Oh no, this mod isn't dying or in limbo. I spent most of the day today working on one of the blacksmith shops, in particular, The Superior Blacksmith. (yes, some of the ideas for names came from Daggerfall).

Here are some of the interiors I've done so far, most of which still need work.


http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/1050/aldarilar.jpg
http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/4024/aldarilar2.jpg
http://img408.imageshack.us/img408/7344/andistair.jpg
http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/5822/andistair2.jpg
http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/9651/erushara.jpg
http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/606/estirdar.jpg
http://img32.imageshack.us/img32/6463/superiorblacksmith.jpg
http://img178.imageshack.us/img178/1894/superiorblacksmith2.jpg

And god yes, please help out. I'm the only person working on this mod right now. It's over a gigabyte in size, though. I have it uploaded in smaller pieces on 4shared over at http://s1.zetaboards.com/Illustrious_Studios/topic/1313416/1/

I read your http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1119090-census-and-excise-dues-to-pay/page__p__16448383__fromsearch__1&#entry16448383 topic. A perfectionist, eh? Well that's good to know at least. The last thing I would want is to have someone help with an interior design and him/her winding up copying & pasting Fargoth's interior.

I personally won't be doing any quests for the version 1 release. Reason being is I want kids to be in a lot of the quests, including the ones for the guilds.
Regaez is in charge of exterior modding, although I've modding parts of the exterior, too.
I and Kyro are in charge of interior modding.
However, Regaez is busy with other things in life right now and I'm not sure what happened to Kyro. So it's just me for right now. The biggest thing is getting the common home interiors finished. We still have over 100 of them to do. I've designed all the interior structures already but none of them are filled up with stuff. Once all the homes and the few guilds are completed, then we'll most likely release it. I'd like to get version 1 released so I can then go back and make version 2 require COM as I really really really want to have kids and teenagers in this mod, as I have many ideas for quests and stuff for them. Not to mention the school house will be empty.

Does anyone else want to help out? Even if you just want to work on one little house, that'd be great.

Colonel Tannanbaum, feel free to PM me if you like.

Yeah, any help would be great. We've had several people say that they want to help out, join our little forum, and then completely disappear. :shrug: I know how time-consuming modding is, and I don't expect people to help out, but if you do want to help and you do have the time to do it, then feel free to PM Tes96 or me, post here, or sign up at our forums.

As one of the original members of this project, I can tell you first hand that this mod has come a hell of a long way from when we started back in 2008 (wow, I can't believe it was over 2 years ago...). People have come and gone, this mod has died and restarted, and has even been completely re-invented. This project has been a beasty one ever since it began and it's still got a long way to go, with all the interiors and such left to do, but with people like Tes96 joining up progress is really moving along.

And BTW, those interiors look FANTASTIC Tes96! :shocking:

Yeah, we have a couple new members on our board. One I just noticed today named Philosophic or something, and none of them say a word or message us or anything. But then they can't see our modding progress as only staff members can see it. And we're certainly not going to promote ghost members to staff.

Thanks, Regaez. When people walk into our blacksmiths, I want them to say "damn, this is truly a real armorer/blacksmith shop!"
I was using these pictures below for references:

http://img828.imageshack.us/img828/451/0myphotographsedinburgh.jpg
http://img440.imageshack.us/img440/617/blacksmithh.jpg
http://img824.imageshack.us/img824/9945/blacksmith2m.jpg
http://img180.imageshack.us/img180/4941/p5200112.jpg

Haha... hey now...

- I - am Philosophiac. And I joined your forum because I wanted to see what all was going on over there.

Although, now that I think about it, I'm not sure if I ever mentioned that I'm -me-. Hrrm... I'll have to go check.

Anyhow!


Those pictures... yeah. Just... yeah. Those are exactly the kinds of things that make what I've seen so far great. The amount of detail and precision being put into the layout of the city... to the interiors... to the specific shops... it's astounding. It's like nothing I've ever seen before. It's an art-form... is what it is. If that other guy's mod... Kinscavion I think it was called... reminds me of a painting... Pelagiad Expanded reminds me of one of those people who makes miniatures.

It's absolutely amazing. Really.

lol, my bad. I was assuming if you were going to join that you'd use the same name you use here. I'll ask Regaez to add you to the staff since he's an admin.

Thanks a lot. It really means a lot to hear someone say that. It is something I am certainly aiming for when building the exteriors. I want to make the detail bring the city to life as much as possible. Basically, create a city so richly detailed that it walking around it you can't help but express wonder... lofty goals, maybe, but why aim for anything less than the best? ^_^

We've set the standard high, and we want to keep it up there, in all aspects of the mod, not just the world building. It may take a long time, but as far as I'm concerned it's better to sacrifice time for quality.

The final product may be judged by some on the basis of time. Even those people, however, won't be able to deny the -quality- of what is being achieved here. I see the same amount of effort getting put into this ONE city... that Tamriel Rebuilt has put into building an entire NATION.

