OP Redux: I apologise for the previous rough outline. I have been without much spare time for the last few years but I have reached a point in the mod in which I can take a breath. The end is inevitable. Things have changed a little. Just a little.

The land of Vvardenfell has had an anxious air to it lately. People have gone missing. So have the oddest things. Most try to pass it off as the predictable increase in crime with these harsh times. Strange shapes have been seen on the darkest nights. Shapes accompanied by noises only few have heard…recently.
We find the PC by themselves, wandering the lands. They hear of an Imperial archaeological party, well equipped and in need of strong backs and sword arms for the myriad of dangers that lie in wait in the Dwemer ruins they must explore. Why? We’ll see.

This is how we start the events. The Artificer’s Hand is a mod that centres on the discovery of ancient Dwemer artifacts, ruins and a fortress-city and the impact this has on the citizens and power structure of Vvardenfell. I have tried to ask myself how each faction ( Imperial, Redoran/Tribunal, Telvanni, Hlaalu, The Artificer’s Hand and the new threat ) would react to such a scenario. The mod can be classed as lore-bendy but I have tried to keep it in line with Beth. lore as much as possible and indeed knowledge of Elder Scrolls lore will afford the player certain advantages in the weight of the plot and events and in the completion of certain quests as while all information will be able to be garnered from mechanisms within the mod players who know the lore will reach certain conclusions quicker. You must use your wit to proceed. Nothing is free.


The Factions
Given that The Artificer’s Hand has a particular creed certain factions are directly incompatible – Hlaalu and Telvanni. I know there are a lot of Telvanni players out there but I’m making something for myself and everyone else who identifies with Redoran for the most part. That’s not to say the others have been completely neglected – they just don’t get the same magnitude. I will say that in no shape or form will Hlaalu be joinable. Their creed and character directly contradict that of The Artificer’s Hand and so anyone who is a member of House Hlaalu will not be able to play the mod. Deal with it.

It will be possible to side with any of the other factions, in different ways, and receive their help. Sometimes a little too much help. Or it is possible to go solo and wave the flag for your faction by itself. It’ll be harder but that’s half the fun right.


Devices
There are a lot. I will not list them all as surprise is was one of my favourite things. I spend all day coding rules into systems so I’ve come to hold unpredictability and randomness in high regard. Some devices are for combat ( a lot are, actually ), some are for other things. The player will find some and learn to make them aswell. Which brings me to the next section:


Magecrafting
Magecrafting is a process. It isn’t like alchemy or enchanting where you simply drop the right ingredients into a black box and roll the dice. Skills and abilities are gates to more complex devices but the player will have to bring some IRL skill to the table. I was never a fan of the WoW model where you trade time for infinitely reliable skill. I’m RTS, not turn based.

The magecrafting process has multiple stages and occurs in real-time and if you [censored] it up you’ll be punished. Even if you succeed you’ll be punished. Creation is not a loving process. Different levels of the process map to different levels of complexity in the devices. Knowledge and power don’t come cheap here. Which leads to:


Constructs
I will be restricting the player’s ability to build an army worthy of Mordor ( what? ). Having that kind of power will inevitably lead to a loss of value in gameplay – God mode gets boring. That said, players that put the effort in will be rewarded.
The number of different constructs is around 20 atm and they vary in abilities and modus operandi, to some extent. We’re all used to the hail-Mary approach to combat in Morrowind but I’ve tried to introduce some strategy. For example, one of my favourites is the “sniper” construct that can be ordered to hold its ground and target certain individuals – perfect for assassination missions where the PC can’t get close to the target. There are a few others. One I’m sure the Dark Brotherhood would like to get a hold of.


Airships
Airships are a central part of the mod. Mostly because they’re awesome. As I mentioned in a previous post for all their complexity I never really liked Mad Max’s ships’ motion as it felt like they had no weight. I’ve modelled the ship’s motion using rigid body mechanics and conservation of energy so they move like should i.e. they feel like they weigh tonnes.

