176 réponses à ce sujet

[PJ156]

Nice Thug Bert is your friend for outdoor areas.

Check out his Hills and Valleys areas, they saved me hours but they are not prefabs since they need a lot of work to be finished off.

PJ

[PJ156]

I discovered a problem with the custom buildings that I should have foreseen. If a character passes a building and the camera puts the building between it and the PC then the building, or object, fades and all is well. However, if the building is made up of a number of objects, as mine is, then only part of the building fades and the player can see the structure within.

I am going to look at the setting to set the items not to fade but that only works on placeables and with this many I need to set them to environmental to get the bakes to work and not mess up whole sectors.

The answer I have is to put a tile block inside the building which has a few advantages.

• It is a single object and does not bork the bake.
• It blacks out behind windows and opened doors.
• It snaps the camera to the player in game.

To work however the placeables need to clad the tileblock tightly or the camera snaps to between the tileblock and the object and you are no better off. The upshot is that I have to build my warehouse again which is no big deal and the lesson is learnt.

Has anyone used another work around for this, or have I missed something?

PJ

Modifié par PJ156, 22 juin 2013 - 08:13 .

[ColorsFade]

Thanks for the suggestion PJ. Just looking at them now - I am sure I can make use of some of them to speed up a few things.

Thanks!

[PJ156]

I have decided to split the area as I supsected would be the case so I have spent the last few hours preparing the area for this. I have put some detail into the two sides that will be split close to the line at which they will be separated  That way they will look consistent when the character moves from one to the other. I could have used Terracotta but it's of no great benefit to do that.



Once I have split them I can get into the detail without worrying too much about the size of the area. I will have to limit the transisitons between the two though.

The main areas on the map are the old rope factory in the middle. The working dock area off to the left of that. The midden is the dry dock next to the rope factory. Here the local folk throw thier rubbish and the gangs use it as a fighting pit to settle thier differences. the green area off to the left will be a tannery district so I need to somehow represent that industry as well as having a shop which is dedicated to leather goods.

I have done some grey scaling where it is needed across the transisiton but I still have not chosen a colour pallete yet. Usualy I have that fixed by now along with the principle textures but in this case they could change once I come to look at the areas closely.

Detailing next ... I like that bit.

PJ

Modifié par PJ156, 26 juin 2013 - 08:50 .

[Tchos]

I've got some stretched hides on drying racks in the Witcher pack that might be of use in the tanning district. I'll do those next.

[PJ156]

That would be great Tchos,

I have just been Googling some images of old tanneries and it should be an easy and fun part of the area to do. Stretched hides will really work well in it. I was just also looking at tinting the hide rugs.

PJ

[PJ156]

I split the mistshore into two and then detailed up one side; the old navy dock area. It has come out well and I am pleased with it but I have canned it for now.

The East Gate Tavern



The Tannery to the right and in the background the arches.



Just out of interest did you know that the word fornicate comes from the latin fornix which means arch. Supposedly the romans used the arched basements beneath the various major structures of thier town as brothels. So, with reference to this one of my brothels is set under those arches.

The reason I set the area aside is that I usually work cronologically otherwise the to do list gets huge as I jump around from one thing to another. The Mistshore is later in the module so I have set it aside and I am now working on the Sea Ward, part of the wealthy end of town.

This is the main shopping area and I am trying to solve the thorny issue of shopping. It has always bugged me that merchants sell thousands of gold worth of good from basic market stalls. We do it this way to get rid of countless transtions to shops, so we either have a market where a lone trader with no guard sells a million gold piece sword or armour or we make a single shop that sells everything. Shops after transitions are generaly at least two tiles and thus we, the builder, are left spending hours trying to fill two tiles with relevant placeables.

I have done it a different way. For me it works and I am going to use this methond for the whole series of modules. I build the shop out of BCK placeables and really on the fading roof to allow the player to "enter" the shop. This way, no transition, no large areas to convincingly fill so I hope everyone will be happy. If I lock the door the PC can still not get in at night but I need to set the npc shopkeeper to script hidden at night or you can talk to him through the roof.

