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SKYRIM: Challenge of the North (Development Thread)

Archive: 125 posts

http://i4.lbp.me/img/ft/e342e94b90c0e68ece62371d91254d4b96c12cee.jpg

This is the development thread for "SKYRIM: Challenge of the North", a revolutionary new top-down action rpg that is currently under construction. You can play the proof-of-concept level HERE (http://lbp.me/v/x6etx9).

Set in the Elder Scrolls universe, this series of levels will act as a prequel of sorts to the new upcoming Bethesda game "Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim". It tells the story of a young Nord named Thane who eventually rises up to become king of his homeland, and in the process ushers in the era of the dovahkiin, or "dragon born". This project will set a new standard of quality by which all other levels are judged and will represent the very best that LBP has to offer within the top-down rpg genre. Expect to see it soon!

Introducing Team Skyrim:

Alpha:
bloomchild - Creative Director/Project Lead/Character & Environmental Design
morland23 - Production Manager and Team Liason

Bravo:
Epicurian Dreamer - Assistant Creative Director/Lead Logician/Lore Expert
dman517 - Character Logician
riktoi - Assistant Character Logician

Charlie:
ohlookadeer - Environmental Logician
TNSv - Assistant Environmental Logician

Delta:
patrickp4 - Effects Wizard
ayournamehere - Assistant Effects Wizard

Echo:
gamerboy385 - Chief Composer

First of all a huge thank you to everyone who showed interest in the project! And especially to the new team! I appreciate you guys stepping forward to help make this project a reality! I will do my best to make sure your names are forever immortalized as elite LBP creators!

As you can see, I've split everyone up into teams of two according to their jobs. My goal here is to promote communication and brainstorming within the teams, because two perspectives are better than one! Sometime later today I will do a big post outlining what's expected of everyone and where the project is heading, but for now, I'd like you to introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about what makes you, you!

My name is Bryan, I'm 25 years old and I live in Oklahoma where I work as a prison guard. I'm a former United States Marine, and in my spare time I like to develop video games and art assets, and occasionally travel (I've been to over 30 different countries). I hope to one day start my own game development company. Also, I'm pumped you guys are helping me out with this project.

2011-02-27 14:49:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

Hi. I'm Shawn. I'm 20 years old. I live in Canada. I am an Electrical Engineering Tech. I love art and love to play and develop video games. I'm glad to be part of such a big project.

2011-02-27 15:17:00

Author:
creator22

Posts: 162

Haha, YAYZZ. Well first off I'd like to say: For the Emperor! Or whoever your boss NPC is.... I'm Danny (dman517) I'm 13 I live in Michigan (And I'm very cold right now) I'm an avid player of the game we all know and love... Tes2.. no but really I love creating and I'm pysched (Is that how it's spelled

) about working with all you peeps on making the bestest thing EVAH. A special heelllllo to my new PIC (partner in creating ) unluckyrussian I'm HYPED to start creatin' some character tech. with yaaa. On a side note: WAAZZZZZZUUUUUP

2011-02-27 15:24:00

Author:
Unknown User

Hi there, i would just like to say its a great idea, and was interested after the success of Hansel & Gretelbot series. unluckyrussian is a friend of mine and is AMAZING with logic, so you've got a great partner, looking forward to see this come together

One thing i would like to ask for is maybe a new PSN account just for this project like it was done with Hansel & Gretelbot.
By the way, i'm 14 & from the UK

2011-02-27 15:36:00

Author:
Unknown User

One thing i would like to ask for is maybe a new PSN account just for this project like it was done with Hansel & Gretelbot.
By the way, i'm 14 & from the UK

That's one of the things I hadn't gotten around to mentioning yet. This project will be published under a single unified PSN account. Most likely something like Team_Skyrim or something similar.

2011-02-27 16:00:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

How do you plan on handling NPC interaction as well as towns etc. Will there be purchaseable items and or spells/abbilities? Any earnable things of the same nature? I'm trying to develope a small plan

2011-02-27 16:03:00

Author:
Unknown User

I'm typing out a sort of mega-post that will go into all that. Should be posted soon.

2011-02-27 16:14:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

Oki doki, I'm working on a concept for a visual display of selecting abilities and once you earn one theres a new slot that you can select your new/dash old ones from (don't know if you have this yet so.. keeping pre-ocupied), just about done

2011-02-27 16:33:00

Author:
Unknown User

Hmmmmm I wonder how many of the other team members already have an lbpcentral account, hmmmmmmmm

2011-02-27 16:43:00

Author:
Unknown User

Ok, so I'm a big fan of medieval style guilds (I'm a nerd, I know) so consider this our "guild charter". Also, let me preface this by saying that this is a game, and we all play this game to have fun. This community project is simply a way for us to have fun together and at the same time create something that we can all be proud of. If, for whatever reason you are NOT having fun, please let me know. It is not the intention of this group to wreck anyone's LBP experience. So, without further ado...

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

MISSION STATEMENT - To continually challenge ourselves to create a fun, engaging play experience that raises the bar and sets a new standard for what can be achieved within the LittleBigPlanet community.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

RESPONSIBILITIES

Alpha - Angel, you and I will be doing a little bit of everything, which is both a good thing and a bad thing. It's good in that we get to work on the fun stuff that we want to to work on, but it's also bad in that it falls to us to pick up the slack if another group isn't pulling their weight. I hate to say it, but you and I will probably be doing the most work out of all the teams (but hopefully they'll be awesome and do their jobs well and cut us some slack.)

Our main priority here is quality assurance. We've got to make sure everyone is on the same page as far as design and production goes, and if they're not, it's our job to step in and rectify the issue. We've got to be sticklers when it comes to details, and we can't afford to compromise if we truly want this project to evolve into something revolutionary.

Aside from that, we will be focusing on story, character design, pacing, gameplay, and probably a million other details that will rear their ugly heads at the worst possible time. In addition to that it's up to us to set development goals for the rest of the team, and do our absolute best to make sure we meet those goals. I will rely heavily on your creative mind for input, so put on your thinking cap

Bravo - Initially, your job probably isn't going to be a whole lot of fun. You guys are unfortunate in the fact that you have to deal with my absolutely abysmal organization skills. Basically, we need to take the wild jumble of wires that is the main character's logic and untangle it, analyze it, rebuild it from the ground up, and then improve upon it. Don't worry, I will be working closely with the two of you to help you through this painful process.

However, once that is done and we've future-proofed the logic to accept additional features down the road, your job becomes fairly simple. Just a matter of a little tweak here and there and that's pretty much it. The real challenge will probably be the enemy A.I. and the boss fight logic, but I'm confident we can handle it. You guys will need to stay in communication with Group Charlie at all times, to ensure that the environment logic and the character logic play nice together

Charlie - You guys will be working pretty much hand-in-hand with Echo, making sure that all the weather effects, interactive environments, and puzzle sequences are up to snuff. And aside from Angel and I, you guys will have the biggest impact on the minute-to-minute gameplay. It falls to you to take the initial designs and prototype it into something that actually functions and fits within the level. I hope you're ready to challenge the creative parts of your brains because I intend to implement some really brain-busting puzzles and challenges. Should be fun!

Delta - Your job is pretty straight-forward, but also one of the most difficult. Essentially, Angel and I will come up with some "samples" of how we think each region should look, and then you guys will take those samples and expand and improve upon them to create the physical spaces that the player occupies. It's equal parts cartography, construction, and landscaping. Also, you guys will become very familiar with the 3D tools, if you aren't already. I know it's a pain in the *** to work with, but in the top down perspective, 3D layers are extremely important to give a sense of scale and presence to the environments.

Echo - You guys get the fun job, but you also have to communicate with other teams more than anyone else. It might be all smoke and mirrors, but it's also a heavy bit of logic, too, and this team is relying on you guys to produce that "wow" factor that will make this project stand out from the rest. In addition to that, you guys will be the cinematics team, and one of your biggest projects will be a dynamic intro that also functions as the opening credits. I have a few ideas of how to go about doing this but I'd love your input as well.

Foxtrot - You have only one job, but it's a doozy; creating an entire soundtrack from scratch. Once we hammer out the Skyrim theme and get it finalized, we can take that same theme and tweak it to fit the occasion (i.e. slow the tempo and make it more whimsical during some of the more peaceful scenes, or maybe even change it to a minor key and make it more ominous for dungeons, etc). Beyond that, we can incorporate some of the more memorable music from previous Elder Scrolls games. I'm also working on a few melodies that I can run by you, and if you like them you can build on them until they are full-fledged tracks. We can also turn to the community for music donations, if someone out there has a particularly good one.

Additional Duties - To help make sure this project is a true team effort, and to help us improve as creators, I would like each team to brainstorm and come up with a side quest that would fit within this game. It is then up to that team to completely build it, from start to finish, including characters, logic, storyline, environments, effects, music, etc. Now, obviously, if you need a little help or direction from another team, that's fine, but I would like as much of the quest as possible to be built by your team. This way, we get a little taste of everything that goes into creating a level. These quests can be as long or as short as you want, and they come in many forms, be it a mini-game, fetch quest, escort mission, etc. Also I would like each team to develop some sort of item or special ability that the main character can acquire upon completion of this quest (nothing too overpowered or game-breaking though). I want to encourage you guys to get really creative with these quests, but at the same time make sure they make sense within the setting.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

TIMELINE - For completion of this first project, I'm throwing out an arbitrary development time of 4 months, but honestly that's a number that is subject to change. It could take us less time or it could take us more. And although I would love to just sit around all day and do nothing but create in LBP, I do have a life, and I realize that all of you have one as well. Plus, this is not a job, and we are not getting paid for our work, so I don't expect everyone to slave away for hours on end every day.

I do, however, expect everyone to remain committed to seeing this project through to completion. Or, if that proves to be impossible, I expect you to let either me know so that I can line up a replacement. I don't intend to be a "boss", but I do care deeply about this project and I intend to make it a reality, with or without other's assistance. I will never demand anything from you, and I will never ask you to do something that I'm not willing to do myself. I'm deeply grateful for all of your assistance.

I expect to spend the first one-two weeks hammering out most of the design decisions, and I hope everyone will weigh in with their thoughts and opinions. Ultimately, it will fall to Angel and I to say which ideas stay and which don't, but please don't take it personally if your idea is cut. We only have so much thermometer to work with, after all.

So, to get things started, I suggest you all watch this trailer first, to get an idea of what we're going for, and then start letting the ideas fly!

http://m.youtube.com/index?desktop_uri=%2F&gl=US#/watch?xl=xl_blazer&v=PjqsYzBrP-M

LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!!

2011-02-27 17:30:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

Hey, me & riktoi are ready & eager to start, i just need some guidlines/targets about what to include for the environment (where the first couple of levels will be set
Great to see it already underway

2011-02-27 17:34:00

Author:
Unknown User

2011-02-27 17:35:00

Author:
Unknown User

one other thing, a whole series or just one level?

2011-02-27 17:42:00

Author:
Unknown User

one other thing, a whole series or just one level?

I'd like to think of it as one complete story arc, spanning 3-4 levels. I'll try to get some detailed samples whipped up for you to generate ideas from.

2011-02-27 18:27:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

I know I am not on the team, you probablylooked at my published levels and thought i wasnt worthy, butI could show some of my awesome projects I am doing right now, if you liked them would you let me join in?

I think we're set on team members as of right now. However, you can help out in a sort of freelance capacity, if you want. Post some pics of some of the ideas or projects you have, and I'll take a look and tell you what I think.

2011-02-27 18:30:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

What exactly do you mean freelance capacity?

2011-02-27 18:52:00

Author:
Unknown User

What exactly do you mean freelance capacity?

He means we'd love to hear your ideas and any concepts you may think up, we're pretty much set on the official team (as of now) but if you're really interested we do need opinions & ideas and lots of 'em

2011-02-27 19:29:00

Author:
Unknown User

Ok awesome! Thx!

