centurion101 Posted February 19, 2012 Share Posted February 19, 2012 Really good work man! New real estate is always nice, and I wouldn't worry about Solsteim showing up as a DLC, I dont think the devs will be keen on redoing old stuff rather than being creative and making a new continent. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tirick Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 (edited) Thank you all for the encouragement! I do have a few questions buried in the text here. Not pressing issues, but things I want to be certain I understand before I get too deep. I've added crew now to the decks of Azura's Grace and they seem to be wandering about with idle animations and the like, but I am not 100% certain how to make certain of this, or how to enforce certain idle activities. I found reference to the Sandbox procedure, but I have no idea how to apply it to an actor, or if indeed it is applied. Any advice here would be awesome. I would like some of them to wander around the docks a bit, but for now they seem content to stay aboard. For some reason they congregate at the mead barrel. Before I release this, even as a WIP/Testing mod, I will be adding an NPC to Solitude or maybe even Dawnstar that will take you there. This will be the starting view: http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm191/Aelfric_Pics/Solstheim/InGame-FFD-StartingPosition.jpg The crew of Azura's Grace. I intend to add a captain NPC, as well as an EETC official. http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm191/Aelfric_Pics/Solstheim/InGame-FFD-Crew.jpg I have finalized the Fort walls, adding navigable elements and generally just ensuring that it does not look like crap in game. I had to make some concessions with the sections fits that causes a few layering issues, but most of those are concealed unless you go out of your way to find them. I will be adding interiors, at least to the four main buildings (I'm not certain if it is best to make them all one interior, or to go with separate interior cells for the one that are not connected). Before I start on the navmesh for these four cells I will be adding quite a lot yet to the courtyard; a small market and a blacksmith to start, as well as archery butts and training dummies. I had hopes of putting proper roads in, rather than the painted dirt path, but the roads sections are large and the ground surrounding the fort is quite uneven. For now I will avoid that, I really don't feel like fidgeting with the rotations on large panelly sections. CK View 1 http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm191/Aelfric_Pics/Solstheim/Frostmoth-002-CK.jpg CK View 2 http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm191/Aelfric_Pics/Solstheim/Frostmoth-CK.jpg On the approach from the docks http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm191/Aelfric_Pics/Solstheim/InGame-FF-OntheApproach.jpg Various views: http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm191/Aelfric_Pics/Solstheim/InGame-FF-FromtheLighthouseTower.jpg http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm191/Aelfric_Pics/Solstheim/InGame-FF-FromtheSWCorner.jpg You may notice the ladders scattered about; I can see that they are openable, I assume so they can be linked to a teleport. I'd love to see them usable in the sense of transporting up/down depending on how they are activated, but I have no idea where to start with that. For now they are just window dressing. Enjoy!Tirick Edited February 21, 2012 by Tirick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snakemanger Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 looks great :) good luck for the project :thumbsup: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AkariWolfgirl Posted February 21, 2012 Share Posted February 21, 2012 This looks amazing! I cant wait to test it out! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tirick Posted February 21, 2012 Author Share Posted February 21, 2012 Thank you all. I am busy working on this, but I am curious, I've never released a mod before. Is it bad form to release a WIP / Testing version of a mod, here or in the Steam Workshop? This will be months (or more) of effort, and I certainly do not want to irritate people possibly interested in using it with constant updates, but at the same time, extra eyes on any mistakes I've made, or suggestions on improvement would be awesome. Thank you,Tirick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tirick Posted February 23, 2012 Author Share Posted February 23, 2012 I spent several hours last night trying to get the distant terrain to work, to no avail. I am certain this is a setting, rather than an LOD issue (although I won't rule that out). I created and recreated the LOD about 5 times (3 of them deleted whole sections of the map) and this had 0 effect. If anyone has any idea why the land just truncates past a certain view distance, please let me know. http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm191/Aelfric_Pics/Solstheim/2012-02-22_00003.jpg http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm191/Aelfric_Pics/Solstheim/2012-02-22_00004.jpg That said, I've added a bit to Fort Frostmoth, and a cheater teleport door in Solitude (I added a new boat) to allow for easier access to Solstheim. I also painted the landscape (roughly) for the southern half of the island. I suspect this will change a great deal in the detailing, but at least its not brown. Courtyard: http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm191/Aelfric_Pics/Solstheim/InGame-FF-Courtyard-001.jpg Oh, and I added the WIP file to the download section. Thank you,Tirick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uglydemon Posted February 23, 2012 Share Posted February 23, 2012 I hope you'll take the recent events in Morrowind into consideration in both design and (hopefully) quests and dialogue; there needs to be several settlements of Dunmer refugees, those who first fled red mountain eruption then a second wave who fled the Argonian invasion. Even new towns created (its been a long time, enough to build some small towns) really looking forward to this! good luck Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tirick Posted February 23, 2012 Author Share Posted February 23, 2012 Absolutely! I've not read the two Greg Keyes books, which apparently at least mention Solstheim, if not actually goes there, but do I have intentions of adding at least one settlement (around the Fort) and expanding Raven Rock, which I imagine would have had the mine reopened and expanded. I don't doubt there is a bit of a three-way struggle for power between the settled Dunmer, the Imperials (who have to face waning support with Skyrim in conflict) and the East Empire Trading Company, which if they are anything like the East India Company they were modeled after are likely complete jerks. There is also the Hircine/Werewolf problems, rising Falmer (maybe looking for the armour that was 'stolen' from their prince's tomb), and stirring hordes of Draugr. None of that will get touched on though until I have the landscape completed. I have to write up a project model for the intended story/questlines; I have a lot of ideas (and I'm not adverse to suggestions) and really need to write them down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tirick Posted February 24, 2012 Author Share Posted February 24, 2012 (edited) I've begun work on the Hirstaang Forest, west of the Fort, and have detailed the rocky ridge that resides about halfway between Fort Frostmoth and Raven Rock. I've tentatively slated the around north of the Fort for the expanded settlement, but I've left off detailing that area for the moment. I aim to complete the eastern shoreline up to the docks of Raven Rock, as well as the 'fill' in between with forest and better texture blending on the landscape. I've not rolled out a new version yet, I want to get the shoreline completed first. I made the exteriors to both of the barrows found here in Bloodmoon, although I may yet change the model I used for Kolbjorn. Looking at the fort through the foliage http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm191/Aelfric_Pics/Solstheim/InGame-HirstaangForest-West.jpg Stompfund Barrow http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm191/Aelfric_Pics/Solstheim/InGame-StormpfundBarrow.jpg Rocky Outcropping http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm191/Aelfric_Pics/Solstheim/InGame-RockyOutcrop-FromAbove.jpg http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm191/Aelfric_Pics/Solstheim/InGame-RockyHills-HF-W.jpg Tirick Edited February 24, 2012 by Tirick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tirick Posted February 24, 2012 Author Share Posted February 24, 2012 Let's call this some perspective: A colour-coded map of the island, marking my current progress. http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm191/Aelfric_Pics/Solstheim/Solstheim-Progress.jpg It seems I have a LOT to work on. Tirick Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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