Would folks be interested in this mod?

Kameleon · Post by **Kameleon** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 5:38 pm

Originally posted by cjdevito
The crystals themselves actually give out very little light. There's a -big- pulsing green omni light in the middle of the room, above the altar that actually provides most of the light there.

Hmm, I'd have to have another look, but I thought that that blue light from the crystals was pretty bright...you're right though of course

Originally posted by cjdevito
Speaking of the altar, didja notice the graphiti scrawled in blood on it's surface?

Yes I did...very good, couldn't make it out though. What does it say?

cjdevito · Post by **cjdevito** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 5:44 pm

Hmm, I'd have to have another look, but I thought that that blue light from the crystals was pretty bright...you're right though of course

Hmm, I'll take another look. Lighting is a PITA, 'cause you never know what anyone else's gamma settings are like, or how their video card will deal with things.

Yes I did...very good, couldn't make it out though. What does it say?

I -think- it says 'The Sleeper is Awake' in the runic lettering used in Morrowind, but I could be wrong. It's a flat square object, transparent except for the lettering; I just laid it on top of the altar. It isn't used anyplace in-game, and it was too good to let it go to waste

Kameleon · Post by **Kameleon** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 5:49 pm

Originally posted by cjdevito
I -think- it says 'The Sleeper is Awake' in the runic lettering used in Morrowind, but I could be wrong. It's a flat square object, transparent except for the lettering; I just laid it on top of the altar. It isn't used anyplace in-game, and it was too good to let it go to waste

Hehe...how many things like that are there in the game that are never used? Theoretically you could make a mod that just includes these, and for the unsuspecting player it would look like all your own work

cjdevito · Post by **cjdevito** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 5:55 pm

Hehe...how many things like that are there in the game that are never used?

A lot. There are several unused cavern/dungeon/tomb entrances, for example, some of which are -astoundingly- good. The best actually looks greco-roman, with marble pillars and a semi circle of marble steps leading up to the door. I see why it wasn't used, though.... after fiddling with it, I've come to the conclusion that unless you find a -perfectly- level area at the foot of a mountain, it's impossible to get the steps to lay right on the terrain floor.

There are also a lot of things that are single-use.... probably because they ran up against a single specific instance where an existing mesh wouldn't work, so they found it easier to make a new, variant mesh that would 'fit' where they needed it rather then change the rest of the layout.

cjdevito · Post by **cjdevito** » Mon Dec 09, 2002 11:26 pm

In case I can tempt anyone else into giving it a try (and giving me more feedback).... Do you dare see what lies beyond the Red Corridor? MWAH-HA-HA-HA!

rnrules · Post by **rnrules** » Tue Dec 10, 2002 1:08 am

Unfortunatley for me, I won't be getting morrowind or tribunal until christmas, but that's better than not at all

. One reason I know this, is

Me: "Wow look at this game it looks really cool, and look! The expansion is almost out"

Parental Figure: "Oh... I just remembered, we're out of printing paper, why don't you go wait for me at the other end of the store"

10 minutes later

Me: "Whats in the bag?"

Parental Figure: "Your relative's photos...."

Me: "You want me to hold it?"

Parental Figure: "No, that's okay"

Me: "I didn't realize picture took up that much space in a bag"

Parental Figure: "...."

So anyway, if you put up some more screenshots, that would be cool, it looks great, keep up the good work!

cjdevito · Post by **cjdevito** » Tue Dec 10, 2002 10:59 am

Actually, for the most part, I kind of want to avoid screenshots. A lot of the guildhall is about atmosphere, and I wouldn't want to ruin it.

FWIW, last night I built the tiny cavern that's the first part of the 'join the guild' quest. Have to light it yet, but that shouldn't be anywhere near as time consuming as lighting the guildhall was. Tonight, I'll build the second interior cell that's a part of the 'join' quest. After that, I'll be setting up the faction and the two NPCs involved in the 'join' quest.

Of the six quests involving the first guildhall (beyond the 'join' quest) none of them require new cells or NPCs except the last (which takes you to the second guild hall). If I can manage to get through the relatively simple scripting I'll need for these quests reasonably well, the first guildhouse + all associated quests may be available by this time next week.

The second guild house also doesn't need very complicated scripting and only a few new objects, I think, so I might actually be able to hit the halfway point in a reasonably timely manner.

Kameleon · Post by **Kameleon** » Tue Dec 10, 2002 11:44 am

Have you considered giving new dialog to already existing NPCs, as if they were already members of this cult/faction, it's just that you have no idea until you are yourself a member? You've probably considered this, I just thought it was a pretty good idea

Please do continue posting your progress, I for one am very interested in how this goes on and would be very happy to test parts if you want.

cjdevito · Post by **cjdevito** » Tue Dec 10, 2002 12:13 pm

Have you considered giving new dialog to already existing NPCs, as if they were already members of this cult/faction, it's just that you have no idea until you are yourself a member?