2011-02-27 19:31:00

Author:
Unknown User

I'm curious. Are we going to sit down and talk about ideas? How do we go about doing this?:o

2011-02-27 21:57:00

Author:
creator22

Posts: 162

Hmmm I would hope so we could probably do that now though, right here on this thread. But that depends on how many of us are available at one time and if everyone has an LBPC account

2011-02-28 01:14:00

Author:
Unknown User

Hmmm I would hope so we could probably do that now though, right here on this thread. But that depends on how many of us are available at one time and if everyone has an LBPC account

This is kinda what I was aiming for. I was gonna give us a couple of days for everyone to check in, and wait and see if we had anyone back out or not. While we're waiting, I was hoping we could start throwing around ideas. Nothing concrete or specific, just along the lines of "Man, I've always wished that I could do ___________ in a game like this. And then fill in the blank. Whether it be riding dragons, fighting mutant troll babies, whatever. How do you guys envision this game starting? How do you envision it ending? What do you think the village should look like? Should it be a village, or a city? What kind of a guy is Black Heart, the main villain? What kind of weapon does he wield? Etc etc etc

2011-02-28 01:26:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

Thanks for adding me in

I can't wait to get started on this project!

2011-02-28 05:22:00

Author:
XFennoX

Posts: 82

Hmmm I would hope so we could probably do that now though, right here on this thread. But that depends on how many of us are available at one time and if everyone has an LBPC account

We could also utilize the psn's text chat feature

Ill do my intro later btw. Im on my iphone :x

2011-02-28 07:26:00

Author:
Unknown User

well i'm here O_O i have a job that's difficult but ultimately it's what i do best,improving/creating logic and machanics...aswell as storyline XD
Im AngelGozen...Angel will be fine XD I'm 18 and in college O_O soo i dunno how COMPLETLY reliable i am but i know i'll help out in any way i can O_O

And don't worry i'm not a jerk, if i feel like i can't live up to my responsibility becuase of school or anything, i will let you know that you need another main guy and i'll add myself as auxillary...

2011-02-28 12:57:00

Author:
Angelgozen

Posts: 286

Just thought I should let you know, sorry.

2011-02-28 13:18:00

Author:
creator22

Posts: 162

First of all, new PICTURES!

http://i8.lbp.me/img/ft/578b681551d3be55bdaa01282736d11631314e5b.jpg
Here's a quick sample of the terrain that I whipped up. This is sort of how most of the surrounding land of Greenthaw will look. It was actually quite easy to make and I captured the trees as objects, so group Delta, when I get on next I'll give you guys the sample and let you go to work.

http://i5.lbp.me/img/ft/775ccb1069f6ca5d5543cbfaf4794d372b301870.jpg
This is one of the boss concepts I'm working on. She's a giant snow spider, and guardian of a sacred forest. You can't really see her that well in this photo, but she's impressive. She will most likely be the final boss of the Greenthaw region, meaning you have to eventually fight and defeat her before moving on to another region.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Ok, I've been thinking about how the story progression will go in the beginning, and I think I've got it hammered down as far as the basics. Essentially, it goes like this:

1. Intro credits / cutscene. This cutscene will also serve to establish landmarks, like the Greenthaw village, Ulgreth's hut, the sacred forest, and the fishing river.

2. Play starts with Thane standing on a river bank attempting to catch fish for dinner. This will actually be a small mini-game, where you have to reel in three fish before you can leave.

3. After catching the fish, Thane starts to return to his village, but on the way, he begins to see and smell smoke. OH NO! The village is on fire!

4. Thane must then run as fast as he can back to the village. This will go into a second sort of mini-game, where Thane is on a roughly straight path, and must dodge burning timber that falls in his path while sprinting back to the village.

5 Perhaps we will introduce the player to the idea of combat at this point. Like maybe Thane grabs a burning stick and uses it to fight off a few guards. We could even make it so the stick breaks after a few hits and he must find others as he goes.

6. This will lead into a lengthier cutscene that establishes who the character of Black Heart is and why he's doing what he's doing. This cutscene will also be where Thane watches as his father is murdered by Black Heart. Thane is then beaten and left for dead as the camera fades to black.

7. Thane awakens in a strange, earthy hut. He has been rescued and nursed back to health by Ulgreth, the strange hermit that lives outside the village. We'll have a cutscene here where Ulgreth explains a little about what has happened, Thane becomes angry and desires revenge, and Ulgreth tells him that he will need a weapon and armor first. Thane then decides to head back into the village to find his father's old war chest, which contains a sword, shield, and set of armor.

8. The village is now a smoldering pile of ashes and ruin, so Thane must navigate his way carefully. We could introduce some sort of puzzle here where Thane has to manipulate the environment and move stuff around before he can get to the war chest.

9. Thane equips his new-found items (we will change character models here) and heads back to Ulgreth's hut. Along the way he encounters a few large spiders that he must fight off. This will introduce the character to the sword, shield, and stamina mechanics for the first time.

10. Back at Ulgreth's the hermit explains that the spiders normally reside in the large forest to the north, and rarely come this far south, but the smoke from all the fires has drifted into the forest and is irritating them and making them hostile. This will also be where Ulgreth warns Thane that his mission is suicide, and tells him about the legend of the Challenge of the North.

11. Thane finally agrees to accept the quest to find the three tokens of worth, and learns from Ulgreth the only last Nord to have actually seen the tokens is a historian who resides in Markarth Side, a large stone city to the northwest. However, since Black Heart's patrols roam the roads between here and there, Thane must go through the sacred forest.

12. This leads to Thane entering the forest, fighting several smaller enemies, and ultimately facing the giant snow spider.

13. Upon defeating the snow spider, Thane leaves the region and heads to Markarth Side.

14. End of first episode.

http://gamethingdaily.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/tesvskyrim.jpeg
Markarth Side

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_4lrm97dBqNo/TTBUbGKkYqI/AAAAAAAAAX8/6eDJDa18EnM/s400/skyrim_019.jpg
Spiders!!!

2011-02-28 18:11:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

2011-02-28 18:53:00

Author:
TNSv

Posts: 302

One comment about blocking. When you block (press L1) I think that Thane should lock on to the nearest enemy and strafe around 'em. It's frustrating when you block and want to get away from the enemy and end up leaving yourself vulnerable.

Actually, Thane has a sort of secret set of advanced controls already built into him, I just never mentioned them in the tutorial. But you can move with the left stick, face any direction with the right stick, and still block and attack as normal. This way you can still strafe and face the direction you want to face. Give it a try in the demo and see if that solves your problem.

2011-02-28 19:03:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

Also everyone welcome our new Assitant Composer: we_demand_bacon

And be sure to check out his cool art level here (http://lbp.me/v/yeqkzp).

2011-02-28 19:08:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

From the sounds of things, I think it would be best to do the first episode in two parts: the movie and the level itself.

2011-02-28 19:35:00

Author:
creator22

Posts: 162

From the sounds of things, I think it would be best to do the first episode in two parts: the movie and the level itself.

Good call. Do the intro credits separate and give the player a key that unlocks the first lvl.

2011-02-28 20:05:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

If you guys have time/room an arena would be pretty great. Like the oblivion arena except a Skyrim-ified version. (You could even throw in an adoring fan)

2011-02-28 20:25:00

Author:
Brian_Istenes

Posts: 151

Hmmmmmm I also have a question, this isn't important to my job but: Will there be voice acting? Just curious, I don't see enough levels taking advantage of the record voice feature

2011-02-28 20:36:00

Author:
Unknown User

Hmmmmmm I also have a question, this isn't important to my job but: Will there be voice acting? Just curious, I don't see enough levels taking advantage of the record voice feature

I'm hesitant to do voice acting, simply because it's hard to do without sounding like ridiculous amateurs. Perhaps if I can get my hands on some quality recording equipment, and lock on some solid voice talent, then maybe. But until then, plan on using subtitles.

2011-02-28 23:06:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

I'm hesitant to do voice acting, simply because it's hard to do without sounding like ridiculous amateurs. Perhaps if I can get my hands on some quality recording equipment, and lock on some solid voice talent, then maybe. But until then, plan on using subtitles.

Hey hey hey, don't be too hesitant "Nehrim"s developers didn't have top notch (still decent) recording equipment or particularly fantastic voice actors, yet it's one of the most successful Oblivion mods ever

2011-03-01 00:17:00

Author:
Unknown User

Good call. Do the intro credits separate and give the player a key that unlocks the first lvl.

Maybe we could make a trailer out of it!

In fact the whole reason I started making my music was to put it in a LBP2 replica of the Skyrim trailer. :o

2011-03-01 02:16:00

Author:
Unknown User

2011-03-01 11:34:00

Author:
creator22

Posts: 162

Trailers are cool...they would take time though. I think we should request that everyone who is working on this project post on this thread. We need to know who is actually planning to put an effort towards this. I haven't seen my partner yet. D:

Yeah it appears we might have some flakes. I'll probably give them until this weekend, and if we still haven't heard from them, I'll restructure the job assignments and we'll push forward with a smaller team, or recruit a few more.

2011-03-01 12:48:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

Wait, waht? Shuld ai poust hia?
Where is my partner anyway?

2011-03-01 15:54:00

Author:
TNSv

Posts: 302

better communication between teams is needed, i know its still early days and people are just getting started & getting to know each other (coming good friends with Riktoi & dman517) but maybe make it so each team has to feedback everyweek, whether 1 or both team members feedback, is still better than none.
i was thinking feedback could include, ideas, help needed, time ppl are putting in creating ( me & Riktoi are working together for an hour and a half every day at least)
would also like to say- Thank you so much to everyone

, so far it has been a great learning experience for me from really under-valued creators
i know we_demand_bacon & unluckyrussian beforehand so theres two areas i know of (also added dman517)
just need to know more of the other teams

2011-03-01 20:04:00

Author:
Unknown User

Created a menu with the specifics we talked about, don't know what to add to the categorys. I'll show ya' the next time I can or, you could just message me what to add. BTW I tried pulling out the main character but I'm missing two DLC's I should be able to get them by this weekend, and if not my birthday is in a few days

2011-03-01 20:14:00

Author:
Unknown User

Yeah it appears we might have some flakes. I'll probably give them until this weekend, and if we still haven't heard from them, I'll restructure the job assignments and we'll push forward with a smaller team, or recruit a few more.

DUDE !! Maybe re-structure the teams if things ain't going that well but DON'T HIRE MORE PEOPLE communication problem as it is
also DON'T fire anyone too soon, we got some real good talent on this team
don't change my partner Riktoi is really good,,, we_demand_bacon hasn't met gamerboy yet because gamerboy has hit the max friend limit :
just try and get ppl to add their partner & get one team member to post their progress, in teams, here's who i recommend posts their teams progress
Alpha has bloomchild
Bravo has dman
Charlie has TSNv
Delta - Morland23
Echo has patrick
Foxtrot has Gamerboy
those that have not contacted partners at all or have not posted need to be replaced

2011-03-01 20:20:00

Author:
Unknown User

I'm not sure what I'm supposed to be doing. All I know is that I'm supposed to be making a cinematic scene.

2011-03-01 20:22:00

Author:
creator22

Posts: 162

I think we're set on team members as of right now. However, you can help out in a sort of freelance capacity, if you want. Post some pics of some of the ideas or projects you have, and I'll take a look and tell you what I think.

Maybe you could make a free-runner team where two creators switch constantly from the different groups and/or projects?

2011-03-01 20:58:00

Author:
LOLinator v1.02

Posts: 101

DUDE !! Maybe re-structure the teams if things ain't going that well but DON'T HIRE MORE PEOPLE communication problem as it is
also DON'T fire anyone too soon, we got some real good talent on this team
don't change my partner Riktoi is really good,,, we_demand_bacon hasn't met gamerboy yet because gamerboy has hit the max friend limit :
just try and get ppl to add their partner & get one team member to post their progress

I was wondering why nobody's sent a friend request yet. x_x You guys should have sent me a message or something. :s I'll clear out some space for you guys.
Also, can someone tell me how to make my signature visible? It wont show up for me.

Edit: nevermind! It showed up

2011-03-01 20:58:00

Author:
Unknown User

Where is ohlookadeer? I will add him as soon as he posts here and let's us know that he hasn't been eaten by ninja chipmunks.

