I think there definitely should be some floating platforms. A lot of Lilmoth is built on reclaimed land, and something like this would be the first step in anchoring the shore to extend it further. Also gives us the opportunity to include some plantations.
Then I'm all in favour. This will no doubt be KP's domain again. Maybe such a model would be set up kind of like the bookcase modders resources that you get with the books already in them. One or more of the models may have flora items already lined up. I was definitely going to have a sugar cane field or two...maybe sunflowers....but City crops I'm not entirely sure about off the top of my head.
Quote:Originally posted by Ibsen's Ghost
Then I'm all in favour. This will no doubt be KP's domain again. Maybe such a model would be set up kind of like the bookcase modders resources that you get with the books already in them. One or more of the models may have flora items already lined up. I was definitely going to have a sugar cane field or two...maybe sunflowers....but City crops I'm not entirely sure about off the top of my head.
Well, I have some ideas, both with their own pros and cons (you're close in describing one of the ideas, IG):
1) I make floating platforms that are not animated to rock in the water slightly -
Pros - you can place individual flora on these platforms, and harvest from each plant indivudually.
Cons - the effect won't be as cool, without the animation.
2) I make animated platforms that rock in the water slightly -
Pros - it looks cool.
Cons - I'd have to add the flora into the floating platform nif itself, so that they rock with the platform. But you'd only be able to harvest one plant ingredient type from each platform, and only one ingredient unit count, at that (if I make the animated platform an "Activator" and not a "Flora" item, then you can script how many of whatever ingredients you want to get from the crop of plants).
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Either way, whether animated or not, I can make the platforms so that NPCs can still walk on the platforms. That, or you can have NPCs avoid walking on the platforms entirely.
Koniption
I must have missed this post. Anyway, I think the animation option is just too sexy to hold back on so I'd opt for #2.
If it were possible to harvest about six sugar cane at a time then that seems sensible. I've always liked the sugar cane models and they fit well into Black Marsh. I would just be concerned about whether they would be the best plants to place on the platform seeing as the original concept art appeared to have plants that were more like rice paddies and therefore much smaller to the ground.
The link you provided to chinampas says that the grew corn, avocados, beans, chili peppers, squash, and tomatoes on them so it's mainly vegetables. Could a series of odd-looking gourd plants be grown on them? Failing that, perhaps Bamboo corm but only in its smaller 'ingredient' form rather than the fully grown stuff in the Talu swamps.
I'd love to be able to walk on them too...but when you scrambled onto them, might you accidentally harvest when you didn't mean to?
Another possible idea would be to have the platforms 'owned' by a farming NPC and if you harvested from them without certain set conditions met then you may fall foul of the Palace guards.
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Anyway, on another note, I'm gradually piecing together more models for Lilmoth. Do we really think that an Imperial Cathedral model will work for the Palace or will it just look wrong?
Quote:Originally posted by Ibsen's Ghost
I must have missed this post. Anyway, I think the animation option is just too sexy to hold back on so I'd opt for #2.
Ok.
Quote:If it were possible to harvest about six sugar cane at a time then that seems sensible. I've always liked the sugar cane models and they fit well into Black Marsh. I would just be concerned about whether they would be the best plants to place on the platform seeing as the original concept art appeared to have plants that were more like rice paddies and therefore much smaller to the ground.
The link you provided to chinampas says that the grew corn, avocados, beans, chili peppers, squash, and tomatoes on them so it's mainly vegetables. Could a series of odd-looking gourd plants be grown on them? Failing that, perhaps Bamboo corm but only in its smaller 'ingredient' form rather than the fully grown stuff in the Talu swamps.
Do we need more compact "food plants"?
Yes, to the gourds. I think gourds are related to Squash, in some way.
Quote:I'd love to be able to walk on them too...but when you scrambled onto them, might you accidentally harvest when you didn't mean to?
Depends on if the player activates the plants on the platform, when they are on the platform. Otherwise, nothing will be harvested, with the way I set it up.
KP
Quote:Originally posted by Ibsen's Ghost
Anyway, on another note, I'm gradually piecing together more models for Lilmoth. Do we really think that an Imperial Cathedral model will work for the Palace or will it just look wrong?