This is what my scroll shop looks like in game. I am going to do another type which i will put here when it is done based on setting a shutter script hidden by day.

Outside the shop



Inside the shop.



Has anyone seen it done this way in NWN2 before now?

PJ

Modifié par PJ156, 07 juillet 2013 - 09:29 .

[Arkalezth]

PJ156 wrote...
Has anyone seen it done this way in NWN2 before now?

Sort of. I seem to recall a shop like that in the Halls of Hamhock, but it's been a while. Also, not exactly the same, but Dammendrech had some shops without doors, but accessible through archs... which relates to the other part of your post.

Anyway, anything that reduces load times is welcomed. And interesting stuff about fornicating.

[Tchos]

I did not know that word root, but it makes sense. Thank you.

Like Ark, I also recall several buildings in the Halls of Hamhock with placeable walls and non-transition interiors. It's a good idea, I think.

(And every time I read this thread, that song by Sting runs through my head.)

Modifié par Tchos, 07 juillet 2013 - 10:25 .

[PJ156]

Heh, I need to check that, if Dorateen did it first and I played that mod then I need to credit him . I will check the voting, maybe I did play it and that is where this came from. I don't think I did though.

Anyways, thanks for the heads up.

I thought long and hard about the name, but I learned a long while ago that most names have been used so I am going with what works for me. The worst for me was The Last Days of the Raven. I was so pleased with that name for a module and how it scanned. First time I Googled it (somewhile after it had stuck with me) I found that it is an Edgar Allan Poe story .... Pah!

No ones used Sheep and Stone though ... I wonder why.

PJ

Modifié par PJ156, 08 juillet 2013 - 06:21 .

[Frosty44]

I'm definitely looking forward to your next campaign!

[PJ156]

Thank you Karen, I am enjoying building it at the moment. I have lots ideas and it is fleshing out slowly in my head around the main story thread.

The new area looks tidy too, which always cheers me up

PJ

[PJ156]

Three months since the last post and quite a bit has happened.

I am through the first hour or two of gameplay and about one third of the way through this module. Thanks to scope creep and a raised awareness of what I can do with custom content things are not progressing as fast as earlier mods but I am happy with the way things are turning out.




  MARIA LESTRY'S BEDCHAMBER


I will post more screens over the next week or so but it interesting to compare my work with Seraphimsages, his high fantasy is right at the other end of the stick from the low fantasy modules and stories that I do. 

Following on from making the 14th level adventurer sort through pig poo in my last adventure, in this one he will wade through sewage and sort out a very bad smell emanating from a room in the Warrens. My final showdown at lv 16 will not be on the elemental plane of fire but in an disused rope factory.

Where I do break into more extreme areas as I did for the final parts of the last mod I tend to be uncompfortable with it so don't expect any planar travel from me

PJ

Modifié par PJ156, 29 septembre 2013 - 07:43 .

[Eguintir Eligard]

You don't need to credit squat. There was a person way before dorateen using fading roofs for huts that he didn't want to load screen just to peak inside. I did it as well.

You can no more give credit for a naturally occurring but coincidental process of building than you can credit someone for using the word cold before the word beer in a sentence. And even if you could who's to say who did the fading roof buildings first... I know it wasn't dorateen but I don't know who it was.

[seraphimsage]

PJ156 wrote...

I will post more screens over the next week or so but it interesting to compare my work with Seraphimsages, his high fantasy is right at the other end of the stick from the low fantasy modules and stories that I do. 

Following on from making the 14th level adventurer sort through pig poo in my last adventure, in this one he will wade through sewage and sort out a very bad smell emanating from a room in the Warrens. My final showdown at lv 16 will not be on the elemental plane of fire but in an disused rope factory.