2011-03-01 21:04:00

Author:
TNSv

Posts: 302

TNSv:Where is my partner anyway?
Hello

I'll have to add you on PSN so we can get started on some awesome stuff!
And NO, I haven't been eating by Ninja Chipmunks...in fact, it's the other way around.

2011-03-01 21:12:00

Author:
XFennoX

Posts: 82

If it's ok, i would like to add all of you guys. That way i can communicate with everyone better.

Plus i could use a few more LBP2 players as friends. Especially after having just cleaned up my friends list quite a bit. :x

2011-03-01 21:51:00

Author:
Unknown User

I have ideas. It's great that everyone has ideas, but if my ideas don't go with your ideas, then our ideas don't flow.

2011-03-02 00:09:00

Author:
creator22

Posts: 162

I have ideas. It's great that everyone has ideas, but if my ideas don't go with your ideas, then our ideas don't flow.

If you have ideas then by all means let them be heard!

That's why we have an open forum, so we can pitch ideas back and forth and keep the best ones. And who knows? Maybe your idea sparks the imagination of someone else who comes back later and improves on that idea. This is the fundamental basis of good game design.

I want you guys to stop thinking that your just helping me with "my" project. This is your project too. Take ownership of it. I want you to start thinking "if Project Skyrim were MY game, how would I make it? What would it look like? What would it feel like?

You never know, maybe your idea blows mine out of the water.

2011-03-02 02:04:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

Lol I just realized that here I am trying to drag ideas out of you guys when I haven't even offered up any of my own

Patrick - I have an idea for the opening cinematic. It's kind of convoluted, so bear with me. I was thinking we could sort of introduce the idea of Skyrim to the player. Talk about how it's an untamed land, a place where even the predators know the feeling of being hunted, a place where men don't just live, they fight to survive, etc. Basically play up the whole manly adventurous epic nature of the place.

And I figured while this is going on, we could pan a camera over a stone wall covered in a bas relief (think Alduin's wall from the teaser trailer). Then, at certain points, to emphasize the text, we could switch to a blacked-out silhouette view, where the actual carving, (be it a dragon or whatever) turns black, and the rest of the wall behind it turns to a solid color. We could then have the silhouette come to life and animate in some fashion (I.e. the dragon breathes fire). Then we could fade back to the original wall.

We could do this maybe 5-6 times, featuring a different carving every time (wolves, spiders, men doing battle, etc)

I don't know if that makes any sense but I'll try to whip up a demo and post some pics of it so you can see what I mean.

2011-03-02 02:18:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

Sounds pretty cool

so, when can we start on this baby?

2011-03-02 20:45:00

Author:
XFennoX

Posts: 82

if theres one thing i don't like its being ignored

my page 3 comments

2011-03-03 21:09:00

Author:
Unknown User

i'm taking a few days off from creating, just need a bit of a break,

2011-03-04 21:27:00

Author:
Unknown User

DItto. Need to do something else other than create.

2011-03-05 00:50:00

Author:
creator22

Posts: 162

Ehh bloom I did that menu thing awhile ago, what items will/abilities do you want on it cuz I won't really do anything with it without an instruuction... errr...

2011-03-05 07:35:00

Author:
Unknown User

hi, bloomchild
i have notified the team members of my new role & i have notified dman517 of unluckyrussian 's removal
i was thinking, as you're ok with the environment design on your own, (riktoi would have been your partner), if riktoi wanted to be dman517 's new partner as he is comitted & is good with logic

On a side note, i will always respect your role as project leader, as it was your idea & you who brung us together

any choices /decisions that will cause a lot of change, i'll make sure i'll ask you first
just like to say i'm fully committed to this project & i'll see it through right to the end

:star: :star:

2011-03-05 16:15:00

Author:
Unknown User

Wow. Hello people. where do i begin? I suppose the name SKYRIM, seeing that name on a thread here immediately took my attention. I've always been a massive fan of the Elder Scrolls series. Have played Morrowind, Oblivion and am OH SO eagerly awaiting the release of SKYRIM on 11.11.11. On a side note, i was also quite heavily into modding morrowind back in the day and was (and still am) running an FCOM+ build of Oblivion on the PC i still sit down with my lady and play fairly regularly. Not to mention i am extremely familiar with the underlying Tamrielic Lore permiating and driving the entire narative and gameplay experience of the Elder Scrolls Series. Right through from the Dawn and Merithic eras, the Sembiotic roles Anu and Padoma play through the Deadra and Aedra in forging the unfolding fate of Aurbis. Down to the Political strife between the different races and theologic conglomerates that run through the games themselves and the much wider and deeper lore of the theoretical game universe itself.

In short, the Elder Scrolls have been a major part of my gaming experience and general fantasy'esq musings for a pretty long time. It should be of no suprise too any of you then, that finding out an ES project is being developed in my other great gaming love is the root of great excitement in me. So much so that allthough i understand your development team has been established, i feel compelled to 'prove my worth' as it were, to the potential i could bring to your development team, put down simply to the fact of my sheer devotion and enjoyment of working on something combining two of my great loves in gaming.

I little about myself. I'm 24, Living in the UK with my girlfriend and currently spend most of my time creating all manner of things in LBP2. I Haven't published anything yet because i actually spend most of my time working in part with other people i have met in LBP2 solving creation problems they have come up against, mostly logic, but some overall design issues aswell. More often than not, going off and building a full working system for their needs they can then take and implement into their level. As such i have come to understand quite fully the underlying theory surrounding LBP2 logic, both digital and analogue, and seem to be of the mind that given a problem i can usually come up with a pretty effective solution fairly quickly.

I am not yet fully fledged as it were as i am yet to completely get my head round things such as bit registers, which i am currently working on understanding as it happens as combining these with score sensors seems to be the current theoretical seed of belief of the only way to get information to carry over between sublevels, Health, collected items, stats, so on and so forth, something larger game concepts will all need at some point.

Aside from logic i believe i am pretty adept at visuals design and enjoy engaging the more right brained aspects of creativity in little big planet, having always been a great fan of the arts in various forms. Some of the designs i have made for my top down shooter i am working on, without boasting too much, look pretty frickin awesome, and use concepts i honestly haven't seen anywhere else in little big planet.

In regard to working in a team, My experience in film and performance industry over the years, as well as my time at uni, i understand fully the importance of working effectively as a team, as well as having a decent amount of experience of working in collaboration towards deadlines and understanding the importance of delegation and overall project co-ordination with things such as this. As such i am very familiar with the necesity of the dynamic flow of information between parts of the collaboration, for example i set up a small community website for a project i was working on not long ago as a communications platform for peoples involved. In my domestic endeavours i have also been in possitions of authority and administration in online 'guilds' of various kinds, especially in a game named EVE Online, that at one time i dedicated most of my time every day organising and carrying out the evarious administrative tasks involved in large scale collaborations between members.

This is all simply background information of my experiences and general temperament so those of you who would have interests in assessing my potential input to the project can base your decissions on something more robust than me saying "I'de love to be part of this project". Which is essentially the heart of this post.

I hope my humble request is taken favourably and if you so wish to explore my abilities further i would be happy to provide examples of things i have made already in LBP in the form of pictures or meeting in game for a live demo.

your's expectantly, Dreamer.

peace!

2011-03-06 23:21:00

Author:
Epicurean Dreamer

Posts: 224

If the leader does not goes on these forums, I will let him know via PSN.

2011-03-07 01:47:00

Author:
creator22

Posts: 162

I'm going to be using this as a basis for my full version of the Skyrim Theme:
www.Youtube.com (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=veWnhcbKl3k&feature=youtube_gdata_player)
Any objections? :3

2011-03-08 02:43:00

Author:
Unknown User

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

OK. Well, team, I apologize for being absent these past few days (work). I've made some progress in the interim; I have the starting area designed and working, I've begun construction of the fishing mini-game, and the spider boss is around 60% complete. I've spoken with some of you online, and I have slowly come to the realization that we need to have a thorough discussion of some of the fundamental design decisions within this game. I sort of glossed over many of these when I was coming up with the concept in my head, but now that I've considered this thing in detail, there are some glaring holes that we need to fill. Sooooo, I need EVERYONE'S input on some of the following topics (and by everyone I mean, like, everyone):

1. Major regions / areas of play - As far as design and gameplay variety go, I would like to incorporate these types of environments: forest, sewer, dungeon, volcano. Greenthaw can work as the forest. I figured we could make the sewer an aspect of Markarth Side (and have lots of water based puzzles), and the dungeon and volcano can both be within the Throat of the World. Basically, what I'm wondering is, are there any other environments that would offer a strong and unique play experience that we should consider?

2. Bosses - Aside from the spider boss, we need one boss for each of the three powers (Speed of the Wolf, Strength of the Earth, and Fire of the Heart). We may also need sub bosses where we feel it is appropriate. I was thinking the wolf boss could be some sort of wolf-worshiping Skaal shaman/witch. That would give us some cool magic/spell affects to play around with. I'd like the Earth totem to include the Uderfrykte, since he's a popular Elder Scrolls staple. Maybe you could fight him in the sewers of Markarth Side? As for the Fire of the Heart, I can think of only one thing - dragons. I'm pretty sure the lbp community would murder us if we didn't include dragons of some sort. Any other ideas here are welcome.

3. Powers & Abilities - This one is the biggest concern out of all of them, because this has the greatest lasting effect on gameplay. This is also the reason dman keeps bugging me (j/k dman!). We need to decide right now exactly what sort of abilities the player gets, what they do, and what order they are acquired. Then we can start designing the levels and puzzles to incorporate each new ability as it is earned. The charge, slam, and whirlwind attack from the demo will most likely stay as they are (perhaps a few tweaks here and there), but I'd like to include a second ability for each totem, so that the player has a utility option as well as a combat option. Something like, the wolf totem grants Wolf's Charge, and also the ability to summon a pair of wolves in combat. Maybe the earth power grants you a stoneskin armor or something similar. I really, REALLY need some ideas here, guys.

4. Items and equipment - This may be a bit too ambitious, but these are fun and lend a certain Zelda-esque feel to the gameplay that I think works well in a top-down environment. Basically these work the same as powers, they just don't use stamina. I was thinking maybe you could get a different item from each sub-boss. For instance, the spider boss would give you the "spider-shot", which is similar to the hookshot from legend of zelda. It could either pull you towards something, or pull something towards you (platforms, treasure, enemies, etc.) I'm trying to get a varied and unique set of items that will really enhance gameplay from a top-down perspective. Need ideas in this category, too, please!

5. Story arc and side quests - Hey, remember when I said that I'd like for each team to come up with a side quest? Yeah, that's still in effect

I'd really like for us to put our heads together and come up with things that fit naturally into the story progression, but that can be skipped if desired (i.e. the historian in Markarth Side wants you to run a personal errand in exchange for more info on the totems, etc.)

6. HUD - I went with a very minimalistic and simple HUD in the demo, simply because I didn't want it to be a distraction, but we can change it up if anyone has any cool ideas. Dman & Epi, maybe you guys could put your heads together and come up with a fading HUD that pops back up if you take damage or something. It might be impossible, but I figure if any two guys can come up with a solution, it's you two.

7. Loot/ item shop - This is a feature that I'd REALLY like to include if we can. I was thinking we could make loot and money based of the score system, and just detract a certain score from the player every time he makes a purchase. We could sell armor and weapons as well as potions and whatnot. Just something to think about.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE let me hear your input on these things, guys! This game is NOT set in stone and we can certainly change things around if we find an idea that we like. I'm only one guy, and while I think I have some good ideas, there are bound to be things that I'm not thinking of that you guys are. So once again, please let me know your input. We are a team, after all

Btw, if you've never read the post I made that includes some of the backstory to the game, you can read it HERE (https://lbpcentral.lbp-hub.com/index.php?t=50903-Project-Skyrim-(Top-Down-RPG-Concept)&highlight=Project+Skyrim).

EDIT: Gamerboy, just saw your post, going to check out the link now. Also, I accidentally deleted your music attachment in your previous PSN message, do you think you could resend it?

2011-03-08 03:13:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

Gamerboy, that arrangement is sick! Well done! Can't wait to hear it in-game

2011-03-09 00:17:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

Ok so from the top.

