Thanks for all the kind words! I know I don't post enough these days, but I found at one stage I was posting more than I was modding, and as I am a poor typist it seemed that I was putting the cart before the horse.
I have to say that I was disappointed with the quality of the video, it looked much better as an avi file, and compression did it no favours whatsoever. So I decided to put a few more screenshots up each with a brief description, so that you get an idea of where things are going.
I've been having a lot of fun with this mod, but there is still a hell of a long way to go, and I dread the gremlins that are going to appear when I do upload it. I try to keep up to date with developments, but it can be quite hard.
I was pleased with the music however, and will be putting out a small suite to accompany the mod. Indeed I promise not to play any electric guitar, and stick to the orchestral sounds on my triton.
Anyway, On to the screenshots.
looking-across-the-lake.
I've shown quite a few of variations of this photo, but keep coming back to it, because it makes such a good image. The castle is inspired by the Chataeux de Chillon on the shores of Lake Geneva, which I was lucky enough to visit last year. The castle itself will probably be the last thing I finish on this mod.
flowers-among-the-rocks.
This is quite interesting in that the image is taken on top of one of the cliffs that I made in Blender for the Strid valley gorge. Here you are looking inland, so to speak, the water you see is courtesy of Throttlekitty, enabling me to put water were it was previously impossible.
I have found this resource particularly useful, because as the water is not transparent, the oblivion tranparency bug does not manifest when you overlay it with an animated mesh of running water. This can make for much better rapids.
twilight.
This is a long way outside of Cyrodill on the far side of my mod.
Come-back-here-you-coward.
I test my pathgrids as I go, by letting this poor bandit chase me around Valenwood. Occasionally he has problems, here he couldn't climb out and got very upset.
The riverbed and the water were created in Blender, but would not have been possible without Texian's animated rivers, from which I borrowed extensively.
The-Beacon tower.
I wanted to build something entirely in the outside world. There are no load doors in this tower, and you can shoot at enemies through the windows. It does rain inside though, so I have made it quite a ramshackle affair, so that it does not seem too unnatural. It is the most ambititious model I have made so far and took a week to finish (In between work and life in the boring real world), but it makes a great way to view the surrounding scenery, so I expect they will pop up on most hilltops. In fact the baron who lives in the castle will need them to keep an eye open for marauding Daedra/Bandits/ or whoever the local villains might be.
View from inside the Beacon Tower
Say no more!
Sigurd-in-the-beaconkeepers cottage
Both the interior and exterior of this building were created in blender, as was some of the furniture, the most interesting feature however is the windows, as there is an exterior!
I got this idea from Wormtongues natural interiors mod, (Which remains on of my favourites). He was considering doing something similar, but left it as being altogether too ambitious. For the occasional interior, it makes an interesting exercise.
Some of the castle interiors could be well worthwhile. And this shows that even interior design can have a landscaping element.
A-ruined-keep.
This got done very quickly, but looked good from the word go, I have no idea what is inside though.
An-as-yet-unnamed-lake.
Once more far away from Cyrodill. I am doing the perimeter of my mod, in the perhaps vain hope that as I spiral towards the centre things will speed up a bit. So far I am about two thirds of the way round.
In-a-forest.
There will be a lot of trees in this mod.
birchwoods-and-heather.
I try to vary the flora whilst remaining reasonably true to life. If I was really ambitious, I might have a go at bluebells as ground cover as they are the most fantastic flower.
you-can-see-it-all-from-here
This is the highest point in the mod, a quiet and rather magical place, eventually there may be a low key ayleid ruin (with dungeon attached), in the meantime it is one of the best views outside of Cyrodill.
That is it as far as the pics are concerned.
Some people have asked about how close to the lore I am sticking; the truth is that I have largely ignored it (Though Bethesda have also played fast and loose, consider that Cyrodill and valenwood are supposed to be tropical jungle).
If after I finish other people want to adapt the mod, then that is fine.
Anyway I hope you enjoy the screenshots, and thanks again to everyone, when you get bogged down in your own mod, it can be inspirational to see what other people have done, and that has happened to me many times.
