Natural Armors

vorrheis · Post by **vorrheis** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 6:01 pm

I've got a big idea. It kind of started in the guilds thread, but it's more of a gameplay function than a joinable guild or faction. I want to make a new type of shop of armorers that specialize in organic armor types (leather, bone, bonemold, chitin, etc...).
It would be cool to use the tribunal armor maker script. That way we can have misc. items that will be needed to have someone make the armor. That might make this side project a little bigger than we want, but I think the result will be fulfilling.
I have ideas for new armor types and pieces, new creatures, and some new misc items to go along with this.
First we would need to build the actual shops. What kind of statics would we need? I was thinking of maybe a sewing awl and thread (for leather work) and maybe some jars of resin (for the chitin and bonemold). I know someone made chisels. We would need those for carving the bone (troll and dragon).
As for new armor types:

daedra skin (leather type)
spider chitin (chitin type)
cephalopod (re-skinned bonemold)
dragon or troll bone (just filling out the armor pieces)
Eraser has ideas for new bonemold pieces

Now these armors (and some of the existing armors) would need materials. That's where new monsters come in:

walking shorter legged silt strider (re-skinned to be the source of the existing chitin)
molecrab (shell for bonemold)
parastylus (shell for bonemold)
cephalopod (shell for cephalopod)

The concepts for the creatures are already done. Some of them have already been started. The spiders are done, and daedra skin is already in game, it would just have a new purpose.

I was thinking that we could even tweak the script to be region specific. An armorer in Cryodil wouldn't make wolf fur or netch armor. If you gave him leather, he would make studded leather. By the same token, a Nord armorer would make the fur types.

It will be a lot of work, but I'm willing to do all of the modelling. I just need help with the skinning , scripting, and compiling.

What do you think?
Vorrheis

vorrheis · Post by **vorrheis** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 6:13 pm

We should compile a list of all of the natural armors that we are using so far:

Durzog
Chitin
Bonemold
-traditional
-indoril
-gah-julan
-armu-ahn
-indoril
-dres
Netch Leather
Boiled leather
Nordic fur
Nordic leather
Studded leather
Newtscale
Dragon Scale
Dragon Bone
Troll Bone
Wolf Fur
Bear Fur
Dreugh

Is that all of them? Man that's a lot.

vorrheis · Post by **vorrheis** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 6:37 pm

Well, the molecrab (you said crap, he he) is in a sub-catagory of bonemold. There are a couple of helmets that are bonemold, but don't have a full set (molecrab, dust adept, cephalopod). I really want to make full sets of the cephalopod and maybe the dust adept. I could do without a whole set of mole crab armor. I am going to make a moster out of it though. The molecrab and parastylus will yield shell plates that can be used to make all types of bonemold armor.
As for the colovian armor, I don't think I want to be known for adding banana yellow leather jump-suits to Tamriel. I'd probably have to hang my head in shame.

Vorrheis

Geowulf · Post by **Geowulf** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 6:40 pm

The Colovian Fur helmet was the first helmet I bought from Arille, the first time I played Morrowind. It was the first item I sold too.

Eraser · Post by **Eraser** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 6:47 pm

We're going to need the colovian fur for Cyrodiil, so you're going to have to:P I'd like to see it made, but you don't have to make it look rediculous like the hat.

Mole crab I'd like to see.
Also I think we should expand on the redoran watchmans helm, maybe making it a set of improved chitin. Also for new bonemold I had ideas of Redoran founder's and master's sets to go with the helms.

Don't forget Nordic bear skin, they had a cuirass but nothing else.

vorrheis · Post by **vorrheis** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 6:56 pm

Call in the artists!! We need some concept art like you wouldn't believe. I would like to make the statics for the shop before I make the armors or the monsters, but I'll take it as it comes.
If anyone is ambitious and would like to build a mock workshop and post screens that would also be cool.

Assassinace · Post by **Assassinace** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 7:24 pm

I already have several of the skins needed for local leather should we want to (Maybe make a local leather for each province?)
Also check out my armor thread, it might give you some more ideas.

Morden · Post by **Morden** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 8:02 pm

I've already re-skinned 2 netch-leather helms, and i've also re-skinned 3 more netch leather cuirasses. Maybe i'll just keep moving through the natural materials instead of continuing my work with Iron.

vorrheis · Post by **vorrheis** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 8:08 pm

Your work with the iron is also much appreciated. It's going to be really nice to have a large selection of armors.
If you want to do some work on the cephalopod armor, that would be very cool. I was thinking that for cephalopod armor, they make it like bonemold, but use the vibrant cephalopod shell as the top layer. I'm going to make some custom meshes for the pauldrons and the the cuirass, but we can re-skin chitin or bonemold to make the gauntlets, greaves and boots.

Morden · Post by **Morden** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 8:43 pm

Ok. The only method i have of actually re-skinning meshes is with a little application called "NIFtexture", because i don't have a copy of 3dsMax. But if you create a new pauldron mesh, for example, you could send me the mesh with some basic base textures already added to the various pieces, and i can go to work from there... i'll just switch the base textures with the ones i create.

vorrheis · Post by **vorrheis** » Mon Mar 08, 2004 9:35 pm

Morden,

I can skin the cuirass and pauldrons. If you make new textures, you could easily re-skin bonemold or chitin with Niftext for the other pieces.

vorrheis · Post by **vorrheis** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 4:23 pm

Who's this cute little guy?

