Terran Vampires REVIVED

[martin19121996]

Yay, so I've finally repaired my PC and just wanted to say you may release the mod now at any time :tongue:

 

Good for you :)

[Legotrash]

Ok,I tested it a bit so time for some feedback.

 

Several thing that I liked but there were also two major things that I disliked. I'm starting with the things I disliked:

 

First is the whole alternative-vampirism thing. You can just modify oblivion's vampirism so why not? Not doing it ends up with feeding via casting a spell (the offensive way would still have to be a spell though,I understand that) and the only clan with visual changes is the Nosferatu. Also it makes the mod's vampirism available only via the quest hook. In vanilla is either by choice or by a random infection which is better IMHO. As a bonus,if the player uses Basic Primary Needs (and is a vampire),he can satisfy his hunger/thirst only by feeding which makes things even more realistic.

The way I see it,with that choice you pretty much put barriers that they don't have to be there to begin with.

 

Second is breaking the masquerade. I know you're already aware of this but keep reading.

Instead of embracing the character first,which would leave him with no actual choice,they break the masquerade. That's something they wouldn't do in the previous realm and yet they do it in Cyrodiil. Not only they do it but they keep the player informed that:

 

1.They're not as adapted as they were in their previous realm (for reasonable reasons).

2.People of this realm are far more powerful (magic etc).

 

Let's not forget that they say those things to the hero of kvatch,with other words,a really bad motheryouknowwhat. The threat wont do anything,especially to a hero...who could inform everybody about the vampires...and those "everybodies" are not like me and you but they can use magic and whatnot. So,they do the dumbest thing they could possibly do in the wrong time and in the wrong place.

Probably that happens so the player can choose his clan. If that's the case then make a setting available where the player can choose which clan he'd like to be in before/if he becomes a vampire. If you'll ask me though the best way would be by the player's attributes: For example,if his strength is his highest attribute then he'd become a Berseker (you could say the Berserker elder took notice of him so he decided to embrace him or something like that).

 

 

Anyway,about the things I liked:

It really reminds me VTM. The council,guards,servants,vessels etc. It gives the right atmosphere.

I worried that you'd might make sun damage even less significant but you didn't which is really nice. The changes to it were great.

Thralls available,always handy as we know.

The haven close to Bruma is simply great. Very,very nice thought,I loved it.

 

 

 

I hope you didn't mind the criticism. I didn't mean to be rude,I just wanted to be completely honest because,If done right,this mod can be the best vampire mod out there.

[WarRatsG]

The mod you tested is NOT the mod we are trying to create. We have yet to put out an alpha. The mod you tested was actually created by ZorakRamone in 2007. This mod is the base of our new mod, Version 2, which is far more streamlined and generally improved in my own opinions at least.

 

 

Still, your criticisms are noted - in fact, they are shared by many people and have been addressed...

 

1. By creating a distinct vampire system, it allows compatibility with other vampire mods. Before I turned to modding, I personally used the old Terran Vampires and Blood is Everything together, which allowed me to gain powers from both. It also serves role playing purposes - a player may want to become a hybrid for the immersion.

Feeding is not done with spells in the new mod - a hotkey is used instead. This hotkey can be mapped anywhere on your keyboard. This works for both covert and offensive feeding (the script will know the difference).

 

2. I personally dont like the story so far either, but until we cam confirm what direction the new main story will take, it is unlikely to change. As of now, it serves more as an excuse to throw vampirism at you than an actual introduction to a vampire saga.

 

 

The things you love about the mod have also been refined. Plus, everything in the mod is completely analogue, so every point counts; you're no longer just "well fed" or "hungry", but every bit of blood now contributes to your power. In the same way, you never simply "age up", but every day increase your power slightly. This happens with everything.

[martin19121996]

If he modified the normal vanilla vampires he would go a 100% against the lore.

[Legotrash]

Thanks for your time.

 

I thought that you've changed a few things in it,that's why I decided to give some feedback. If I was wrong then sorry about that.

I have no doubts that it'll be better in the future,that's why I didn't bother with details. I'm sure there are many more things to come.

 

Keep up the good work! :)

[martin19121996]

How is it going with the insanity so far?

[Legotrash]

If he modified the normal vanilla vampires he would go a 100% against the lore.

 

To be honest I don't see much of a lore in the game. They would only make things better by modifying it. :/

Oh well.

[WarRatsG]

Thanks for your time.

 

I thought that you've changed a few things in it,that's why I decided to give some feedback. If I was wrong then sorry about that.

I have no doubts that it'll be better in the future,that's why I didn't bother with details. I'm sure there are many more things to come.

