Silgrad Tower from the Ashes

[blockquote]"Dhryss Plaza" is named after a local Akaviri hero, who stands guard in the central park and who's exploits can be experienced in the aptly titled novel Akavir available in bookstores. The southwest area of Soluthis, which extends westward beyond Dryss Plaza as well, is mainly a low-end agricultural settlement and largely self-sufficient. It stands out from other parts of town in its use of wooden fences.[/blockquote]

Location: MAP #12
Interior model to use: 05
Model Nickname: Oval Home
Northmarker Rotation: 151.3521
Neighbourhood: Dhryss Plaza

Status: Claimed by Kielanai .

[title]Information.[/title]
For basic information on how to mod in Soluthis, please see parkeep.silgrad.com. Extended information on modding in general can be found in sandor's excellent thread Technical Info concerning Interiors, and naturally the articles on the CS wiki are always worth reading. Beyond that, trial-and-error is an integral part of modding.

Hello. I am working with the Akavir team retexturing some kimono, but I have never really browsed this section of the board until this weekend, and I came across this plot with a connection to Akavir! ^_^

Part of me wants to grab this and have fun with it, but other part of me is cautious for rules and time for projects. I tried to read all rules, but could you please answer a few questions to help me decide?

1. Is it one house or whole neighborhood?

2. Walking through the area is really grassy overgrown. Would my modifications include being able to change vegetation, as long as it's consistent with region?

3. Would it be possible to do a subtle blend of Akavir items with Dunmer culture? Other than the book, is there any other reference that would distinguish this connection? (The term "local Akaviri hero" means only one person? Or group of immigrants, ... like a Chinatown?)

4. Is there a time limit?

Thanks!

Quote:Originally posted by Kielanai
Hello. I am working with the Akavir team retexturing some kimono, but I have never really browsed this section of the board until this weekend, and I came across this plot with a connection to Akavir! ^_^

Part of me wants to grab this and have fun with it, but other part of me is cautious for rules and time for projects. I tried to read all rules, but could you please answer a few questions to help me decide?

1. Is it one house or whole neighborhood?

2. Walking through the area is really grassy overgrown. Would my modifications include being able to change vegetation, as long as it's consistent with region?

3. Would it be possible to do a subtle blend of Akavir items with Dunmer culture? Other than the book, is there any other reference that would distinguish this connection? (The term "local Akaviri hero" means only one person? Or group of immigrants, ... like a Chinatown?)

4. Is there a time limit?

Thanks!

1 One house (#22 in the screenie).

2 Yes, but you have to wait for the new release (you can mod the interior), March first, because Soluthis is transferred to the main land mass.

3 I don't see why not. Razorwing what do you think?

4 No, as long the claim is making a progress. Regular updates are appreciated.

One small house I should have time to do. Putting the NPC in will be my new challenge, as I've only worked with retexture design, construction, and landscaping so far. Waiting to fix exterior is no problem, either -- just took another walk-through and realized it's the houses around 22 that look overgrown and abandoned, rather than 22 itself.

I looked up the "Akavir" book in the CS and read it, so my questions are answered reguarding local hero -- one Tsaesci from Akavir. Based on that alone, small group of immigrants wouldn't make sense. However, another idea came to me. The book mentions that he slept with the woman who found him because the Tsaesci are "tall, golden, beautiful, etc." Discussion is mixed on whether they look more like snakes or humans, but based on breeding references I'd say human. And if he slept with one woman, he could have slept with others. ... Could have left behind a few descendents.

Other game references, I think, state that there are small, scattered pockets of people who proudly claim Akaviri descendency. So, it could be possible that one (or more) of the residents in this section have a "touch" of Tsaesci in them. I don't know yet if any of the NPC's mentioned in the book are actually going to be NPC's in the game, but the NPC that I was thinking of putting in the hut was a Dunmer of Akaviri descent. Since the hut is next to the slums (and even labeled slums in the CS), he wouldn't have money for collecting rare Akavir artifacts like the countess of Bruma, but perhaps he has managed to get his hands on a few things from his own explorations of ruins -- an ancient blade and shield, an old tapestry, a dragon statue -- things that are worth more to him personally than increasing his income or showcase (unlike the wealthy collectors in the game). ... Or maybe that angle has already been considered by the person who wrote the book. ... Or maybe I could just put in an ordinary Dunmer farmer or create a house for sale?

Either way, I like that this section has an unusual Akavir connection and am open to suggestions (and limits) on how to further that unique quality. ^_^ I think I'll take this one. Now to do the other stuff necessary to stake the claim ...

Edit: Okay, now it's official, ne.

KN 1222 please!

Quote:Originally posted by Kielanai
Either way, I like that this section has an unusual Akavir connection and am open to suggestions (and limits) on how to further that unique quality.

I like your approach, I am sure Razorwing will give his input very soon.
Please go ahead.

