could be used, and work. And just to tell you, you won't find the mod anywhere. I never finished it, because I couldn't do this or that and ended up putting it on the back burner. Then Oblivion came out, and I moved on to that.

 

Finally, you didn't answer my question. Do you want me to put up the file to look at what I currently have?

 

Omegano