Deepen Moor - Assidulam Cavern [Completed]

[TheImperialDragon]

Assidulam
STATUS: Completed

Tileset: Moldcave
Number of levels: 2
Cells: DeepenMoorCavernAssidulamInterior00, DeepenMoorCavernAssidulamInterior01
Number of enemies: 10-12
Preferred enemy type: Necromancer
Exterior cell coordinates: (6, -9)

You'll need the 3.10 version of the ESM or higher to mod this location. Download the latest version here.



[title]How should I go about modding the layout?[/title]
First, you’ll want to find Razorwing’s moldcave tileset under Static->ST->Dungeons->Moldcave. Please do not use Oblivion’s generic cave set - we want our entire landmass, dungeons included, to look less like Cyrodiil and more like Morrowind.

Now that you’ve found the tileset, drag the StRwMoldcaveSmTunnelExitNatural piece into the Render window and move it to coordinates 2048, 2048, 4800. That is going to be the dungeon’s starting point. Have two ramp pieces (under Static->ST->Dungeons->Moldcave->SmallTunnel) leading down from the entrance before modding the main part of your dungeon. Feel free to separate these ramp pieces with a few ordinary small tunnel pieces.

Now that you’re a bit farther underground, you can mod the dungeon layout to your liking. If you want to have a water level in your dungeon (which makes sense, at least for caves in the flooded Deepen Moor region), you may change the cell’s settings. If you aren’t sure about how to use the moldcave tileset or where to find certain pieces, feel free to post your questions here in this thread.

In order to make the cave look interesting, you should place several static rock objects (Static->ST->Dungeons->Moldcave->Rocks). I personally, as a player, would like a cave better if it had at least three of these objects per tileset piece placed, but you can probably get away with one per tileset piece placed*. The main idea is to make sure there are enough objects to hold the player's interest. You can also use vines (Static->ST->Flora->Ambient->BitterCoast), cobwebs (Static->ST->Dungeons->Misc), and flora-type mushrooms (Violet Copringus, Luminous Russula, Mooncap, or Drogo Mushroom all found under Flora->ST->Flora->Shroom) in your cave.

The SoluthisLoc001 cells show how a good moldcave dungeon should look, so feel free to look at those if you need some ideas about how your dungeon should look.

*These numbers were rough estimates and may be subject to change later on.

[title]What would I find, in terms of loot, inside a cave?[/title]
It depends on what the cave is being used for. If smugglers are using it as a base of operations, you can expect illegal items (skooma and moon sugar, for instance), as well as some gems, armor, weapons, gold, and other loot. If renegade mages have taken over the cave, you’d find ingredients, books, potions, and other mage-related items. If the cave has only creatures, you can add dead adventurers, natural flora, gem rocks, and other fun stuff. Think creatively.

The preferred type of enemy for this cave is listed at the top of this thread. You might be able to do something else though if you want - just check with me first and I'll tell you if your idea is appropriate.

[title]How should I light the cave? [/title]
Again, it depends on what lives inside the cave. If there are NPCs, you might want to use the StLightComTorch01 set of lights because it supports the idea that someone is living there. If you have only creatures, you might want to place some glowing crystals (Activator->ST->Dungeons->Misc) or some Luminous Russula mushrooms (Flora->ST->Flora->Shroom->BitterCoast) and manually place lightbulb lights. You should also have a few ambient lightbulb lights placed where they are needed. I started a set of ambient lights which you can use; they are ID’d StIdMoldCaveAmb####. Try to have all lights guide the player through the dungeon. Try not to have more than 22 lights in a single dungeon cell.

[title]What enemies should I use?[/title]
As I said above, the loot you’d find would depend largely on which enemies you decided to use. The preferred enemy type for the dungeon is listed at the top of the thread, but it isn't final. If you want to change it to something else, let me know what that is and I'll tell you if it's okay.

The most common enemy types for caves in TES3 were outlaws (smugglers, bandits, rogue mages...) and creatures (nix-hounds, rats, mudcrabs...).

[title]Anything else?[/title]
Add a pathgrid to the cave. Playtest the entire dungeon and make any necessary corrections before submitting it for review.

[earendil]

May I claim this?

I need a Necromancer cave for a quest involving Sheogorath. The origin of the quest is a house in Silgrad City owned by the Bard Ragg gro-barsu Ragg (claim SilgradCity0511).

The quest starts with Ragg gro-barsu Ragg telling you to talk to his tomato, who turns out to be Sheogorath. He gives you a quest to find his gloves (Gambolpuddy) and directs you to a cave with an old acquaintance of his. This old acquaintance (he's a Don Quixote-like character) asks you to retrieve something for him that the Necromancer's took. You go through the cave, get the item, and return the item for Gambolpuddy. You return to Ragg gro-barsu Ragg's home to give Gambolpuddy back to Sheogorath who gives it right back to you.

[TheImperialDragon]

Good luck, and have fun! :check:

[earendil]

Here is the first draft. I posted on Silgrad City claims as well.

[TheImperialDragon]

Here is the review.

General

• Try to cover up the general shape of each of the rooms that use the modular room set. You can use larger rocks to do this.
  
• Use more lights - you've got a few to go before you reach 20. Especially make sure you light those passage entrances and doorways.

