Let me start by saying that this is my first mod.

I'm creating a massive shallow-sea forest along the western inner sea bridging Vaavardenfell with what will be Tamriel Rebuilt's 5th map. The idea behind this mod is to create a whole new lanscape and region of Morrowind that is set apart from the rest of Vvardenfell and Morrowind. The final goal will be to have a long stretch of the southern inner sea covered in forest and walkways, allowing for a complete new environment to explore between Vvardenfell and the mainland.

Imagine trekking across the sea at night following a massive outstretched maze of wooden walkways, lit by lanterns, on your journey to the Velothi mountains. That is what I'm aiming for.


I am using Vurt's Trees, so a lot of the credit goes to him.

Screenshots:

http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Tamriel/morrowind_2011-04-08_22-04-35-78.bmp
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Tamriel/morrowind_2011-04-08_22-04-59-06.bmp
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Tamriel/morrowind_2011-04-08_22-07-29-75.bmp
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Tamriel/morrowind_2011-04-08_22-17-43-93.bmp
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Tamriel/morrowind_2011-04-08_22-07-39-64.bmp
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Tamriel/morrowind_2011-04-08_22-19-07-03.bmp

I am also recruiting anyone willing to help make this vision come to realisation. If you enjooy placing redwoods bit by bit across water then you're the one for the job! (Note: there is a high degree of creativity involved, specifically with placing walkways and shacks)

-_-
your screens are BMP's.. like 5-6 MB each to view. save as a PNG or a JPEG next time (png's better)

how are you gonna get map 5? wait afew years (or less) until after map 3 and 4 are done and then 5?
or have you get some sorta early beta?

also, how far are you? and how long have you been working on it? (people who are thinking about recruiting will want to know)

looks good though, but i could only look at 3 screens cause they took so long to load. i'd gather up a few more different types of trees however (or retex).

hope i dont sound to critically

No, I wish I had map 5. Basically, by the time map 5 is released, this mod should be finished. I just started it and I intend to work on it throughout the summer, however, I feel if I had some support and a few extra hands, it would flow a lot faster. I'm fairly new to the construction set, so it takes me time to figure things out, which can slow me down. Nevertheless, I'm enthusiastic about the concept, so I'm working to learn the CS a lot better.

Next pics I'll convert to JPEG since I'm using Fraps without premium. Thanks for the comment!

This is an awesome idea, it should have a very interesting atmosphere. May I suggest more wild & open areas, and less plank walkways & docks? Just throwing it out there, feel free to ignore it. Great work.

This sounds like a really cool mod. The idea of a forest in shallow water is the sought of cool idea that would fit right in with Morrowind's other mad ideas. It'll be great to have a whole new environment to explore.

About TR cimpatability, if you want to match this mod with the mainland really well you might like to know that TR Map 5 has an empty heightmap that is available for modders working on map 5 claims. Maybe if you asked Haplo, TF or Nemon really nicely they might let you have it to match your region with the mainland. Also bare in mind that Map 5 will have an ash-swamp area, so depending on the exact location of your area maybe you could integrate an ash-y area.

Sounds like a fun concept for a mod! I don't know what you have planned for it right now; but I'd suggest a lot of greenery: floating weed beds, spanish moss (or an equivalent), something bright (like colored leaves or flowers). But I'm biased by what I'm doing for your mod; I'm sure you have some great ideas.

Can't offer much help but if you'd like some small things, like a mesh thrown together or something, I can always see what I can do

Good luck!
-MD

edit: I agree with dagoth_jeff. I think it may feel more wild and interesting to explore if there are less walkways; allow the player to walk along roots, branches, or weed beds instead.

Thanks guys. About less walkways, I'm taking that into consideration. Right now I've made A LOT of explorable walkway land, so I think the next region will be more hazardous, murky with less walkways and more debris.

I'll be sure to contact the TR people as soon as I finish this post.