Where I do break into more extreme areas as I did for the final parts of the last mod I tend to be uncomfortable with it so don't expect any planar travel from me

PJ

To each their own and I appreciate the note, PJ156. I go with High Fantasy due to the unique areas I can implement, the philosophical considerations, and the possiblity of scripted bosses. Low Fantasy on the other end, you can focus alot more on the details, such as companion interaction that I still believe is the bread and butter of the toolset. The more down to earth the more relatable and closer the player will be. Best of luck with your latest module.

Modifié par seraphimsage, 29 septembre 2013 - 10:05 .

[PJ156]

EE thank you, I guess you are right. Problem with this kind of thing is when you build something "new" it's hard to know if it is your idea or something you have seen in another module that has become implanted.

Seraphim, I find the differences interesting. I am going to play your series when this one comes out and I'm looking forward to it.

I have had a play with the packaging for the module, I have already decided that each of the three modules will be represented by a god. Sune in this case. that allows me to have one custom load screen per module as I did for the last series. It's fun to do the artistic bits sometime even if I am not so hot at it.



THE LESTRY MANSION

PJ

[PJ156]

I've done some playtesting of the currently completed Mod.

One of the worst areas, the Warrens, id 90% complete which is a big relief. I think things will move along faster now. I have a sewer to do and five or six more interiors including the old rope factory, then I am into the side quests andnpc detailing.

Christmas is looking less likely as a release date 

BTW I know the grammar needs checking, my grammar always needs checking <_<




THIS MOD HAS A LOT OF CONVERSATION



THE MISTSHORE LOOKING TOWARDS MR DEX'S KENNELS



THE MISTSHORE OUTSIDE THE BLACK BEACH TAVERN

PJ

Modifié par PJ156, 09 octobre 2013 - 09:34 .

[Tchos]

Is the factory a reference to the old rope guild in Pool of Radiance, by any chance? I like the use of the Pathfinder Seoni outfit. I made that tintable for my own use, though I think it could also use a little normal mapping for the cloth edges.

I like that docks area, with plenty of space between the outer wall and the water in one pic, and the walls shoring up the water's edge in the other pic. What is that water wall in the last pic, BTW?

[PJ156]

I had not come across the old rope guild, I will google it.

It was from a visit to Milford Haven I made a few years back, there was a derelict rope factory there and an old guy on the dock told me about how he had worked in it in his youth and what it was like inside. When I came to do a docks area I wanted to put it in.

The wall is from the city hak, I used a tiinted green version to get the high water mark. I wanted to use weed based on the loose greenery in BTH houses but could not face the learning curve to make the placeable.

I did not know the robe was tintable. I am going to scatter a few magic suits of clothing around based on jesters collection and the greenwood blieprints. Just for a bit of variety really. I am not a great fan of the never show armour option on the blueprints so the suits need to be magical or they become pointless.

I too have had the topless bug from that robe ... that took me by surprise a little

PJ

Modifié par PJ156, 10 octobre 2013 - 05:40 .

[Tchos]

I had Qara wearing it in the OC (being a sorceress herself, like Seoni), and I, too, encountered the topless bug.

There's not much to see as far as screenshots of the Old Rope Guild. It's just description.

City Hak, so it's walls from Oblivion.

[Calister68]

Interesting screens ! Does the arched wall on the last screen come frome the city hak too ?

[PJ156]

"walls from Oblivion"

I think that is where they were taken from. I am not certain though. That hak has some very nice placeable though, a bit clunky if you use too many in shot at once.

"wall in the last screen"

That ones from Nytirs city walls I think, It's a nice object as you can do so much with it. I plan for that one to have shops under the arches in the final take on that area.

PJ

[OfficerDonNZ]

I thought Honours new outfit looked familiar. I must say it looks a hell of a lot better than the sack that female spellcasters usually have to put up with. There's nothing wrong with a bit of eye candy

[Tchos]

Indeed. I'll have to try my hand at that.