Okay, I have some screens finally of what I've been playing around with. Don't want anyone to think I've disappeared after making a claim. ^_^

Soluthis 1222 Screenshots (Work in Progress)

Comments:

1) Npc -- I realize Ren's beautiful long hair and headband will probably have to go for a more standardized game look, but right now this is how I prefer him. :] I have always designed things for the player, never for NPC, so this is one area that will slow me down while I learn. I got the idea for this character and his hut from a fanfic I'm writing, but they are loosely based. So if you'd rather there be no further association than this starter idea that's fine with me. He's a dunmer who believes he is Tsaesci descendent, and I'd like for him to have golden eyes and sort of golden or copper colored hair to make him slightly different from average, but don't know how much I can do about that with the basic game race. Again, not a problem if there's limitations; this is just a starting point for ideas. He's a scout, so I intend to add ranger-type things around his hut. The guy I'm basing him on happens to be an ashlander outcast that went to live in Tel Vos, so I could throw that in, too, or just have him be regular farmer/scout/fisherman type person.

2) I'm starting to fill the home with clutter and adding a few new Akaviri items that I created. I'm trying to stay with old, faded colors so it blends rather than clashing with native dunmer style. I want it to look like he found these items by rummaging places like Pale Pass. (In fact, I will either replace or "dull" the tapestry because it looks a little too bright for the setting, I think. But I want a tapestry with the boshi that the boatmen used in Vivec because that's a nice blend.) Right now these are all static items, so they cannot be stolen and sold. He hunts for artifacts because of personal interest, not money. It's all still a work in progress. I'm mainly trying to ge a feel for how to organize the files right now. And now is a good time to let me know if I'm doing something wrong before I get too into it.

3) So, I have a few questions after playing around with this. First, does this all sound doable, so far? Second, how do I submit/file/name the new items, ... if they are allowed? Third, how do I label his personal containers so I don't mess up anything? Would it be "StKnChest", and then check him as the owner?

Doumo/thanks!

Very nice work so far Kielanai, I love the originality of it! His hair should definitely stay

I think your ideas are highly doable, but what I think would make or break it is how the player experiences this very different home. His first instinct would be to talk to your NPC, so it would be great if you could write dialogue for him that explains his background and how come he has the unusual objects in his home.

When you add the new models in the Construction Set please always start their ID's with your modding abbreviation (StKn). Sometimes we use a different system, like for instance "StExCom", for objects that might be used by a large number of modders, but since I think your objects will be unique you should start the ID with StKn.

Yes, always create a new container entry in the CS if you'd like to modify the contents of the container, starting it's ID with StKn. If your NPC is set as the owner of the cell then you don't have to set up ownership on any objects, the game assumes he owns everything modded into the cell.

Please mail your models and textures to me ( razorwing@silgrad.com ) when your claim is completed and I can sort them into our folder structure and edit the paths in your esp. TIA.

Sorry about the brightness of the textures by the way, they will look better in the next release

Keep up the good work! :goodjob:

Okay, I'll keep working on it like this, then. And the textures are wonderful! Please don't change them. I meant my tapestry was too "new" and bright looking to have been found in a dungeon. ^_^ I will lower the saturation or make another tapestry. His collection should look like old, rare finds. He wouldn't have the money to pay for someone else to dig up priceless treasures, like the countess of Bruma. He would be the type that would explore the ruins and come home with a rusted sword, a dented helm, a piece of pottery, etc. Maybe piece items back together and try to restore them. Coming up with ideas for dialog shouldn't be as much a problem for me as actually scripting it.

Okay, here's what I have after a little more work, and I'm about ready to really shift from focusing on the interior to focusing on the NPC.

Rindaalyn is a dunmer scout who loves to travel, knows the land well, and loves to read about the history of mysterious Akavir. His hut reflects a majority dunmer culture, but is loaded with Akaviri artifacts he has unearthed in ruins and painstakingly restored as best he could, including a minature model of a temple (which may be reskinned by the next update). I faded the colors on the river tapestry to make it look older and may do the same for the broken pot with the cranes on it. He will have a journal that explains these finds and his theories, and possibly a few other related papers. (I will try to do dialog, as well.) He has traveled as far as Bruma and Anvil in his quests for Akaviri treasures, and has a Cyrodiil deer trophy to prove it. All treasures are either static or container.

A few of the books pictured here will change because I had no idea I chose books with skills; the journals will replace them. I noticed an error in one of the books titles, though, so I included a picture of that for whoever the editor is. (Title needs capitalization.)

In my kojima mod, I found that sinking a bench into the floor beneath a cushion could give the illusion of the PC kneeling to sit on the floor. I didn't do that here because of the rules, but if you think that would be worth adding, I can include it.

For the folder with the new items, do I just put them in "clutter", or should I make a special folder for them with my modding initials or "Akavir" type of title?

all other screenshots

Rindaalyn at entrance:

Everything looks proper except I think it's too bright in the room and I don't like the floor you used