Majour Regions and Area's of Gameplay:
Skyrim is situated In the North west of Tamriel, Nirn's main continent. Skyrim's southern border constituting the Jerall mountains as seen in Oblivion. You can see on the map situated in the spoiler box below that Skyrim has a particularly cold climate. So In regard to Enviromental design remember the theme of cold rugged landscapes

link to bigger image (http://images.wikia.com/elderscrolls/images/2/2c/Nirn_Map.jpg)

http://images.wikia.com/elderscrolls/images/2/2c/Nirn_Map.jpg
Depending which parts of Skyrim, geographically, we use for Challenge of the North will dictate which possible settlements or encampments/cities e.t.c. will be nearby. This will tie into helping develop more of a robust foundation upon which we can forge narrative by creating interplay between the people's of the different places we choose to feature in the game. It will also help us decide, by first choosing where exactly we want to situate the different enviroment types, which cities or settlements we may want to begin working on building and encorporating into the project. The already established architectural design and cultural idiosyncrasies of the places we chose to develop will be a major influence on instructing each specific team how exactly they go about making the different elements of the game world into a unified work.

Forests

Charlie Team, Use these Images to get a bit of inspiration on the kind of direction you need to be heading. Note the evergreen type trees mixed in with a frosty, rocky, overcast feel.

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQQ0Hb_lAYRcb9YBkPlweYg638UJi19y mmGEteyL56TYqIqPCkfsg&t=1

http://images.wikia.com/oblivion/images/0/06/Jerall_Mountains.jpg

A great Forest is situated between WhiteRun, Dawnstar and the Laberynthian from Central Skyrim up to North by north east coast line, also set over to the west between Dragonstar and Solitude Bordering Hammerfell and HighRock. The rest of Skyrim is very hilly, mountainous and rugged, akin to the Valus and Jerall mountain regions in Cyrodill (Oblivion's setting), for those of you who have played the game.
Remember that even in the Forest enviroments lots of Rocky outcrops will still be visible and patches of frost and snow will be strewn about. It may only be in the very densy undergrowth that a much more 'green' vibe can be created.
- to the contrary of course, Greenthaw can instead be unrealistically lush and ever-fresh compared to the surrounding bleakness as a metaphore to the protagonists emmotional bond to his home settlement. Then, its possible to bring in at the key point in the main story when problems hit the initial equalibrium in the plot, desaturation of Greenthaw by use of global lighting to add weight to the distruption being experienced.

We can Possition Greenthaw just north west of Falkreath on the road towards Markarth Side, basically round about where Granite Hall is, there's a large patch of greenery around that area of Skyrim. The problem otherwise being Falkreath is situated in a pretty rocky enviroment.

Due to Greenthaw then being possitioned pretty much half way between Falkreath and Markarth side, its possible to develop some narrative surrounding political strife between the two majour settlements. This could possible culminate in a choice between which faction to side with, leading to alternative mission archs down the line, and different items being collected or powers being unlocked e.t.c. - food for thought.

Sewers

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQgcz3CtReekbNas7rWu69JgCrdqBIXo jiB3cVxHxu3YWmPMhREww&t=1

http://lh3.ggpht.com/_zkVXnr2UGcw/RJMrpid5ABI/AAAAAAAAAYE/UFte_WJkVaQ/oblivion_photogallery054.jpg

http://www.oblivion-blog.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/Sewers.jpg

I presume sewers will be best incorporated as sub-areas that can be entered while in city/settlement enviroments we can of course incorporate this into Falkreath and Markarth side.

In contrast to the desaturated, sharp atmosphere of the cold exterior world, sewers can be a delve into the mirky dank frightfull interiors beneath.

higher saturated lighting, lots of dark greens and rusty browns flickering torch lighting with a very low global lighting.
Sewer piping, passage ways with water running down the center, rusty iron gates with creeky hinges.
Possibly have submerged areas where you have to swin round to get through.
Think about the types of enemies you would meet in a sewer, rats, [mudcrabs lol], bandits, skeletons?
Will any quests be based in sewers?

Dungeons (Inc: Caves and Ayleid ruins)

http://www.tesnexus.com/downloads/images/30052-1-1266543675.jpg

http://ve3dmedia.ign.com/ve3d/image/article/691/691444/oblivion-media-hot-new-andy-version-now-with-added-thumbnails-20060224070431521.jpg

http://www.doolwind.com/images/blog/Oblivion1.jpg

http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/3610/oblivion20060324234841011ai.jpg

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcQhqW1fXYBxzrqg5TwgAm2vvV15S5D-UO9ZM6E4Eh5rHZ9QlsPEng&t=1

Dungeons caves and ruins, to which i will simply refer to as dungeons for sake of ease, can constitute the main brunt of the interior world, other interiors being house interiors and quest specific interiors; castles, manners e.t.c.

Where-as sewers are quite restricted in where they can be possitioned relative to the other game-world areas, with dungeons we have allot more freedom about which situations we can place entrances to them. They can also be used for allot of the basic questing and exploration content.

Do we want many small dungeons, if so how many? Or a few large dungeons?
Do we want to focus on one kind of dungeon? ruin/cave/dungeon, or have a mixture of them all?
Are there going to be any Bosses situated in a dungeon? How can we express the individual nature of that boss through his lair? Leading up to the meeting, and the lair room itself.
Think about generic side questing and its relationship to dungeons, Think about loot drops, specific and non specific.
What types of enemies is the player most likely to meet in certain types of dungeons.

To extend that last point, I think it would be a brilliant idea if the dungeon interiors changed in appearence depending on where in the game world proper the player is at that point. For example, Dungeons in more woodland exteriors could be more of a brown feel, with roots cropping down from above. Old Imperial ruins should be a more rigid architecture, less organic than the wilderness caves, possibly with a freeky haunted vibe, so on and so forth.

Volcano

Technically, sorry Bloom, but i only know of 1 Volcano on Nirn. Red mountain at the center of Vvardenfell (it means "City of the Strong Shield" in Dwemeri). It was forged in the merythic era when Lorkhan's (known To the Nords of Skyrim as Shor) heart was cast into Mundus (the 'balanced plane', the material world, e.t.c.) by Talos after it was descovered he tricked the Et'Ada into helping him forge Mundus Itself, in the process killing outright most of the weaker Et'Ada and withering the rest to meer remnants of their former selves, anyway, i digress. Red mountain is now the home of Dagoth Ur, a very twisted mortal god aligned with Anu that resides in red mountain trying to sap power from Lorkhan's heart. Red mountain for all intents an purposes acts like a volcano but it doesn't errupt randomly, it has only errupted once as far as i know a long time ago, the only remnants of which are the chared bracken and barren channels carved out by the "fire rivers", the most well known being "Foyada Mamaea" Which runs past Balmora, one of Vvardenfell's majour settlements on the south west of the continent of Vvardenfell.

There are no Volcano's that i know of in Skyrim, of course i may be drastically wrong and have missed there being one there completely.

The only way i can think of otherwise, is to have the prtagonist 'ported' over to red mountain at some point late on in a majour quest line. I know Vivec, Almalexia, Sotha Sil and Nerevar have unfinished buisness with Dagoth Ur so we could tie them into the narrative as a reason to end up at red mountain.

This needs to be looked into further

Bloom, I had originally intended on going through and replying to every one of your points, but seeming as its taken me two hours to write this much, i'm going to instead come back and answer each bit piece by piece. I've got allot of ideas and nearly as many answers to all of your points which i wish i had the energy to write down right now, but hey, lifes a peach.

To everyone else, i hope this has given you a nice foundation upon which to begin getting your brains cooking up the right stuff and flailing in the right kinda diretion. Especially Charlie Team! as all i've really covered is Enviroment. Not to worry, more to come soon!

As a parting gesture i believe it would be good for all of you not familiar with Nordic Lore and History to take a bit of time out to read up. Below i have provided for you a basic outline of Nordic Lore and History, taken from UESP wiki, your "go-too" Elder Scrolls resource site. check out the lore below and get acquainted to the kinda vibe we're working with here.

Nord

The Nords are a race of tall and fair-haired humans from Skyrim who are known for their incredible resistance to cold and even magical frost. They are enthusiastic warriors, and act as soldiers and mercenaries all over Tamriel. Eager to augment their martial skills beyond the traditional methods of Skyrim, they excel in all manner of warfare. They thrive in the cold, reminiscent of their native Atmora, and are known as a militant people by their neighbors. Nords are also natural seamen, and have benefited from nautical trade since their first migrations across the sea from Atmora. They captain and crew the merchant fleets of many regions, and may be found all along Tamriel's coasts.

History
Nords, as their name implies, come from the north. As a people, they originated in the northern-most place in the known world, a continent only known as Atmora. What little is known comes from old Elvish records which are not open to Imperial scholars, but which are known to refer to the continent as 'Altmora', meaning "Elder Wood". It is likely Atmora is a human corruption of this word. Even in ancient times, Atmora must have been extremely cold, at least as much so as modern day Skyrim, because the men who lived there are very well suited to live in cold climates.

It is said that during the time of the migration, a protracted and bloody civil war had gripped Atmora, and, as the story goes, a man named Ysgramor rallied those people from all sides who desired to live in peace, and set sail to the south, eventually arriving in Skyrim; the extreme northern tip of the continent of Tamriel, at a place known as Hsaarik Head. They named the new land "Mereth" in tribute to the Aldmeri elves who populated the continent (having settled most of Tamriel millennia earlier). As it goes, elves and men lived in relative peace and prosperity for a great deal of time. Racial tensions between the two species gradually rose, however, and it wasn't long before conflict erupted. Contrary to most stories, which erroneously credit Ysgramor with the first human settlement of Tamriel, he and his colonists were simply the latest of a long line of emigrants from Atmora. Indeed, the central continent was already populated by Atmorans and indigenous humans throughout.

It is not clear what started the conflict but it is known that the Aldmer razed the Nordic capital city of Saarthal to the ground (supposedly in response to "blasphemies and provocations"), killing the defenders and everyone unable to flee, in what was to become known as the Night of Tears. Only the Nordic King Ysgramor and his two sons managed to survive the carnage and fled back to Atmora. It wasn't long before Ysgramor returned to Skyrim to exact his vengeance, bringing with him his famous Five Hundred Companions. Upon their return to Tamriel, they expediently slaughtered the Elves living there and began the process by which the elven population of Skyrim would be completely eliminated.

In 1E241 King Vrage the Gifted began the expansion process of what is now known as the Skyrim Conquests. These conquests culminated in the First Empire of the Nords. Within a span of fifty years, Skyrim ruled all of northern Tamriel, including most of present-day High Rock and the whole of Morrowind. Some ambitious Nord leaders considered attacking northern Cyrodiil, however the Jerall Mountains proved to be too big a barrier, and northern Cyrodiil too poor a prize. In the centuries that followed, Skyrim expanded and contracted as battles were won and lost. The Empire came to an end in 1E415 with the death of King Borgas, the last of the Ysgramor line. When the ruling council or Moot was unable to choose the capable Jarl Hanse of Winterhold as the new king of Skyrim, the ensuing civil war tore the Empire apart. The Empire lost all of its holdings in High Rock and Morrowind, and Skyrim was divided into several independent kingdoms. It wasn't until the second era and the Second Empire of Man under the Reman dynasty that one man effectively ruled the whole of Skyrim.

Skyrim was absorbed comparatively peacefully in the empire of Tiber Septim, the Battle of Sancre Tor and other clashes notwithstanding. Many Nords found employment in the Imperial Legion, as Talos generally nurtured relations with the north. In the centuries after the Empire's founding Skyrim was drawn in several major conflicts. One of these was the War of the Red Diamond wherein Skyrim sided with Queen Potema against the Empire. The civil war tore the Empire apart and it would take seventeen long years before Potema was finally defeated. As a result of this war there is a strong underground movement called the Horme that believes Potema and her deposed son of Uriel III to be the last of Tiber Septim's true blood and under that principle lead raids against Imperial interests in the province.

