LE Creating a new land

[Getinthyvan]

Hello there, people. Utter nerd here, TES lore junkie and long-time roleplayer. I've taken to writing tons and tons of lines for my characters' backstories over the years, a habit that eventually got me to create my own fantasy setting, which in turn drove me to write a novel that occurs in this world of mine, and there's just so much content in it that's directly related to my adventures in Tamriel, that I've been really getting into the idea of making a mod for Skyrim that connects Mundus and my universe. I'm a game developer (just as a hobby; I make a living from baking :B) so I'm no stranger to scripting and mapping, already know some basic 3D modeling and I also worked on a few obscure projects back in the day. Right now I have my sights on eventually creating my own game someday, but for the time being I'd like to start off simple and do something with the Skyrim engine.

I'd be lying if I said I was familiar with the CK, but I've been going through a bunch of tutorials and it doesn't look like I won't be able to hold my own. I do however have a few doubts, so I thought I'd drop by the forums to introduce myself and ask for some advice, as I'd really like to keep my inexperience from making me commit dull mistakes.

Right now, I'm a bit confussed about these three things:

1) I'll be using vanilla assets as base for my custom armors (weapon models will probably be made from scratch); would this negatively affect people using body replacers?

2) I have some wairpaints and tattoos of my own design, is there a way I can add them to my NPCs? Is it possible to do it without having to make my mod dependant on someone else's?

3) I'll mostly be using RaceMenu to edit faces ingame and then export them into the CK. I'd really like to use KSHairdos, Dwemer Beards, Northborn Scars and the Eyes of Beauty for the creation process, as those mods really help me get the aesthetics right. Do I need to ask their authors for permission to do so? Where should I contact them?

Any piece of advice will be greatly appreciated. Many thanks! c:

[thumbincubation]

On #3, you will probably want to jot down a list of assets you use in your mod, and from which mod they came. You may also spot whether the resource is actually used with the permission of another, original author. Check out the permissions for each. If you aren't sure, try to reach the mod author. It never hurts to send a message to the mod author, either via the mod's comments page or via PM, anyway.

 

Many mod authors put permissions in their description page, with various conditions for reuse. Most of the permissions I've seen, though conditions vary, include crediting them and/or linking the mod from which you got the asset, in your own description page.

[tension69]

Making a new world is not an easy process for the uninitiated, if that's you final goal. I'm sure others can help you with the less complicated side of modding things. I don't tend to to armours/textures as I'm a Lightwave user, which comes with it's own set of problems re game modding, but that's another story :smile:

 

For a new land you need to be able to make a heightmap (I use the CK to do mine), and then create the LODS and texture files.

 

A video here (not watched) that shows this in use:-

 

The creation kit page is recommended reading, here :- http://www.creationkit.com/index.php?title=Heightmap_Editing

 

This is the definitive video for worldspace LOD after you've done the exterior :-

 

it's easy when you know how :wink:

 

If you doubt my advice, my worldspace/mod efforts can be found here :- http://www.nexusmods.com/skyrim/mods/77563/?

Edited August 31, 2016 by tension69

[Getinthyvan]

Thanks for your replies!

 

I do realize that this is a massive undertaking, and I obviously plan to start off with simple things (Like a follower, short quest or tiny dungeon) to serve as introduction to my universe and to build some experience before I jump into the thick of things. I'm a ridiculously fast learner though, so stay tuned -- I might upload some of my very first files pretty soon.

[dalsio]

 

1) I'll be using vanilla assets as base for my custom armors (weapon models will probably be made from scratch); would this negatively affect people using body replacers?

It depends on what you mean by "using vanilla assets as a base." If you mean simply changing the names, stats, etc. of armors then no, anything that replaces the vanilla armors with body mod compatible ones should do the same for yours as long as your armor uses the same meshes in the same location. Otherwise, you would need to make meshes specifically for those body mods. It won't strictly speaking be incompatible, but it probably would look weird depending on the body mod they have installed. However, I believe you can use the latest Bodyslide/Outfit Studio to convert vanilla armor meshes into ones for nearly every body mod out there without too much trouble, so I suggest learning that program and making variations for the most popular body mod(s).

 

 

2) I have some wairpaints and tattoos of my own design, is there a way I can add them to my NPCs? Is it possible to do it without having to make my mod dependant on someone else's?

Yes, and there are a number of ways you can do it. The most common, easiest, and most compatible is to make them a RaceMenu overlay but if you don't want to be dependent on RaceMenu, you have a few options: A. use the vanilla warpaint system (which afaik only works on faces) B. Make it into an armor, which can work best for faces but has some issues with armor when applied to the body or C. Do what Racemenu does to make it's overlays, that is: Learn to use Netimmerse Override. It requires a bit of complicated scripting so if you need further help with that let me know or you can check the Netimmerse Override mod page for some explanations.

 

3) I'll mostly be using RaceMenu to edit faces ingame and then export them into the CK. I'd really like to use KSHairdos, Dwemer Beards, Northborn Scars and the Eyes of Beauty for the creation process, as those mods really help me get the aesthetics right. Do I need to ask their authors for permission to do so? Where should I contact them?

If your mod does not include any assets from their mod (only uses them if the mod is already installed) then you don't need their permission, just mention that those mods are required/recommended. If you want to include those assets and remove dependency, then you'll have to do what thumbincubation said and check the mod permissions/PM the author.

 

Lastly, some advice I have for you (and you may already realize this) is:

1. Write down or type out ahead of time the scope you want your mod to have and stick to it. It's really easy to want to add this feature or that NPC or this quest and end up trying to make a mod bigger than you originally intended.

 

2. Have your mod beta/alpha tested long before release. Get some friends or a few people from the community to test your mod as soon as you have something stable. You'd be surprised the bugs and problems you don't find testing it on your own, especially the larger a mod gets and having a group of people to test things out and give feedback on not only bugs but on game flow, pace, dialog, level design, etc. is extremely invaluable. Don't wait until you feel your mod is nearly done because by then some things may not be fixable or too much work and any feedback on the general direction becomes essentially pointless. So, get it in front of as many people as possible as soon as possible before you release it on the nexus (or wherever you want to release it).

Edited September 2, 2016 by dalsio

[Getinthyvan]

I changed my mind on the armors; I wanted to create mashups of different pieces of vanilla apparel, but I've grown fond of another method. Instead of fusing existing armors, I'm modeling cuirasses, belts, scarves, pauldrons, greaves, gauntlets and so forth out of the meshes of the bodies themselves. It does take more time, but I'm really getting into it -- the method gives me freedom to create whatever pieces I fancy and allows for any number of combinations I can think of. It's sort of mind-numbing, spending hours and hours giving shape to some bloody suits of metal, but I really enjoy the designing process. I'll stick with working on the map one city at a time, and see where I go from there.

 

I'll keep focusing on meshes and textures for now and try to get everything to look the way I want, maybe I'll come back to start a proper thread once I've got some good material for testing. Anyway, thanks folks, you've been most helpful. c: