Terrain and lighting

[Axen]

This was another thing that I was constantly bothering KuKulzA to get on the chat to discuss.

In TES3, the terrain was too smooth, and some areas were too flat (such as Red Mountain and the West Gash) (though I suspect this is due to accessability, you can't walk up steep land), while one area was too bumpy (the Grazelands). The land needs to be more rough and rugged. The West Gash is supposed to be highlands, the Molag Amur (called The Great Scathes by outlanders) was supposed to be... well, I think you can take a hint from the outlanders' name for it. The land textures in TES4 are VERY lacking. It's pretty amazing how much a difference they can make to the feel of the land (just look at Qarl's Oblivion texture replacers, and compare them with the stock textures).

I also think that lighting could be a bit exaggerated to create a mysterious and beautiful feel to the land. Shadows more defined, light more bright. In TES4, there's too much ambient lighting, and the normal maps aren't very well defined.

[nerbod]

I think it should look exactly like morrowind did, but more beatiful with the help of new graphics etc.

[Axen]

If we did it EXACTLY like TES3, Red Mountain would look VERY flat (doesn't even look like a mountain). That, and how extreme the land is supposed to be just wouldn't be represented well by making it like TES3, with the distant LOD and all. Just wait until this TES3 mod gets finished... you'll see how dwarfed the land was (well, two renders of the land mesh were incorrect and exaggerated the land height way more than it is in TES3, though it obviously looks much better).

[KuKulzA]

look I get the point... and I know Red Mt is like a steep hill...
but I thought me and you already discussed this?

and also, some places of Vvardenfell ARE very flat.... like the Ascadian Isles and the Grazelands and m,any of the ashlands are to be flatter.... but Molag Amur needs to be steeper, and Red Mt. much taller, steeper and bigger

[Axen]

I know we discussed this... I'm posting it here for other people's thoughts.

[nerbod]

ok, I see, you're right. Good that you brought it up here, Axen


edit: what are we gonna do about this?

[Axen]

Go read this thread... we should use that program to make our heightmap... it's more powerful than the TESCS one. Packing a ton of detail into the land will give it the illusion of appearing larger, and it'll also give the land a nice rugged feel to it.