I must confess that I lurks around on the silgrad-The Black Marshes site every day, to get the latest info. :ninja:
I think The Black Marshes team are doing an amazing job and I really, really looking forward to the release (hopefully soon) :foodndrink:

On a side note, I posted this a little while back on the OGE thread, might be intressting ( http://www.gamesas.com/bgsforums/index.php?showtopic=1078966&st=180 )

I was surfing through the Black Marsh site today (www.silgrad.com), and saw some great concept art for possible settlements, like this :
- http://img214.imageshack.us/img214/9697/swampvillage01.jpg

I really love the lighting effect and the fog in the picture. So here's my (probably stupid) question:
Is possible now or in the future, to add specific shaders to specific areas in the world?
Like when you comes close to a swamp area the lighting colour change gradually and it gets more foggy.

I was also wondering if it's possible to make moving fogg?

just wanted to say that Gideon01.jpg is great...the moss/moldy architecture really give off some great swampy vibes

and @strupekutter-
as i said in the OBGE thread, "yep. with the YouAreHere.esm...and http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/file.php?id=18385does just that

@strupekutter - to be honest, this kind of thing is very easy to do with just the region editor of the CS - just add new weathers that are similar, but with different coloured ambient light and sunlight (and all the other kinds too) and closer fog values, and then on the region transition they fade into each other. Just walk from dementia to mania to see an extreme example. It wouldn't be impossible to make new weathers specific to different regions to make them more unique, even for cyrodiil. Just a bit tedious though. :/

Before i update my opinion. I didn't read the entirety your defense. You don't need to defend yourself from me or any other modder here. I'll put my personal post script at the bottom. But don't worry so much over a written tone.


Beyond that though, WOW. The new pics of Gidean are just spectacular. I'm not sure if its the lighting or if you guys did go in and retexture the Cheydinal set. But I think the latter and it looks awesome. The buildings look filthy the picket fence is spooky and the all the clutter.. My favorite is the bare trees.

I'm impressed and curious if the old pics on the original post show an older version or just a separate part of town. Had I seen these pics first I would never had spoken up. I still think Ched Arch is an odd choice. But how can I disapprove when it looks that good.

My other two observations still stand and overall both lead a single thought. I think you guys are making odd mesh choices.
And to delve into a another related subject. Static placement

In the forth pic you posted a road that trails from the distance to the foreground. Along both sides of the road is a fence. What Static is that? Why did you copy it along like that? Back to my above apprasail there was a really cool post fence in pic one. Why not create a tiled variation that would look similar to the fence you currently have in pic four. AS is, it looks unrealistic.



Post Script.
Does it matter whether or not I have public exposure? Would a well known name give me more credence? I don't really mind that you just called me a hapless mettlesome newb poking fun at your hobby. I have an opinion that differs from the loads of positive feed back everyone else is giving you. Nothing I pointed out is hard to alter nor does it ruin your mod.
I'm sorry if I got you flustered. No need to get defensive.
And I did work for some time with TR back in the day with Morrowind. I'm a capable Mesher, but I prefer Exterior work and writing. I unfortunately lost all of my work over the past couple years.
I may not know everything. But I know something. I know enough to give an opinion at least.

@ Strupekutter - yeah, I think it's possible (the fog idea and all), but probably won't be considered until all the regions are done.

@ BadCompany - I just took a few minutes to peruse the OBGE, Ambiant Dungeons, and You Are Here mods (here and on TESNEXUS)...I think maybe incorporating OBGE and You Are Here.esm into Blackmarsh should be made optional?? Our mod already is dependent on OBSE. I ask about making it optional, because some people might want to do a minimal installation (just install OBSE and Blackmarsh.esm) and start to play with minimal hassles. Others might be more program and techie savvy, and be willing to BAIN-ify, install OBGE, and such...but I don't think all people are that way.

I don't know ultimately whether we'll incorporate OBGE effects in our mod, though. We'd need capable scripters/modders to work on that, I think, even though you pointed out Ambient Dungeons as a source of how to go about doing it. I'm fascinated by what OBGE is accomplishing though, and would dearly like to have its effects in Blackmarsh. We'll see.

I do think we'd have to complete all the regions we're gonna work on, before continuing with any OBGE stuff, however, so we can divvy up what special effects will go where.

Koniption

Hey Argonia modders. As for getting the place to look less "WhiteGoldTowerish" and more dark and forbidding, check out the Oblivion Graphics Extender v2 thread. There are some really cool shaders being worked on whose variables can be tweaked from within plugins. So you can make Argonia look really bad (in a good way). And since those shaders run off the GPU they won't kill performance.