What this mod does... is turn a generic 'rural medieval fortress town' and turned it into a sprawling, cosmopolitan city. The only one, I might add, on all of Vvardenfell. Maybe Suran Expanded or some of them get close... but this mod is really in a class all its own.

It's very exciting to think I might be allowed to help with it, in some minor way.

Tes96 & Colonel Tannanbaum, respect the modders and don't do things they don't want with their mods :nono:

*posts removed*

Now don't get me wrong... I'm not making this post to be argumentative or anything. This is a sincere enough question.


I was under the impression that, so long as a mod is not released using someone else's work in a way that they desire, whatever you do with it for your own personal usage is entirely fair. Is this not true, then? If it is not, I am mistaken... I admit.


However, any modder with even -minimal- understanding of scripting... (like me, for instance) ... can do precisely what it is was described in those posts.

We were not saying that such a thing was going to be -added- to this mod. We were not even saying that people -should- do it. What we were addressing is the fact that there are indeed a great many people who refrain from using the mod in question... for a very specific reason... which can be remedied with even the barest amount of skill.

We then proceeded to ponder over why it was they did not choose to fix the 'problem' themselves.


If this is in a violation of any particular rule... I stand corrected.


More importantly: I have a -great- deal of respect for the modders who put their work out here for us to enjoy. I spend hours wandering through the vibrant, beautiful landscape of Vvardenfell... just admiring all the new things there are to see... interacting with the new people there are to interact with... and killing all the monsters and remarkable creatures put before me to slay.

That being said, sometimes I disagree with a decision here or there. And I change it. Because my Morrowind playthrough experience is all about immersion.

What you have essentially said here, sir, is that we cannot even make -mention- of the changes we have made to mods other people have worked on?


I don't believe that I remember reading that anywhere. If such is the case... I'll have to make note of it.


When I am accused of 'disrespecting' people... especially people whom I respect greatly... I tend to take it seriously.


I am -hoping- that what we have here is a misunderstanding. I would hate to think I inadvertently offended someone whom I do, in fact, very greatly respect.


--- [Pelagiad Expanded] ---



So, I've been taking a look at the overhead map you guys made... just trying to figure out the proportions of this city now.


As far as I can tell, it's in the same general spot... only... more of it. But how does this effect the roads to and from the city? I can see what I assume are the large, imperial-style portcullises at the main areas where the 'road' enters the city. Have any adjustments to the roads leading through the region had to be made?

As well, I'm wondering... have we taken into account any mods like Vurt's Trees/ Vality's [Insert Region Here] / etcetera, etcetera during the designing of this mod?

It would be a damn shame if people opted not to use it because of trees erupting out of the door to their favorite bar.

I only mention this because I just recently finally tested out my actual game with all of Vurts trees and things installed... and it is -gorgeous-. I don't know if I could ever be convinced to play without it again. And I also don't know if there are even any trees sprouting out through areas where trees ought not be.

Colonel Tannanbaum,

It was I who reported a post by TES96 (*not* your post), and my reason was that he specifically wrote that he encouraged people to make the children killable and after that added a detailed explanation on how to do this.

I must admit that I do not recall how your post went, maybe you had quoted him and that was the reason why it was removed?

Just as you say, everyone has the right to do exactly what they wish with their own game, and anyone with some scripting and dialog knowledge can remove the parts of Children of Morrowind that makes the children unkillable. Doing so in ones own game is up to ones own judgement, I certainly have no objections to it.

But, making a post with the intention to teach others how to abuse a mod in a way the authors hadn't intended, and in the same post specifically writing that he is *encouraging* others to use this technique, that I *do* find offensive and not at all in line with the high standard of respect for others that has for so long been a brandmark of the Morrowind community.

My report:




On a side-note: I very much doubt that anyone refrains from using Children of Morrowind because the children are unkillable (unless, of course, the only reason why they would want children in their game would be in order to massacre them). The common reasons for not using CoM is as far as I know: a) people do not want children in their game, B) the mod might affect the performance on slower computers and c) the mod might conflict with another mod.

Emma!


I'm glad you posted an explanation... because I was deeply concerned that you had taken offense to my comment! I'm glad to know that you were more concerned about the -encouragement- to do so... than the fact that I did alter the script in such a way for my own use. (As you can see, after that point I was careful not to even -mention- it again, in case this were the... well... case.)

I admit that my reasons are a bit short-sighted: I'm a realism purist.

For me... -anything- immortal or unkillable just makes me crazy. In fact, I kind of think that the idea of having children mortal in my own personal use drives me to -protect- them more often than it does to harm them in any way. I actually -increased- the bounty for harming a child, in fact, because in my mind... Morrowind is a very anti-outlander place already. Attacking the children of a xenophobic nation is a good way to get yourself not only imprisoned, but probably executed without trial.

So I suppose my -own- reasons are not the same as those of the majority.

