Medieval Cyrodiil Overhaul

[AjaxSt]

Some of you may recognize me from the Mod Requests topic on this mod, but here I am with an official announcement.

 

Ajax's Medieval Cyrodiil Mod is in development. Unlike other medieval-themed total conversions out there, I'm not intended on replacing Cyrodiil with France, or any real-world locations. What I'm wanting is to make Cyrodiil look, feel, and play like a true medieval world. What does that mean? Complete overhaul of pretty much every element of the game. Just about every static, object, and wearable will be changed. The basic ideas for the mod is to recreate the world of Cyrodiil as if it was in Medieval Europe circa 900-1300 AD.

 

A preview pre-pre-alpha release is on the way. This release will only change item weights, values, player encumbrance, shield effectiveness, weapon effectiveness, spell price, carried torch light radius, Imperical City crate ownership, and the tutorial dungeon. There will then be another version released later that will modify all the crates and NPC items, and other things I may not think of yet.

 

I have one modeller working on armor, though I still need modellers to work on clothing and weapons. Once I get the models in, I will begin working on the main version of the mod, which will allow the changes described below.

 

Full version changes will include:

 

Stage 1 = Carriables.

Replace/tetexture/rework anything and everything in the game world that the player can carry in his/her inventory. This is where I start. I plan on making these changes in this order:

Clothing

Armor/Weapons

Potions/ingredients

Scrolls and Books

Keys/Gold

Clutter

Anything I missed

 

Stage 2 = World Models and Textures

This is one of the biggest parts to the mod, and one of the most noticable. The idea is to recreate every single hand-crafted item in the world, moulding them in the style of historically-accurate versions of themselves. Again, this would be done in a simple order.

Paintings and Tapestries

Tables and Chairs

Barrels, Boxes, Crates, adn Chests

Torches and Signs

Fences and Walls

Misc.

Houses and Buildings

 

Stage 3 = Cities

This would be another big and noticable change, and the last of the major overhauls. This would be recreating every single city to be larger, based on a historical style of archetecture, and eventually pave the way for modifications to be done to the wilderness around the cities.

Anvil

Kvatch

Skingrad

Chorrol

Bruma

Cheydinhal

Imperial City

Bravil

Layawiin

 

Stage 4 = Gameplay

This would be another huge series of changes, but ones done without as much of a visual impact (if one at all). They would be tweaked and balanced with realism to be placed foremost, but with an important desire to still be fun.

Combat (Using the Duke Patricks mods as inspiration)

Stealth (Providing a challenging rebalance, to make thievery and assassination viable, but tricky)

Magic (High-level magic users should be powerful and feared)

Economy/Speechcraft (There should almost always be a way to get out of a combat situation without violence. Of course, goblins and bandits would be more interested in your corpse than you tounge)

Other Skills (Acrobatics and Athletics should allow your character to move with grater speed and fluidity in the environment, and not just be something to pad your skill sets)

Classes/Birthsigns (Rebalances them all to be useful, both early and late-game)

 

Stage 5 = World

These would be the bulk of the game-changing mechanics. From adding new factions, to completely reorganising the political system of Cyrodiil. These would be hardest to work out, but the most rewarding to complete. This is the core of the mod. There is no particular order of completion, because I, frankly, don't know where to start on this stage.

Base Factions (Rework the Guilds to contain multiple types of advancement, and several new/expanded questlines)

Legion/Guards (Create a Legion faction, each with it's own campaign of war against Oblivion. Crafts new ranks, new characters, and completely overhauls the military of Cyrodiil)

Nobility (Now the nobles squabble amongst themselves, and each holds a different rank. The Baron of Bravil is in a dispute with the Duke of Skingrad, and, without the Emperor's intervention, wages war on his fellow noble...etc.)

Imperial Infrastructure (Farms produce the food, mines collect the Iron and Silver, Forts support the Legions and watch the roads, The roads are actually paved and semi-level)

Towns (Each City controls at least two towns in it's fiefdom, each town is lorded over by a Knight, the highest-ranking soldier in the local legion, save for the noble's Knight Marshall)

Religeon (There are now multiple Priories, Monastaries, and Shrines throughout the land. Reworks the priests and Nuns, and makes religeon have an impact on the world)

 

Stage 6 = People

This would go hand-in-hand with the previous stage, though the previous stage would be more focused on creating the places for these new characters to interact, rather than the characters themselves.

Nobility (Rework the nobles and their retinue so they are squabbling amonst each other, allows the player to become the Count of Kvatch once it's rebuilt, and lengthens the quests to get them to support the Prince of Bruma)

Legion/Guard (Creates several subfactions within the Legion, creates questlines for joining and fighting with them, and allows the player to command entire armies at the highest rank)

Upper Class (Reworks the Wealthy landowners who rule the guilds and towns, and the few who are unlucky enough to be rish enough to be upper class, but too poor to escape the cities.)

Clergy (Reworks the Mages, Monks, Priests, and Cultists to make them all unique, useful, and influential.)

Middle Class (Reworks the shopkeepers, farmers, and guild members to place them in the small, but emerging, middle-class. Usually, they're the richest people in the cities who are not part of the noble court or in the upper class)

Lower Class (Reworks the Lower class to be nothing more than simple peasants, who are forced to do whatever the lords of their towns and cities tell them to do. Don't have much say in what goes on. Most people are of this class)

Adventurers (Financially in the lower and middle classes, and treated with suspicion. These are characters of the player classes that are independant and fee-wandering. Only storytellers, song-singers, tradesmen, and healers are welcome. Player gets these reactions, too)

Thieves (Complete rework of Thief factions, you now have different types of theves, with different behaviors based on location, and there are multiple "gangs" of Thieves. The biggest is the Thieves' guild, but there are others)

 

Stage 7 = Quests

This part modifies the quests that have not already been modified, and adds in new quests where needed.

Main Quest (New quests, subplots, and options get added, to allow an evil character to play an evil character, and to add more depth and length to the story)

Faction Quests (New stories based on the different subsets within the factions. A Fighter's Guild archer is not going to follow the same story as a Fighter's Guild Swordsman. Also, the Mages Guild now requires magic use to progress. Makes the main factions much more realistic)

City Quests (Quests divided by cities and towns, each one getting a minor update. Adjusts all quests recieved within city walls, adds new twists, new plots, and adds many new questlines to be completed)

Region Quests (Quests recieved outside the walls of the cities, with each fiefdom getting it's own minor update. Does the same for these quests as the City Quests did within city walls)

New Quests (Creates dozens of new questlines and single-instance quests, based on all the new joinable factions, and many that are completely new factionless questlines and single-instance)

Hidden Quests (Creates a solid number of "hidden" quests with no map markers or journal entries...where the only way to complete them and get your reward is to discover them, and make your own way to completion)

 

Stage 8 = Misc.

This would be the stage where anything that hasn't gotten modified gets checked out, and if it still needs to be tweaked, tweaked it shall be. This is also the point where balancing issues will be worked on in earnest, and the point where once all base-game modifications have been done, new content will get added.

 

 

 

If anyone wants to help me out, PM me, otherwise just wait, and you'll see the initial preview version of the mod. :D

[AjaxSt]

Seriously? Is no one even remotely interested in the mod?

[Lanceor]

What you've described above is great, and it's something that I'd love to see as well. But if you really want a frank answer...

 

The amount of work needed to implement your ideas would be astounding. Nehrim, a complete overhaul of Oblivion, took a team of twelve experienced modders (who've been working together for years) four years to create. Granted, you're not quite planning to overhaul as much as the Nehrim team did, but it's probably at least half of what they have there.

 

It goes without saying that it's not easy convince others to volunteer several years of their time on someone else's project. The only people who are likely to have this much clout are those who are already famous for making large scale mods (and even then, they'd probably have a hard time rallying the support). Perhaps you do have the experience and available time to pull off such a project, but presently there's not much to show for it (yet).

 

So you've probably heard many say this before and I'll say it again... attempt something that you can complete mostly on your own (emphasis on "complete" - not "worked on and abandoned"). It will be the first steps to getting the clout necessary to lead mega mod projects.

[AjaxSt]

I have a complete mod that is in bug-testing phases right now. It's similar to this one, except it's just a few edits. It rebalances everything from basegame without adding in anything new. It's the version that I'll be launching off this overhaul.

