Mountains

Author	Topic: Mountains
Icshi Mongolian Barbeque Member # 1528	written Wednesday, August 6 2003 10:29 Profile #0 Speaking as a self-acknowledged complete ignoramus when it comes to computer programming and graphics, I hope my humble suggestion does not bring down the wrath and scorn of those more skilled in such matters. I'm not too persnickety about graphics and suchlike in computer games -- in fact, I often prefer them nice and simple, rather than so fancy that it detracts from the story or consumes so much processing power that the game is as likely to crash as run. I love the graphics of all the Spiderweb games, and am quite content with their level of complexity and the talent that went into making them. But there is one minor thing that mildly annoyed me when playing outdoor games such as Nethergate and Avernum 3: no mountain graphics. In their place were high brown walls enclosing a black expanse. The same goes for when you're in town mode in an area surrounded by mountainous terrain. This didn't matter so much in Avernum 1 and 2, since they were underground and therefore such areas really were just walls. Since Blades of Avernum will be more than just the latest Avernum game, but a device for creating an endless variety of smaller ones, I was wondering if maybe Jeff could invest the time and effort to produce at least a few rudimentary mountain graphics to further enrich the visual aspect of the game. For all I know, this could either be extremely difficult and therefore isn't going to happen, or it's already in the works. Please note that I'll still be quite happy with the end result no matter what that might be. It's just something I thought would further benefit an already excellent set of graphics. Posts: 907 | Registered: Monday, July 15 2002 07:00
*i The Establishment Member # 6	written Wednesday, August 6 2003 11:07 Profile #1 Either way, we should have the ability to make custom graphics. Meaning even if it is not included, we can still make them anyway. -------------------- Your flower power is no match for my glower power! Posts: 3726 | Registered: Tuesday, September 18 2001 07:00
Icshi Mongolian Barbeque Member # 1528	written Wednesday, August 6 2003 13:15 Profile #2 Oh yeah! Nifty. I hadn't thought of that. Due to my lack of talent in that area, I'll just cross my fingers and hope someone else makes a set of nice mountain graphics and posts them somewhere for others to use. Posts: 907 | Registered: Monday, July 15 2002 07:00
demonslay3r Guardian Member # 2238	written Wednesday, August 6 2003 14:27 Profile Homepage #3 Well now that you've mentioned it, someone is bound to make some. I'd do it myself, but terrain graphics aren't quite my forte. -------------------- DEMON PLAY, DEMON OUT! Posts: 1582 | Registered: Wednesday, November 13 2002 08:00
The Almighty Doer of Stuff Shaper Member # 73	written Wednesday, August 6 2003 14:33 Profile #4 Motekye is good at making terrain graphics, but he hasn't been around for a while, to the best of my knowledge. Although, his graphics look like shrunken photos to me. I could be wrong, though. -------------------- My Myspace, with some of my audial and visual art The Lyceum - The Headquarters of the Blades designing community The Louvre - The Blades of Avernum graphics database Alexandria - The Blades of Exile Scenario database BoE Webring - Self explanatory Polaris - Free porn here Odd Todd - Fun for the unemployed (and everyone else too) They Might Be Giants - Four websites for one of the greatest bands in existance -------------------- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 Posts: 2957 | Registered: Thursday, October 4 2001 07:00
demonslay3r Guardian Member # 2238	written Wednesday, August 6 2003 15:04 Profile Homepage #5 Yea I'm a friend of Motekye's, and I haven't seen him post here for ages. I think he's out of town this week as well... I haven't seen him on AIM to discuss some things BOA related. And are shrunken photos a bad thing? Heck, their a lot easier to make, and usually look a lot better. -------------------- DEMON PLAY, DEMON OUT! Posts: 1582 | Registered: Wednesday, November 13 2002 08:00
Kennedy Warrior Member # 1016	written Wednesday, August 6 2003 19:45 Profile #6 One way a designer might may be able to sort of implemement mountains would be to place a sloped area on top of a cliff. It would look better then the standard walls used to simulate them. Then the user could use a flying spell to "climb" the mountains (like in exile). A different option on Spiderweb's end would be to add the possibility of two-story, steep floor slopes, (kind of like tall trees). This would probably be the most pleasing to the eye but be much harder to program. That way if the flight spell runs out over a steep slope the player could take damage when they make a rough landing. Posts: 141 | Registered: Saturday, April 20 2002 07:00
Arancaytar Law Bringer Member # 2984	written Wednesday, August 6 2003 20:26 Profile Homepage #7 Taking damage when crashlanding on mountains? That would be *really* cool. I hated those instadeaths just because I miscalculated the number of mountain squares in Exile. And it would make it possible actually flying over mountains! That's what I hated in BoA. Someone might even come up with a way to make the party actually appear hovering over the ground, though I doubt it. ;) -------------------- Encyclopaedia • Archives • Members • RSS [Topic / Forum] • Blog • Polaris • NaNoWriMo Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. I have a love of woodwind instruments. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00
qwd BANNED Member # 3121	written Thursday, August 7 2003 00:37 Profile Homepage #8 Motekai COULD in theory be catched in TBH. I don't know. Haven't visited for ages. -------------------- The Great Mister kommari@gmail.com[/url] Posts: 761 | Registered: Thursday, June 19 2003 07:00
finlay Shock Trooper Member # 1207	written Saturday, August 16 2003 07:13 Profile #9 Maybe it could be a series of cliffs which the player can fly up. Maybe for "high mountains" there could be, instead, those wall things. Of course, the caves are set into the walls, so that would make caves almost impossible... Posts: 316 | Registered: Saturday, May 25 2002 07:00
Arancaytar Law Bringer Member # 2984	written Saturday, August 16 2003 08:55 Profile Homepage #10 Nope. You also have those 'tunnel'-like caverns, which can be set in hill slopes. So if you fiddle a little with custom graphics, you could make a cave entrance that is inside a cliff because a cliff is actually just a kind of slope, but without the curves. ;) So you could set caverns almost everywhere! :D -------------------- Encyclopaedia • Archives • Members • RSS [Topic / Forum] • Blog • Polaris • NaNoWriMo Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair. I have a love of woodwind instruments. Posts: 8752 | Registered: Wednesday, May 14 2003 07:00
finlay Shock Trooper Member # 1207	written Sunday, August 17 2003 09:18 Profile #11 Ooh, you could have high mountains be a sticking up obstacle like a tree with a custom graphic! :eek: Posts: 316 | Registered: Saturday, May 25 2002 07:00
Kennedy Warrior Member # 1016	written Sunday, August 17 2003 10:26 Profile #12 Well, they have two story water fall tiles so I guess making a two story slope may not be as hard as first thought. Then all there is left to do is make a custom script for those tile. So that the player won't be able to enter the tile unless they are flying. If they are on the tile and thier flight spell runs out then they "fall down the mountain" moving them out of the tile to one at the bottom of the slope and causing them damage. Hopefully when the beta beggins testing somebody will try and implement this idea. Posts: 141 | Registered: Saturday, April 20 2002 07:00