SHRAC06 "Steadhelm Region Area Claim" [Revised]

[sandor]

Steadhelm Region: Area Claim #06

Originally modded by Ibsen's Ghost, revised by sandor as per the decision of the Core

Click the image for an overview

Size: 96 cells.

The Steadhelm Region Area Claim #06 (SHRAC06) is a large forest/swamp situated east and south of Steadhelm. It borders to the sea and other Steadhelm region claims.

Steadhelm, click the image for a larger version

I would like to thank Razorwing for creating the claims map and for the excellent Soluthis landscape claims template. I decided to use this landscape claims template as a basis for a more or less standardized landscape claims overview.

[title]The particulars[/title]
The area is lush with tall trees, rich plantlife, and a variety of fungus.
Plants and fungi that grow here include violet coprinus, luminous russula, bungler's bane, hypa facia, slough fern, and occasionally hackle-lo. There are only two farms in the higher Steadhelm areas because the rest of the land is too salty.

Do not add other types of trees/shrub, rocks, use the existing types (the only exception, you may add buckthorn to every cell when not already generated). The same applies to the existing rock types.

Use the existing landscape textures.
If you have another idea please send a PM.

You're welcome to move around or delete the generated content in your area if you wish, as well as changing the land heights. Make sure that your height changes don't affect other areas. Keep the facecount of an exterior cell between 200,000 and 250,000. Don't forget to add vertex shading underneath rocks/trees where needed, because it looks bizarre without it. Please also use vertex shading to break up the monotony of landscape textures, but naturally never as dark as you use underneath rocks. You can often use very light green and very light brown to create subtle shades on the ground that help break up the monotony without the player really realizing it.

If you notice floating rocks/trees/flora in your area, please fix them. Either by realigning them or by deleting and replacing them.

Don't mod outside the bounds of the area; no object you place should protrude beyond your cells, even if the object belongs to a cell within your area.

Please use leveled monster lists, so it's easer to change/adapt these later on. Don't forget to create pathgrids for the creatures to move about on. Do not add more than one M-marker per cell (to keep the FPS performance acceptable).

You could add a new weather profile for your claim, just send a PM and we'll discuss the details.


What to do with the swamp?

• Add more SilgradBlackGumBC trees.
  
• Create many small islands (look at the screenshot from TES3).
  
  
  
  A typical TES3 swampy area, click the image for a larger version
  
  
• Make it interesting for the player, add caves, creatures etc.
  

What to do with the forest/land?

The majority of the generated area is fine except for things mentioned in the following list.

• Delete at least 60% of the StFloraBiCoVioletCoprinus03 and replace these with the types 04/05/06/08.
  
• Add as many StFloraBiCoSloughFern as possible on locations where the player has a high chance to see these plants, for example along a road or a new location.
  
• Add StFloraBiCoBunglersBane/StFloraBiCoHyphaFacia01 to the trunks of trees on locations where the player has a high chance to see these fungi, for example along a road or a new location.
  
• Add one Hackle-lo to every tenth cell.
  
• Add one StFloraBiCoVioletCoprinus01 to every sixth cell.
  
• Create muckpools and add Draggle tail and Ampoule pods (they only grow in muckpools).
  
• If you want to reduce the total number of trees in a cell, please do so, don't forget to remove/change the vertex shading.
  
• Set up entrances (see below) for caves etc.
  

[title]Time for some adventure[/title]

You can find remnants of years gone by here and there - Velothi tombs, you'll definitely not find villages, farms and inns.

You'll find the following claims within the boundaries of this area.
- Witch island farm house
- Fishermen's island
- Wizard's island.

You're expected to set up entrances (caves etc.) to locations in your area. You're welcome to mod them too, but you don't have to - you can issue claims for them instead. Please do that in a new thread on the Dungeon claims board. On average there should be one location for at least every twelve exterior cells. When you pick a cell which will contain an entrance to a location, please name the exterior cell SteadhelmRegionAreaClaim06### where ### is an claim number. (In the cell list window just left-click on your cell slowly two or three times and a cursor will start to blink, letting you choose a name for the cell.) You can pick an arbitrary claim number, like SteadhelmRegionAreaClaim06210, which will then be re-numbered/renamed when your area is slated for merging. The interior cell for that claim will be named SteadhelmRegionAreaClaim06210lvl1 and so on depending on how many cells it encompasses. Sticking to the template makes it very easy to playtest the location.

You have to use the Moldcave tileset to mod the caves.


[title]Technical info[/title]

How to check the existing textures in an exterior cell and how to remove blocky (screenshot) textures?

An example of a blocky texture, click the image for a larger version

Make sure you look north (select something and press "C" or "T").
Open the landscape editor (select the render window, press "H") and select a texture (CTRL and rigth-click on the texture). Press "I" and you'll see the textures for that cell.

The cell is devided into 4 quads (screenshot).

Texture overview, click the image for a larger version

The bottom left one (#1) is the bottom left part of the cell.
The top left one (#3) is the top left part of the cell.
The bottom right one (#2) is the bottom right part of the cell.
The top right one (#4) is the top right part of the cell.


Right-click on the texture (in the texture overview) and delete or replace it. If you can't delete it, replace the texture. If you see a black texture, save the esp and reload the esp.

Extra info.


How to raise/lower the water level of a cell?

Select the cell where you want to create the muckpool, go to the cell view window and edit the cell (right-click) in question. Finally change the water level (height) to your liking.

If you want to see the cell grid lines, select the render window and press "B".