Here are some new screenshots from today's work:

http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-08_22-57-54-34.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-08_22-58-54-04.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_14-31-53-32.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_14-33-23-45.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-36-09-35.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-37-26-84.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-37-40-50.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-38-27-32.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-39-50-15.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-40-37-79.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-40-42-09.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-41-45-04.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-42-04-28.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-42-35-42.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-43-07-76.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-45-05-87.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-45-24-57.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-46-04-39.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-46-58-82.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-48-32-85.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-49-02-39.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-49-27-53.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-49-48-42.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-50-02-60.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-50-23-06.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-50-57-10.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-51-56-57.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-53-20-48.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-54-01-09.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-54-14-60.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-55-52-60.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-56-13-54.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_15-57-45-56.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_16-02-48-84.jpg
http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/morrowind_2011-04-09_16-03-26-18.jpg

Update:

I've decided that it would best to outline a plan of the regions. Here is a quick sketch of the various landscapes:

http://www.majhost.com/gallery/Yali/Morrowind/inner_sea_plan.jpg

Here is an outline of the regions:

The Walk/ Redwoods

This a stretch of very tall redwoods that forms a crescent region of forest along the southern Bitter Coast. This is area can be traversed by a myriad of walkways. However, I intend this aregion to not be exemplary of much of Morrowind's maritime life. This is the boonies. Its a long stretch of old rickety walkways that haven't been kept up in decades, or even centuries. No one really ventures out here often, maybe except the odd Dunmer fisherman or Argonian. This is no man's land between the island and the mainland. However, its still the safest area of the woods.

The Inner Plains

To the west of The Walk is a stretch of grassy marsh. Expect clear open sky, buzzing insects, and an old beaten path leading to the other side. There are no walkways here, safe for a trail and an array of lantern posts marking the way.

The Old Woods or Bitter Sea

This is a murky, dark stretch of forest north of the redwoods filled to the brim with a stew of every flora and fauna found in Morrowind. The walkways continue through this region but are at many points damaged or completely submerged. One will have to trek across swamp and swarms of debris to get to the other side.

The Ruined Way

How do ships get to north-western coast of Vvardenfell might you ask? They use a strip of cleared away forest, or channel called The Ruined Way. This is an area filled with shipwreck and Daedra and Dwemer ruins. Old statues and sunken Velothi ruins dot the landscape. Players can pass through this area by swimming and following walkways along the edges of the channel.

Coniferous Sea

This is a large stretch of forest to the north marked by coniferous woods. Here one will find multi-leveled walkways that harbor small communities of Dunmer.

Ash Forest/Swamp

This region really depends on TR's plans, but I intend to link their ash swamp area with a similar ash forest and swamp region.

Interesting.
So what about large ships, can they easily navigate through that area? And would there still be growth in deeper, current-driven waters?

Yeah, the ships should be able to pass. There'll be probably one or two docked halfway through the channel at some point. About undergrowth, that's what I'm intending. The area will not be completely barren. There should be some stumps and small trees at the edges. Depper waters may just have some algae.

cool idea, screens looks good except for the trees, they're terrible

:P

If I remember rightly the ash swamp is going to be around the river visible in your map, that runs from Reich Parkeep and Silgrad Tower (old names). I think that whole valley area is the ash swamp, so if you want to have an ash region anyway it would be the most northern one.

Filmed this today:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GW_hivU-2Q

Right now I've pretty much completed the Walk region at its most basic level. Now I'm going to start messing it up. It needs more debris and broken walkways. Ah realism.

Nice, i like the sound effects makes it more atmospheric.

A couple new videos:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5-b3yoB_gs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oPNFsFZSCu0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ra2v-JZhV8E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PUJw7UyOn0I - New lantern design.

You can kind of see the progress from one clip to the next. I've been working on this non-stop. Discovering how to use the CS requires a lot of trial and error.

Glad to see you took some of my advice. You're welcome for the lanterns. <_<

Looks really cool and creative, I don't really have any suggestions except I would go for a more dark sort of tree look I guess, most of the trees looks too bright for the area imo. Keep up the good work

http://en.mystlore.com/images/6/64/Channelwood2.jpghttp://en.mystlore.com/images/5/54/ToWindmill.jpghttp://en.mystlore.com/images/4/4b/Channelwood_1600x1200_90.jpghttp://www.mystjourney.com/img/screenshots/myst-74.jpg

Spot on, that's exactly what it reminded me of too! Nothing wrong with that...

The only thing that looked out of place was the mushroom tree in the water. For some reason that seems unlikely to me, that it would be too wet for a woody fungus. Trees have to be pretty specifically evolved to stand in water, and those Emperor Parasols are all otherwise on dry land in MW. But I'm not a botanist, so who knows.

Looking awesome, great atmosphere

Hows this coming along Yali?

Your work so far is very impressive, something that would find a permanent home in my game when it's finished.