The player will have access to a number of ships but will have to pay to get them built, in one way or another. I haven’t allowed the player to build ships as that would be difficult to do and kind of silly to have a single individual construct an entire ship. Some specialized members of The Artificer’s Hand will help you out with this.

I’ve yet to decide whether a constant refuelling will be needed but I’m leaning towards a “yes”. What that’ll be is still in limbo.
I have tried to build the ships as flying homes. I really like the idea of cruising around Vvardenfell with nowhere to be and everything I own and want is in my ship. Tamriel Rebuilt was in the back of my mind in these imaginings. I want to sail over Tamriel. MGE is a godsend.
Also, some ships are armed. You’ll need it.


The Enemy
Play the mod.


The Fortress
I think I’ve learnt more about design doing this mod than I could from any textbook. In the beginning I had a different vision. I wanted to have certain rooms do certain things and the player would figure these facts out and use this knowledge to their advantage and everything would move like clockwork. For example, every room was linked to a number of other rooms in form and functionality – this didn’t pan out. The draw of the Dwemer is in their mystery, their reach, their ability and in some way that small part of them that we can identify with. In defining their constructions I destroyed that which made them special. In light of this I’ve tried to keep their feel throughout my mod and have re-designed large portions in line with this idea.

In short, the fortress is Dwemeri and that is that.


Traps
I read “Traps and Treachery” from the D&D universe and that combined with the ideas I already have I produced a list of traps that will keep the player on their toes. I don’t believe in random, unavoidable insta-kills so rarely will the PC’s fate be unavoidable – or inescapable. But as with the magecrafting process IRL abilities are a part of it.


Factional Mechanics
At the appropriate stage factional paths will become available. I have tried to make the political model as dynamic as possible. In light of this if the player ends up getting a particular faction into a state of war then they will have to deal with it. I had originally wanted to include a proper RTS model but this leads to resource management which leads to forced exploration which isn’t in line with the Morrowind experience. Thus an as-dynamic-Morrowindian-as-possible model has been employed. Piss off any given faction enough and you’ll be in a relative state of war so it pays to play the diplomatic game. Which leads to:


Diplomacy
Each faction is lead by a collection of individuals and individuals are fallible. Know your enemy.


Guns
There are some early model guns. Flintlocks, muskets etc. I know it makes some people rage but again: deal with it.


Classes
I’m using a loose class model in which there are five magecrafting schools/types:

i) Common
ii) Gunmages
iii) Steam Kriegers
iv) Magecrafters
v) Void Runners

Common: everyone starts out in the common stream. There are certain things every magecrafter must know and they all reside here. Mines, grenades, grappling hooks. All the necessary things.

Gunmagery: you like firearms? This is the school for you. Triple-shot, buckshot and armour-based casters.

Steam Kriegers: they use altered swords, maces, enhanced armours. The Chimes of the Maker is your Betty.

Magecrafters: although all schools technically are magecrafters these are the ones who become Tonal Architects and eventually High Artificer’s and maybe even a Shop Foremer. They specialize in the most dangerous and complex devices, usually constructs. You can only build the best constructs if you pursue this path.

Void Runners: they glide through the ether and are essentially, airship pilots. Pursue this road and you’ll end up with your own airships/s and crew.


Abilities that Border on Magicka
Some things can’t be constructed. Airship fire support , reinforcements, air-dropped supplies. I’m trying not to overpower the PC but calling down a Tempest strike is awesome. Possibly only outshone by the Sunblade. If you can get that working you’ll have a friend for life.


A Final Note
Not all devices are logical. Not all quests are necessary. Not all paths lead somewhere.
I have a feeling people will be polarized over this – you’ll either love it or hate it.
A piece of me is in here. I don’t know how to explain it but it is. A very real piece.

The New Way is weaved.



Videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T4iw-qaCZ8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V2TWg1-M2Lg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQlosrpW6R8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yzL9dVc5i6U

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NEHPKeJVuRM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khPykEbzz6E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aNJQWyra_jE

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HDpVeUHy5MM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TcH4gr_OvSM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PE4QZ9Unlu8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=44WygAdqvwk

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GkvshphcZeg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cXmoOg45hw

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U01bHiFGl3E

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AkXqpeUSJVo

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IkuuGo9goCs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=waJ8AH1aabc

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IHXtOYoz9-0 I copped a lot of flak for this. I found out the hard way that youtubers loooove Scribs.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hK7_TW4PRhY

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ahwyK1VnybE The first thing I made.




Screenshots:

http://yfrog.com/2tmgescreenshot95j

http://yfrog.com/6xmgescreenshot96j

http://yfrog.com/5mmgescreenshot97j

http://yfrog.com/0hmgescreenshot98j

http://yfrog.com/jwmgescreenshot99j

http://yfrog.com/5dmgescreenshot100j

http://yfrog.com/5nmgescreenshot101j

http://yfrog.com/jkmgescreenshot159j

http://yfrog.com/bcmgescreenshot160j

http://yfrog.com/jymgescreenshot161j

http://yfrog.com/esmgescreenshot162j

http://yfrog.com/9dmgescreenshot163j

http://yfrog.com/jxnifskopenephastus001j

http://yfrog.com/j0nifskopenephastus002j

http://yfrog.com/50nifskopenephastus003j

http://yfrog.com/ccnifskopenephastus004j

Sounds like a very interesting mod for sure. Great back-story and tie in with Morrowind politics and factions. Are you planning on having dependencies on MGE?

-How did the Dwemer get here?
-Were they in another realm at the time of their race's destruction? Only finding a way back to Nirin now?
-Were they outside of Tamriel, so they were protected from whatever screwed the Dwemer over?
http://www.mwmythicmods.com/dwemer.htm

http://www.imperial-library.info/fsg/luagararticle1.shtml, maybe.

Yes, I'm afraid. Alot of what I want to do will need MGE and its MWSE functions.




I'm not sure if I'll use the race yet or just comprise it with a selection of the various races found in Vv. I found a Better Bodies Dwemer race on PES before but there aren't any Dwemer Better Heads which really put me off using the actual race. I think I would like to but I haven't found a sufficient model.

:stare:

What'll need MGE?

Alot of things: grappling hook, most new thrown and fired weapons, some of the constructs. Its essential, really. Sorry .

Made some progress on the weekend. Here are a coupleof airships and some of them have similar bases but that's because I can't decide which ones to include. I'll add more detail to them as I go ahead but these are pretty much how they're going to look plus there are a couple that the community have done that I'll include.

http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/2973/capture10082009182848.jpg

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/7894/capture10082009182918.jpg

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/8769/capture10082009183007.jpg

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/2773/capture10082009183054.jpg

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/922/capture10082009183103.jpg

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/87/capture10082009183132.jpg

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/5247/capture10082009183210.jpg

http://img22.imageshack.us/img22/9526/capture10082009183228.jpg

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/2263/capture10082009183242.jpg

http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/7237/capture10082009183257.jpg

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/590/capture10082009183321.jpg

http://img207.imageshack.us/img207/8421/capture10082009183333.jpg

http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/949/capture10082009183348.jpg

Are you serious? Your forge is nearly done and your going to do another mod? This is [CENSORED] great news!!!!

Can I just throw in my two cents and say that you sould use as many of those that you can! This is looking very cool! Great work on those extraordinary air-ships iio :goodjob:

-Melchior

Though many of those designs look very cool, I'd try to avoid kitbashes (the ones with non-Dwemer parts like Velothi domes). That said, the designs with the domes look very nice, and I'd probably go with a similar motif overall.

Perhaps edit the meshes of the Velothi domes / stronghold pieces to use the stock Dwemer textures instead?

I love these:
http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/87/capture10082009183132.jpg
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/2973/capture10082009182848.jpg
http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/2773/capture10082009183054.jpg ("Launch the dwemer sky gliders! We attack Balmora tonight!")

