Art Contest: Hammerfell In-Game Map

Dexter · Post by **Dexter** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 1:44 am

Time for another art contest. We are going to need a map for Hammerfell that matches the Cyrodiil map, so that's where all you guys come in. Below, you will find a simple outline of the Hammerfell province:
[url=http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/5430/hfborderxk7.jpg][img]http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/5430/hfborderxk7.th.jpg[/img][/url]
The guidelines for this contest are simple:
Make the map style look as close to the Bethesda map of Cyrodiil as is possible.
In order to do this, you will need two different maps as resources.
The first is the in-game map of Cyrodiil, which can be found at The Imperial Library by following this link:
http://til.gamingsource.net/maps/cyrodiil_ingame.jpg
The second is our Hammerfell Region Map, which can be found here:
http://img132.imageshack.us/img132/5359/regionmapcolored4eq.jpg
Your goal is to use the textures on the Cyrodiil map, as well as any that you invent yourself, to convey the regions listed on the Hammerfell Region Map, and keeping your map as consistent with the Cyrodiil map as possible.
The prize is simple, the winner gets his or her map as the official TR Hammerfell In-Game Map (as well as a boatload of respect from me).

Sload · Post by **Sload** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 1:52 am

Note: There will obviously be edits to it to add the big cities and things. If the choice is between making an area Alik'r/Dak'fron or anything else, chose Alik'r or Dak'fron (obviously this only applies to where it reasonably could be either).

Lady Nerevar · Post by **Lady Nerevar** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 1:56 am

another note: make it big. realy big. and square

Dexter · Post by **Dexter** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 2:01 am

Lady Nerevar wrote:another note: make it big. realy big. and square

Oh, on that note, the size that it is now is the size that it needs to be to match up with the Cyrodiil map.
When you click the link, Imageshack will present you with a scaled-down version. Simply click the image once, and it will display the image at its full size.

Post by **Haplo** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 2:03 am

Or Direct Link for no annoying pop-ups or adds n' such:

http://img291.imageshack.us/img291/5430/hfborderxk7.jpg

Morgoth · Post by **Morgoth** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 3:59 am

If it is to match the Cyrodiil map, this requires a set of all the cities and their layouts. I suppose all you want now is the landscape then? I'm Mr. cartographer, I'll try my hand if I find the time.

Dexter · Post by **Dexter** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 4:11 am

Cities can be added later. Right now, I just care about the land itself.

Sload · Post by **Sload** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 5:18 am

Cities shouldn't be added, because that would give a reasonably exact layout of all the major cities in Hammerfell.

Harke the Apostle · Post by **Harke the Apostle** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 12:02 pm

How about the lettering? Should it be included? and also how would you imitate the Oblivion map lettering?

Morden · Post by **Morden** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 12:55 pm

Lettering can be added later as well.

Arthmodeus · Post by **Arthmodeus** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 2:15 pm

*cries that he doesn't have Photoshop*

Is there a specific deadline for this?

Dexter · Post by **Dexter** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 3:23 pm

Nah, it's sorta a race to see who can get it done up to par first.

Vality7 · Post by **Vality7** » Mon Jul 17, 2006 8:09 pm

I'll give it a go!

If it's good would that get me into the team? [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/viewtopic.php?t=16712]here[/url] is my showcase btw. (check out the TR3d Tour)

Should it include the original map of cyrodiil - [url=http://s73.photobucket.com/albums/i201/Vality7/avatar/hammerfall.jpg]as seen in this pic i made[/url] - or should cyrodiil be blank like the other provinces?

I really think [url=http://www.imgplace.net/files/121/Cyrodiil_hires_notext_nomarkers.jpg]this colour map here[/url]makes a better ingame map than bethesda's one. Someone made a mod to put it in the game somewhere. It would make Hammerfell look better too I think. But I guess for now i'll stick to making a non-colour one.

Morden · Post by **Morden** » Tue Jul 18, 2006 12:03 am

Yes. We would definately welcome you into our modder community on the grounds of being a photoshop badass... it would also get you a big manly bear hug from Dexter.

Looks like you're off to a good start with the map. We like to try and stay consistent with bethesda's style, so please continue working on the greyscale (brownscale??) version.

Doedel · Post by **Doedel** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 11:42 pm

First, that IS badass. Second, I really think colour maps are better. IMO the map shipped with the game is utterly useless as you can't tell anything about the geographical makeup whatsover... Plenty of times I've been headed to some remote ruin or fort somewhere only to find that I have to scale a 3,000 foot cliff to get to it.

fanfas · Post by **fanfas** » Wed Jul 19, 2006 11:48 pm

I also agree that a color map would be nicer, not necessarily like the one posted, i don't even liked it that much, but i remember seing another version only with smother colors that look very nice, i love the map made by zephyr and it would be very cool if we could keep it as look-a-like as possible, including some color. Also i think that doing it is not against our "Bethesda way" policy.

Anyway this is just my opinion.

Sload · Post by **Sload** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 12:12 am

We'd have to color Cyrodiil's map. I am, and I believe Dexter and Morden are, against this because of the same reason I am against climbing, horse armor, and necessary eating or drinking.

