Quote:Originally posted by Oht_Nought
But if you're recreating ES3 to a 'T', (meshes and all) why not just make this mod for ES3?
If you modding ES4, why not make Morrowind in a new, updated vision, based on lore, and all that. No offense, but it seems academic to just 'move' ES3 into the ES4 engine. I mean, a lot of the meshes I've seen from the video are almost exactly the same. If you are indeed remaking them, why not make them somewhat different so it doesn't seem like you're playing ES3 in a new engine?
I understand a mod like this requires mass amounts of new meshes, but still...
*climbs up on soapbox*
It would be kinda pointless to recreate it
to a T but that's never been my intention either though. Rather, to recreate the meshes with the flair afforded both by the Oblivion engine and by the increased power of today's computers. The former allows for the use of specular, normal and parallax maps, partial reflection, and so on while the latter allows for more detailed models with hi-resolution textures.
We couldn't have any of that if we had remained focused on developing our mod for the TES3 platform. But since we're not, we can take advantage not only of that but also the improvements made on the game engine as well as a community vastly larger than the vaning one for TES3. I was around the first time our mod died, in the autumn of 2004, and when I brought it back to life it was perfectly clear to me that continuing our mod for the new game was the only way we would survive in the long run. And here we are, three years later, proving that we not only survived but also flourished.
Making models that are technically more advanced than their old counterparts is not the sole reason to remake them. Another part of the reason is ensuring that they aren't duplicates, even though it's perfectly legal to copy the position of each vertice and thus create a perfect replica. If some people suspect I ripped models now, how many wouldn't suspect it if I made perfect replicas? A thousand proof of originality shots wouldn't help because then the next guy who haven't browsed my photobucket album would wonder. So even if it's legal I don't engage in that, I draw out my primitives and splines to match the 3d silhouette of the old model and work from there and take originality shots whenever I can. I don't expect anyone to be impressed by those shots or browse the album for entertainment or anything like that, it's just your basic dropfolder where I show
that I can and
how I can -- for those who might wonder.
Remaking the visuals of TES3 - in higher resolution and better 3d definition - doesn't equate remaking TES3 itself. I look forward to playing the TES4: Vvardenfell mod but I couldn't see myself recreating a whole landscape that many players will know like the back of their hand or adhering to recreating the characters, places, villages and towns players know equally well. I loved TES3 of course, like most people in our team, so I bet I'll have a blast playing it -- it just doesn't appeal to me creatively as a modder and modeller. Silgrad Tower offers a rekindled experience of Morrowind's architecture, flora, culture, and ambience - much like TES4: Vvardenfell will, except we offer that set on a new landscape that the player couldn't explore in the unmodded game. We have our own cities with their own history and backdrops that are quite different from TES3's setting.
So you'll get the spirit of Morrowind, but you'll also a fresh piece of land to discover. Not necessarily just for Oblivion... because as the utility that can export land data from TES3 mods proved, we can afford to have high hopes that we'll be able to export our world to the new format once
The Elder Scrolls V is released. Given that we'll have finished the models we need by then, it'll be a piece of cake to reset their exact position in the world by copy-pasting XYZ coordinates between an instance of the old Construction Set and an instance of the new Construction Set. At least for our cities and important locations, I doubt anyone would mind if the trees and rocks outside the city gates shift position a bit. So there we have it, our everlasting tribute to the best game ever made! :bananarock:
*climbs down from soapbox*