[WIP] The Abysmer Empire Needs You!

[IkeCoast]

Robert rocked my world... when I was forced to have just one body type in game.

 

Remember who helped me to learn how to use BodyAssetOverrides for NPCs?

 

Why I should stick to just one body type now that i can have ALL OF THEM at once?

 

For instance, Cethlenn is still and will always be a RobFem (albeit now she is an Athletic B-Cup instead her original Average C-Cup), Nesure is an healthy Curvaceous C-Cup RobFem, Dorma is a powerful HGEC EBE, Jensine looks totally beautiful being an... I forgot the acronym, I will not call her fat but she is not quite Christy Turlington, you know, and so on.

 

Males have also underwent some changes. Ryan keeps his MuscAth original body, as well as Alroy (twins, you know), Dillion being the younger is a BoyAth, Filan an Ath, Wyynde still is a Breezes Defined, and I'm planning two new Herrings, Carchs as a Rooms BodyBuilder and Ayaan as an exquisite Growlfs French.

 

(I will not mention what I did to my males microseams, but you can perfectly figure it for yourself. Ahem).

 

When I can Blender, I will also create custom matching clothes and armors for them.

 

So many choices and so little time.

 

Gonna go to zap something.

 

Cheers!

[Striker879]

Oh ya ... sure try to blame the old guy for your "problems".

 

Word of advice ... keep notes on who is using what. 90% of my "work" right now is figuring out which non-seam mended mesh I used on character X so that I can swap for a nice new shiny seam mended version. Talk about tedious work ... load the upper body mesh currently in use in NifSkope, use that plus clues from Windows Explorer (file size and date) to figure out what mesh I used, find out if a ready made mesh replacement exists in SetBody Reloaded, if not wrestle the seam mender tool to the ground and have it do my bidding (the ignore vertex count and make new vertices trick appear to have given me the upper hand in that battle ... thanks Junkacc).

 

I'm keeping notes now.

[IkeCoast]

Got me, matey, I wasn't taking notes. Actually, none of the current work I'm doing with the seamless replacements is meant to be definitive. In two months or so I expect to get a new computer and then I will build carefully my Ultimate Oblivion installation ever (until I somehow manage to screw up all the profiles of it, as always, of course).

 

What I am taking notes of is of the things about Seam Mender you, Movomo and Junks tell me.

 

You know, in NifSkope is more or less easy to spot the difference between a Seamless mesh and an old one: the Seamless are pure white without highlights, due to the changes Movomo and Junkacc made to the material properties. However, yes, taking notes and even renamig the meshes to track them is mandatory in order to have a correct build.

 

Cheers!

[Striker879]

OK Ike, here's my report for my vanilla start (regular tutorial dungeon) as an Abysmer.

 

To give some context to my opinions I have always played Dunmer male characters, with the exception of an abortive first character who was an "all defaults" Imperial (whatever was selected at the next character creation screen was accepted). He made it to Kvatch, and at the time I didn't have the skills to make it past the first two scamps before tossing him into the wastebin and hitting the books to learn how to create a character.

 

Through the tutorial and into the initial bandit fights after leaving the tutorial dungeon (and a mud crab here and there) I've tried to employ both some of the unique Abysmer characteristics (can you say Eel Kiss) and conventional fighting skills, so I can gauge how the "Abysmer advantage" affects gameplay. As reported by PM you know I've actually started the character with version 1.0 (so my tutorial experience is really a version 1.0 experience) and tried to be as ham fisted as I could on the version 2.0rc update, but was unable to cause any grief with my "worst possible way to upgrade" attempt.

 

The main contrast between version 1.0 and version 2.0rc is the starting spells unique to Abysmer, and I will say that the version 2.0rc spells package is less overpowered than the version 1.0 were, but they still give ample opportunity to make early level fights a trivial affair. With a decent sense of timing on the Eel Kiss you can virtually go untouched by any enemy at level one (providing you have fairly good dodging skills against archers and spell casters). In my opinion the Abysmer advantage will lessen at higher levels as enemies get more health, but I haven't tested long enough to determine at what level they "level out" compared to vanilla races (and here I can only speak to my Dunmer guys).

 

In a way Eel Kiss reminds me a lot of my own favourite custom spell (paralyze, fire damage and weakness to magic) but that spell costs magicka to cast and so isn't an option until about level 15 or more (intelligence and willpower need to be at least 80 each on a Dunmer). A lesser power that powerful is a lot of power, and hard to resist. With some restraint it does give you a "last ditch effort" to avoid being killed, but I think few players will have that degree of restraint.

 

I concluded this vanilla start test with two runs through the Kvatch gate closing, one Eel Kissing my way to the sigil stone and the other using only conventional spells or weapons. Using Eel Kiss I basically got to the sigil and closed the gate as fast as if there had been no enemies along the way at all (there was ample time to cast my healing spell enough to counter any damage my guy took while closing to and kissing all enemies on the way with no regard to dodging their attacks). If I recall correctly it was early afternoon when I was back in Tamriel after a dawn start into the gate, perhaps even just before noon. In contrast the gate closing using only convention tactics and starting from the same save took until after 2 am, using aggressive tactics as much as I could and still remain healed and alive.

 

I have an idea of how to keep the Eel Kiss but make it less of a regular gameplay advantage, but it won't be a simple one to implement. What I'd like to see is a cost to being out of water, so that the effects of Eel Kiss are diminished after say 24 hours without total immersion in water. The first stage could be losing the paralyze part of the spell, and then step down the shock damage component over the next 24 hours until it's just a regular shock spell (like flare is to the fire spells).

 

For role players you keep your guy wet, and plan your assaults as you build up your character. For vanilla main quest players you have a more vanilla main quest experience, with the opportunity to work some strategy into some of the later quests (e.g. the pond near Shetcombe Farm is close enough to Miscarcand to be used to keep your squidly squishy during the search for the Great Welkynd).

 

I'll start a new character using my alternate start next. More of a challenge at the start with the rest of my realism load order ... no pockets bulging with tutorial dungeon loot when first stepping into Tamriel, so no gold to buy canteens and a measly rusty dagger to make it through those first few fights.

 

It will be hard for discipline to win out when victory is but a kiss away.

[IkeCoast]

Hey, Striker!

 

Quick reply before I go to bed.

 

V2.0 Eel Kiss is actually MORE powerful than v.1, but the fact it is no longer a ranged spell diminishes its overpowering and forces the player to be more tactical and think before kissing. And yes, since this power does not level up, with high level enemies becomes an advantage but not a too high advantage.

 

I would love to implement some equivalent to vampires Sun Damage when too much time out of water, but I do not have the faintest idea on how to do it. Version 3 maybe? Chi lo sa. I used instead the Wounds of the Surface high Weakness to Fire and Poison, these are two of the more common threats in the game and I found them "lore-friendly" for a submarine race.

 

I don't know what I'm babbling about now. Operating System running on Safe mode now. Going to bed.

 

v2.0 is out.

 

Cheers!

[Striker879]

Sleep well my friend. I have the equivalent of an "Abysmer advantage" over you in the timezone war (must remember to keep Ike from learning my phone number, or 4 am "wake up sleepy head's" will ensue).

 

When rested heads are well coffeed in the am I'll PM some ideas on where we can beg, borrow and steal some source code for the Abysmers.