This mod has been released, see
https://forums.elementalgame.com/398661
This thread is the result of an idea I've been tossing around lately. This run is an experiment - either people will show interest, or the project will wither and die.
TL;DR: We need your help to design Elven city tiles.
A selection of a few of the completed buildings:
Right now, we have a few modders doing a lot of work on big projects. Joining a project can feel like a big commitment. The individual modder can sometimes feel that he wants to do something, but don't really have the time to see a project to the finish line. He wants to contribute, but not sign away his soul. Enter the community project. Your participation and contributions are just as much as you want them to be. A community project is many modders doing small parts to form a greater whole. The intention is to push content to the end-user as soon as possible. Rather than a few modders doing work on mods over many months, a community project is intended to reach maturity within a week or two. Once the project is done, the mod becomes public property and anyone can use it in the future for anything they want to.
For the first community project, I thought we'd put an elf race in this fantasy game. More precisely, I thought we'd put something that LOOKS like elves in the game.
General outline for mod to meet release conditions:
- Elves play as Kingdom with Kingdom technology and Kingdom magic (no custom technology or magic planned at this stage). This will ensure that the mod stays viable after the community project is finished.
- Elves have unique unit textures - they will look like elves ( http://i304.photobucket.com/albums/nn195/summersong/Elemental/Gaediila_0_2106408875-24.png )
- Elves live in Elf cities. In this case, they are Sylvan or Wood elves, so city tiles should look like they were built inside a forest. See more info below. (examples: https://forums.elementalgame.com/396593 )
- Elves ride Elf mounts (a larger variety of horses, including white ones).
- Elves wield elf bows. They have kingdom stats, but look elven.
- (Additional outline, not required for release): Elves wield elf melee weapons. They have kingdom stats, but look elven.
- (Additional outline, not required for release): Elves wield elven armor and elven shields. They have kingdom stats, but look elven.
Nit-picking stuff: For this community project, I will be the moderator. Translated to reality, that means that if a situation appears where the community is split between two choices, I choose one. It also falls on me to make sure that tasks are not duplicated (update this thread), and that the project stays usable after the game is patched. In extreme cases, I may turn down contributions if they lack quality.
If you are interested in helping out, post in the thread what you intend to contribute with. You can also e-mail me at outelf@gmail.com
Required Tasks
Red means the task has not been assigned
Orange means the task has been assigned, and you should preferably choose something else to contribute with
Green means the task has been completed (and the files have reached me)
Note: You don't need my permission to start working on a tile. This is just so that if you want to take your time working on something, you can reserve that task so noone can steal it from under your feet.
XML framework (Heavenfall with ideas from Wintersong). The mod requires an XML framework to link everything together. Specifically, the framework should include a non-invasive way to link the buildings together, a raceconfig, and a racetype so that custom factions may use everything.
Unit Textures (Raven X). Both female and male elven skins need to be made, I strongly suggest that you adopt the skins from fallen units, as they fit the models with pointy ears. In particular eyes, eyebrows and mouths need to be cleared up to appear less goth.
Bow models (3dgrunge)
Melee Weapon Models. In this area, anything is welcome.
(3dgrunge)
Extra assets:
New colours for apple trees and swamp trees
Example of completed buildings: http://img21.imageshack.us/img21/5113/elemental1285328784.jpg
City tiles. By far the largest part of the mod, and the part where we will need the most contributions. There is a HUGE freedom here for contributors to put their own flavour on buildings, but keep in mind that the theme you go by will not be reflected in all the other buildings.
There are two key words that I want to stress here. First, the elves live in the WOOD. That means their city should look like it could be part of a forest - elves are one with the forest, and all that. No cleared fields, no huge arenas for training. And please, try to mix the trees you use - both leaf trees and pine trees. Secondly, the elves live in a CITY. They do NOT live in tents, or miniscule huts on top of large trees. Buildings are absolutely okay.
I strongly recommend that you do NOT use a ground decal, for example something that makes the ground look beige or dusty. These decals have significant clipping issues in game, and frankly look off in a forest city.