[url]http://www.cuneo.us/tesmw/images/Vorrheis/molecrab.jpg[/url]

It's a molecrab! Anyway, I need to slap some antennae and some vertex paint on this thing. Then I'll animate him. I'm going to have the little version, and a larger (mudcrab size) version that will attack.

I don't know if anyone has thought about this thread in a while, but I need to make the raw bone plate item to be the spoils for this thing, and was wondering if anyone had ideas for the shape of the bone material. The molecrab and the parastylus are going to be two sources for the raw material for bonemold.

Vorrheis

Gimli the dwarf · Post by **Gimli the dwarf** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 4:28 pm

Oh he's so cute... Ooojeeebooboo... oh... um... sorry

Lol that's little guy is cool Vorrheis. Is he a water creature like the other crabs or a land dweller?

vorrheis · Post by **vorrheis** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 4:42 pm

He's a land monster. When I get him finished, I'm going to try to make him burrow into and out of the ground during his idles.
He eats worms, smaller bugs, and plant roots.
He can be found in caves, and above ground. His gestation period is 3 months. It lays eggs and doesn't care for it's young.
And his favorite color is brown.

Gimli the dwarf · Post by **Gimli the dwarf** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 4:44 pm

The raw bone material could be just broken shards of their armored plates? Maybe about the same size and shape of houndmeat.

Gimli the dwarf · Post by **Gimli the dwarf** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 6:01 pm

lol does he go for long walks on the beach and enjoy reading romantic novels as well

Hermit · Post by **Hermit** » Fri Mar 12, 2004 10:55 pm

Wow, he really is cute!

Is the bigger version a bit less cute? I hope so, otherwise I will feel bad about killing them ...

Anyway, the raw bone/chitin should be about the size of a slap of hound meat, be shaped irregularily, and have about the same colour (and texture) as the creature it comes from. Maybe the Parastylus and Mole Crab should have different versions of it; they should have the same properties and be acceptted equally by the weapon makers, though one should be worth more - parastylus, likely.

Other ideas:
- farms where mole crabs/parastylus are being bred to harvest the raw chitin and mole crab eggs (some animal has got to fill the chicken niche, and no, the Kwarma won't do!).
- mole crab nests (a muddy hole (activator) that, when activated, first triggers two or three soldier mole crabs to atack, and then gives way to mole crab eggs, which are worth some 20 drakes each and considered a delicacy when fried. No true Dunmer breakfast without fried mole crab eggs.
- Parastylus chitin being rarer and harder to get (as a parastylus will put up quite a fight), but also better for making armour, hence one either needs less of it, or one gets finer armour (Ordinator armour, for example, can only be gained from parastylus chitin).

vorrheis · Post by **vorrheis** » Sat Mar 13, 2004 6:16 am

Well, to make two different bone shell pieces would make the game a little more realistic, but it would also add another headache to whoever has to script all this. I'm not sure about adding the ordinator armor to this project. Granted, it is a natural armor, but there should only be one source. In the Indoril capital there should be a bonemold artisan who makes all of the Ordinator armor, but he won't make anything for the player (unless he becomes an ordinator). He could have the bonemold workshop but not offer the services.

vorrheis · Post by **vorrheis** » Fri Mar 19, 2004 9:10 pm

Here is the molecrab, ready for playtesting. He looks pretty much the same, so I didn't put up a screen. He looks plenty big if you enlarge him 2x. I'm going to make the raw shell ingredient and then the molecrab pauldrons next.

DMKW · Post by **DMKW** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 12:32 am

vorrheis wrote:Who's this cute little guy?

[url]http://www.cuneo.us/tesmw/images/Vorrheis/molecrab.jpg[/url]

Vorrheis

thats awsome! very well done

can't wait to see the full armour

Nairb · Post by **Nairb** » Sat Mar 20, 2004 1:48 am

i can see it now... a new major resouce... mole crabs

vorrheis · Post by **vorrheis** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 6:10 pm

Here's the full suit of molecrab armor. Hope you like it!

[url]http://www.cuneo.us/tesmw/images/Vorrheis/molecrab_armor.jpg[/url]

Vorrheis

Teli · Post by **Teli** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 6:29 pm

WOW! That looks very good! Great work!

Anonymous · Post by **Anonymous** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 6:33 pm

Looks good, but how will the armor be made? Crushed and glued shell?

vorrheis · Post by **vorrheis** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 6:42 pm

@Blad- Exactly.
The molecrab is made in the same way as bonemold. The difference being only in the design.
Molecrab armor can be made from shell that is not even from a molecrab, it is just made to resemble the molecrab's shell. The cephalopod armor will require a different cephalopod specific shell, on the other hand.
I think this system will make it much easier to script, on the off chance that a scripter out there has the stones to write this one up for us.

