Shadows of Everwood Playable Terrain

[Oziris]

Okay, I need a little help here. I'm running out of ideas, what to place in those empty spots, both in town and forest. And if any more ideas come along, feel free to tell them.

 

[PROXY]

you need to use more plants doodads. the tiles alone, look so damned empty...

 

[Wolfe]

For the first picture, perhaps the waterfall that goes over the road should be shallower or less fast-looking. You could even create a tiny stream from it, and have a bridge go over it. Also, the barricades look a little awkward where they are, and the walls should have some sort of outlet to signal that they stop. Perhaps a gate, or even two towers at the ends.

Overall, it does lack plants. Mushrooms alone won't cut it. Perhaps add some tinted river rushes.

Picture 10 has a log in the center of the intersection that looks very out of place and awkward.

Some of the city streets look a little flat and lifeless. Though, the addition of NPCs will give it life.

Picture 17 - the pole for the clothesline is going into the bricks, maybe put a patch of grass or dirt under it.

City entrance, picture 18, looks flat.

 

[Davesanz]

I do not have ideas right now, but i think it would be better if you change that lordaeron banners with some proper to Vinosca.

 

[neku99]

Hmmm well here's some Ideas from a sugar rush

*Plants like what Fan and Wolfe said
*Maybe some animal life, like the flying birds, or maybe a deer
*Put a camp somwhere/ or just a simple fire. You can make it look abandoned like nomads just stayed for a night then moved on. Or maybe left by patrols.

Well ehm out of Ideas. I hope I mentioned some possible and valid ideas though.

 

[Oziris]

I'm adding plants now, I hope I don't over spam them! Thanks for the ideas/suggestions guys, they helped

 

[lexalex]

All looks ok from my perspective, but they need work....

1st pic: The waterfall looks ok, but a bridge across that small river would be ok, and make that river wider. The walls does not have an ending, unless u put some builders, and some unfinished towers...Vegetation must not miss from any terrain...and what's with that mushroom? Bigger than the barricades? And speaking of barricades, those one looks random: Place them on the end of the bridge(if you make one)
2nd pic: Same problems - Wall unfinished, barricades too random, vegetation, mushroom
3rd pic: Barricades too random, vegetation - Maybe you should arrange them and after the npc's are arranged too it will look ok
4th pic: looks ok, but the trees grow out angled?and still more vegetation
5th pic same as 4
6th pic: vegetation
7th pic: vegetation and...how that boat came to this place, on swallow water?, make that water deep
8th pic: same with the ship...I realu like that shrine!Looks hot
9th pic: cool dragon: that would be a dungeon, am I right? but still more vegetation
10th pic: cool looking but only vegetation, and that log is out of place...
11th pic: wow that dragon is sooo awsome...make that in the middle of the forest..add trees and vegetation and you have a dungeon
12th pic: I like the library, after NPC's will be added it will look cooler...I think that would be a mage's quarter or so, right?
13th pic: Beneath the walls of the castle should be some rocks, where the water waves can break..it would be a lot more realistic...the top looks cool, and same with the NPC's
14th pic: Those craters are out of place...and the rocks too...I don't think that the ones that built that castle, built it without that rocks removed...
15th pic: is cool, NPC's and it's ready
16th pic: inside that castle right?..it's cool, but needs modifications: the ground is too flat: height variations.
17th pic: cool market...NPC's and a little height variations and it is good to go
18th pic: cool, but height, vegetation and barricades too random
19th pic: good ideea, but: maybe the ones that came here wanted to have their tents facing the fire..turn them with toward the fire...and about the crates: Who got all of those crates and barrels there? only 5 or 6 humans that can stay in the tents?..Make a cart with some oxes..or so, that can carry all of those - That is like a caravan I suppose, right?
20th pic: vegetation, rocks beneath the hill, and I think here will be a quest giver? or a foe?..