 

I do realize that there is a large amount of work to be done, and I'm not going to be able to go it alone. I'm also not asking for people to commit unless they want to. If someone wants to make a couple models and be done with it, that's fine too. In the middle ages, few things were made by the same artisan, and no two objects were exactly the same, even if they were made from a mold. Having two dozen different artists donate one or two weapon models in their free time would fill up almost a half, if not over half, of my weapon roster. That would make production on the mod move faster, wouldn't cut into anyone's free time any more than they'd want it to, and it would provide a wide array of different-looking items. It all has a similar flavor and look, while having varying personal touches.

 

Really, the only thing needed are meshes ready to be used in the game. Texturing and things of that nature are able to be done by my own small team of friends are able to do, to make it a unified texture style. We just don't have anybody that can make the models that need to be textured.

 

It is a big project, which is one reason why I'm working on it in stages. Each stage is a full mod, pretty much, so it's a full release. In case the mod goes dead, then something has been technically "finished" and released.

 

I don't plan on it going dead on my watch, however. ;)

[Lanceor]

Keep going! I hope that what I said wasn't discouraging and as I said, your ideas are something I'd like to see (and use in my own mods if allowed ;)). And it's also good to see that you have something that's almost ready for release. You'll find that public perception of your ideas will improve dramatically after it's released.

 

Some modders have released a series of small mods with the same theme and if this is the direction you're heading in, I'd agree it's the right way to go. After releasing "Ajax's medieval clothes", "Ajax's medieval furnishings", "Ajax's medieval houses" etc you'll soon develop a reputation as "the Medieval guy". It would be easy to combine these into an overhaul mod at a later stage. This will help keep motivation up, the doubters at bay and start to show that your end dream is achievable.

 

Given the number of meshes involved, I'd say learning Blender or 3dSMax should be a priority. This is something that I've delayed learning and I can say that even though I only need a handful of custom models for my mod, relying on others for 3D modeling is severely hampering my progress. Taking a month off to learn mesh-making will probably pay huge dividends in time saved. (And unlike quests and scripts, meshes can be used in other games as well.)

 

Anyway, from the amount of thought you've put into the project and your replies, you seem to be a cut above the "recruiting experienced modders for Star Wars complete overhaul project!!!!!!!11111" crowd. I look forward to seeing some of your ideas uploaded to Nexus and TESA. :)

[alonsomartinez]

I have a complete mod that is in bug-testing phases right now. It's similar to this one, except it's just a few edits. It rebalances everything from basegame without adding in anything new. It's the version that I'll be launching off this overhaul.

 

I do realize that there is a large amount of work to be done, and I'm not going to be able to go it alone. I'm also not asking for people to commit unless they want to. If someone wants to make a couple models and be done with it, that's fine too. In the middle ages, few things were made by the same artisan, and no two objects were exactly the same, even if they were made from a mold. Having two dozen different artists donate one or two weapon models in their free time would fill up almost a half, if not over half, of my weapon roster. That would make production on the mod move faster, wouldn't cut into anyone's free time any more than they'd want it to, and it would provide a wide array of different-looking items. It all has a similar flavor and look, while having varying personal touches.

 

Really, the only thing needed are meshes ready to be used in the game. Texturing and things of that nature are able to be done by my own small team of friends are able to do, to make it a unified texture style. We just don't have anybody that can make the models that need to be textured.

 

It is a big project, which is one reason why I'm working on it in stages. Each stage is a full mod, pretty much, so it's a full release. In case the mod goes dead, then something has been technically "finished" and released.

 

I don't plan on it going dead on my watch, however. ;)

 

Any specific models you need created? I would be happy to contribute.

 

Also, I have some weapon models uploaded on Nexus. They are mainly fantasy, but if you see one that you might want to use in your mod, feel free to. http://forums.nexusmods.com/public/style_emoticons/dark/thumbsup.gif

[AjaxSt]

I would be more than happy to let you use anything you wanted from my mod, Lanceor, so long as the proper people get the proper credit! :D I'm really building off the blocks of what others have done, I'm just trying to put them all together for a large project. It's one reason why I'm not jumping into doing this for Skyrim. People know the quirks of Oblivion, I'm not on the cutting edge in terms of what I'm doing, I'm just doing things on a far larger scale than what people normally do.