I strongly suggest that you use LESS than thirty models in total. This is to make sure that the city can be viewed like any other city. In this area, I will be rather strict and may edit buildings.
Buildings MUST be built on the right amount of tiles. If a building requires 1 tile, it MUST use 1x1. If it requires 4 tiles, it MUST use the 2x2 format. Any building that doesn't follow this rule will be instantly rejected.
I must also insist that you provide TWO tiles for each building. The game can use a different tile while building something. I recommend that you first construct the final building and save. Then load, and remove some parts, add workers and ropes and whatnot, and save as something else.
I strongly suggest that you use the following colours when using the tile editor
While the colours may change for release, they will not change a lot.
City Cores (all are 4 tiles!):Being Built (oddrheia)Level 1 (oddrheia)Level 2 (oddrheia)Level 3 (oddrheia)Level 4 (oddrheia)Level 5 (oddrheia)
Regular Buildings:Workshop (Heavenfall)Watchtower (Jharii)Study (Jharii)Arcane Laboratory (Jharii)Merchant (Novaburst)Hut (crystlshake)House (Kalin)Barracks (Kalin)Command post (Kalin)War College (Kalin)Market (Kalin)School (4 tiles!) (jshores)University (4 tiles!) (John_Hughes)Trade Center (Kalin)Bazaar (4 tiles!) (Kalin)Pub (HooblaDan)Inn (Kalin)Great Theatre (oddrheia)Town Hall (Heavenfall)Palace (4 tiles!) (oddrheia)Irrigation System (Heavenfall)Guild Tribunal (Kalin)Mining Guild (Kalin)Smelter (oddrheia)Blacksmith (oddrheia)Farming Guild (crystlshake)Granary (crystlshake)Great Mill (4 tiles!) (oddrheia)Construction Yard (Heavenfall)Temple of Essence (oddrheia)Monastery (Heavenfall)Tower of Ereog (fairwater)Abbey of Izil (4 tiles!) (oddrheia)Missionary Hall (John_Hughes) Embassy (oddrheia)
Harbor (crystlshake)Super-unique buildingsMint of Ruvenna (4 tiles!) (oddrheia)Hosten's Library (4 tiles!) (John_Hughes) Wall buildings (the improvement built to make walls - these automatically upgrade)Hedge Wall (oddrheia)Fort (oddrheia)Fortress (oddrheia)
City wallsCitywalls (level 0) (Heavenfall)CityWalls_Hedge (level 1) (Heavenfall)CityWalls_picket (level 2) (Heavenfall)CityWalls_Advanced (level 3) (Heavenfall)
Shards (all these are 4 tiles):Fire Shard (Kalin)Water Shard (Djohaal)Earth Shard (Djohaal)Air Shard (Djohaal)World Resources (all these are 4 tiles):Iron Mine (John_Hughes)Ventri Mine (John_Hughes)Stone Quarry (John_Hughes)Clay Quarry (John_Hughes)Marble Quarry (Heavenfall)Farm (Heavenfall)Wheat Farm (crystlshake)Apiary (crystlshake)Orchard (crystlshake)Stable (crystlshake)Crystal Foundry (Kalin)Scenic View (oddrheia)Refugee Camp (John_Hughes)Oasis (John_Hughes)Gold Mine (Heavenfall)Lost Library (oddrheia)Ancient Temple (oddrheia)Lumbermill (be gentle!) (John_Hughes)
Diplomacy buildingsShrill (Kalin)Drath (Heavenfall)Dragon (oddrheia)Spider (oddrheia)
Contributions are mailed to outelf@gmail.com or uploaded and linked here in this thread.
Elf harbor reworked a little:
By [URL=http://profile.imageshack.us/user/crystlshake]crystlshake[/URL] at 2010-10-03
Elf Merchant's guild:
Elf Hut: -not sure how much I like this or not
Do you mind if we make it farming guild instead? The pools of water seem to suggest something is going on there like testing better sorts of seeds or something.
For the hut, you absolutely have to mix the trees more. Otherwise it will look repetitive on screen when the player has built 5-10 right next to each other. It will either way, but we can make it less repetitive.