Close to the end of the Third Era, the kingdoms of Skyrim started several wars to expand their territory. The War of Bend'r-Mahk increased the territory that is considered Skyrim considerably, allowing the Nordic counts to swallow up many miles of eastern High Rock and Hammerfell. There are also ongoing rumors that Skyrim is besieging the Dunmer of House Redoran.

Circa 4E200, after the dissolution of the Empire, the King of Skyrim was murdered and a bloody civil war began.

Society and Religion

The spiritual relationship between the Nords and breath, which is associated with the Sky Goddess Kyne, is also important. As Children of the Sky puts it:

Nords consider themselves to be the children of the sky. They call Skyrim the Throat of the World, because it is where the sky exhaled on the land and formed them. They see themselves as eternal outsiders and invaders, and even when they conquer and rule another people; they feel no kinship with them. The breath and the voice are the vital essence of a Nord. When they defeat great enemies they take their tongues as trophies. These are woven into ropes and can hold speech like an enchantment. The power of a Nord can be articulated into a shout, like the kiai of an Akaviri swordsman. The strongest of their warriors are called "Tongues." When the Nords attack a city, they take no siege engines or cavalry; the Tongues form in a wedge in front of the gatehouse, and draw in breath. When the leader lets it out in a kiai, the doors are blown in, and the axemen rush into the city. Shouts can be used to sharpen blades or to strike enemies. A common effect is the shout that knocks an enemy back, or the power of command. A strong Nord can instill bravery in men with his battle-cry, or stop a charging warrior with a roar. The greatest of the Nords can call to specific people over hundreds of miles, and can move by casting a shout, appearing where it lands.

The art of Thu-um as a weapon is now lost and forbidden. Apart from the students of the discredited School of Thu'um in the Imperial City, Tiber Septim was reputedly the last man to wield this power. However, the ancient Greybeards still sit atop the many steps leading to the peak of High Hrothgar, where the Nordic race was born.

Like all Tamrielic races (Dunmer excluded), the religion of Skyrim is focused on the Aedra and their old ally, Lorkhan. The Nordic Akatosh is Alduin, a terrible, ravenous dragon who presides over the cycle of existence and devours the universe at intervals. His coming is feared by all pious Nords, and he is the object of (through Nordic eyes) perverse worship by the Altmer, who venerated Auri-El. In more recent days, it has been shown that the traditional Alduin can co-exist with the less adversarial Cyrodiilic interpretation of Akatosh the Time Dragon. Kyne is notably more assertive and warlike than the nature-loving Kynareth. Although Mara is present in her role as a mother goddess, it was Kyne who is the mother of the Nords. She is also credited with sending her son Morihaus (and perhaps Pelinal) to the aid of the Cyro-Nordic slaves in their uprising. The chief of the pantheon of Skyrim is Lorkhan, and he merits the most mention. The Nords know Shor as the king of the gods, a champion of men in their struggles against the elves. He was treacherously slain by elven devils, yet continues to bestow favor on his people by aiding them with immortal champions such as Ysmir, another member of the Nordic pantheon. Today, Ysmir is the name by which Nords recognize the divinity of Talos.

Also of note is that fact that certain Daedra, such as Hermaeus Mora, can be found in the Nordic pantheon.

The isolated tribe known as the Skaal follow a different form of faith to their mainland brethren. Instead of regular religious worship they venerate nature. They believe that certain parts of nature, such as the winds, the trees and the sun, were given to them by the All-Maker. In this regard, wolves and bears are especially sacred to the small tribe. All aspects of nature must constantly be in harmony, for this is what gives the Skaal their shamanic powers. This magic was given to them by the All-Maker, a benevolent, unknowable creator deity. Further research into their oral traditions has led to the conclusion that the All-Maker is their version of Alduin. The Skaal also tell tales of the Adversary, the enemy of mankind, and his lieutenant, the Greedy Man. As other tales show, the Greedy Man is none other than another incarnation of Lorkhan in a Nordic pantheon, yet cast in this case as a demon. In view of this, the Adversary is none other than the Padomay/Sithis of the north, which gives birth to Lorkhan in elven tales. Indeed, in this regard the faith of the Skaal is nearly the reverse of the pantheon of Skyrim. Although not worshipping them, the Skaal are also aware of the existence of the Daedric Princes.

source (http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Nord)

Good look people! See you round.

2011-03-09 09:28:00

Author:
Epicurean Dreamer

Posts: 224

@ Epi - Good work man. This is the sort of feedback I like to see.

2011-03-09 11:55:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

O_O
I will never be able to write that much... nor do I know much about the Elder Scrolls storyline...

2011-03-09 15:20:00

Author:
TNSv

Posts: 302

Hey, everyone !

Just wanted to welcome Epicurean Dreamer to the team & say thanks for putting me to shame (and the rest of the team i think), with regards to our knowledge of Skyrim!
Also, its worth checking out the modified team line-up on page 1
There have been a few removals from the team along with the addition of Epicurean Dreamr
Going to back up what bloomchild has been saying- if you are not sure about what to do, maybe, instead of asking bloomchild, think of your own ideas and use them, it might end up being better than you would expect
thanks

2011-03-09 16:27:00

Author:
Unknown User

I kinda had this idea about a sourt of cliff-hanger involving the dragon. Where we would heavily imply its presence in some way before leaving the player wanting more.

perhaps just before the fight with it we would play a loud roaring sound. The player, knowing exactly what is approaching, turns toward the source of the shout just in time to react to a wall of flame charging at him from off the screen. He raises his shield to protect himself as the fire quickly fills the screen. Then, when only fire can be seen, another booming roar is let out, and the word "Skyrim" emerges from the flames for a few moments before being replaced by the words "Begin the adventure 11-11-11"
or we could end the level right after "Skyrim" appears on screen and have the whole dragon boss fight in its own stage.

2011-03-12 03:48:00

Author:
Unknown User

Gamerboy, that arrangement is sick! Well done! Can't wait to hear it in-game

I cant wait either! n_n. Unfortunately that might take a little while as i'm having a bit of trouble with replicating a certain part of the song. I might need sheet music :<

2011-03-12 03:51:00

Author:
Unknown User

Right, I've been doing a bit of research into Bosses and in the process have come up with a few cool ideas about narrative and other bits and bobs. I'll list out the different boss ideas and within each section add in the tertiary information where applicable. As ever i have also kept the different enemy and boss ideas as close to the established Elder Scrolls lore as possible, and where that has been difficult i will note where further thought needs to be gone into in-order to keep the concepts proposed within the belief paradigm of the elder scrolls universe. So without further ado.

Bosses:

The first idea is quite an inspired one and i feel has the most potential to fit extremely smoothly with the narrative already in place.

Boss idea 1: Draugr -Once, they were warriors much like the Skaal. Trapped and hungry on this island, they feasted on the flesh of their fallen comrades, which is a crime against nature. The All-Maker cursed them with undeath, forever doomed to walk the land in search of more of the flesh of man to consume. — Korst Wind-Eye

Description: An undead Nordic warrior, known for feeding on human flesh.
- This undead type of northern barbarian haunts the resting places of the old graves of fallen heroes. Their mad search for flesh makes them fierce fighters, resisting all kinds of attacks, they can only be slain by brute force.

Narrative: This can fit in very nicely with acquiring the first Power, which in this case would be Fire of the Heart.

Blackheart has a Skaal Shaman Adviser who is actually the man behind the death of Thane's crippled Father. The Skaal Shaman in a vision was told to imbibe a special blade with a Hex and travel to Greenthaw to trap (Thane's father) in limbo and steal his Earthly remains in the form of a Dreugr, as thane's father was once a mighty warrior and this addition to the shamans Dreugr ranks will be of great benefit to Blackheart's endeavours.

Blackheart, under the advice of his shaman Advisor travels to Greenthaw and slays the crippled man with the cursed blade, stopping his soul from passing over to Aetherius, instead his divine spark is trapped in limbo, while his earthly remains are withered and deformed into a Dreugr, animated by the Skaal shaman's whim.

Here the Skaal shaman along with Blackheart's forces take Thane's father in Greugr form along with them to join the ranks of Dreugr the shaman has under his power as part of their forces.

There comes a point in the story where Thane must face his Dreugr turned father in battle after making a pact with one of the Aedra (to be established) to save his soul.

After speaking with the Aedra at length and explaining his righteous path, that of a contender of the challenge of the north, that his heart is burdened with that of his fathers insidious fate and without putting this burden to rest he cannot walk the path he must. The Aedra tells him he must release his father from Nirnic bond (re: earthly bond) to break the shamans grip. This will mean causing his father great pain by slaying him, and having the courage to face the man he has cared for for so long while knowing this.

A true test of valiance and altruism. Only if Thane can carry out this difficult task and break the Shamans grip will the Aedra be able to ensure safe passage of his father's divine spark through to Aetherius.

When Thane confronts his father and slays him, his father is indeed set free and Thane receives message from the Aedra that in so doing he has passed the first trial and is bestowed with the Fire of the Heart through showing true valiance and righteousness in the face of a great moral dilemma and truly difficult decision.

Each trial is an avatar, a mere catalyst and never set in stone until the pieces connect, this is why the challenge of the north is so rare to have been completed as the challenge literally does not exist until one with a true heart and reason for contending the trials attempts the challenge. And then not even so unless the gods favor upon this and set within the scrolls that which needs be to allow the path to be walked within mundus.

Thane will slowly find out through his journey that much larger forces are at play in shaping his fate, that he is the lynch pin in a much larger and deeper plot, and his mission has been etched into the Scrolls for time immemorial.
- Think: Who was behind the vision the shaman had? Was this instruction to the shaman part of a larger plot, did the forces that see know that Thane's father being slain would trigger Thane's quest to partake the Challenge of the north, ultimately heralding the coming of the Dovahkiin in time for the return of Alduin

- Fun fact: Alduin (the name of the great dragon beast at the center of the SKYRIM narrative) is the Nordic name for Akatosh!!! This means the great Et'Ada Akatosh, the time dragon, the first to form from the void and herald in the concept of time, crystalising all into a linear flow, allowing creation to manifest. Is also the Destroyer of worlds! the One who turns bad once in every heck of a long time and destroys the entirety of existence, in-order for it all to be restarted afresh.
I don't know about you but i thought that was a pretty sick thing, the highest and most trusted and revered being in the pantheon is also its greatest adversary. Reminds me of the dual nature of Sheogorath and Jyggalag. Meh.

Boss idea 2: Gehenoth - I couldn't find much information on this beast, except that it resides in the wilderness near Dawnstar, a northern city in Skyrim. The creature itself plays a majour role in the story line of the game Dawnstar, an ES mini game for phones.
- "Warning horns sound as the Ice Tribes and their monstrous allies appear at the walls of Dawnstar. Sheer numbers allow some to slip through the defenses. You must track down and destroy the interlopers before they become too numerous and overwhelm Dawnstar. Kill the Gehenoth to win. For revealing the traitor Governor Cyril Vinticae gives you the Starfrost, a magical frost which focuses the prayers of Dawnstar and the power of elemental winter through the user. With this power you just might win. To battle!"

We can use this to our aid by tying in the need to find Starfrost before facing the Gehenoth.

I have not really been able to develop this Boss idea as much as the Dreugr but i think its a pretty decent idea non the less as it stays true to Skyrim lore.

This needs to be developed further if it is chosen to be put in game.

Boss Idea 3: Grahl -"Known as "ice trolls," these powerful creatures share their mainland counterparts' regeneration and vulnerability to fire, which even hinders the former ability. They are often found in ice caves."

As Grahl's fulfill more of a generic enemy role. The boss in this case would be more along the lines of a "Mighty Grahl". To me this Boss feels more like a sub boss with far less room to tie its presence into the over arching narrative progression. Though as it comprises an icy nature i felt i had to propose this as a possibility as at this point in development too much is always better than too little.

Again the narrative in this case will need to be developed further if this is chosen to be placed in game.

Boss Idea 4: Hulking Fabricant - "A rare construct created by Sotha Sil. Resistant to paralysis and shock and capable of regenerating damage."
OR
Veminous Fabricant - "A rare construct created by Sotha Sil. Immune to paralysis and poison and is weak to shock damage."