Perhaps we could use that "wrong" effect to our advantage. It could have an interesting backstory. Perhaps after the Priest King's revolt and execution, the Imperial Cathedral was built on top of a demolished Hist Shrine as a sign of the Empire's dominance. But the grand construction was never finished, as problems dogged the project and eventually it was abandoned in favour of a smaller church elsewhere in the city. But when the Royal Court assumed power over the city, they desired a symbol of Cyrodiilic power they could adopt as their own, and repurposed the half-finished building as their headquarters. Currently it's a bizarre mix of Imperial spleandor and strange add-ons, a perfect metaphor for the Court.
I can appreciate that interpretation...I'm just hesitating on whether people will take that to heart and accept it. Nevertheless, Lilmoth
is a proper city and, in Imperial terms, the recognised capital, so it would make sense for them to have imposed their own stamp upon it.
Quote:Originally posted by Koniption
Do we need more compact "food plants"?
Yes, to the gourds. I think gourds are related to Squash, in some way.
That's good about the gourds then. I'm reluctant to bring in many more new ingredients. Black Marsh is now brimming with them already. We do have things like vanilla beans but they tend to creep upwards. Perhaps if there were a vegetable that was a different genetic strain than a flora item that we've already developed but appears here in a more compact format...? By this I mean that there would be a different type of something like the Monstera fruit (which looks like corn) so that there is one that is grown in the wild on the Monstera plant and another that is grown in the ground. It could use the same ingredient...which might be renamed to 'Monstera corn'.
In the meantime, here are some pics of what I've been toying with tonight on Lilmoth. I could really use some feedback here as it takes a while to work through the ideas to find the best ones and the real challenge is getting a selection of quite diverse tileset pieces to fit together.
The first shot is something I wanted to work on originally which is basically a kind of arched walkway along one of the ledges. The ledges shown have already been retextured by me tonight and now reflect Lilmoth's texture set. The problem lies in getting the ground platform objects from the Jurad tileset to merge without seams over the top so that there is a joined edge along the rim at the top...and preferably one that doesn't conflict too much with the rextextured Bruma ledge pieces.
The second shot is of the Cathedral itself. You can see from the first shot that I put the Cathedral on its side because it fits much better within the city layout this way but this shot shows the entrance at the end of the bridge to the South. Bear in mind that the empty gaps in the windows of the first shot will be filled in. Do you think it looks right on its side like this?
The third and last shot is something that I'm perfectly happy with as it's a shot through the 'sluice-gate' to the East. It's basically a rocky channel that is built for smaller pleasure boats. The arched walkways offer the UC citizen to arrive in the city in style. There is a door along here that will lead up to the palace. Up ahead, the archway leads through to the city itself.
Also, I'd considered using David Whitefang's pool in the courtyard...but it didn't quite come off.
Thanks for bringing that up, KP.
As for the cathedral, if we are going to use it, we could have several floors and room dividers put in inside it, and perhaps a giant Royal Court banner partly covering the Rose Window at the front. Also we would need to replace the windows with stone filling, with a smaller window for each floor, perhaps...
Also, watch out with using those walkway pieces as I believe that there may be an issue with their collision. Please check the Jurad readme for details.
Cheers for that link, KP. I added it here:
New Lore from the Infernal City .
I'm afraid that I may need your assistance some time to take a look at the collision on the walkway pieces as mentioned by Deeza above as they're very much a part of my plans....unless we can get assistance from another on this matter.
Quote:Originally posted by Deeza
As for the cathedral, if we are going to use it, we could have several floors and room dividers put in inside it, and perhaps a giant Royal Court banner partly covering the Rose Window at the front. Also we would need to replace the windows with stone filling, with a smaller window for each floor, perhaps...
I like that idea...although I don't want to clutter it too much or give us loads more work to do on it. Nor do I fancy the idea of merely covering up the window when it may prove possible to make use of it. However, creating a split-level Cathedral interior would be wonderful. If you were to Google 'Church conversion' you would find a selection of photos that is like my very own ideal homes exhibition. Like nothing else,
that is where I would choose to live. =)
Btw, I'll post up some ideas later based on my reading-through of the lore notes from 'The Infernal City'.