Also, I would like to remove the water crystal from the harbor. It just does not fit. The harbor isn't any kind of magical.
Regarding the diplomacy units, I need people to claim them now. The goal is to release some time this week, and I need time to implement the diplomacy units properly. I've already called dibs on one, which means there are 2 more remaining. You also need to design the tile for the building (2x2) and it's "under construction" version. If people don't want to do that, we can just go with the standard diplomacy units. Point being, I'm not going to delay release just to get them in.
Feel free to assign it to the farming guild. You can cut out the crystal and its effect if you want. I might take another stab at the hut tomorrow after work. Start from scratch this time and borrow a few elements from the base structure see if i can work in more pines vs. other tree types when i make it as pine is a new growth tree.
Edit: New elf hut:
Looks like you guys have been busy while I was out today...
Anyways, given the problem with diplomacy tile spawn, we could design our custom units around it. Say, for example, the elven survivors broke up into multiple splinter groups, thus the goal of the diplomacy techs would be to try to unite all the groups together. This sounds like a pretty common elven problem/theme, so it should work.
One such group might be "The Spider Cult", who are experimenting with using spider poison to boost their physical strength. Normally they are outcasted by other elves, but in times of need, they can still be called in for service. Basically a foreshadowing for a "dark elf" plot...
The cult uses "Spider Brethren", who are basically elves corrupted/empowered by poison, they fight unarmed. To train these units they need to build a lab of some sort on top of a Spider Nest. (So this would basically be an unarmed elf with darker tinted skin. Maybe just wear a cloak or something to fit the theme.)
The cult also uses "Shrill Champion", who are basically a more powerful version of the Spider Brethren using captured Shrills. Again, this would need some type of lab on top of a Shrill Hive. (The shrills have more "intelligence" than spiders, so some light equipment and weapons can accommodate for the increased fighting ability.)
Another group would be "The Dragon Legion", basically elves who sought out the Drath and Dragons after the Cataclysm. These are more "pure" in nature than The Spider Cult, you might think of them as "high elves".
The Legion uses "Drath Guardian", elves who lived with and have trained side by side with the Drath. They don't have special strength like Cultist units, so they have to depend on powerful magical equipment (mounted, powerful lance and heavy armor - this one is for you Heavenfall ). To train these, you would naturally need somekind of fancy barracks on top of a Drath Village.
Then the last one, the "Forest Dragon" could just be a dragon that the Legion has asked for help.
You can also use this to explain all the "gold" cost to train these units. Thoughts?
War College?
http://img202.imageshack.us/img202/323/elemental1286171775.jpg
I like . The diplomacy explanation is also very cool! The only thing is, I'd really like to keep dragon units, not the dragon champions (elf units)... they were a highlight of the game for me along with that dragon quest... the background itself about seeking them out is great though.
Is there a way to add flavor text to the techs?
I think you can do it in the unit description and tech description, both should work.
Also:
http://img189.imageshack.us/img189/2710/elemental1286178295.jpg
How's that for a Shrill Lab? Didn't put trees in because I need the space for the shrills...
Yes, we can change the tech tree flavor as much as we want. I had to use a custom tech tree, but it is a carbon copy of the normal tech tree. Otherwise, if I just added our buildings to the vanilla techs, they would appear for other factions as well.
I like the explanation for the diplomacy units. So, dibs on the Drath Guardians!
Update on Shrill Lab:
http://img819.imageshack.us/img819/8831/elemental1286186162.jpg
Original
http://img835.imageshack.us/img835/4604/elemental1286186313.jpg
Elf:
http://img9.imageshack.us/img9/9472/elemental1286187607.jpg
Flavour text:
This Technology unveils a Drath village nearby. However, the village also has elves living in it.
Thousands of years ago, a fleeing company of elven cavalry happened upon a hidden Drath village. Though hostile at first, the Drath eventually helped the elves, recognizing their great plight. While staying under the Draths' care, the elves saw many virtues that were sadly lacking in the other sentient species in the world. The elves realized that the Drath and the elves could eventually come to co-exist, but the Drath were few in numbers while the elves lived in all the forests of the world. The elves, owing a blood debt by honor, swore to protect the Drath village.