Well these can be done..By this I don't want you to quit this project - and I think you would not - But I wanted to help you in the course of the project

Don't give up, It is reallly cool project

 

[Oziris]

Heh, thanks lexalex, There is no way I'm going to quit it. Some stuff already fixed, and I'll get to work!

 

[Raven0]

I love those rock-statue things, very creative

 

[Sephalo]

All in all the area needs more vegetation and less floating doodads. I see many floating rocks and mushrooms. And sometimes the darkened colour of some of the rocks looks really bad, per example in the first picture. I like the idea of the stone creatures.. But they just stand there and have nothing to do with the envorinment around them. Make it a littlebit more crowded with tree's or something. Currently it doesn't look like a real area.. Instead it looks like an attempt of someone trying to make a real area.;-)
Oh and I really don't like the shipwreck doodad It makes things around it look so unrealistic, because you can't scale it to look 'real'.

 

[Oziris]

Teuncreemers, can you possibly point out the floating rocks? The stone creatures were meant to be statues of gods that Ogres who live in the forest worship and I'm pretty sure I made what I wanted, I just need to add more details. I don't see what's real in the map, giant trees, ogres, made up gods and etc. So I don't see why would I scale the ship to it's your way of thinking "realistic size", maybe the ship is just small like that?

 

[Sephalo]

Teuncreemers, can you possibly point out the floating rocks? The stone creatures were meant to be statues of gods that Ogres who live in the forest worship and I'm pretty sure I made what I wanted, I just need to add more details. I don't see what's real in the map, giant trees, ogres, made up gods and etc. So I don't see why would I scale the ship to it's your way of thinking "realistic size", maybe the ship is just small like that?

Well about the ship it's just a matter of taste then I guess... As for the rock creatures. Are you sure they really look good from all angles? Since its a playable terrain that's quite important because I know you guys use a camera system.
In screenshot 9 you see at the edge of the creature's lips that the rocks aren't that nicely connected to eachother. That's the bad side of making such things because well... blizz fucked upthe models with just 1 side. Maybe it's an idea to ask one of SoE's modelers to change that?
That's basically what annoyed me a littlebit with the rock creatures. I once tried to make something similar but removed it because I was really unhappy with the result.
About the floating rocks. I suppose I've made a mistake there. Couldn't find any floating rocks. However the red mushrooms you use are sometimes placed a littlebit too high or at a weird place. Try placing them somewere with a few shrubs or vegetation around it, so it looks more realistic.

 

[Oziris]

You have a point there, but, I've tested it in game and it looks well, maybe some spots need to be worked on a little bit more and it's going to look perfect.

 

[Sephalo]

You have a point there, but, I've tested it in game and it looks well, maybe some spots need to be worked on a little bit more and it's going to look perfect.

Hehe alright!
But think about the fact that you guys actually got modelers in your team! (Unlike me) So use them for some of those minor doodad changes!

 

[NinjasDontFight]

I'm guessing your trying to make alot of the area playable, but I don't see any reason why. Just fill it up with plants/rocks/ruins. Just let the path we need to be used, no need for us to get lost over nothing.

 

[FibSaSk]

The only thing you should improve is adding many doodads, adding a variety of different tiles and also the height needs to be improved in some places.

 

[Oziris]

@NinjasDontFight, I want a more free to explore area then just "YOU HAVE TO TAKE THAT ROAD, IF YOU DON'T, THEN GO **** youself" ^^

 

[naga]

The Terrains are GODLIKE NICE JOB!!!! GOOD LUCK!!!!

 

[Oziris]

Nah, I've updated them. Now it's detailed, but I still need to add some structures/ruins. And I'm lazy to upload new screenshots of the terrain.

 

[naga]

They are good just more doodads and it would be SO GOOD!!! xD

 

[nickel510]

Since these pictures are out of date, I'll just review two screenshots that look the most 'complete' to me, assuming you didn't change them much.