I have chosen to add this Boss idea because of Bloom's desire to include Volcano environment. To understand why please refer to this background information on Sotha Sil (http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Lore:Sotha_Sil).

Taking note of Sotha Sil's involvement with the Tribunal and Red mountain, where at times in the past the tribunal resided there for periods of time. although Sotha Sil himself is now dead, it is not too far fetched to make the presumption Sotha Sil may at some point during his life have left a Hulking Fabricant somewhere on red mountain guarding some form of precious artifact.
To keep things simple we could place the hulking fabricant in one of the many Dwemer ruins scattered over Red Mountain. This also gives us the chance to include another environment type: Dwemer ruins.

And of course...

Boss Idea 5: Udyrfrykte - "A fearsome beast known to terrorize Solstheim and Cyrodiil, seemingly related to trolls."
http://images.uesp.net//1/1d/Beastofthirsk.jpg

As of Blooms proposal The Udyrfrykte is up on the table for possible boss usage. The Udyrfrykte makes it appearance in a quest in the bloodmoon expansion of Morrowind. Check the quest information here (http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Bloodmoon:The_Mead_Hall_Massacre).

The Udyrfrykte saga also continues on Oblivion up on Dive Rock in the jerall mountains to the North east of Cyrodill in the manner of The Uderfrykte Matron (http://www.uesp.net/wiki/Oblivion:The_Horror_of_Dive_Rock). (note the spelling difference between the two names, possible cultural differences between Nordic and Imperial spelling?).
In Oblivion a beast of a seemingly similar or identical nature exists, this gives rise to the possibility of a race of Udyrfrykte creatures. Using this trail of logic we can place on of these beasts somewhere within the challenge of the north plot line.
Of course we could combine this and the Grahl boss and come up with some form of Ice based Udyrfrykte Boss.
Again If this boss is chosen to be used in challenge of the north the appropriate narrative needs to be developed.

Tertiary Developments

Introducing the Falmer
Falmer, or Snow Elves, are a race of Mer (Elves) that lived on the continent of Tamriel.

The Falmer, like many elves, were proud people with an unusually high skill at magic. They had a strong resistance to frost as their skin was coated with a thin layer of blue-white ice. The type of dwellings they lived in is unknown. The only known weapon that they used is the spear of the Snow Prince, described in "Fall of the Snow Prince". It is rumored to be kept in the tomb of the snow prince littered with other treasures. The spear could simply absorb the life out of its opponents and transfer their energy to him, finishing the foe with a powerful frost blow. Many adventurers have attempted to find the tomb but none have prevailed. The Falmer were an energetic race but also a race that generally kept to themselves; hence little is known about them.

History
It is believed that the Falmer were the original elven inhabitants of Skyrim, the northernmost province of the continent, and were defeated and displaced by the Nords. The Pocket Guide to the Empire's Skyrim chapter mentions the Snow Elves as a local superstition, with Nord villagers blaming them for a number of random misfortunes and scant physical evidence of their existence.

Little is truly known about the Falmer. No cities have been found, and only one book remains (see below). They fought endlessly with Nords, since the latter were in their expansion campaigns. It was in this time that Nords and Dunmer were battling in Vvardenfell. The Falmer had a presence on Solstheim north of the island of Vvardenfell.

There exist four opposed hypotheses about the fate of the Falmer. The Skaal claim that the pesky Rieklings are, in fact, descended from the Falmer. Conversely, the Altmer in Raven Rock claim that the Rieklings are simply snow goblins, and that the Snow Elves have blended with the other elven races through interbreeding. The book Fall of the Snow Prince, found in a burial barrow, seemingly supports the second hypothesis, describing the fall of the Snow Prince, an elven leader who faced the Nords in the Battle of Moesring.

A third theory considers that there is also the possibility that genocide was committed upon the Falmer, and if so, likely by the Nords during aggressive wars for territory. A scholar who traveled to Solstheim (circa Nerevarine) in search of these elusive beings uncovered proof of their existence. He left for Skyrim, where he thought he might find more about this people.

Finally, it is theorized by some that the strange race known as Ice Warriors, found in the icy caves of Glacier Crawl may be the last remnants of the lost race of Falmer. These beings are uncommunicative with outsiders, but are icy blue skinned humanoids, with features somewhat between Elven and Orcish.

According to Lore, it is quite possible for us to incorporate some form of Falmer elements into Challenge of the North. This could be in the form of:

Falmer Ruins. Akin to the Ayleid ruins of Cyrodill. These ruins will obviously be more Icy as the Falmer have only ever been cited to have existed in cold climates, not to mention them being the supposed original inhabitants of Skyrim.
Rieklings: - Rieklings are small creatures that appear in the winterly land of Solstheim. Despite their weak appearance, they offer quite a challenge, and carry their own variety of swords and shields. The native Nords believe they are descended from the Falmer.
- As the story is from a Nordic perspective Bands of Rieklings can make an appearance in game as generic enemies, Possibly found in and around Falmer ruins, further solidifying the Nordic belief that Rieklings are descendants of Falmer.

we also of course also have the possibility of weaving them more into the narrative, this will need to be looked into further.

------------

So this about covers Bosses. Please remember that if any of you have an opinion about any of the proposals listed in this post, or my previous post about Environments, post a reply! As a team we need communication as uttermost priority.
- Depending on which team you are in, different aspects of this information will relate to you, so please take from it what you will and begin to think about how you are to apply your area of work into the project, using this information as a basis, of course if you have any objections to my proposals or any ideas of your own say so. Remember that open discussion about any ideas that you have been inspired by while reading through this information is actively promoted so please speak out and get others opinions about what you intend to do.

More to come soon. Up next: Powers and abilities.

peace!

2011-03-13 03:06:00

Author:
Epicurean Dreamer

Posts: 224

IM BACK!!! Just finished exams and awaiting grades, so I'm getting back to work!

Excited about where the story is going and all the lore on Nirn! BTW My birfday just happened :3

2011-03-13 08:35:00

Author:
Unknown User

I would Gladly Help out!

And i could help out with the HUD, i am Great with logic!

2011-03-13 17:26:00

Author:
Gamerater15

Posts: 80

I would Gladly Help out!

And i could help out with the HUD, i am Great with logic!

Well I'd just like to say thanks for offering to help with Project Skyrim, but i believe and i think the rest of the team would agree with me, is that the team is complete as it is.
Although if we need an extra person on the team or someone needs replacing, we'll be sure to ask you first
Be sure to check this post regulary
Thanks

2011-03-13 18:01:00

Author:
Unknown User

Just wanted to quickly pop in with an update:

@ Epi - Fantastic use of research. A lot of these ideas are golden. I didn't read too thoroughly, but upon first glance, I dig the icy Uderfrykte boss idea, and I like the idea of setting one of the levels in an icy Falmer ruin. More on this later.

@ gamerater - As moorland has said, I think we're full up on team members atm. If anything opens up, however, I will let you know.

@ dman - welcome back, and happy b-day!

@ everyone - several days ago, Morland mentioned something to me that sounded like a good idea, and that's "feedback". So from here on out I would like every team to post some sort of feedback at least once a week. Either person in each team can post, and the post can be any number of things: what you're currently working on, ideas for the project, questions about the design, etc. As long as everyone is posting SOMETHING, and we're all at least trying to make some sort of progress each week. I think if we can do that, this game stands a great chance of becoming a reality. If you haven't checked out any of the other development threads on this board, let me tell you: we are one of the most focused and cooperative teams currently developing a project this ambitious in the entire lbp community. Mark my words, if we continue to work as a team this project WILL turn heads. This will be the sort of work you can show off as a portfolio piece to potential employers, should you have an interest in the game development industry.

Good work, everyone.

2011-03-14 02:30:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

Well, I've developed a small bit of terrain for TNSv and myself to look over. Shall update this post with the screenshot. Also, tinkering around with a dummy top-down doll for environmental puzzles though, if it's alright with you Bloom, could I grab ol' Thane to get a feel for expanding the environment if necessary. Epi: well done on awesome background info, I'm quite jelly

2011-03-14 09:27:00

Author:
XFennoX

Posts: 82

If you haven't checked out any of the other development threads on this board, let me tell you: we are one of the most focused and cooperative teams currently developing a project this ambitious in the entire lbp community. Mark my words, if we continue to work as a team this project WILL turn heads. This will be the sort of work you can show off as a portfolio piece to potential employers, should you have an interest in the game development industry.

Good work, everyone.

This may be a good few months down the line but i am absolutely dreading seeing the end of this (even though Project Skyrim will be amazing), because i'm having great fun and everyone in the team seems to get on with each other i was thinking (like i said it will be a good few months), maybe perhaps carry on creating as a team even after the completion of Skyrim, we hae some of the best LBP2 talent & its great fun :star:<3

2011-03-14 18:57:00

Author:
Unknown User

Yeah, I have two different variations of Thane you can use ready to go right now (the one from the demo, and then one that's not wearing the armor and doesn't have any of the powers.)

If you tell me exactly what you need in terms of powers and abilities, I can whip you up the appropriate character model.

2011-03-15 11:56:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

Probably just the base model: I haven't got the Valentines Day Pack or the 2000AD Costume Packs, so it may be a little difficult

also, my apologies for not being on as much. With all this school, it's hard to find time for LBP2 :C however, I will strive to find time for my comrades so we can make fantastic things!

2011-03-21 21:43:00

Author:
XFennoX

Posts: 82

Hey, people,
Just going to take a short two day break from Skyrim, been getting a few more tests at school so I need to concentrate on those !
sorry !

2011-03-21 23:48:00

Author:
Unknown User

I'm staying

2011-03-22 21:14:00

Author:
Unknown User

keepin an eye on this...goodluck with it

2011-03-23 11:28:00

Author:
Shadowcrazy

Posts: 3365

Sorry that I haven't been active on this lately, Bloom. Got hooked on Minecraft...

2011-03-23 20:05:00

Author:
TNSv

Posts: 302

If you haven't checked out any of the other development threads on this board, let me tell you: we are one of the most focused and cooperative teams currently developing a project this ambitious in the entire lbp community. Mark my words, if we continue to work as a team this project WILL turn heads. This will be the sort of work you can show off as a portfolio piece to potential employers, should you have an interest in the game development industry.

Good work, everyone.

It's funny that you should say that. Because yesterday afternoon, i received a letter in the mail telling me that i had been accepted into Southern Poly Technic State University to major in video game development & design!
So yeah... This is totally going into my portfolio ;3

I'm hoping we do so well that Bathesda actually notices and even puts some sort of easter egg in Skyrim about this. Or maybe even have an in-game book about Thane's quest.
That would be so freaking awesome! :3

By the way, i would like to point out that our hero's name is one letter away from being Tharn, the name of the villian in ESI: Arena.

2011-03-23 22:46:00

Author:
Unknown User

Hi guys! Long time no see

Sorry for going AWOL on you guys for the past few days. These last two weeks I have been taking an advanced defensive tactics course for my job, and it is no walk in the park. Essentially my life revolved around getting my butt kicked for 10 hours a day, and then coming home and crashing and falling asleep. Thankfully, I just finished today, but honestly I haven't gone through physical training that intensive since my Marine Corps days.

Anyways, now I finally have some time to rest so this weekend I intend to do nothing but park my tired rear end in front of the tv and play video games and eat junk food and be extremely lazy

Which means I will actually be able to get some stuff done on SKYRIM! (yay!) So once again I apologize for my absence. In the future, I'll try to give you guys some advanced warning if I will be gone for any extended length of time. That way no one feels like I bailed on them, lol.

However, some of you have sent me a few messages via PSN which prompted me to address a few things. First off is the fact that while we all love this project and it is important to us, it is not our job. No one is getting paid to contribute or help out. I don't want anyone to feel pressured or get upset that we don't make as much progress week-to-week as we would like to. There is no "hard deadline" that we have to abide by; we can take as much or as little time as we want. I also don't want anyone feeling guilty if they want to leave the project or work on something else for a while. I am not your boss, and you guys are my friends, not my employees. Please feel free at any time to go off and do what you want to do, even if that means laying off of LBP2 for a while! (I plan to get some Killzone 3 time in this weekend as well).

