I had pulled the earlier "test" version because I needed to finetune some things. I have a new "test" version up if anyone feels like spot checking some things for bugs & feedback:
http://oblivion.brashendeavors.net/bows/WBLAtest.zip
It's 40MB as a zip file and I am unsure if that is getting too large. It's down to 30MB if I use .7z instead, but I prefer to keep it "noob-friendly" for those who get flummoxed at odd archive formats.
A few known issues (I forgot to include a "readme" for the test zip, sorry)
- The various archers who are practicing shooting in the background, sometimes switch to shooting each other when they've been distracted. Nobody seems to get mad or hurt, and I kinda give up on fixing this, hopefully it won't seem too odd.
- The "court leathers" just have a token texture in now for boots/gloves, doesn't match the cuirass/greaves yet and I will work on this so they match.
- I still need to finetune some item stats so that the lowcost items have the lowest ststas, and highend expensive items have the best stats, right now some are probably out of sync still.
- The archers will sell items they are modelling, Marissa the head fletcher sells everything (it seems less confusing understanding what items look like, if you can buy direct from the vendor modelling it).
- There is a "cheat" for people who want items without paying, this seemed the easiest way to manage it: Spoilerthe middle archery target is actually a locked container with a missing key, if you select it in console and type unlock you can have free access to all of the items.
- The Green Large Cloak icon need sto be fixed, let me know if any others look odd.
- I have been messing with my monitor settings and one help I could use, is whether some of the items look odd on other people's monitors/game settings. It may look fine to me but odd to you, and if you can tell me which items seem "off" I can try finetuning using other computrs in the house to get it looking reasonable on different displays/settings/graphics card.
- Right now there is no extra dialogue in, and I am not sure whether anyone cares. I'm a half decent writer and have done dialogue in Morrowind, but for some reason I just go "bleh" when I think about starting any. There won't be any voice acting anyway so I am not sure if just the standard generic "hello how are you" greetings are fine, or if people really want more background and immersion in some unique dialogue.
- please help report any bugs, missing files, odd glitches etc, especially maybe using male/female characters and throwing items out on the ground to help check for missing GND meshes, I think I have them all but may have missed something.
[*]Need to update the "ground" texture of the foulweather cloak, I had updated the cloak to have a green lining then forgot to swotch the ground version to the new file.
Anyway final test except for the court glove/boots textures and any other things people notice, then I can get this out and done before Shivering Isles hits, as I'd really like to go play with that once released

EDIT: I forgot to say, the archers now have a camp just past Weye, easy to get to for beginning characters. If this is a location likely to conflict with other more major mods, let me know as it would be easy to move them, but I like that spot because it is just outside IC gates and easy for starting characters to get to right away.
EDIT2: Location will be moving a bit further out due to conflict with the Weye Village mod. Possibly to the fields surrounding Fort Nikel. (just a few hundred meters further out)
added 3-22: http://oblivion.brashendeavors.net/bows/foulweathercloak.jpg
edited 3-16-2007:
http://oblivion.brashendeavors.net/bows/316armors.jpg
http://oblivion.brashendeavors.net/bows/316bows.jpg
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This was mostly just a beginners exercise for me in trying to figure out the Oblivion construction set, because I wanted to get my own character a very simple wood bow, so I am not going to be very disappointed if there isn't much interest. I am not very good at this stuff yet.
Just a fairly primitive retexturing of one of Nico's bows (with his permission) plus a couple of the Bethesda meshes (dwarven/daedric/elven) , to give a somewhat "handcarved" homemade look to a few bows:
http://oblivion.brashendeavors.net/pix/Natural%20Wood%20Bows.jpg
http://oblivion.brashendeavors.net/pix/Natural%20Wood%20Bows%202.jpg
http://oblivion.brashendeavors.net/pix/Natural%20Wood%20Bows%203.jpg
If anyone else thinks they might use them I can drop them in a barrel ingame, or maybe even putter around and try to figure some little fletcher-woodcarver NPC out in the sticks to sell them or something. Right now they are roughly the stats of an elven bow though I haven't given much thought s to whether that is too powerful for a handcarved bow.
I kept Nico's glow maps (from his drow bow) because I liked the way they made the elvish lettering glow in dark areas
