Vudai Marsh Development

[Ibsen's Ghost]

I just height mapped the Sisiha Mangroves region which I'm hoping will appear with the Darkmoor region as a slightly altered version of it. After this, region generation will be low priority as far as I'm concerned as we'd be going outside the beta plan. Nevertheless, I'd like to take a look at the other regions all the same. I recently mapped out the grid references for all the settlements in BM bar none (see the maps thread).

The reason for this renewed interest in the rest of BM is due to something that's been on my mind for a while now and that's the fact that if players test out the beta and stray outside of the beta regions then they'll be faced with a rather unpleasant blank canvas. To counteract this, I will try to get some basic region generation done for three very important regions before I release anything. We won't landscape it. It will just be a realistic-looking buffer zone around which we'll place border control a bit similar to Tamriel. This means relying on the mighty sandor again but hopefully this will be achieved over a more drawn out period than usual and won't give him too much tedium to handle. Anyway, I might have a better PC by the time we're ready to do this and may be able to help out more.

In the meantime, here are some 'Vudai Marsh Brainstorming' samples from my searches on the internet. Please post here any ideas for this vital region that supports our capital city of Helstrom (for which I have my own ideas on how to go about creating the city itself).

I've download a series of mud and marsh textures that I plan to use and the trees themselves will probably be spindly but close-knit. I'm going to need large reeds and cattails that stick out above the water-line and I may go for Dragonfly as an extra hazard. Anything crocodile-like will dominate the region. Helstrom itself will need to be situated along a ridge-line inside a small valley. Hopefully, I can employ the skills of SG to develop his Hist Shrine architecture for that......I'm going through similar processes in planning Murkwood.

[Deeza]

I've been thinking hard about the location of Helstrom, and I was thinking perhaps it might make sense to shift it a bit deeper into the marsh so that it's far away from other settlements? Possibly to within Murkwood itself?

[Ibsen's Ghost]

I guess it depends on how you visualise its exterior. Tbh, I would be more in favour of moving it North so that it fits into, or borders with, the jungle region. Considering the fact that we would use pyramidal or ziggurat structures that further embellishes Shadowgame's Hist Shrine models then I'd hoped to have Helstrom based on the central one of a series of small hills. The jungle region might jut out into the Vudai marsh along the back of these hills and you would be able to see the central pyramid from far off. Otherwise, because Helstrom is hard to find, keep it low in the main valley with only the pyramid showing. Either way, I like the idea of having it in a quite small, and fairly difficult to access, valley. This way it could be well protected at the access points to the valley and surrounded from the south by quicksand.

[Ibsen's Ghost]

I'm likely to use Koniption's uber-mossy tree here so here are the latest pics of her work in-game. I think they're pretty damn unique! Many thanks, KP! :goodjob:

[Deeza]

Those are looking great. Reminds me of some of the stuff from Morrowind.

[Vintra]

Those trees looks excellent, i just love them.
I have to agree with Deeza, they reminds me from Morrowind.

Really fine work. :check:

[Ibsen's Ghost]

Beavering away in the background, as ever, the full might of Koniption Industries has been hard at work on developing assets for the Vudai Marsh. As I recently received our latest concept, the Marsh Poppy, I felt it was time to give the region a test-out by creating a sample four-cell region and these are the results....all hail Koniption! :goodjob:

The Marsh Poppies have a pinkish glow to them and will (I hope) soon be accompanied by a rather special variation of them in terms of the flora. Added to that are the fabulous, huge mossy trees and a few of morcroft's swamp cypress for the watery parts.

This taster is not entirely representative considering the fact that this is a densely wooded area. Some parts of the Vudai Marsh will be more spread out and the density will make way for some stretches of quicksand which TheFilthySpaniard has been developing.

As usual, swampwater and environmental effects are currently lacking and I have not yet added flora or rocks / rock variants. Also, region generation often results in different effects than those of my trial cells but I nevertheless feel that this will be our most distinctive region yet.

[Deeza]

Those look bloody fantastic! Some of KP's best meshes yet.

[morcroft]

Yeah - very nice, Ibsen: and unique.

[Koniption]

I know the screenshots Ibsen posted don't show it too well, but the bottom part of the Marsh Poppys' stems glows too, with a green-ish veiny texture. The pink-ish fan petals are also partially transparent.

It's good to know the Huge Mossy Trees are getting used, finally.

And thanks to morcroft for making the swamp cypress trees, too!

KP