Yes. One (who will seem obvious, when people stop to think about it) is. And another one sort of thinks he is.

Please do continue posting your progress, I for one am very interested in how this goes on and would be very happy to test parts if you want.

Thanks, I'll probably take you up on it once I have a bigger chunk of it done.

cjdevito · Post by **cjdevito** » Wed Dec 11, 2002 10:28 am

Finished lighting the small cavern. Jeez, lighting is a pain if you want an area to be dark-ish.

Tonight, second dungeon gets built.

cjdevito · Post by **cjdevito** » Thu Dec 12, 2002 10:09 am

Second dungeon built. Actually, it's a sublevel to an existing dungeon. Found that one of the hardest parts of adding new content is finding good places to stick dungeon entrances (out of the way, not near anything else quest related, etc) so I took an existing dungeon that's not part of any quest and added a door leading to a lower level. The lower level is a -very- simply map, but large.... wanted an impression of grandeur. Heh, to be honest, I'm trying for sort of an "Indiana Jones" moment of revelation when coming face-to-face with the resting place of what you're searching for there.

I found a script that makes locks 100% un-lockpickable; if you don't have the key, you simply can't get in. I'll be using it to prevent players from stumbling into portions of quests they shouldn't be aware of yet.

Got about halfway through lighting it before I had to stop for the night. I need to spend the next couple of days on another project of mine, so it'll be saturday or sunday before I can get back to it.

Kameleon · Post by **Kameleon** » Thu Dec 12, 2002 10:20 am

*bounces up and down*

Ooh, this looks so good! I can't wait to try it out. Yes, the ability of the engine to render huge interiors is somewhat underused...the awe I felt when entering the Ald'ruhn Manor area hasn't so far been replicated

cjdevito · Post by **cjdevito** » Thu Dec 12, 2002 10:34 am

the awe I felt when entering the Ald'ruhn Manor area hasn't so far been replicated

This isn't on -that- scale, I'm afraid. It -is- over twice as tall as the typical room, though, and about three times as wide as a typical 'hall'.

[Edit to add: Kam, once I have this second dungeon completed and I have the join quest and the first couple of NPCs implemented, I'll put up another .esp file for you]

Kameleon · Post by **Kameleon** » Thu Dec 12, 2002 10:37 am

Sweet, thanks

rnrules · Post by **rnrules** » Thu Dec 12, 2002 9:28 pm

I love the really loooonng hallways in some of the manor's under skar, they're tight. So let me get this right:

Balmora=Hlaalu's concrete buildings?
Ald'Ruhn=Redoran's shell buildings?
Tel Mora=Telvanni's Mushrooms.... (evidently)

I always wonder what things are supposed to be made of and I'm pretty sure about Redoran, but is that hard stuff in balmora really concrete?

Thanks

cjdevito · Post by **cjdevito** » Thu Dec 12, 2002 11:32 pm

Forgive the lens flare, I'm using it to cover up what should come as a bit of a surprise

This is the far end of a -very- long room at the bottom of the second dungeon.

Kameleon · Post by **Kameleon** » Fri Dec 13, 2002 12:10 am

Wow. That looks pretty impressive...I guess as you approach the whatever it stops being a faint glow in the distance and starts to form into a...whatever

The light you see at the end of the tunnel is the headlamp of a fast-approaching train

cjdevito · Post by **cjdevito** » Fri Dec 13, 2002 9:50 am

Wow. That looks pretty impressive...I guess as you approach the whatever it stops being a faint glow in the distance and starts to form into a...whatever

Don't confuse the lens flare, sorry if I wasn't clear -- that was added in photoshop to hide what's on top of the pedestal

The far end of the room is very brightly lit, centering on the platform and the pedestal, but the rest of the very long room is unlit. It has the typical ambient lighting of the 'XXX Ancestral Tomb' dungeons, to give you an idea of how dim.

Considering what's actually on the pedestal, I really am trying for a sense of build up

cjdevito · Post by **cjdevito** » Sat Dec 14, 2002 4:29 am

Yeehah

Thanks to some assistance I was kindly able to take advantage of at a scripting forum, I have the entire 'join the guild' quest/locations/NPCs/dialogue/journal entries 99.5% completed

Just have one minor bug on one script to hammer out, but this is definitely looking do-able. I even have the journal entries catalogued with the expansion's 'sort by quest' journal option

Kam, I think I'll have a file for you sometime tommorrow at this rate.

Kameleon · Post by **Kameleon** » Sat Dec 14, 2002 7:13 am

Originally posted by cjdevito
Considering what's actually on the pedestal, I really am trying for a sense of build up

If it's a massive anticlimax I'll kill you myself