[WIP] Dovahheim -- A Player-Owned Town!

[kromey]

Since you're the lord, would be nice to make the town respond to your exploits. Eg being a thane of a town gets the town shield mounted on the backwall of your throne room, and similarly if you gain status in the various guilds and colleges, some symbol or trophy appears in your throne room.

Oh, this is an awesome idea! Become Thane, and that hold's shield appears on the wall behind your throne. Love it!

 

Possible to have custom town shield?

Definitely! Going to have to solicit textures from the community to make it happen, though, as I have all the artistic talent of a drowned rat!

 

Running with the Fight Club idea, interesting to back a fighter and play a mini-RPG with that fighter, giving money for his training and tweaking his training, eg add stamina or hp, strength or speed. Could probably do the same with the Zoo idea, but it's now more Pokemon/Bakugan/<insert animal brawler game/anime>.

Hm, interesting. I'll consider this. Might leave it out for now, but go back and add it in when most everything else is done.

 

Create trade caravans. You could escort them yourself or invest in escorts. But the trade items could be the loot you find in Skyrim, or forge in Dovahheim. Could be those custom Dovahheim weapons or just a consignment of 30 Steel Swords Whiterun ordered.

Ooh, good one! Building on that, another option (not necessarily a mutually-exclusive one) would be to have a merchant NPC who, instead of buying your goods from you, will sell them on your behalf. More money for your stuff, but takes longer to get it.

 

I really despise escort quests, though. But if these are totally optional, i.e. don't really have any impact on the town's development, I might include them anyway, for other folks who might like it.

 

Participate in the civil war. Sets up a skirmish outside a location or town's walls and just have 20 or so soldiers go at it. No real impact on the story. Eg Solitude requests 20 men-at-arms to help in skirmish outside Whiterun, or some random watchtower or fort. 20 men actually make a run for the location and go swords swinging at the enemy waiting at the location.

I'm hesitant to get involved in the Civil War at all, beyond declaring allegiance to one side or the other and flying the appropriate banners. The coding gets a little sticky, for example what happens when the Civil War ends, or if the player never joins a side?

 

There's also already several mods that add skirmishes and the like, including apparently one that puts a battlefield right on Dovahheim's doorstep! So I may just leave that out entirely, and folks who want to have that can install one of those other mods instead.

 

 

I have a house/town mod on a hill practically right next to that location.

Looks like you're fine, I have no intention of expanding on the south side of the river beyond a couple of small farms (and possibly the mine, haven't really decided yet where that's going) right along the banks.

 

 

1) I liked the idea of the new guild hall (for theives) and a new college (for mages). Once the town reaches a curtain size the hilltop gets turned into a larger structure that makes up the player picked guild, college or whatever the player wants. Also you can put a library with the college and a skyforge with the fighters choice of building.

I'm actually intending these to not be mutually exclusive. So if a particular character is the Arch-Mage, the Thieves Guild Guildmaster, the Listener, and one of the Companions, all four guild buildings will co-exist.

 

A "grand library" is already planned independent of the college. That said, though, the college would definitely benefit from more specialized study materials, so the two are not mutually exclusive, although the latter would likely be smaller and exist as a supplement to the town's main library.

 

2) With the guards why not make them have no affiliation to any of the Jarls. It would make them easier to upgrade and easier to put a story to them in my opinion.

You're absolutely right. Plot-wise, though, initially the player has no guards of his/her own. And may very well lack the means to hire any (I'm not looking to make this exclusive to higher-level characters -- if a level 1 character can make it there and kill the bandit boss, why shouldn't he/she be granted title and land?). So the initial guards will the Hjaalmarch Hold guards, dispatched by the jarl in Morthal to support you. Later on (pretty early, actually), when the player purchases the guard barracks, the Hjaalmarch Hold guards will be replaced by independent guards.

 

3) Why not add an archaeological sub line to it get the player to delve into dwemer ruins.

Not a bad idea. Already intending on discovering a hidden tribe of falmer below the town, why shouldn't they be living in some previously-unknown dwemer ruins? And once you've dealt with the falmer, why shouldn't there be an option to hire some scholars to explore and catalog?