Gez · Post by **Gez** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 9:06 am

I just think it's sad that this mandatory homogenity means we won't see [url=http://til.gamingsource.net/maps/map_hf_names.jpg]this map[/url] in-game. It's so pretty.

Sload · Post by **Sload** » Thu Jul 20, 2006 9:09 am

I'll put it on a scroll that you can find in the first bedroom in the tavern in Gilane, just for you, Gez.

And the correct word is consistency. It doesn't have that nasty "this sux" tone to it.

Morden · Post by **Morden** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 12:17 am

mandatory homogenity

Such an unforgiving phrase. There are no rules set in stone..only guidelines, but this is a consistency decision, like sload implied. Both maps have to be atleast similar. It wouldn't do to have one color and one greyscale. We could change them both.. but then we're forcing people to change aspects of their regular game so that they can play our mod.. and we come full circle to the "climbing, horse armor, and necessary eating or drinking." debate that I will not revisit.

Negrodomous · Post by **Negrodomous** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 9:23 am

What are the minimum dimensions that it can be?

Sload · Post by **Sload** » Fri Jul 21, 2006 9:43 am

I believe the dimensions that the outline is are the ones they want it to be. Please make sure you use that outline. That's exactly the shape of the heightmap and also barely fits within the LOD generation cut off.

Negrodomous · Post by **Negrodomous** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 3:29 am

Here's what I have so far.

[url=http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wip01aw8.jpg][img]http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/1295/wip01aw8.th.jpg[/img][/url]

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 11:12 am

Something tells me you intend to change that bit in the bottom right

Nomadic1 · Post by **Nomadic1** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 11:45 am

Jale wrote:Something tells me you intend to change that bit in the bottom right

I don't know about you, but I think he intends to change something in the bottom left

Gez · Post by **Gez** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 12:24 pm

To make that map more in line with the other, it needs to not display Hammerfell as an island disconnected from everything else.

The in-game map of Cyrodiil does show very basic outlines of the other provinces, though that's just the boundaries and the names.

Harke the Apostle · Post by **Harke the Apostle** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 12:42 pm

Nomadic1 wrote:
Jale wrote:Something tells me you intend to change that bit in the bottom right
I don't know about you, but I think he intends to change something in the bottom left

Where Jale lives, they drive on the other (wrong) side of the road, so the confusion is understandable.

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 2:32 pm

Nomadic1 wrote:
Jale wrote:Something tells me you intend to change that bit in the bottom right
I don't know about you, but I think he intends to change something in the bottom left

Never underestimate the ability of little sleep to screw someone over.

Sload · Post by **Sload** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 5:05 pm

Gez wrote:The in-game map of Cyrodiil does show very basic outlines of the other provinces, though that's just the boundaries and the names.

This will be seamlessly added to the Cyrodiil map, as they are the same worldspace.

Dexter · Post by **Dexter** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 6:41 pm

Very nice Negrodomous, I'm impressed.

Negrodomous · Post by **Negrodomous** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 6:54 pm

Anyone know what fonts are used on the map?

[url=http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/5886/wip03gw5.jpg][img]http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/5886/wip03gw5.th.jpg[/img][/url]

Sload · Post by **Sload** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 7:27 pm

The Iliac definitely needs to be like twice as large north-southly. The rivers also look squished compared to the original map.

High Rock probably can't extend that far west. There are technical reasons why Hammerfell is kind of squashed looking.

Looks great, though.

Negrodomous · Post by **Negrodomous** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 8:14 pm

Better?

[url=http://img100.imageshack.us/my.php?image=wip04zy3.jpg][img]http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/4134/wip04zy3.th.jpg[/img][/url]

Sload · Post by **Sload** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 8:22 pm

Much. However, High Rock can't extend any further west than Hammerfell. See the LOD images (which basically make the land show up far away) don't work past like -97 or something, and Hammerfell is drawn to fit just within that area. The whole point of having High Rock on the map is that its LOD image will be there for you to see across the bay, so if it's in the area with no LOD, it doesn't make sense.

Gez · Post by **Gez** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 9:59 pm

Can't that be fixed somehow? It would suck to have another hard-coded limit like for Morrowind's world map.

Though I suppose we can say that Anu-Midium stomped so much around the Iliac Bay he made one quarter of High Rock sink beneath the waves, like Joald causing the Elder Isles to sink.

Sload · Post by **Sload** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 10:12 pm

To my knowledge, the CS crashes when you try to generate LOD data past some chunk space or something. This really can't be fixed.

Noirgrim · Post by **Noirgrim** » Sat Jul 22, 2006 10:18 pm

Somewhere between -97 and -100 on the x-axis, generating LOD crashes the CS.

Morden · Post by **Morden** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 12:53 am

Its looking great Negrodomous.

Good to see you again.

Negrodomous · Post by **Negrodomous** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 2:35 am

Sload wrote:Much. However, High Rock can't extend any further west than Hammerfell. See the LOD images (which basically make the land show up far away) don't work past like -97 or something, and Hammerfell is drawn to fit just within that area. The whole point of having High Rock on the map is that its LOD image will be there for you to see across the bay, so if it's in the area with no LOD, it doesn't make sense.

So should I just scoot the map to the left a bit or what?

Sload · Post by **Sload** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 2:37 am

No, you should cut off any part of High Rock past Hammerfell.