Idea: Bugshell slaveshacks

Worsas · Post by **Worsas** » Fri Apr 02, 2010 11:48 am

A while ago when we had that tough discussion about the Dres-Houses I had an idea which I have kept for myself for a while now.

Someone, I think it was Gez, said that the use of the usual Dunmeri shacks might become too repetitive if we continue using them for the whole rest of Morrowind. I therefore thought it might a possibility that we make new "shacks" for the southern Morrowind.

My idea was to have them as a combination of a circular adobe-walling (the material looking like [url=http://planetelderscrolls.gamespy.com/fms/Image.php?id=14281]this[/url]) at the bottom and a bugshell (a Skyrender-shell) that builds the roof of it.

Obviously the idea is derived from the bug-houses in the Redguard comics. As you have decided against the use of bug-shells as living for the Dres I thought they may let their slaves live in such structures instead.

I know that the call for new models is quite frequent lately, but I think (well, I know) that something like this would not outrange our capabilities. The technical part is the least problem. The only relevant question is: Do we want this? And can we find a suitable concept?

Jule · Post by **Jule** » Sat Apr 03, 2010 12:56 am

Since the Dres are mainly an agricultural society, I presume their shacks could be built by some material that is easily accessible to the lower classes, mainly plant products and remains.

Worsas · Post by **Worsas** » Sat Apr 03, 2010 9:04 am

Hmm. I noticed a skyrender-shell would be rather long and narrow and the same would apply to a plain strider shell and any other kind of insectoid shell.

So this oviously defeats my idea of a circular building.

Since the Dres are mainly an agricultural society, I presume their shacks could be built by some material that is easily accessible to the lower classes, mainly plant products and remains.

From a logical point of view, you may be right. The only reservation I have is that I think it's harder to make such buildings look distinctively dunmeri which has more priority than plausibility of origin of building material.

Any ways as I seem to not get much feedback on this, I assume I can let this topic sink into Oblivion. And maybe the people are just tired of all the discussion we had about dres-architecture.

One thing though: If I provided a good-looking, ready-to-use model for the exterior and the interior, would this possibly mean that it can used?

Don't worry, I haven't started on anything so far.

Nomadic1 · Post by **Nomadic1** » Sat Apr 03, 2010 9:28 am

I'd be a bit worried about what you're describing. I don't know if it would fit in with the Dres architecture once its done.

Worsas · Post by **Worsas** » Sat Apr 03, 2010 10:35 am

I thought it would be the dunmer masters on one side with the buildings according the concept drawings by Turelio and the shady slave housings on the other side.

Just think of the shacks that are found throughout Morrowind and are combined with any architectural style although they have nothing in common.

Nanu · Post by **Nanu** » Sat Apr 03, 2010 4:26 pm

Worsas has a point. The shacks from vanilla that we've been using don't fit with anything else. Then again, nailed-together strips of wood seems pretty ubiquitous for all areas that have trees nearby.

Nalin · Post by **Nalin** » Mon Apr 05, 2010 12:39 pm

We already had this same discussion along time ago and if I remember correctly we decided to drop the idea of bug shell slave shacks/bug themed buildings as they were too similar in theme to the Redoran and strider husks laying around didn't fit with the architectural feel we wanted for Dres cities.

Yeah - the redguard comic shows strider-like husks used for locking slaves up in but If we did go with that idea I'd rather just have a 2 or 3 in a huge slave pit (like in the comic).

If we want anywhere else to store slaves we could just have a trapdoor in the ground and they could just be thrown in there. Do they really deserve a building anyway? A hole in the ground seems much more fitting with the Dres attitude.

Lonewolf · Post by **Lonewolf** » Thu Apr 08, 2010 9:37 pm

Slaves would be kept in pits and cages. The shacks could be used as warehouses (easy to construct and provide good coverage for goods and cargo from the rain and hot climate) or guard posts.
What would Bethesda make Dres settlements look like?

Evod Lighttaker · Post by **Evod Lighttaker** » Sun Apr 11, 2010 4:03 am

Since the Redoran, Hlaalu, and Telvanni architecture are radically different, in my opinion, I would have to assume the dres architecture would have to be as well. Or a least something that complements their unique personality and culture. I might suggest a influence of a pre-civil war american southern plantation as that best suits, in my mind, the personality of the dres. Their architecture ,however, doesn't go far enough though and the main plantation house is based off greek influence.
So thats dud idea, anyway I guess you can choose from anything from the cultural architecture bin so long as it doesn't go copy or infringe on established lore.

Thrignar Fraxix · Post by **Thrignar Fraxix** » Sun Apr 11, 2010 6:53 am

We've actually largely got our designs done for the Dres architecture. (Now if we just had modelers to make it... hm...)

Also, no bug shacks.

RelinQ · Post by **RelinQ** » Sun Apr 11, 2010 12:15 pm

(TF, I thought Cire was making the Dres architecture?)

I think maybe shacks made out of different wood types would be better than bug shacks, I'm sure you could scrap some wood from like.. the jungle. bamboo shacks or something?

Katze · Post by **Katze** » Sun Apr 11, 2010 12:19 pm

Cire got sick of the whole thing, so we only have a partially completed set (and *still* no consensus on a texture scheme). He was supposed to be passing on the torch to Nalin, but I don't know what the fuck happened there, things seem to have stalled.

Post by **Haplo** » Sun Apr 11, 2010 4:37 pm

Nalin has been without internet access lately.

Thrignar Fraxix · Post by **Thrignar Fraxix** » Sun Apr 11, 2010 6:20 pm

the shacks are going to be the same shacks that everyone else uses