 

4) Have a building that can relate to the civil war the is raging.

How about banners of the player's chosen side flying throughout the town?

 

(Things got a little crazy from this point onwards in the term of general ideas. If you want to ingore them do and skip down to the buildings)

5) Since you are a lord why not have the possibility to participate in the election of the new high king or queen

Hm. Technically you're beneath the jarl of Hjaalmarch Hold. I'm not sure a lord in such a position would have such a vote. Also, are such things even voted on? In any case, it's way beyond the scale of where I intend this to go, although one of my early ideas was to make Dovahheim the capital of a new hold carved out of Hjaalmarch, Whiterun, and the Reach; if I do follow through with that, then this might fall into scope.

 

6) You can also have it so that your land can expand add a few small villages in when you main town becomes a city

True. Dragon's Bridge and Rorikstead are both fairly close by, wouldn't be unreasonable to attempt to sway them under your influence. Again, though, probably out of scope unless I do run with the new hold idea.

 

Possible Buildings:

a) A market place

b) Inn/Tavern (have an underground part for the fight club idea I saw)

c) Black smith

d) Chapel (to a god of the choice of the player)

e) Stable

f) Museum or Trophy hall

g) The citadel as mentioned above

Already in the plans, except for the chapel, the museum, and the citadel.

 

Definitely like the chapel idea. The player can choose which of the Nine Divines to devote it to (perhaps even all nine?), and create tensions with the Thalmor if Talos is chosen (and isn't then worshiped in secret).

 

The museum isn't a bad idea, but personally I find such things boring. Do like the trophy hall idea, and that will indeed be incorporated into the player's keep (a later upgrade).

 

The citadel as a hall devoted to one guild I'm not too fond of. A citadel with another purpose, however (and not sure what that purpose may be off the top of my head) would be an awesome centerpiece to the town, although it would be odd to have both a keep and a citadel...

 

Finally if you need help in doing Voice overs I can help I have knowledge and a little experience in Voice overs and I get get equipment required easily.

I will eventually be calling for voice actors to voice the mod. First I want to revamp the dialog -- it quite frankly sucks right now. I need to take some time to write out quest scripts, not just start coding and toss in whatever crap lines of dialog pop into my head at that moment. So keep your eyes open for that if you're interested in helping out.

[jet4571]

 

I have a house/town mod on a hill practically right next to that location.

Looks like you're fine, I have no intention of expanding on the south side of the river beyond a couple of small farms (and possibly the mine, haven't really decided yet where that's going) right along the banks.

 

 

You meant "looks like WE are fine" kid. Your mod does not take precedence over mine and I uploaded mine first. I was just asking that you not expand onto the same spots I did for conflict reasons as well as letting you know I was not going closer to where your mod is located even though I am adding more to mine.

 

Mine: 13 February 2012

Yours: 19 February 2012

[bowlofPetunias]

You meant "looks like WE are fine" kid. Your mod does not take precedence over mine and I uploaded mine first. I was just asking that you not expand onto the same spots I did for conflict reasons as well as letting you know I was not going closer to where your mod is located even though I am adding more to mine.

 

Mine: 13 February 2012

Yours: 19 February 2012

 

Wow. No need to be so condescending and angry. Unless there is an unseen agreement between you two that the rest of us didn't see, neither of you is really obligated to make your mod avoid the others. I'd also like to point out that the OP has more unique DLs than you, despite having less time to publicize. If anything, the more popular mod takes precedence, IMO. Unless you two previously agreed to something, of course. Now would you please calm down and be a bit more respectful?

[jet4571]

I dont think the amount of unigue downloads is great enough of a difference to matter since its less than 10 at this time. 335 V 342. If it was like 500 or more then maybe that line of thought would be valid but general rule of thumb is dont conflict with other mods regardless of how old the mod is or how many downloads. As for respect I was asking him to respect me when I asked that he not build where mine is at and giving respect to him by telling him I would not build where his it at. By saying that I am fine was disrespectful and I have every right to point out how I felt about it. I am sure he would understand why it bothered me if he was the one informing me of his mod and its location and i treated him like his mod was less important than my own.