@ khalvin8 - you say you are an experienced Exterior modder - does this include making landscapes gloomy? If you want to help make Blackmarsh look dirtier, then people with your perception of what is dark and gritty are welcome to help out, given Ibsen approves them. I'll understand if you decline, though. A mod takes on the flavor of the people who work on it, so people with good perceptions of what it truly foreboding, would end up helping to make a mod foreboding.

@ iggey - Yeah, I know about OBGE! Looks awesome! I've been following their thread off and on since the project started. I replied to BadCompany about it, in my last post above.

Koniption

yeah, as much as i'd love to see you guys take advantage of OBGE, i say don't worry about it 'till you have an actual release.
now get back to work!

Getting back to work is a relief! OBGE sounds really interesting - thanks for the suggestion! We only just recently updated the weather effects on our regions so you're unlikely to see the effects in any of the current screenshots. Sorry about that but I resent having to update stuff when I'm busy. DoZeNt, bless him, occasionally does promo vids for us so you're best off waiting for those for the full effects.

We knew that inner BM would be a real task so I didn't want to go there yet until the technology justifies the efforts put in by our team. Honestly, some of these guys' models are amazing! It's a pleasure to be working with them.

Btw, look out for an update on the soundtrack. Xaeaix joined us from the Dark Brotherhood team some time ago and his collection is already very well developed and sounds superb! He's just setting up his new website....of course, with the sound update, I'll be getting back to what people knew me for most around the community, voice acting. I got sick of it a while back but I can get back to it when the time comes...

@ khalvin8 - I'm still a little offended by your earlier tone but forums can screw up people's meaning and, having worked with others who speak quite abrasively in the past, I know that they normally do so out of a desire to create their vision. As long as they don't impose it on others then I'm fine...and don't worry, I'm not flustered. I just don't like feeling the need to defend the project.

Anyway, back to business. That static was an SI model that I think originated in dockland areas. It may look a little odd but PhiniusMaster, who more or less finished off Gideon, wanted a different effect for the slightly higher class areas. Personally, I really like it. A docklands object might suggest that Gideon is subject to occasional flooding...and other areas do indeed have pools of swampwater around. It's not easy to get EVERY object you want and to avoid hitting players with a massive archive download. Our archive will be getting close to 600-700mb soon when we incorporate the creatures. A tremendous amount of that are our own objects.

What were the "other two observations" you spoke of? I certainly see the sense in the lanterns observation. We've been short of proper 'Argonian' lighting for a while now. Although Koniption did a truly stunning job of some 'oilplants', I nonetheless don't like to use those models in cities as they're better suited to villages.

And, as Koniption suggests, we'd welcome exterior modders. I think almost everyone who mods wants to write but it only happens if people are prepared to work on it themselves, no matter how good the skills and ideas. I could certainly use some help with landscapes though. I'm the only one who ever works on them...and the darker, murkier ones are more challenging, for reasons already mentioned above. Modding the jungles is REALLY hard-going but very rewarding!

I'm geting my feet wet in Summerset at the moment. I started worm on my own Mod with Gidean, then found this one and moved on the Altmer.

I find it amusing there is exactly one mod on the forums for each Province. Each but Skyrim...

Someone needs to take up Skyrim...

So is there going to be a dark brotherhood cult in TBM? Something similar?

Oh, it did exist as a project, at one time. The Silgrad Tower forums kept it going for quite a while. Some guys by the name of Siegfried, Richard and various others set about working on it and completed a large amount of exterior work but they lacked a big enough team to continue. When work on it stopped, the guys at ST archived everything and it's currently 'on hold'. There's always the chance that someone could revive it...but something like this needs commitment from quite a lot of people. I always shake my head when people announce a new WS mod. The amount of work involved is monumental and they really don't know what they're getting into most of the time. It's better to work with established teams. Nevertheless, there'll probably be a fair amount of Skyrim still available. I'd love to work on it myself...but I don't have the tiniest fraction of the time required to make it work.



The Shadowscales...

Many people have but unfortunately failed as a whole. I do believe the German Community is still working on their Skyrim though..

I would love to see more morrowind mods here. I started a Bittercoast mod a while back but I sort of lost motovation. http://sites.google.com/site/ampsoblivionmodpage/bittercoast---an-oblivion-mod

Believe me...It wasn't I. I have ZERO modding skills.

;) I was referring to another Richard from the Silgrad Tower forums.

Post limit. http://www.gamesas.com/index.php?/topic/1082136-wip-the-black-marshes/