When the elves of today re-discovered the Drath and tried to recruit them for their wars, the ancient Elven cavalry stated that they would take the place of the Drath. The Guardians of the Drath, recruitable from Drath villages, are ancient elven warriors who demand that payment be sent to the Drath for their services.
I'll grab the spider cultists and their building then, and that'll round up diplomacy related things, I think? Meanwhile, I'm fixing up the dragon roost with some greenery, so that one will be up soon. I've used 'dragon 4' creatures there, they are kind of greenish-black, the closest to 'forest' coloring I could find in the editor.
By the way, do you guys think I could get away with changing the original rock formation shape for the elven scenic view? Also, I'm going to prune the mint of ruvenna some. I err... got a bit overzealous with it and I highly doubt anyone would thank me for miniature houses, stained glass pieces and mini statues that I placed on the merchant stalls along other things .
And hey, Kalin, that building actually looks like a shrill Cool!
We are so close to finishing, I'm getting anxious! I really, really hope people will like this
Yes, you can change the rock formation.
PS. when you're doing the Build tile for the diplomacy tiles, don't waste any time. They are built in one turn.
Playing around with my earlier War College design, and got this:
http://img443.imageshack.us/img443/9890/elemental1286190999.jpg
Might work as a merchant guild or inn...
...no build tiles? *cough* I knew that. Really *stashes away the built tile*
Finished Dragon Roost:
xml:
Dragon Roost
Flavor text: Feel free to add to it, or fish for typos I figured the buggers cost an arm and a leg for the upkeep, so that gold got to go somewhere
This technology allows our people to use Draconic Speech, and construct Dragon Roost improvements.
Centuries past, in the midst of the Ancient woods lived Forest dragons. Rare and magnificent, they were creatures of myth even prior to the world-shattering events of the Cataclysm. Legends have it, that the great elven queen Isilme once came upon one such creature and struck a bargain with it: with gold and precious stones she would inlay the walls of the dragon lairs, and there will be no places more glorious, or filled with riches in all of the elven realm. In exchange the dragonkind would watch over her people and protect their forests from any who would do harm upon them.
Today, the elves have come upon a lair of the young forest dragons and reminded them of the ancient treaty drawn by their ancestor and the elven queen.
Oh my god they're so lazy... a single drath unit takes 15 turns to train, while a dragon, a shrill, a spider takes 3 turns. Guess why? Because they just TACKED ON the equipment like normal gear, instead of creating unique "sets". In fact the Drath has no attack or defense on it's own, it is 100% derivative of its gear. Laaaazy.
I'm definitely NOT going with the heavy cavalry look! The basic drath unit has 6 friggin armor.
Edit: LOL. A peasant with the basic leather gear and a shield has 7 defense.
New guardian. The Drath are faster than normal units, so a mount is warranted. Other than that... huge sword for large attack power.
Edit: Added light bracers.
Heh. Dragons are the only thing I train in my games, sadly. No other unit is worth their upkeep and training cost, imho. You can design better ones when you aren't even that deep into the warfare tree. Grab a rank in logistics, and well...
What I love the diplomacy units for is their uniqueness factor. They are, pardon my inner nerd, make the story of the faction I play more interesting. Too bad their balance is off the kiter.
Havenfall, do you think sometime after release, you could do some diplomacy unit re-balancing, perhaps?
Sounds boring.
LOVE: the new elf hut, dragon roost and the possibly new farming guild!
Like: the horse armor.
oddrheia there is a build tile, but it only shows one turn. What I meant was don't waste your life building a complex under construction version, just do it quickly. I still need a "under construction" version of the tile.
You also need to reupload the embassy WIP tile, I can't download it.
Kalin, looks good for a merchant guild, yes. I think the war college is a good start, but it's a bit too much tower and too little building, if you know what I mean.
Edit: Kalin, I reserved War College and Merchant's Guild for you. Let me know if I misinterpreted.
Edit2: Added diplomacy buildings to 1st post.
That sounds fine with me, I didn't love the war college anyways that's why I was messing around, heh.