Not sure if you knew but there're some (an?) airships in the http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=6958; the original one not Darknut's or Julian K Spire's. Might also be some other things you could use in there too...

http://img31.imageshack.us/img31/2773/capture10082009183054.jpg http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/87/capture10082009183132.jpg http://img24.imageshack.us/img24/949/capture10082009183348.jpg caught my attention...

Thanks for the kind words, everyone . It seems the most popular designs are the ones I wasn't going to include but I will now.



Yeah its been really hard. The lack of external meshes for the Dwemer means I've been very tempted a couple of times to retex some Imp and Hlaalu stuff but it didn't look quite right. I'll be keeping it to a minimum but some kitbashing will be in there.



Yeah I saw that one. Its pretty neat. I was thinking about putting that one in and the gliders, yes, that's what the large open deck is for. That and transporting the smaller ships around Vv. I have yet to make a lift from the internals to the deck, though.

Update:

I went mad and did a some CS work on the exterior cells. They're almost complete and n the process I came to a conclusion - there's no way I'm logging the positions and rotations of the thousands of meshes in there so its not going to be buildable but there will be outpost building missions. They're like small airship docking posts in the seas of Vv that the player can build. The city is just too big now. Now I just have to figure out how a huge city was built/appeared overnight . Here's some screenies:

http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/5521/capture31082009145316.jpg

http://img197.imageshack.us/img197/784/capture31082009145447.jpg

http://img137.imageshack.us/img137/9062/capture31082009145537.jpg

http://img377.imageshack.us/img377/507/capture31082009145602.jpg



Edit: Links were incorrect.

Ever thougt about that they just dropped the city there with their airships?

Oh. My. God. That looks awesome. Perhaps the city pushed through from another dimension / plane?

Extraordinary!

Those screenshots are incredible. Will be watching this mod with great interest

Thanks, guys. The Dwemer have the best supporters .

@ Zobator and Dragon32: Thanks for the suggestions. I think the warp idea would fit the best. Its such a large city that I think the empire would notice it being built if it was created in pieces large enough forn the airships to carry. I think the A.H. went deep into the ruins, found a fancy button and pressed it. Some sort of ancient defense of the Dwemer was to use their warp prowess to shift their fortresses at the last minute or bury them underground.

I love all but this one. It looks a little too simple :/

bump

Good lord that's awesome. I can already see my character moving right in and making himself at home there. The whole thing just radiates coolness to me, I really, REALLY want to see more of this city. The idea of it being built using the airships really appeals to me, but I can see how the 'press a button and warp' method would be far simpler and easier to explain. Any more news on the progress for this so far? I'm excited to see a Dwemer mod of this scale coming out.

