Tinkering with an idea

[Draconicone]

So having fiddled a little with the GECK a little in the past I started playing around with an idea for oblivion. I'm by no means an experienced modder.

 

I remember really liking the step by step quest for building of my fort in Morrowind. So, I thought it would be a fun challenge to do something similar here on a larger scale. Even if I never finish it, it will be fun to tinker with the scripts and learn the mechanics, I've already had fun just exploring the static objects as I build.

 

My thoughts were basicly as follows:

 

Script wise... the character, after acquiring 'X' quantity of Fame, receives a messenger upon entering the city. The messenger gives a letter (with some dialog) summoning the character to visit a count. When the player visits the count they get a rant on the trials of leadership and all the political forces arrayed against them. Daedra, Goblins, Necromancers, and Bandits. The count then hires the player to establish a settlement in the wilderness to help bring imperial law to a lawless frontier region.

 

This would then start a series of quests which at intervals would be linked to structures in the settlement location. As the player makes choices and completes quests the settlement evolves accordingly with two or three variant options. One example might be: One month after the establishment of the first warehouse on the waterfront of your new settlement, your city guard captain comes to you with reports that shadowy figures are lurking around the docks. The player could then choose to either 1) Send the captain to investigate further 2) Investigate it yourself 3) Ignore it completely for now. If they choose 1 the guards engage a smuggling ring and arrest some tong agents. 2 the player is then presented with another set of options 2a) kill the smugglers themselves, 2b) Convincing the smugglers to cut you into their profits in exchange for letting them be (in which case you get either access to some less-common items/components or regular income), 2c) Convincing them to leave quietly whereas 3 can allow the captain to report on it again later, or trigger a series of events involving an imperial census and excise officer that spirals into another series of quests. Each choice during these quests would in theory add to some hidden attributes, Law and Crime. If the player continually allows or worse encourages crime growth in the city, certain quests that would enable wealthier settlers might be less prevelant, the quest for a museum might never be offered... afterall what curator wants to display ayelid and daedric artifacts in a city rumored to be brimming with thieves, pirates, smugglers and scoundrels? At the same time having a very high law stat would encourage wealthy law-abiding citizens and encourage more elite growth while discouraging some of the more low brow things. Instead of a hole in the wall alehouse that would be offered with a crime score of >5 a law score of >10 might offer a fine restaurant that caters and allows for the later evolution of a lesser noble family moving in (greatly enhancing the settlement's wealth and income)

 

The choices would also be aesthetically differing, with the more crime oriented buildings taking on darker decors, and the more noble establishments getting brighter light colored ones, allowing every player to have very different cities depending on their choices throughout the quests. Certain items would be added upon achieving certain crime/law scores also, like a player statue for a beloved crusader, a fountain for a true neutral, or a gallows for the truly sinister.

 

At the same time the character is lead down a quest line between two nobles who are both trying to declare the new settlement is within their county jurisdiction, and thus can claim taxation on its citizens. As the city grows they get more and more forceful, eventually climaxing with opposing city garrisons clashing outside the player's settlement, and Chancellor Ocato intervening then and the player either choosing a county, and instigating a civil war or being awarded their own small county.

 

The primary NPC for all the quest progressions regarding buildings would be a city clerk who is assigned by the original count. An essential character, he would be located in the settlement and only give quest progressions when present, thus limiting the amount of perpetual reference IDs the game would have to maintain.

 

Unfortunately I've already run into a bit of a snag when laying out the base waterfront district. The area I'm building on has a fairly steep incline. If I smooth out the terrain, what impact will that have on the LOD objects.

 

Alternatively I could still manage it, but I definitely need some visible timber support stilts to visibly offer support for the buildings and structures that span out over the steep shoreline. I've not found any items in the TES CS that really fit the bill. Anvil Boardwalk materials are the closest I have found, and those are all attached to sections of dock. Can anyone recommend any modders resources that offer free-standing timber supports. These would also be useful for showing the half-built buildings at certain points. I think I might revisit cropsford in the CS and see how that was done exactly, I seem to remember there being some half build structures there at one stage.

 

Some buildings will look similar no matter what like the warehouses, so only the doors and interiors they link to will need to change depending on the characters moral choices.

 

So... questions:

 

1) Does altering terrain have any nasty side effects for compatibility or break any LOD objects later?

2) Are there any modders resources out that offer half built structures and solitary, maybe even free standing, support timbers, and house frameworks? Or are there some hiding in the CS somewhere I missed?

3) I have blender installed, but I'm too Noob to figure it out, are there any guides for the blender challenged out there?

4) How hard would it be to make my own timber supports if there aren't any available?

 

Any help or suggestions is much appreciated. I'm just playing around but I don't want to break my game either. If it evolves well and actually isn't horrible I may even upload it eventually... but that's a long way off.

Edited October 14, 2011 by Draconicone

[wetblanket]

1) Changing terrain can create incompatibilities (eg. land tears) but then just putting a settlement there can too ;) You can minimise problems by avoiding heavily modded areas like the infamous Weye but I suggest you make the mod how you envision it and worry about these sorts of issues later if necessary.

 

I don't know much about LOD so no comment there.

 

2) To many to link but look out for the modders Meo and Mr Siika who have many resources out there eg. Meos Settlement - Resource has logs, wheelbarrow, 2 man handsaw, trestles etc. all of which would be useful for a building site.

 

Other than Nexus, ORE and TESAlliance have a lot of useful stuff.