Anyways, I don't remember Drath taking that long to build...
... oh wait, LOL, it's because they balanced the Great Scimitar, and it affected Drath as a result. It went from 30 atk down to 14, and turns to train went nuts.
I think we can file that under "bug" and should be pointed out to the devs. This might also be a good fix for your bug mod.
Here's the Great Scimitar entry from v1.07 (good thing I had a backup folder, lol):
<GameItemType InternalName="GreatScimitar"> <AdditionalTrainingTurns>4</AdditionalTrainingTurns> <!-- Equipment Display Name/Description --> <DisplayName>Great Scimitar</DisplayName> <Description>Only the mightiest warriors have the strength and speed to bring this two-handed scimitar to bear. Those who do strike fear into their foes.</Description> <ShopValue>475</ShopValue> <!-- Equipment Type --> <Type>Weapon</Type> <CanBeEquipped>1</CanBeEquipped> <Weight>581</Weight> <IsAvailableForSovereignCustomization>false</IsAvailableForSovereignCustomization> <WeaponType>TwoHanded</WeaponType> <Type>Defense</Type> <EquipSFX>Equip_Sword_01</EquipSFX> <EquipSFX>Equip_Sword_02</EquipSFX> <EquipSFX>Equip_Sword_03</EquipSFX> <EquipSFX>Equip_Sword_04</EquipSFX> <AttackSFX>Hit_BasicSword1</AttackSFX> <AttackSFX>Hit_BasicSword2</AttackSFX> <AttackSFX>Hit_BasicSword3</AttackSFX> <!-- Equipment Graphics --> <IconFile>GreatScimitar.png</IconFile> <TintR>15</TintR> <TintG>53</TintG> <TintB>230</TintB> <GameItemTypeModel> <ModelFile>gfx/hkb/Weapons/F_Sword_GreatSword_Baisc_01.hkb</ModelFile> <Texture_All>Gfx\HKB\Weapons\F_Swords_Basic_Texture_01.png</Texture_All> <Attachment>hand_right_Lcf</Attachment> </GameItemTypeModel> <!-- Equipment Production Requirements--> <ProductionRequirement> <Type>Resource</Type> <Attribute>Gold</Attribute> <Value>6</Value> </ProductionRequirement> <ProductionRequirement> <Type>Resource</Type> <Attribute>Metal</Attribute> <Value>3.0</Value> </ProductionRequirement> <ProductionRequirement> <Type>Resource</Type> <Attribute>Materials</Attribute> <Value>1.0</Value> </ProductionRequirement> <!-- Equipment Prerequisites --> <Prereq> <Type>Tech</Type> <Attribute>Weapons_Of_Victory_Trogs</Attribute> </Prereq> <!-- Equipment Modifiers --> <GameModifier> <ModType>Unit</ModType> <Attribute>AdjustUnitStat</Attribute> <StrVal>UnitStat_Attack</StrVal> <Value>30.0</Value> </GameModifier> <GameModifier> <ModType>Unit</ModType> <Attribute>AdjustUnitStat</Attribute> <StrVal>UnitStat_CuttingDamage</StrVal> </GameModifier> <GameModifier> <ModType>Unit</ModType> <Attribute>AdjustUnitStat</Attribute> <StrVal>UnitStat_CombatSpeed</StrVal> <Value>-0.5</Value> </GameModifier> </GameItemType>
Turns to train went from 4 to 12, Attack went from 30 to 14. 6 gold, 3 metal and 11 mats more... all for .5 combat speed.
You're right... I'll put in a report. I checked the other recruitables as well, so I'll post them for comparison.
Looking good all. Yesterday was a day of rest. Ok I was hung over, sue me. LOL. I will adjust the trees in the quarry and do a Build tile and send it on.
I will then check the list and select another target.
Heavenfall, I like the last Light Calvary entry.
Next target selected is... Oasis.
How does this look for the Shrill Champion?
http://img517.imageshack.us/img517/6063/elemental1286204155.jpg
Note that I'm using Wraith race for this one so that I can use their tattoos and recolor the skin.
Looks great. No problem using another modeltype. Just put up the xml when you're done.
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