[bowlofPetunias]

You've beaten me about the DLs, but how can one hope to not conflict any other mods, regardless of popularity? Obviously the popular mods will usually work together to avoid conflicts, but I don't see how a modder can be expected to look through all the mods that his/hers might conflict with and avoid them? I'm not trying to discount your mod or theirs as unpopular by saying that, it's just a bad rule of thumb. Anyway, about the respect, I think you overreacted to a simple mis-phrasing. Unless I've missed something, the word 'kid' is usually used in a condescending way, unless you're actually talking about a kid. I don't really think either mod has precedence here, unless there's some rules posted somewhere that I don't know about. By the way, if 10 DLs doesn't make a difference in precedence, why should 6 days?

[elricshan]

i must say that in this i suport bowlofPetunias view. And if you think it is important that these two mods do not conflict with eacother you can just move your place.

[jet4571]

@bowlofPetunias, I agree with you on that as well but if one modder informs the other about placement prior to anything built there by either party then the rule of thumb would apply for both. If the modder finds another mod that builds in the location they are thinking of using then they would choose another. if there is a conflict discovered after both mods were created then either one of the modders can choose to make changes to make them compatible or both modders choose to put a warning in the description saying that the mods will conflict.

 

I will have a much harder job of avoiding conflicts as my mod will be throughout the game world. I have 3 locations done and have plans to make more. I am not making a simple here's a new player house mod. there are hundreds of those. I am making here's a new player house with many buildings and NPC's, a whole new town, many houses/cabins/farms with NPC's throughout the world. 100's of new NPC's. and I haven't even started on adding new dungeons to explore or added to the radiant quest system.

 

@elricshan, that would be impossible to do its practicly a town as big as riverwood and as of yet there are no conflicts. i will not create one and Kromey is aware of my mods location and I believe he wouldn't add anything that would conflict knowing about my mod.

 

As for kromey, I apologize for my reaction I was frustrated with something else and overreacted. I believe you understand and would choose to avoid conflicts if the possibility of one came up and did not mean to sound like you thought my mod was less important than your as i read it to be.

[arcana75]

Any modder can choose to avoid conflicts with other modders, but in the end there is NO obligation to do so.

 

Unless the modders come together to create some pack or bundle, ultimately the deconflict is done by the GAMER, not the modder.

 

Even when 2 mods conflict, a gamer is free to request that the modders come together to get the 2 mods to be compatible, but ultimately both modders have no obligation to do so. You see a lot of this mostly because smaller-time or less popular modders choose to make their mods compatible with the bigger players, for obvious reasons aka to get their own mod and work out there. This does NOT make it an accepted rule.

 

Shall we get back to the regular programme?

[elricshan]

Hmm i got some ideas but i dont remember if they have been said before.

 

1. name your guards. i mean give them.nicknames that you chose. lorevice that vould not be a problem as people get nickname and with that it is easyer to make your "elite guard" and maybe make it so that the ones with nicknames will be companions. 1, 2 or 3 no.more as they will be the lords bodyguards.

 

2. hall of the dead with names on the tombs of your citysens that have died.

 

3. maybe a public bath or hot springs (magic made)

 

4. As it is bound to come dragon riding mods why.not a dragon platform ((dragonstable) where you can land.

 

5. dragon gravejard (like you place dragon.bones in.a chest inside a tomb.and.then.some days later it wil.be a dragon.skelleton there (like 5-10 for each skeleton) it would not conflick a

lore as you as an lord can get tour servants set the skelleton together. (hmm.maybe.if you add a throfy room this could be a part of it)

 

6. an epic tower

[arcana75]

Stumbled upon a work-in-progress called Castle Thuum.

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XZtZaN9txUU

 

I must say it looks fantastic and is a great indication of how things can be done to realise an external cell player hometown.

 

Comes with working stall merchants, recruitable townguards and a dragon fountain :)

Edited February 26, 2012 by arcana75