 

There are a few vanilla pieces that may interest you in 'meshes\architecture\farmhouse\' eg. 'farmhouseconstruction01.nif'.

 

3) I found Vince Bly's tutorials 1 and 2 very useful. They contain a link to a more general Blender tutorial which is also rather good.

 

4) The House Modders Tool Kit by Vince Bly is particularly good for making simple shapes quickly and easily eg. boards, beams, panels etc. It will also teach you quite a bit about NifSkope.

 

edit. TESAlliance (linked above) has an excellent modding school - highly recommended.

Edited October 14, 2011 by wetblanket

[Draconicone]

Thanks I've looked through some of that so far, gives me a lot if ideas and stuff to work from!

[razorpony]

I wish you luck. It sounds like a vary ambitious, but very fun to play mod.

 

RP

[Draconicone]

Well its progressing, albeit glacially. I'm fairly satisfied with the planned design for the dockside, which is outside the city's walled section.

When there are choices in the buildings each choice has at least one benefit and one drawback, and my plan is to hopefully balance them. The choices tend to make the player choose between making money, being honorable, or being corrupt.

 

So far the plan includes the following:

 

The dockside will be the first city section the player establishes. It includes several options.

• Masons Guild, non-optional
  
• A large building able to become either a Hospital, Brothel, or Nobleman's Estate.
  
• Lower class residences, altered by player choices, though less directly than some others.
  
• Fish Monger, a dock based shop selling catch of the day.
  
• A tavern that can either be neutral or criminally oriented dependent on player choices.
  
• A Large Warehouse that can either evolve into a Smuggler's den, East Empire Trading Warehouse, or an Independent Trader's Warehouse.
  
• City Warehouse, dynamic interior with city's raw resources. With space for the census and excise officer, added upon reaching "city" size.
  
• Lighthouse (Overdone in Oblivion - May scrap it)
  
• Fishing Boat
  
• Merchant Ship, which will be tied to the options of the warehouse, either a smuggler's ship, a chartered ship of EET or an independent merchant's ship.
  
• Pirate ship
  
• Supply Ship which will deliver supplies from your benefactor in the early stages
  
• Aesthetics - Banners, Torches, skulls on spikes, and color changing flames dependent on the city alignment
  

 

The items below this are other less solid concepts. Suggestions welcome, but trying to avoid DLC, KotN, and SI content for compatibility. So no dark seducers or golden saints... as tempting as they are :/

 

City Exterior

• Stables
  
• Farms
  
• Mill on the river
  

 

City's Stone Wall

Still trying to figure out how I'm going to show these being constructed. Having giant castle walls spring up out of the ground seems tacky. Ideally they would go up in about 4 stages.

 

City Proper

Probably divided into 3 wards as separate worlds to limit memory costs. The ideas below are still just brainstormed concepts and random ideas.

 

Upper Ward Possibilities

• Temple - Temple options - 3 Good Daedra, Nine Divines, Player-Worship
  
• Upper Class Residences
  
• Museum Art gallery - Dependent on player choices
  
• Gardens (Additional gardens will occupy most
  
• Knight Orders Several options - Choices: Dark Knights (think Ebon Spur!) - Holy Crusaders (Daggerfell Orders) - Battlemages These units will supplement the city garrison in all wards, and will replace garrison units as castle guards.
  
• Upperclass shops - Unique opportunities dependent on alignment - sell more interesting items (Retextures and possibly some original mods if I can get permission or make my own )
  
• Restaurant
  

 

Market Ward Possibilities

• Lowerclass shops scattered through plaza: carts and vendors added per player's city rank. City alignment determines merchants and goods. Merchants will change based on day of week to increase immersion.
  
• Armorer - Neutral
  
• Fletcher - Neutral
  
• Pawnbroker - Crime
  
• Antiques - Law
  
• Common Bakery - Neutral
  
• Khajiit Bakery - Neutral
  
• Brewery/Distillery - Quest Reward - Neutral
  
• Alchemist - Law
  
• Necromancy - Crime
  
• Poisoner - crime
  
• Bookstore - Neutral
  
• Inn (versions: Normal/ Lawful/ Crime)
  
• Silversmith - Law
  
• Jeweller - Law
  
• Bank - Law
  
• Middleclass Houses for shopkeepers.
  
• Inn - Quality dependent on city alignment
  

 

Guild Ward Possibilities

• Mages Guild, Rogue Conjurer's Guild or Necromancer Guild (Necro Guild only available if Player is Arch-Mage of the Mages Guild)
  
• Fighters Guild or Knights of the White Stallion or Blackwater Company
  
• City Barracks (Linked to Castle) - Troops dependent on city size, trade, and alignment
  
• Treasury (Linked to Castle)
  
• Castle
  

 

Law structures add culture, stability, and morality.

Crime add Chaos, Fear, and immorality.

Neutral would be structures that are necessary but neither add nor subtract from those values.

 

I need ideas for potential buildings especially ones that cater toward either Law or Crime intentions. What would you like to see in a city? Already I'm thinking I need to add more vampire friendly concepts.... but please suggest away! No Jedi, Nuka-cola, or Zerg broods please, I want to keep this close to Tamriel's cannon.

Edited November 10, 2011 by Draconicone

[wetblanket]

I've nothing to contribute to your brain-storming unfortunately but "Momo's Crane Resource", as well as many other Momo resources, may be useful.