Where do I find the SilgradBlackGumBC trees?

You'll find these in the object window WorldObjects>>Tree>>SilgradBlackGum.


Where do I find the Velothi tileset?

You'll find these in the object window WorldObjects>>Static>>ST>>Velothi.
There are two sets: The Small and Sil (Sil == Static>>ST>>Velothi>>tileset) types.
The StExVelEntrance03 is reserved for the Silgrad area.


Where do I find the Moldcave tileset?

You'll find these in the object window WorldObjects>>Static>>ST>>Dungeons>>Moldcave.


[title]In closing[/title]

To claim this area, post a reply saying so. You don't have to wait for anyone to confirm your claim, you can get started right away. But bear in mind you should not have more than two of these area claims active at any one time. If you claim a third one before one of the other two are approved by our reviewer(s) it'll likely get "un-granted" after the fact.
You have to use the Silgrad_Tower.esm v2.95 or a higher version.

Last but not least have fun!

[Ibsen's Ghost]

I'll take this one...er, as long as you don't mind waiting a while for me to get sorted in my new job... :O

[sandor]

Originally posted by Ibsen's Ghost
I'll take this one...er, as long as you don't mind waiting a while for me to get sorted in my new job... :O

That's fine, have fun!

I sent you 3 PM's.

[Ibsen's Ghost]

Okay, I'm back working on this thing again (nothing done yet though). However, in order to achieve what I want to do with this area, I will need to cross over into claim 5. In which case, I will claim Region 5 for now in the knowledge that something else in life may well come along and hit me over the head and take me away. As long as I keep the modding neat, inform you of which extra cells that I end up modifying and don't interfere with the rest of it then this should be okay for now, yes?

The cells in question are: 56, 4 (most significantly) and (to a much lesser extent) 56, 3 / 56, 5 / 55, 3-5. These last ones will just be affected on the fringes of the cell.

Nonetheless, the idea that I mentioned here: SHRAC07 "Steadhelm Region Area Claim" [Claimed] is what I still have in mind (and have had since I started on Region 8). I'll let you know if I find a model that I would like to import.

[Ibsen's Ghost]

Whiplash Gorge: A WIP. Note the still water textures that don't really fit. I'll have to try an alternative method.

[Ibsen's Ghost]

I'm still working on the Gorge and I want to create a cave entrance nearby but all of the textures for BC moldcaves look a little out-of-synch with the background. In fact, the one that matches the closest is the 'StExComCaveEntranceAI02'. I am using a lot of Great Forest Moss rocks so I need something approximately similar. Is there any chance of a new retexture for BC cave entrances that uses the same texture? And if so, can I just put in anything for the time being until it's ready?

Edit - Still waiting for an answer on the 'what rocks can I use?' question. In the meantime, I decided to proceed with modding. These screenies are missing extra 'rapids' water meshes but I would also like to apply a mist effect to contribute to the effect of a large Gorge. Do we have one available? I will be adding butterflies later as well. My last idea is to put a shrine nearby. I have found a shrine from our own model set. Could someone please let me know where I might find a suitable statue and other miscellany such as benches and a lectern?

The pix show the route beginning from just behind Astermeier Cave up round the stream (with the new water meshes) to the top lake, down through the rapids and waterfall to the large waterfall with a bridge across (hopefully leading to the shrine) and 'Whiplash Caverns' underneath (with mossy log entryway) under a natural rocky arch and down to the sea into two separate outlets.

[Ibsen's Ghost]

Does anyone know if we have a broken bridge model? Wooden or stone, I don't mind, but preferably stone.

[Ibsen's Ghost]

The latest:

* a shrine that appears after you cross the bridge over the Gorge from a southerly direction. I may put in a small path/road to it. However, I'm not too sure about keeping it, to be honest. I have no idea about how to build shrines in MW and may well have used the wrong models or used some models incorrectly. Any advice on this would be good.

* a sunken Fort Ruin with a collapsed bridge. On one of these screenshots, you can just about make out where the land curves inward towards Steadhelm.

All of this is very much a WIP at the moment.

[sandor]

Originally posted by Ibsen's Ghost
Does anyone know if we have a broken bridge model? Wooden or stone, I don't mind, but preferably stone.

For example the RFPitBridgeDamaged01.

Originally posted by Ibsen's Ghost
I would also like to apply a mist effect to contribute to the effect of a large Gorge.

I could add a small region covering the gorge and set the weather type to 'fog'.

Originally posted by Ibsen's Ghost
I have no idea about how to build shrines in MW and may well have used the wrong models or used some models incorrectly. Any advice on this would be good.

In MW these were Velothi shrines, I wouldn't combine it with the OB stuff as shown in the screenshot. Please use our ST assets.

There's only one Saint statue: St Delyn (Static>>ST>>Dunmer>>Exterior).

[Ibsen's Ghost]

Okay, I'll take a look at that bridge because I'm not totally happy with the way this one looks...and I'm using the Graveyard gate structure at the end...

Do you think that 'fog' would create the right effect? There is an effect that I found that was called 'clouds' or something that creates fairly decent 'spume' effect. I'll have to upload an .esp later so you can take a look.

I was aware of St. Delyn but I found a lot of pretty cool statues in the set that this one was in. I'm probably best of leaving this as it is for now and chalking it up as a feature for future development. I created it on a whim, really. Anyway, I'll PM RW and see what he think about creating shrines so that he can perhaps put this on his 'to do' list. I could always remove it if it doesn't prove to be workable.