The whole point of this project is to make something ambitous and cool, but also to have fun while doing so. If we aren't having fun, then what's the point? Just something to keep in mind. Now, onto usual business.

- It's pretty apparent that a lot of our construction is on hold until we get some concrete designs in place, so that is something I hope to rectify this weekend. Since no one has come forward with an idea that they simply have to have in the game, I'm going to attempt to pull Epi into a chatroom sometime this weekend and just hammer out all of our fundamental design, so we can actually get to building and have some clear cut directions for you guys. I know it kinda feels like we're all treading water at this point and I apologize.

@ olookadeer - One of my priorities this weekend is to get you that character model you requested. I'm just gonna do a basic model (move and jump only) that will use as few decorations as possible and should give you an idea of the scale of the characters.

@ gamerboy - Congrats man! That is exciting news! Best of luck to you in your academic endeavors. And I hope this project exceeds expectations, too

2011-03-26 01:40:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

Just wanted to pop in and say we've hit a milestone. The SKYRIM demo has officially been hearted 500 times! So it looks like we have quite a few folks anticipating our little project.

Let's not disappoint them.

2011-03-28 18:50:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

Awesome and congrats!

Looking forward to some new screenies, etc

2011-03-28 20:53:00

Author:
Thegide

Posts: 1465

Hello again everyone you'll be happy to hear another burst of major developments have taken place recently. Me and Bloom spent a few hours last night in a meeting where we managed to get quite a bit planned out in regard to character progressions and all the little elements that add together to [hopefully] give the play style a very progressive, reactive and evolving feel. Not only this but if implemented correctly will add great replay-ability to Challenge of the North and add an enjoyably engaging strategy aspect to the game.

This is in the form of different character stats based around Thane himself and a number of different equipments (and equipment sets] that will be available to find and use in game. There is currently only a rudimentary outline right now. But the idea is pretty epic. I'll list out the different ideas thought up and try and go into them a little more where i can, again, it is advised that if any ideas come to mind when reading this please reply with your opinion, you may have an idea or way of coming at these concepts that blows everything else out of the water.

Firstly, the idea is to have The different attack and defense aspects in game based on an arbitrary value.

Mellie attack: will have an initial base value that scales as the character develops, this base value will be effected by different weapons currently equipped. The weapons themselves will have a certain style to them, Short swords will have a quicker attack speed, but will damage less, Long swords will be inverse, Axes will be slowest but cause the highest damage, e.t.c.

Ranged attack; will have its own mechanic, When you initiate a ranged attack a 'cone' will appear in-front of the character, the arrow/throwing axe e.t.c. will shoot forwards anywhere within that cone, the longer the ranged attack button is held the smaller the cone will get and the more accurate the shot will be. The time taken to 'aim' will be based on the base ranged attack value, this will also scale with the character. As with swords and Mellie attacks, the ranged attack value will be altered by different ranged weapons with a similar relationship, for example a bow and arrow will take less time to aim, but have a lower attack value than a throwing axe, which will inversely take longer to aim but a higher attack value. Potentially we can implement a 'maximum aim' limit for different weapons, in which case bows will always have a higher 'accuracy potential' than throwing axes e.t.c., so its a strategical decision based on the intended play style of the gamer.

Damage resistance: Damage resistance will be based on which armor set and shield thane is using. The armor will be a single item, I.E. an armor 'set', so we don't have to worry about the different pieces. Further more each armor set will have a specific nature, similar to the weapons, so for example there will be light armor, which will add less to the defense value, but will allow quicker movement. inversely there will be heavy armor which will be more 'tanky' but slow Thane down.

The shields will work in a similar manner but only add to the defense value when physically blocking.

On top of this, each piece of equipment may or may not have an 'attribute' linked to it, which will be an extra stat on top of the base stat change that item's type will alter on thane. This 'attribute' will be based around one of three strategical play styles, that of 'warrior' or Mellie class; 'Hunter' or ranged class; 'Mage' or magic class. There will be no class specific content in the game, the idea is to have Thane a mixture of all, but using certain item and weapon 'sets' in combination will exploit the mutually beneficial strengths of each item in the set. For example, using a Bow, light armor and light shield, all or most with stat bonuses to movement speed, Aim speed and accuracy will for all intents and purposes pose the possibility of playing as a 'hunter'.

To extend this, we may well create special sets of armor, shield and weapon, that when used together, grant an overall bonus to one of the play styles. basically an extended version of the above stated idea.

There is currently an idea to make 3 tiers for each item and armor type/set.

Magic was not discussed very much in depth, apart from the arbitrary decision to have magic involved in the game. More than likely we will focus on the basic Fire,frost and Shock damage types, with a restoration magic class for healing purposes. This is obviously up for debate. *hint hint*

Because of the different strategical decisions we are hopefully going to be able to seed into the gameplay, we have room to create enemies that are strategy specific. For example, certain enemies may be weak to a certain damage type over another, Or maybe other enemies are very hard to hit up close and rely on taking down from affar, either with a ranged weapon, or use of magic.

So this is pretty much the stat based stuff we discussed and decided on. Ideas? Thoughts?

2011-03-30 00:07:00

Author:
Epicurean Dreamer

Posts: 224

Back again, had Strepp throat all week (still do) it's gonna be a pain making up all my schoolwork but I'd like an update on what I'm suppose to be doing peez

2011-03-31 18:56:00

Author:
Unknown User

Oh yea congratz gamerboi

!!!!!!!!

2011-03-31 19:04:00

Author:
Unknown User

This is one heck of an awesome project you guys got here, look foward to it!! ^^

2011-03-31 19:06:00

Author:
Bloo_boy

Posts: 1019

Great to see it coming together !!
Would have liked to have been more in the loop with regards to the main ideas,
Been making sure my weekly SKYRIM update has useful info,
This needs to be more of a joint effort so i would like a bit more to do!!
Looking great so far !
Congrats goe's to Gamerboy, well done on being accepted
dman-good to have you bk, btw, take as much time as you need for catching up on your work !
bloom- great work on the enviro
dman & Riktoi will be taking orders from Epicurean_Dream, he'll be giving you jobs which might be a little logic heavy but i'm sure you'll manage!!
Keep up the good work everyone,
M<3

2011-04-01 21:53:00

Author:
Unknown User

I played a demo and was completely amazed.
Keep it going

2011-04-01 22:16:00

Author:
Unknown User

I also played the demo, and was VERY impressed with it, especially with the detail for a top down game. Good work guys, keep it up!

2011-04-03 02:35:00

Author:
iliketosayblah

Posts: 77

Hi guys!

Just a quick little update: I'm nearing the end of my training course (graduation is this Friday, Woohoo!!!), and while I don't know anything concrete yet, I think my schedule is going to change to a 4 days on/4 days off kind of thing, which should give me some chunks of time to work on Skyrim. I'll update you guys as soon as I learn anything definite.

As far as my personal contributions are going, I took a little break from environments and character design to play around with some original music for the game. I whipped up a melody and some harmonies and sent it over to Gamerboy; he'll have the final say on whether or not it's used. I encourage everyone who has even a smidgen of musical talent to do the same, and maybe, just maybe, we can build a pretty cool custom soundtrack for this game.

I would like to have another design meeting this weekend, because the last one was very productive. I'm gonna leave it as an open-call, and I'll try to post the topics of discussion on here beforehand so you all can start brainstorming ideas. Aside from that, keep your heads up; I know it's been sorta slow, but as soon as real life calms down a bit, production will pick up tremendously.

2011-04-06 03:24:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

I would like to have another design meeting this weekend, because the last one was very productive. I'm gonna leave it as an open-call, and I'll try to post the topics of discussion on here beforehand so you all can start brainstorming ideas. Aside from that, keep your heads up; I know it's been sorta slow, but as soon as real life calms down a bit, production will pick up tremendously.[/QUOTE]

Sounds cool!! Could you post the time the discussion will be? (Bearing in mind the time zones XD) Preferably over a PSN text chat.
Also, Easter break coming up soon, so i have a few weeks to concentrate on Skyrim and the CC13 entry, me Epicurean_Dream & Riktoi are making it together !

2011-04-06 21:06:00

Author:
Unknown User

Added a title screen photo to the front page

Also, I'd like to get some people together and have a design discussion sometime this evening. Everyone on the team is invited. The topic of discussion this time will be strictly about the main character and his capabilities and logical make-up. Stuff like animations, hit-boxes, equipment, etc. Don't have a specific time set, but plan on it being Approx 10:00 pm (2200) US eastern time.

Hope you guys will participate

2011-04-10 19:12:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

We should make a sort of teaser trailer for Project Skyrim. Including the PSN of the people involved. Maybe a short demo of the gameplay. Got to keep the momentum going.

Also, still not sure where ayournamehere & patrickp4 stand. Since this project has began I've had no contact with them at all. Even after sending a couple PSN requests.
We should maybe start thinking about cutting them from the team if they continue to remain idle. I'm not sure.

2011-04-13 08:15:00

Author:
Unknown User

On a note not related to Skyrim. (Sorry for using this thread bloom but we're both on the team XD)
Regards to the CC13 entry me, epicurean_dream and Riktoi have been making-
Me and Riktoi have started the main enviroment (nearly done), we just need to know about how far you are with regards to the actual Jelly (Submarine). The entry is due this by 23.59 GMT this Sunday. I'll be unavailable for the most of Saturday and as this means a lot to me, I'm stressing we'll miss the deadline.
I've been sending you PSN messages but they've all been ignored.
Please help me out here.

2011-04-15 12:30:00

Author:
Unknown User

Small update:

Greenthaw Village is about 85% complete. Once it's done, work will begin on the Ivory Forest. These two levels together will comprise episode 1 of our saga, so we're about halfway to our first release!

I've been simplifying and focusing the storyline for the sake of brevity (and because if I didn't, this thing might never see the light of day). I think I will also be downsizing the team in the near future. Just the nature of the beast. I appreciate everyone's help and input thus far. Be on the lookout for photos soon.

2011-04-20 04:24:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

I think I will also be downsizing the team in the near future. Just the nature of the beast. I appreciate everyone's help and input thus far.

I was beginning to believe you may have 'over-employed'.
Just saying, I would still love to stay on board with this project and I hope that you keep me.
Potential removals, I'd say are: ohlookadeer , patrickp4 , ayournamehere (taking into account that ayournamehere & patrickp4 have done nothing to help. Another, no offence to dman517, he's a friend and he wants to help but has nothing given to him. But do we need him on board after the inclusion of Epicurean?
Looking forward to seeing Greenthaw completed. If we didn't have that thermo we'd be gold. We could if we wanted, draw a little inspiratin from the Frozen Flame series with regards to HOW IN THE HELL DID THEY MAKE ALL THAT WITH THE THERMO? The logical answer has to be the logic.

2011-04-20 07:51:00

Author:
Unknown User

Hey everyone! Terribly sorry about my absense: combination of mass amounts of study and the fact that my bro took the PS3 with the ohlookadeer account and all DLC, just so he could have one game of Warhawk and never touch it again, has accumulated my absense into a rather large pile of *expletive*. If there is any way to recover accounts on different PS3's, that'd be both fantastic and utterly necessary to allow me to continue with the Project. I should be online once the PS3 server maintenance is completed and I recover my account/DLC to the other PS3. Once again, many apologies for me inconveniencing the runnings of this project.

2011-04-26 15:33:00

Author:
XFennoX

Posts: 82

Oh man, I would love to help in any way possible.

I am awesome with logic. I can show you some things I've made and a few of my levels as proof. I'd be more than happy to help in any way you think I could.

I'm 22, currently in Ohio. Shoot me a message or an invite once PSN goes back up and I'll show you anything you want to see.

2011-04-26 16:09:00

Author:
the Ion Pulsar

Posts: 172

I am ignition246. I loved oblivion. I am very into architecture and could help design cities and whatnot.

2011-04-26 19:40:00

Author:
Ignition246

Posts: 156

@ Ohlookadeer - No need to apologize. Real life trumps video games any day of the week in my book. It may be, however, that we just don't have an assignment for you. I've pretty much taken over 100% of building the environments, and Epi and the logic team are handling the logic bits, so that doesn't leave a whole lot left. (Speaking of Epi, I haven't heard from him in a while, anyone know where he is?)