Ok so I know very little of morrowind lore, but whenever I went into a dwemer ruin I always thought that, with their advanced technology, they must have tried to make a machine with power to match the gods to rid Vvardenfell of outsiders, but they gave it life (their folly) and thought, so (as with every apocalyptic clich?) it attempted to kill them all seeing as they were the only ones who knew how to stop him, but if he were to be a god he had to have some subjects so, logically, he would only need to kill the Dwemer. They fell by the thousands as the monstrosity (presumably humanoid, but very mechanical) slew all the Dwemer in its path going from stronghold to stronghold. Then as the last fortress was being breached a great smith forged keening and sunder and dealt the death blow to both him and the monster. But of course this smith had a family which he cared very dearly for and had kept safe; a mother, daughter and two sons. They escaped the ruin and went into hiding in a deep in the woods far away from any town of Dwemer stronghold. Now of course there were search parties, but the ruins had become overrun with creatures and animals come to feast off the flesh of the dead that all, but the most well equipped could penetrate the strongholds and none came out with any useful information. Just dead, hundreds of dead. The mother soon fell ill, with grief as well as sickness, and died within days.
The children split up and never saw each other again. The first son, the oldest, was furious and blinded with hatred for outlanders who forced the Dwemer to such extreme measures. He put on the Dwemer armor that his father had made him while they were in the stronghold, and since his father was such an amazing smith it was impenetrable except to the strongest Dwemer or Daedric weapons. He became a thing of the night, sinking supply ships and raiding imperial towns. There was a fortune large enough to purchase half of Vivec to anyone who could bring in his head, but no one did. The first son hated outlanders until the day he died, when the imperials noticed a pattern in his attacks and predicted his next one, hiring countless mages and sorcerers from around the map to wait on the battlements of the fortress seeing through their night eye. When he was spotted the collective spells disintegrated both man and armor. (if you are still reading by now thanks, lol)
The second son was young, and did not know the hate his older brother had when he left. The boy wandered for days, picking what looked safest to eat, until he found a small farm house. There he snuck around back and started rifling through their garbage and refuse for food. The owner of the farm (a Bosmer) heard him and took a ceremonial sword from off his mantel and went to investigate. When he saw it was just a small child he questioned where the kids family were and (assuming Dwemer spoke the same basic language) he told them of the tragedy. They, obviously, had heard of the mysterious death of the Dwemer, but had thought that there were none left and this boy was obviously one of them. The man's wife was generous and he had wanted a boy to work on the farm, having only a daughter, so they took him in and hid him from the routine inspection. As he was growing up they tried to provide him with education, but the teacher they had hired quit because he didn't want to deal with the situation and he was glad to leave it behind and never talk about it again. He worked on the farm when no one was around and played with the daughter in the back yard. Though when the daughter married another Bosmer (because they wouldn't get married, they are like siblings, that would be weird, well at least they were to her...) her husband was angered by his wife's love the dwarf and in a drunken rage forced him out of the house. He did not protest, being a humble person, he simply kissed his sister on the cheek and said goodbye. The wife killed herself a few years later.
He was older now, but still retained the recklessness and invincibility of youth. The ruins had been lying untouched for a nearly a decade and a half and when he stumbled on them and he couldn't help but take a look inside. There he found a deadly assortment of creatures and ghouls that had made the dark corners their home, but nothing that bothered with the living. One particularly strong and malicious creature saw the dwarf as a challenge and he hadn't eaten in several years. This one also enjoyed playing with his prey. As the dwarf walked he found no dead (for they had been entirely devoured by the monsters), but dancing shadows and squeaking and creaking. His heart raced and he broke into a sprint as the paranoia gripped him. Running through the dark corridors he looked for anything that would save him. The creature walked out of the shadows, taking his time in a leisurely stroll, it was not every day a helpless flesh-man walked right into his hands, he would take his time. The dwarf panicked and yelled and ran, pulling switches and levers and pressing buttons, but nothing did any good. He screamed for help, knowing full well that anyone who could hear would only come to watch as he died. While the creature backed him into a corner he was desperate for a form of protection. He saw a Dwemer sword, wedged into a large machine and dove over to pull it out. He pulled with all his might watching his pursuer get closer and closer. Managing to pull it free, he turned and faced his opponent, but the machine sprang to life, with nothing blocking the gears anymore. He looked around for a fraction of a second to see what had happened when the beast struck and devoured him where he stood. The creature, happy and content with his catch turned to go back to his room when the walls came alive with light that burnt his skin and eyes and the halls were filled with noise that pierced his ears. The power spread through the ground to all the other Dwemer sites which exploded with life. With power came the Centurions, who rose from their slumber and destroyed all the monstrosities that had infested the strongholds.
My god this has turned into a narrative, I'll spare you on the details on the girl (if anyone cares anymore). She stayed in the forest and cried for days when an Ashlander found her while he was hunting. He took her in and she married an Ashlander, but the secret never left their camp. The line of Dwemer ended with her death of old age. She had no children. (Or did she?!?!)
Anyway that's my version of the Dwemer's Folly which probably conflicts with known lore, but I doubt anyone read it anyway. I've played this game for so long, the idea developed over years, but again I don't know the story that well or even if there already is an explanation for the disappearance of the Dwemer. Just wanted to share .
Tl;dr: all the Dwemers are dead and I made up a reason why.

Sounds great! where will you upload?