I will say this though, overall, your trees roots are too big. Its a small detail that I wouldn't care to change probably but if you want to make it perfect, that's something that I would change. Like in the first screenshot, the tree near the waterfall--it's roots are huge but the top part (not sure what the official name for that would be...) is skinny. Same with screenshot 4, the tree in the middle of the image has a big trunk and good sized roots that fit it, but the limbs are all stubby and yet the leaves are huge. I would just widen the tree at the top some and it should look good. This problem also occurs in some other screenshots, like #6, #10, #18, Maybe even have a modeler combine the world tree with the tree model you're using for the top? Might make your job easier and getting the scale perfect easier as well.

Now for the actual review
----------------------------
Screenshot #16
Overall, nice looking village area. If you were going for a more industrialist, and very populated city I would suggest switching tiles and using a cleaner looking brick for the roads with less grass patches, but if your intentions was to create a village I think it looks perfect.

Screenshot #20
I assume you've done some changes to this area, but I thought I would still comment on it because I think it's one of the worst areas, only because it's pretty boring. I like the rest of the pictures a lot, like most everyone has said the rock statues and especially that rock dragon thing are really cool and look fantastic for some old Ogre areas. Due to using those mossy rock models and a few other things the statues all look old and dilapidating, and it's perfect if that's what you were going for. OK sorry I got off-topic, back to the screenshot at hand.
For one, and I'm not sure if this is because of the screenshot or what but the tower looks kind of lame. It's just a cylindor tower with nothing special to it. If it's old and dilapidating, maybe add some moss or vines to it, try to make it appear a bit more broke down.
If it's newer and well-used make it look like it is. Add some torches to it going around the top or at the bottom. Not sure what you're doing with this though, but like lexalex said I assume it's for a quest or boss?
Also, it has no door! At least none that I can see. Could also add some stairs going up the door if it's added .
Last but not least it looks small! That's ok if the tower isn't a big deal, but it seems be the center piece of this little area, so it could be a little more impressive. The massive tree next to it doesn't help either, try scaling it down and maybe scaling the tower up? You might also put it nearer to the cliff or make the surrounding area smaller or raise the ground its on up a bit higher, like add a third level of elevation that the tower sits on alone as the area currently has two levels of elevation, if you see what I'm saying. It might make the tower appear bigger and more looming.
Other then that, looks great. Maybe just add some more vegetation like everyone said and if you added some nasty jaded rocks to the bottom of that cliff it might give the area a more 'doomy' feeling which, with the fog and all, it already kind of gives me that feeling.

I hope my review was constructive! Keep up the good work, it's a really excellent looking Old Forest at the moment, something I'd expect to see in like Mirkwood or something.

 

[naga]

Oziris can you really teach me how to terrain like you???? pls your terrains are GODLIKE!!!

 

[Oziris]

I can't teach you, it's something you'll have to learn by yourself over time. It took me three good years and more to terrain like this. It's much yea, but back then I had 10 years. Not even now I cant terrain perfectly, and I wouldn't call my terrains godlike, I'm sometimes really disappointed with them.

 

[fladdermasken]

I'm sometimes really disappointed with them.

I'm always disappointed with my work. That's my nature.

 

[The_Olorin]

Terraining is good for playable terrain and i dont have nothing else to add what other already haven't said.

 

[naga]

i terrain 1 year But im not good with the sky and fogs :S

 

[Tamerleine]

the terrain is too empty...try adding some doodadds and reduce the density of the fog(of picture #20)....It looks more like toxic fumes

 

[Oziris]

I'm going to repeat myself again, these are old terrain screenshots, the terrain has improved so much in the past few weeks.

 

[Tamerleine]

I'm going to repeat myself again, these are old terrain screenshots, the terrain has improved so much in the past few weeks.

ok...so why not upload it

 

[Oziris]

Lazy? Not interested in any more feedback? I'll get it when we release the demo.

 

[Archipelago]

Just a question, is there a library on top of the castle?

 

[Oziris]

If your refering to picture 13 then yes, it's a small city's school library where intellect heroes are being trained.