Cep · Post by **Cep** » Sun Mar 21, 2004 6:46 pm

Thats bloody brilliant Vorr!

Can see TR's number one modeller is still churning em out in quality!

Post by **Haplo** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 12:49 am

you added indoril twice and left off the n in armun-ahn

as for concept art, I MIIIIGHHHHHTTTTT be able to get something, but i'd have to really put some time into it, and thats a BIG maybe

vorrheis · Post by **vorrheis** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 1:12 am

@haplo- Did you mean to reply in this thread. If so, I'm confused by your post.

Here are some tools I made in case any of you interior modders are interested in making a shop. You could just set him up as a normal armorer/merchant that just sells organic armors. Then we could apply the script retroactively. Also included are the ingredient items for the bonemold, dreugh, and cephalopod armors. We can't technically add the dreugh shell item to the dreugh, unless we just make a re-named version for our oceans (we can call them ocean dreugh or something equally witty). There are also some dreugh variants in the mix. The raw bone should be added to the molecrab, dres bugs, and parastylus (upon completion), and the cephalopod shell will be added to the cephalopod squid when it is done. I'm done babbling, here are the goods.

[url]http://www.cuneo.us/tesmw/images/Vorrheis/artisan_s_tools.jpg[/url]

Vorrheis

Post by **Haplo** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 1:53 am

yes I did

vorrheis wrote:We should compile a list of all of the natural armors that we are using so far:

Durzog
Chitin
Bonemold
-traditional

HERE-indoril

-gah-julan

HERE-armu-ahn

HERE-indoril

-dres
Netch Leather
Boiled leather
Nordic fur
Nordic leather
Studded leather
Newtscale
Dragon Scale
Dragon Bone
Troll Bone
Wolf Fur
Bear Fur
Dreugh

Is that all of them? Man that's a lot.

and as for concept art, you asked for some, for these armors didnt you?

Eraser · Post by **Eraser** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 1:55 am

Vorrheis, I have a simple solution to the dreugh problem: edit the Mw dreugh and change the id to TR_dreugh or something, keeping everything the same except for adding the new ingredients.

vorrheis · Post by **vorrheis** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 4:57 am

You guys have the right idea about the dreugh ingredient. That's what I was thinking.

@Haplo- Oh, I guess I meant the Indoril and the Ordinator ...or I just wasn't paying attention. As for concept art, it would be great if you wanted to do some. Alot of those are done, but let me know which one you'd like to design. Nobody else has volunteered, so you have your pick. I think I've just about got the concepts done for daedra skin leather and spider chitin.
Also, if you want to draw anything up for the shops themselves (tools, fixtures, ingredients) that would also be much appreciated.

Vorrheis

Assassinace · Post by **Assassinace** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 11:55 am

Well there are several types of drough so when we add the others we could add the ingredients no problem.

Morden · Post by **Morden** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:49 pm

I really like your mole crab armour Vor! I really like the textures too. Do you think i might be able to play around with them?...to make some more custom, unique, handcrafted sets 8)

vorrheis · Post by **vorrheis** » Mon Mar 22, 2004 9:54 pm

@Morden- That would be great, feel free.

Morden · Post by **Morden** » Tue Mar 23, 2004 3:13 am

Have you considered allowing the player to have hybrid armours custom made by one of your artisans? It would be cool to bring an armourer some netchleather and some molecrab and have some sort of strong, but light, armour made for you. And i know the emphasis is on natural armours, but what if you're an outlander, and you want some bonemold that is slightly stronger than the average stock.. well? You re-enforce it with Iron.

Lore buffs would probably be grumpy...saying things like: "but then people will know you're an outlander because dunmer don't like metal armour, why would people realistically wear it?" You know why? Cause it looks cool, and its strong.

Now i'm rambling.. so i'll leave you in peace.

Post by **Haplo** » Tue Mar 23, 2004 1:01 pm

I'll do some tools and ingredients, and a skeleton hammer, like the skeleton key that is a lockpick, the skeleton hammer will just be a magical hammer that increases your armorer like 5 or something.

If I can I'll do a bit of armor, maybe some helmets, and designs, but not much, im not good with human curves

Assassinace · Post by **Assassinace** » Tue Mar 23, 2004 2:49 pm

if you guys are going to start scripting please submit your work for the character occupation project. The smithing project doesn't have any script work done yet.

Morden · Post by **Morden** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 5:39 am

Hybrid Molecrab armours. This picture is sort of at a funny angle... doesn't really do them justice.

DMKW · Post by **DMKW** » Wed Mar 24, 2004 6:11 am

i really love those textures 8)

vorrheis · Post by **vorrheis** » Sat Mar 27, 2004 4:55 pm

This is work from the House Indoril project, but seeing as it's bonemold, I wanted to post the pic here as well.

[url]http://www.cuneo.us/tesmw/images/Vorrheis/indoril_armor.jpg[/url]

I think I'm going to start on the Watchman's Armor next. It's a chitin variant that more closely matches the Redoran Watchman's Helm.
The parastylus and the cephalopod are both in progress for re-building. I'm also thinking about making a small non-aggressive bug from the watchman's helm.

Vorrheis