What I might do is give some team members a crack at designing a few of the environments, just to spread the work load out a bit. However, there is a seriously high level of detail and professionalism that needs to be met when crafting these, and I'm not yet convinced that everyone on the team has the creative chops to pull it off. We shall see.

Also, ***** Sony and this retarded PSN business. It's seriously affecting my workflow.

2011-04-27 15:28:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

Seems like something to keep an eye out for. Or mabye two

Any expected release date?

2011-04-27 17:10:00

Author:
SPARTANDUDE924

Posts: 285

@bloomchild
That's quite alright

I could probably come in and help with design/anything else that needs extra assistance with.

@SPARTANDUDE924
I would probably apply two of those peepers to this project. Then grow some more and fix those on here too

2011-04-27 22:57:00

Author:
XFennoX

Posts: 82

''If there is any way to recover accounts on different PS3's, that'd be both fantastic and utterly necessary to allow me to continue with the Project'' Quote- ohloookadeer
Well, when you create a new user an existiing PS3 or a new one, whilst on the XMB, scroll over to 'Playstation Network'
If its on a new user, there should be a 'Sign up for Playstation Network' . Click that. Then Click ''Use an existing account'' Then log in using your normal details for your ohllookadeer ID. You will then of course be able to re-download all your purchased DLC on to the new PS3 from your download history. Hope this helps!

bloom- I may have failed at the enviro job once XD; but i've learnt a lot since and I was hoping if you could check out my new level i'm making. its a relaxing platformer with nearly all the focous going towards the design. looking forward to the network coming back online.
Still strongly believe its time to cut ayournamehere & patrickp4 from the team but at the end of the day its your call.
With regards to epic, ain't got a clue.

2011-04-28 18:41:00

Author:
Unknown User

Thanks heaps Morland

once PSN comes back on, I'll re-download my account

2011-04-28 22:52:00

Author:
XFennoX

Posts: 82

I'm terribly sorry for my absence. I got my graduation gift (an MSI gaming laptop) a couple of months early during the last week of March and I've let myself get absorbed in it's awesomeness. I'm sad to say i have made no further progress in regard to new music for the project and I'm extremely sorry for that. I must admit I'm not very good at coming up with music from scratch; I'm much better at taking already made songs and rebuilding them note by note in LBP2. To do this i would need some kind of sheet music or other visual aid so i know what notes are being played. However, this would be very inefficient and time consuming for me to do on my own.
In other words, we need someone else who's better at creating music than me. I'm not good enough to do this all on my own

And to be quite honest i would probably be exponentially more valuable if i was given a logic based assignment to work on. I've been in at least one programming class for the past 4 semesters and i know my way around problem solving. To give you an idea of my experience: Last semester i worked with one of my friends in our Intermediate programming class to create a program that would encrypt any message we gave it into a randomly generated image and then decode that message and display it on the screen.

I'll let this serve as my long overdue intro to the group. <_<;

2011-05-03 02:56:00

Author:
Unknown User

Grrr... PSN is really starting to grate on me.

@ Morland - Sure, I'll take a look. No promises, though.

@ Gamerboy - Good to hear from you again. That's no problem about the music, we can outsource that and fold you into Epi's team (if he ever shows up again).

Progress will begin again in earnest once Sony gets their **** together and brings PSN back online.

2011-05-04 01:08:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

I'm sure you guys will find Dream again once PSN is up. He seemed pretty into the project and has put too much effort into it it to simply walk away. Just need PSN to come back up.

2011-05-04 02:19:00

Author:
CYMBOL

Posts: 1230

Looking forward to seeing Greenthaw completed. If we didn't have that thermo we'd be gold. We could if we wanted, draw a little inspiratin from the Frozen Flame series with regards to HOW IN THE HELL DID THEY MAKE ALL THAT WITH THE THERMO? The logical answer has to be the logic.

There's a few logical answers. One is to optimize your logic sure, but you also need to critically evaluate your functional requirements. I've seen a lot of HP systems advertised around here that are impressive sure, but often overkill for what the level really needs. If the player can't easily tell the difference between a simple HP system and a hugely complex one, then stick with the simple.

Complex circuits tend to start eating up huge amounts of thermo once you've replicated them a couple of dozen times. Frozen flame is easy to analyze, because every time you leave an area and come back, the mobs have respawned. So that tells you that monster objects are dynamically emitted. A smart designer would also demit monsters when the player leaves an area, guaranteeing you that the game engine never needs to handle more than a handful of complex objects, like monsters.

You can take this one step further if you're planning on being gluttonous with your decorations, and emit/demit entire sections of level for extra savings. Yes, it's a pain, but it works marvelously well, allowing you to build levels that far exceed your working thermo capacity.

2011-05-04 02:45:00

Author:
Thegide

Posts: 1465

There's a few logical answers. One is to optimize your logic sure, but you also need to critically evaluate your functional requirements. I've seen a lot of HP systems advertised around here that are impressive sure, but often overkill for what the level really needs. If the player can't easily tell the difference between a simple HP system and a hugely complex one, then stick with the simple.

Complex circuits tend to start eating up huge amounts of thermo once you've replicated them a couple of dozen times. Frozen flame is easy to analyze, because every time you leave an area and come back, the mobs have respawned. So that tells you that monster objects are dynamically emitted. A smart designer would also demit monsters when the player leaves an area, guaranteeing you that the game engine never needs to handle more than a handful of complex objects, like monsters.

You can take this one step further if you're planning on being gluttonous with your decorations, and emit/demit entire sections of level for extra savings. Yes, it's a pain, but it works marvelously well, allowing you to build levels that far exceed your working thermo capacity.

That's actually a freaking genius idea. That will definitely help me save some thermo in the more "foresty" levels. I'll have to give that a try.

2011-05-04 20:02:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

Uhmmm Epicurean_Dream....?? Getting a bit worried... I don't see how he can instantly seem to forget about the P Skyrim. Everyone deserves a break but I've not heard nothing for a while. But, we've had two team members already come back after a disappearance XD. Good to have both ohlookadeer and Gamerboy back. Even though unfortunately their return coincided with the PSN downtime.
Hopefully, I believe it will only be a few days before everything is back to normal again.
One question to bloom- how do we plan to 'evovle' Thane as a character. My guess is extra abliities etc and unlockable items maybe?
I'm inlcuding a link to a Youtube video of an LBP2 BETA level. Ignore the combat etc. The main thing I want you to focous on is the 'menu' in which the player selcets the armour/weapons the playable character wears/uses. It would be nice to perhaps mimic it or develop the idea further in P Skyrim--
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lQl0LxVzOTM

2011-05-07 14:29:00

Author:
Unknown User

Hi everyone !
I'm not sure I am the best person for this project. I might quit but I am un-decided whether to or not. Bloom, you may want to get someone ready on stand-by to replace me if needed. My whole life sucks : / . Thanks for letting me be part of this amazing project no matter how small I participated. Just so depressed lately and I just need some time to think.

2011-05-13 17:23:00

Author:
Unknown User

DOES ANYONE ACTUALY READ MY POSTS, IF YOU DO AT LEAST SHOW SOME NOTIFICATIION!!!

(TALKING TO THE SO CALLED "TEAM")

2011-05-15 18:12:00

Author:
Unknown User

Yo team. Been on a bit of a hiatus. I got pretty burnt out spending so much time on LBP so took a break from everything and got stuck into some other stuff. I've got back into music production and I've been brushing up on composition theory. Pretty much got my head round Modes (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Musical_mode), The circle of fifths (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Circle_of_fifths) and modal interchange (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Modal_interchange) (which have all been plaguing me for a while!) So Gamerboy, I'de be happy getting stuck into making some sound-scapes for Skyrim with you! (check out this track i'm pretty much finished with, just needs a bit more mastering... Rainy Days (http://soundcloud.com/tiger_widow/chilled-mid-master-mark-5a#), So yup, if your stuck for musical ideas we should meet minds. I'm flooding with musicality at the moment!

Also just finished reading 1984. absolutely amazing book! I Implore everyone should read that book its one of 'those things you need to do before you die'

Anyway. Back to more Skyrim related stuff. My girl pre-ordered a copy of it when we were in town the other day so i'm well stoked!

Also just before PSN went down i was looking into yet another way of dealing with the HP/stats e.t.c. and decided to go back to using analogue... yeh laugh it up, i did. The Binary approach, allthough work amazingly well is incredibly over complicated and too much of a resource hog. I'm pretty certain I've got a way figured that we can use Analogue to have a dynamic HP limitation, represent it as a bar AND optionally represent it as a digital readout. All with a fraction of the components (and thermo) needed to do the same with a binary system. So all thats groovy.

Hows everything else coming along? I understand everything has been on hold pretty much since PSN went down. So if nothing else this is a message from me saying I'm still here! and I'm ready to get stuck back into Project Skyrim now PSNs come back online.

peace!

2011-05-16 16:09:00

Author:
Epicurean Dreamer

Posts: 224

Yay

Good to see you back, Epi. I've kinda been taking a break from LBP as well. However, I have been working a bit on restructuring Greenthaw so that it dynamically emits and de-emits according to where the player is. Looks like it's going to save us some thermo space.

I'm having lots of problems when it comes to swapping out character models, though. The camera on the new model never seems to register properly. Perhaps some of you guys could help me deduce what's wrong with it later this weekend.

2011-05-16 22:49:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

Hows everything else coming along?

YOU DO NOT EVEN KNOW HOW, EXCUSE MY LANGUAGE, ****** OFF I WAS WHEN YOU BASICALLY DITCHED ME AND RIKTOI RIGHT AT THE LAST MINUTE WITH REGARDS TO THE CC13 ENTRY.....

I KNOW THERE'S PEOPLE NEED A BREAK ETC BUT A LITTLE WORD IN ADVANCE PERHAPS ?????!!!!!!
AND BLOOM- YOU ALWAYS SAY ABOUT HOW MUCH WE SHOULD CONTRIBUTE IDEAS, I POSTED ONE AND YOU IGNORE IT COMPLETELY

lol i joined the team as something fun...

2011-05-17 16:17:00

Author:
Unknown User

2011-05-20 10:31:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

So are there any new screenshots?

I dont really feel like scrolling through all the pages ._.

2011-05-21 08:03:00

Author:
SPARTANDUDE924

Posts: 285

Morland, you're off the team. You have some good qualities, and I appreciate your enthusiasm, but based on your attitude on these boards and some of our interactions over PSN, I feel that you lack the emotional maturity required to operate on this team, and I think you have some issues within your personal life that need straightening out. Best of luck to you in the future. And remember, this is a game. Have fun, and don't take it so seriously.

I was actually just going to apologise and tell you the reason why I seemed so stressed. The reason being was a number of important exams which, thankfully, went well. Looking back I did take it a bit to serious, and I'm sorry , but when I'm anxious/stressed small things get to me. Skyrim is an awesome project and I've put a lot of my spare time into it,
Is there any chance of you changing your mind?

All I'd like is just one more chance is all.

2011-05-21 11:01:00

Author:
Unknown User

Ok I saw a link to a trailer for this, But it didn't work.

Whats the name of the video, I'm anxious to see how this project looks.

Because Skyrim isn't even out and I already love it. Lol.

Perhaps this will tide me over. We'll actually im sure it wont last that long, but still.

Atleast screen shots?

2011-05-29 08:00:00

Author:
SPARTANDUDE924

Posts: 285

Guys, I'm canceling this project. My heart's not in it anymore, and everytime I work on it, I find myself not having any fun, which is pretty much the whole point of playing. I appreciate everyone's work and input thus far. Take care.

2011-06-03 03:30:00

Author:
bloomchild

Posts: 74

Bah, I was looking forward to seeing what you all accomplished. Anyhow, good luck with any future endeavors, whether they be LBP related or not.

2011-06-04 05:50:00

Author:
SSTAGG1

Posts: 1136

Can you upload some pictures of what you had?

2011-06-04 08:28:00

Author:
SPARTANDUDE924

Posts: 285

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