I do admit that I like to -pretend- my reasonings are in line with those of the majority... because otherwise I tend to feel a bit sad and alone.


TES96 very likely meant no offense as well... at least, I hope so... but I cannot speak on anyone else's behalf.

As it was -I- that encouraged the discussion in the first place... I feel somewhat responsible for there having to be any kind of admin intervention at all... and therefore apologize for the discussion taking a turn which you, as the -provider- of the excellent mod being discussed, were uncomfortable and upset by. I do hope that you can understand my reasonings, however... and that they are solely from the point of view of a person who has played this game for so long that it becomes something of a 'second reality' for me. Immersion was the only thought that crossed my mind during the entirety of that topics writing... and it saddens me to face the truth that, in this world today, we cannot take those kinds of things for granted anymore.

-Colonel Tannanbaum


P.S: Even under the circumstances... you have -no- idea how exciting it is to be able to talk to people whose mods I've been playing for so long. I swear, I'm sitting here bouncing in place all in a fuss because -Emma- made a comment about something I said. ^_^

So far I believe only the immediate area of Pelagiad has been changed, and to some extent the roads around it have been made to join to the various gates. There are, of course, going to be portcullises on all the city's main gates. The roadways are a good idea, though, and we shall put it on our list for things to consider once we have finished building the city.

Mods such as these obviously conflict, so compatibility patches will of course need to be made. I for one play with Vality's Ascadian Isles mod and I know it conflicts. However this will be addressed later, as focus is currently on the development of the mod and not making it work with other mods.

Entirely understandable!


As the new guy, I hope you can forgive me if I bring up things which have been privately addressed between you guys (and mayhaps gals) for the last... however long this project has been going on for! I'm just doing my best to play catch-up here, figure out what has come up and what hasn't, etc. I'm also still browsing through the old threads in the project forum, for any information which may be of use to me.

I'm sure once I'm assigned some task to accomplish, I won't be so preoccupied with wondering about all this other stuff!

Bump

Would someone come up with some good lore-friendly Dark Elf style names for a blacksmith shop for me? At first I called it The Superior Blacksmith and then Llavam's Superior Blacksmith. I don't want to name it the exact way they do for the rest of the armorers in Vvardenfell, like how Pelagiad has "Uulernil: Armorer". I've never liked the way they split the names of shops using colons. I like the names in Cyrodiil much better, like Hammer & Axe. I was thinking maybe "The Anvil and Tongs" or "Llavam's Mastery Forge" or something. I dunno, any ideas? http://img23.imageshack.us/img23/5052/40734651.jpg is it so far; still not finished. Llavam Ofemalen does other blacksmith work like repair metal doors and pipes. He's also talented in constructing armor from ebony, adamantium and glass (Don't worry, there is barely any of that high level stuff in the shop). He's been using dwemer piping and machines to ventilate the steam to use for his forging and grinding, too. You could say he's pretty creative for a blacksmith.

Not really a Dunmer-style name per se, but how about "The Ascadian Anvil"?

Well, you also gotta think that Pelagiad is an imperial charted town and dunmer settled in there, so perhaps Llavam catered the shop name to a more Imperial style. "The Ascadian Anvil" is a decent name, though. Any other names?

2nd vote for ASCADIAN ANVIL

2 vote for "The Ascadian Anvil". I'll probably let this run for a week or so to get a broad range of names from different people.

How about " Llavam's Smithy " ? ( Though really The Ascadian Anvil is too good a name to reject . )
EDIT : Punctuation......

Any news/or % progress of this amazing mod? :rolleyes:

Uhm.... what's with the rolling of the eyes? Are you being sarcastic?

no sorry, it's more like :blush: :bowdown:
Because this project is so wonderful! :hugs:

My bad, it's difficult to tell someone's tone through text and emoticons.

Well, just today, I figured out how to get COM into PE. I merged them together and created a new esp. Then I deleted all object counts of Emma's COM. But all the scripts, races and globals are still there. This is great news for me because initially I was planning to release version 2 that was dependent on COM while version 1 would not be dependent on COM. But now we will be able to release version 1 with children in it and not have it dependent on anything, although Better Bodies always helps the aesthetics. And plus, players using COM and PE together when playing won't see any doubling of anything, because all the references for COM in PE have been deleted.

I am aware that lots of players hate having children in the game. But apparently TESV Skyrim is including children in the game. I love having children in the game and there will be tons of quests involving them, including children merchants and parents sending their teens to the market street to sell their pottery and other such items. Children merchants will pretty much be like, a kid selling you his/her guar jerky roll he/she made at home or something, and it'll just be a one time thing. You get the idea.

I'm still working on The Ascadian Anvil (great name thanks to Xeth-Ban). I made http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1158743-shop-owner-reaction-to-stolen-armor/ to figure out a couple issues with armor stealing.

I'm glad to hear you've finally got your CoM issues sorted. For the names - doesn't Tamriel Rebuilt have some name generators that could be useful?