 

What you said wasn't discouraging at all, it was enlightening. I was afraid a lack of replies meant a lack of interest, now I'm rue it's simply the fact that people don't know me, and don't know what I'm capable of. They have nothing with which to compare my mod to, so they have no real comments to make. This is a rather unique mod, and I would say it's trying to one-up Nehrim, as I have someone completely redesigning the entire province, and doubling the size of it to allow for the massive increase in content for the later stages of the mod. I'm all that's keeping her in check from simply designing the entirety of Tamriel, I have to keep pointing out that we don't NEED all of Tamriel, especially not right now. XD Almost nothing man-made from basegame Oblivion is going to be used, if I can help it. Modder's resources and people's donated time are going to help a lot with Stage 2 of the mod.

 

As for learning modeling programs, the main problem is that I have tried. Multiple times over the course of about five years. I lack the talent to even be able to follow basic tutorials correctly. No one is willing or able to give me the one-on-one training I need to be able to learn properly, and I can't learn it by myself. If it was video editing software (Which is where my career focus lies), I could do it no problem. I know the basic principles, I know what goes into it, I know how to locate problems, and how to spot faulty rigging, and everything like that. I know a lot of the technical stuff that is needed to know about modeling, I just lack the skill and the know-how to use any modeling software available for free on the net. I've tried XSI, GMax, Blender, Milkshape, and a few others, and I can't figure them out for the life of me. For all my skill as a world-builder and story teller, it's impossible for me to create the tangible elements needed to actualize my world.

 

When I embark on a project of this scale, I don't post something just to post. While I have not actually been a part of any huge modding teams, or even small modding teams, or even released many mods myself, I do know the work going into it. In fact, I didn't post anything until work on this current preview project was a little under halfway finished, and it does nothing except modify what already exists. Just gotta work out costs of enchanted items and figure out why my new weapon damages aren't showing properly, and it'll be fit for release. I figure there's no point in posting something about a project you're not passionate about. My early days of modding Star Wars Jedi Academy got me through that phase real quick.

 

I know my subject matter (Was a re-enactor for about 8 years of my childhood, and am getting ready to become active in the same reenactment group again after a 10-year hiatus), I've been learning TES4Edit for the last two, three years, and I layed out exactly what I wanted before I even learned that program, and that has gone through about seven or eight different iterations before I brought the focus down to start work on the project.

 

 

 

And Alonso, what would you like to work with? I'm currently focusing on clothing, armor, and weapons, and I have someone working on helms and shields. If you want to do some weapons, clothes, or armors, I can sure send you some references I've gathered, and we can work from there. Send me a PM, if you want to do something. Any help would be appreciated! :D You can choose what you want to work on, and when it's done, I can integrate it. Thanks for the offer! :D

 

EDIT: Sorry about the monster reply. D:

Edited April 5, 2012 by AjaxSt

[AjaxSt]

Preview release is almost ready, just have to modify the enchantments so that enchanted stuff doesn't cost quite so dern much, and figure out why the new weapon damage values aren't showing. Then it's testing and seeing what's working and what's not, fixing any issues, and packaging it up!

 

Expect the pre-release of the mod (Not even sure what to call it, it changes the prices of almost everything, changes the weights, and changes the effectiveness of weapons and shields...it does more than an economy mod, but it doesn't rebalance the magic, so it's not a full rebalance mod). to be available sometime in the next two weeks. :D

[RedDaemonFox]

Sounds cool. I myself am working on reworking Oblivion with prettier people (Using XEO as a texture/mesh source) Different races (Half Argonian, already created a preview, Ancient Orcs, which are elven in all looks, and maybe a demonic race that is human, but has a fox tail, just need a mesh and texture and TIME)

 

Good Luck my friend, and if I can help (I have basic skills with CS, texture handling and a whole lot of ideas for stuff)

[WeissYohji]

This sounds great. I'd like to see my nobles squabble amongst themselves. I'd like to see clergymen actively traveling and conducting business. A living economy, a more immersive society--why couldn't we get this in Oblivion right from the beginning? (Case in point: Wolves. Why the hell don't they hunt in packs? It's too jarring!)

 

All the overhauls are good and well, but I'd like something that'd be much more immersive than just a fantasy-themed fashion simulator.