DeepenMoorCavernAssidulamInterior00
Could you double-check to make sure you didn't use any objects from the Shivering Isles expansion in this interior? I get a missing object error when I load the ESP, and Gecko says that one of the affected references is in this cell.

• Move the StLightSkullspearcandle01r256 near the beginning of the dungeon closer to the door - the door should be lit.
  
• There is a gap between the doorway and the ceiling (the first/upper door down to lower levels)
  
• Light should be emitted from the fire in front of the shack, either by the object itself or by a nearby lightbulb
  
• A StRwMoldcaveStal07 in the tunnel behind the shack is floating
  
• A StRwMoldcaveRock07 in the tunnel behind the shack needs to be sunk more - there's a gap underneath the mesh
  
• Add containers (crates, barrels, sacks, etc.), especially near the necromancers' base
  
• There are small gaps underneath the wooden door extension for doorways placed in StRwMoldcaveSmOpRoConnector pieces. Fill these gaps in with rocks.
  
• Place a subspace around the two rooms at the very bottom (under the pits).

DeepenMoorCavernAssidulamInterior00a

• Both of your StIngrScuttle objects are rotated too similarly.
  
• The ingredients on the floor are floating slightly.
  
• Could you manually sink the objects in the baskets so that they're closer together? Right now, they look very much spaced apart.
  
• More of a suggestion than anything else: Would you be willing to hang a lantern from the ceiling in this room? Add a rope object and hang your lantern from it.

DeepenMoorCavernAssidulamInterior01

• Because of the ramp piece, the wooden base underneath the doorway (to the top) is sticking out into midair (screenshot). Add a rock ramp up to the doorway.
  
• Remove the shrine architecture (the white stone objects that look reminiscent of Cyrodiil) and replace it with Velothi architecture. I suggest using the StInVelPlatform01, StInVelAltar01, StInVelColumnMediumSlim1, and StInVelBrazier objects.
  
• Remove one of the Apprentice-level apparatus objects from the shrine altar and replace it with a Novice-level apparatus object.
  
• Try to cover up that sharp square shape of the pit (in the large chamber) using rocks.
  
• One of the StRwMoldcaveRock06 objects near the bridge chamber is floating a bit.
  
• Detail the passageways near where the three necromancers are standing with a few more rocks.
  
• Lock the StRwChestTombLarge00 object in the storage area.
  
• Add more clutter to the necromancers' sleeping area. I suggest adding containers (crates, barrels, baskets, sacks, etc...) and a few tables.
  
• The pathgrid in the large chamber should encompass most of the walkable area - have another look at that large chamber.

Keep up the good work! I especially like the underground shack. :goodjob:

[earendil]

Here is my revisions. I still can't completely fix the scripting. Sheogorath will speak from the outset, and at his lines in Don Quixote's mansion, but not when you return to Ragg's home. The attendant script will run and the quest will complete, but in silence. I've tried placing the code in different references, having different references say the lines, even tried enacting the code like the middle section works, all to no avail. I'm out of ideas. hrug:

[TheImperialDragon]

Thanks for the update. I'll try to have a look at the cave sometime in the next few days, RL permitting. Studies are kind of important right now.

[TheImperialDragon]

DeepenMoorCavernAssidulamInterior00

• Again, try to have a look at the lighting. The dungeon's main path should be easy to see and follow. (You can use more lights, man! Really! )
  
• Place a bit more clutter around that lone crate near the battlemage.
  
• Add at least two containers to that room with the crystal in it.
  
• The subspace should also occupy the room with the crystal.
  
• You need to add more rocks along the walls of the room with all the stalagmites, stalagtites, and pits. It's fairly obvious that the room was made with a modular tileset right now.
  
• Would you be able to place StRwMoldcaveRock07 objects to fill the gaps underneath the wooden platforms of the StRwMoldcaveSmTunnelDoorjamb tiles (the ones filling the connector pieces)?
  
• There's also a bit of a gap underneath the platform in the crystal chamber that I didn't notice before. Just put a few rocks underneath it (around the edge) to support it.

DeepenMoorCavernAssidulamInterior00a

• Looks good. :goodjob: My only remark is that you could use one of our ST soulgems (StRwSoulgem2Lesser and the like) in place of the generic soul gem.

Very nice.

DeepenMoorCavernAssidulamInterior01

• Nice job on the pit! It looks amazing! :goodjob: My suggestion here is that you move the lone StInVelBrazier a bit closer to the ramp that goes to the bridge room though, so the path is better lit.
  
• Place a large rock behind the two crates in the storage area.
  
• Place just a few more rocks around the StRwMoldcaveSmTunnelDoorjamb, the one that leads to the bottom of the first cell.
  
• Add a few (two-three) containers (crates/baskets/barrels/sacks) to the dormitory room.
  
• Make sure you've modified your pathgrid to not go through any of the rocks you placed. At the top, there's a pathgrid node inside a rock (that's the ramp we added that leads up to the loading door).
  
• I'm not sure if this last thing is something I just missed or a new issue, but some of the cave tiles aren't tiling properly. I attached a screenshot of tiles overlapping. There are two instances of this in the pathway leading down from the load door. Could you fix them, and make sure those are the only two places where this happened?

[earendil]

Here is v1.3. Hope it looks good .

[TheImperialDragon]

Thanks. I'll take a look as soon as I can.