Realistic ocean

Locutus · Post by **Locutus** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 9:32 pm

If this has been discussed before, I apologize. I'm new. And I couldn't find this specifically discussed using the search utility.

Anyway, one of the few peevs I have with Morrowind (the game as released by Bethesda, not the province being worked on by TR) is that the ocean has hardly any surface motion. There should be waves, swells, breakers, foam, storms, floating seaweed, seabirds, etc. I'm just starting to learn to mod so I have no idea if such features are even possible. But if it is possible, I submit it as an idea to incorporate into TR. Comments, anyone?

Post by **Haplo** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 9:34 pm

the water animations are hardcoded I believe.

G.M.K. · Post by **G.M.K.** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 9:39 pm

Ya there not musch we can do about that. What I'd like to see are some more aquatic creatures although I know some are in the works now.

Garriath · Post by **Garriath** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 9:41 pm

Not much we can do about that, though I do believe we could make ponds and stuff much more interesting (though I doubt we will.)

Negrodomous · Post by **Negrodomous** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 9:42 pm

someone could make activators similer to dongles water to make waves

G.M.K. · Post by **G.M.K.** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 9:44 pm

The problem with that is the same reason that ponds can't go over your head, it's fake water and it won't act like water.

Garriath · Post by **Garriath** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:01 pm

Yes, but you can put all the interesting stuff you want over the ponds (like sludge).

sirwootalot123 · Post by **sirwootalot123** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:19 pm

yeah, in my claim there is a large muck-lake (about 1/3 cell) that I made, and the way i'm making it is as dead-realistically-accurate as possible; modelled after small marshes along the missisippi river (which is near my home).

Morden · Post by **Morden** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 10:21 pm

Instead of making the surface realistic.. lets concentrate on the barren wasteland that is the ocean around mainland Morrowind. The lack of sea life and sea statics on our group maps, immediately makes our work recognisable from Bethesda's...and not in a good way. Its as if people think their claim doesn't include anything underwater.

Eyeball88 · Post by **Eyeball88** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:26 pm

I was just going to say, we could make animated waves, and fairly easily.

If any of you have played Far Cry, what they did was they had reflecto-pretty water, and then a map for waves.

http://farcry.gamesweb.com/ps_gfx/screens/cat2screen151g.jpg

You can see it on the water's edge. If we can make a few different opacity mapped white waves like this, that animate rolling in and out, we could make oceans. Same for rivers, we could make trailing white wakes around rocks, white-water rapids, etc.

Post by **Haplo** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:36 pm

But...farcry was made using a diff. engine than TESIII Morrowind

Eyeball88 · Post by **Eyeball88** » Mon Oct 25, 2004 11:54 pm

I know, but the thing is that all that we need is an opacity map that looks like surf, similar to Dongle's water, and we can mimick the effect that they got in Far Cry.

Flufy · Post by **Flufy** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 6:05 pm

there is a water depth changer thing in mornhold.
I dont know if it works for extiriors but if it does you could make tides baced on the time of day

shandrazi · Post by **shandrazi** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 6:42 pm

The water level change function only works on interiors.

G.M.K. · Post by **G.M.K.** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 8:53 pm

I think it's to much work to add waves and stuff like that, but I agree with Morden. Even Bethseda Ocean (which was the dullest and most repetitive part of Morrowind) is better than most of the TR ocean stuff.

Negrodomous · Post by **Negrodomous** » Tue Oct 26, 2004 9:01 pm

it would look strange with waves and stuff everywhere but Vvardenfell wouldent it?