Comments - Yithian

Thanks to everyone for the interest and encouragement. I'm still figuring out what I can and can't do with the engine, and still waiting on import/export scripts and scripting utilities, so progress might be a little slow at first. Be patient. I have no intention of abandoning this project.

I had Drakan: Ancient Gates for PS2. Absolutely loved that game. For some reason Skyrim reminds me of it. Glad to see it's getting some love.

I'll send you a pm.

Ah. I didn't know that. How about some grossly mutated claw hands to match their cuddly faces? :)

I love the atmosphere, but those poor cultists really need some machetes or something. They also look pretty shiny. That could be oil, sweat, slime or water, but it sort of looks like a texture problem.

Anyways, keep up the good work. I've been following along for a while now and I can't wait to see how it develops.

Mod sounds really interesting. It's actually very similar to a concept I was developing a couple of years ago, an open world horror RPG which involved a lot of interaction with other characters in the game, having a day job, etc. If I wasn't already buried under a pile of my own projects (and had any worthwhile HL modding experience) I'd offer to help out. In any case, keep it up. It looks promising.

Yes, it definitely is possible to get burned out. I've done it myself. More than once! I find taking a break helps me recharge. Sometimes, that means setting aside a project for several weeks. (Or, in the case of Balzu, several months!) You'll find all your enthusiasm restored after a good, long break.

Having said that, taking a break doesn't mean you're not still working on your mod. During my absence from Balzu, I spent several weeks improving my modeling skills and learning more about .nif file structures. The models weren't for Balzu, but the skills I picked up will definitely pay off.

In any case, if you ever feel like you're reaching burnout, don't hesitate to take a step sideways and work on something else.

Best wishes.

Fantastic work. That's a very compelling environment. Can't wait to explore it. :)

Thanks. Stratman1's been great to work with. I've been very fortunate. Keeps me on my toes. Asks lots of questions. :P

I've been following your mod as well. I have to say, I'm very impressed. It looks like it's coming along really well. I'll have to try it out when I find a free moment.

The NPC AI has been a crucial element of this mod from the start. By its nature, AI is one of the most dynamic elements of the game, and sorely handicapped in vanilla. I want players to be surprised by the NPCs they encounter, but in a way that makes sense to them as people. It's been challenging, but I'm making some real progress.

Thanks for the support.

Looking good. Can't wait to see more!

I actually thought about the Chinese horoscope when I was designing it. Think of it as a Western, medieval version of that. I tried to use animals that held a special meaning in medieval European bestiaries. I thought about mixing in anthropomorphic signs (like Western astrological signs, which are both human and animal) but it felt too much like vanilla Western astrology. This is different, but familiar enough for people to relate to and still feel like they're in a medieval setting.

Well, it's just me atm, and I haven't really gotten to that phase of development yet. I'd like to down the road, of course, so if you've got some samples, I'd love to hear them. Just send me a pm.

I'm looking for a few different things: a title theme (some weird combination of moody/haunting/epic; haven't really thought about it yet), something that fits a dark and dreary wilderness, something loud and jarring and pulse-pounding for the combat, something eerie and haunting for dungeon-delving, something evil/menacing/disturbing for encountering creatures and situations that might drive you mad, and something 'medieval' and festive for taverns. They have to loop well and be generic enough to fit a variety of environments but original enough to give the mod a distinctive feel. Keep in mind that the mod is dark, Gothic, medieval horror, like Silent Hill or Resident Evil for Oblivion. Cutesy anime RPG themes aren't going to fit at all. :P

I'm also looking for ambient sound fx, creepy moans, wolf howls, crying babies, creaking doors, rats in the walls, that sort of thing. :)

Edit: There's no real time frame on this as the mod is still early in development. Feel free to take your time and play around with various sounds and styles until you find something that works.

Kudos on going with hand-placed statics. I'm doing my own mod the same way and there is a big difference in quality and interest. Looking good!

This looks fantastic, Antiscamp! Good luck on your project!

Thanks. I've put a lot of work into it.

I never abandoned it, though I did take a break for a few months to work on other things and recharge. A lot of that time was spent improving my modeling skills which will translate into more/better custom assets. Thanks for your continued interest.

Could go on for a long time, but I'll try to be brief:

Sanity: much of this relies on OBGE shaders. Too much horror/trauma could lead to psychoses like phobias, panic attacks, hallucinations, etc. Still theoretical at this point in development.

Magic: Most spells can only be acquired through faction membership: different teachers and paths will lead to different spells. Many of these spells rely on the enhanced AI component. The way spells work will still mostly depend on the mods you have installed.

Combat: Mobs no longer auto-attack when they see you. Bandits act like other NPCs and evaluate the threat that you pose vs the rewards to be gained. Animals, undead, humanoids, etc., all use different algorithms to decide whether or not to attack. It will also be possible to talk your way out of many combat situations using speechcraft. The way combat works will still mostly depend on the mods you have installed. The enhanced AI mostly changes how disposition/persuasion works but has a significant impact on the combat decision.

Other stuff: faction disguises, being arrested for wearing illegal faction uniforms, being fined for indecent exposure. These are all implemented but need more testing.

Companions: Just an elaboration of the enhanced AI: almost anyone can become a companion but will only provide services they are qualified to offer and only if you maintain good relations.

Crime: Witnesses will report crimes to the authorities in real time, so you can kill or persuade them not to report crimes to avoid bounty. If you have a bounty on your head, expect to meet bounty-hunters in the wilderness and rural areas.

Please bear in mind that these are planned features and will take a long time to develop, though I've completed dozens of scripts and written thousands of lines of code already. I have implementation details for all of these features but some of them are very early in development.

Thanks for the great comments, guys. Glad you like what you see so far. :)

Thanks, I may need it. I have several pages of notes describing various implementation details on my private wiki and some of the components have been tested in isolation but the entire system has to work together as a unit...and large script overhauls like this are always filled with surprises. :)

Sad to see development seems to have stopped on this. I love the look and feel of the mod. It was actually a source of inspiration for my own work.

This mod has come a long way and looks really excellent. The landscaping is gorgeous. Keep up the good work! (Aside: I have started learning how to make custom creatures in Blender, but it will be months before I have anything decent to show. If you can hold out that long, I may be able to help you out.)

Fantastic! Love the elevator animations. :)

This mod looks amazing! Even I want to play, and I don't even watch Star Trek! A tremendous amount of work has obviously gone into this mod, and it shows. Keep it up!

The maps look really good, and the lighting is nice. It has a different look and feel than most. Intriguing. Keep up the good work.