 

Keep up the good work! :)

 

My apologies, I was under the impression that you believed the mod you tested was the mod we were working on - I had to make it absolutely clear that neither I nor anyone else who has been on the team has had any affiliation with the mod you tested ;)

 

How is it going with the insanity so far?

 

I have my moments :teehee:

 

I've kind of put it to one side while I work on other things. I always keep a notepad open when I'm working on the mod, so that if any ideas flash across my mind then I can write it down. Hopefully when I come around to it a little later, I will have enough there to create a few good ideas. I've also looked at various mental disorders for inspiration, and drawn on what I remember about insanity in literature for some interesting effects.

 

If he modified the normal vanilla vampires he would go a 100% against the lore.

 

To be honest I don't see much of a lore in the game. They would only make things better by modifying it. :/

Oh well.

 

Yeah, lore wasn't a major concern when we started making the mod - after all, we did base it on an entirely different game 8)

[Legotrash]

My apologies, I was under the impression that you believed the mod you tested was the mod we were working on - I had to make it absolutely clear that neither I nor anyone else who has been on the team has had any affiliation with the mod you tested ;)

 

No need,I,too,misunderstood things. :biggrin:

[WarRatsG]

Figured I should list a few effects of insanity to give you an idea of what I'm going for. This is straight from my notes...

 

 

 

INSANITY


- Hallucinations
	- DESCRIPTION A:: Hallucinatory character simply looks at player
		- IMPLEMENTATION:: Random character type appears. Possible ghost effects. Cannot be interacted with. Disappears after 10 seconds.
			-ADVANTAGES:: Creates atmosphere
			-DISADVANTAGES:: 0 impact
			-CHOSEN?:: yes
				-FREQUENCY:: moderate
	- DESCRIPTION B::Fake vampire hunters attack player.		
		- IMPLEMENTATION:: Vampire hunters randomly appear. Hitting or being hit results in immediate dissipation. Lasts 10 seconds
			-ADVANTAGES:: creates atmosphere/ambiguity
			-DISADVANTAGES:: novelty could wears
				-CHOSEN?:: Yes
					-FREQUENCY:: low


- Disossiative Personality
	- DESCRIPTION A:: Like in fight club, where protagonist sees himself doing something in the 3rd person and has no control	
		- IMPLEMENTATION:: Start Conversations/fights; Steal, possibly successfully
			- ADVANTAGE:: high impact
			- DISADVANTAGE:: intrusive; theoretically causing expulsion from guilds, etc
				-No; player is forced into doing something, which causes the problem.
	- DESCRIPTION B:: Player becomes a different "person", ie different traits and abilities
		- IMPLEMENTATION A:: Physical Stat changes
			- ADVANTAGES:: simple, small intrusion
			- DISADVANTAGES:: relatively inconsequential; tacky
				- CHOSEN?:: no; feels like I'm not trying
		- IMPLEMENTATION B:: Random Humanity stat changes; Mania/Depression = Lower/Higher
			- ADVANTAGES:: Simple; small instrusion; unpredictable, yet manageable
			- DISADVANTAGES:: prevents "perfect" humanity scores
				-CHOSEN?:: Yes
					- FREQUENCY:: moderate-high


- Schizophrenia
	- DESCRIPTION A:: Auditory hallucinations
		- IMPLEMENTATION A:: Random sound plays; creepy, shocking or funny
			- ADVANTAGES:: creates atmosphere; causes unease, fright, or comic relief
			- DISADVANTAGES:: can happen at bad times, breaking atmosphere of other mods as well as this one.
				-CHOSEN?:: Yes
					- FREQUENCY:: low-moderate
		- IMPLEMENTATION B:: Voices in head make demands, possibly criminal. Meeting demands gets reward, failing gets punishment. Successive results heighten effects
			- ADVANTAGES:: Impact; choice involved to limit intrusion
			- DISADVANTAGES:: Could be source of annoyance if acts are constantly criminal
				-CHOSEN?::Yes
					- FREQUENCY:: low
	- DESCRIPTION B:: Thought Disorder
		- IMPLEMENTATION:: Create unique dialogue
			- ADVANTAGES:: allows extrasensory traits to be shown; brilliant for immersion
			- DISADVANTAGES:: Adds to development time; Oblivion dialogue has little room to manouver.
				-CHOSEN?:: Possibly
					- FREQUENCY:: Occasional; Definitely not an entirely new set of lines for the player.

 

 

 

 

This is just part of them, but I figured listing a few may inspire ideas for some of the readers. I would appreciate any shared ideas, or critique of the implementations listed. Note that if the effect is listed as CHOSEN, it does not mean it will necessarily be in the mod as written here - it means the general concept behind the effect has been deemed suitable for use, but may be altered, adapted or superseded. Thanks in advance for your time ;)

Edited December 10, 2012 by WarRatsG