Ndibs trees (once again)

Worsas · Post by **Worsas** » Sun May 31, 2015 2:07 pm

Despite the various iterations they have gone through up to date, I decided to try to create another variant more faithful to the original aesthetics of the game.

Test screens:
https://www.dropbox.com/sh/epwgsvza4gna ... eg1ua?dl=0

These trees would probably look better, if placed more sparsely and due to the way of utilizing alpha blending (like the vanilla trees do) they also come with a heavier performance burden. The Lan Orethan as it currently is, wouldn't work for most people anymore.

After showing this on irc, Gnomey had an idea for reshaping these trees into big corkbulb trees of some sort, to give them a more morrowindish vipe.
http://i.imgur.com/NFWQaAl.png

I kinda like this idea and would be up for implementing this trunk shape. But the mentioned performance issues need to be taken into account aswell, obviously. The Lan Orethan might need a separate set of trees for one.

Post by **Gnomey** » Sun May 31, 2015 4:18 pm

Yeah, I think these models are definitely an improvement to the current trees, both in general looks and fitting the aesthetic of Morrowind. Neither the models in the first image nor the corkbulb trees I sketched in the second image alter the footprint of the trees, so the amount of adjustments that would need to be made after search-and-replacing should be very minimal or non-existent. (Possibly more for the corkbulb trees of course, as the shape of the trunk is altered, but the alteration occurs a little way up the trunk and shouldn't affect most detailing around these trees, which tends to keep close to the ground).

I would like to note that I don't think we need to factor in performance too heavily in deciding which of these models to use. Lan Orethan is already causing problems with its performance, so we'll almost certainly need to address that issue whether we use these models or not. As far as the TRV is concerned, I'm not really sure how demanding it is now, and how much worse these trees would make it. For the time being I'm treating the idea of changes the region's visuals more as a conceptual and aesthetic question rather than one of performance.

Mwgek · Post by **Mwgek** » Sun May 31, 2015 8:11 pm

I still don't really see what it wrong with this version:

[url=http://s2.photobucket.com/user/morrowindgek/media/Tamriel%20Rebuilt/01.jpg.html][img]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y12/morrowindgek/Tamriel%20Rebuilt/th_01.jpg[/img][/url]

Worsas · Post by **Worsas** » Mon Jun 01, 2015 12:50 pm

Mwgek wrote:I still don't really see what it wrong with this version:

[url=http://s2.photobucket.com/user/morrowindgek/media/Tamriel%20Rebuilt/01.jpg.html][img]http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y12/morrowindgek/Tamriel%20Rebuilt/th_01.jpg[/img][/url]

Meh, I cannot tell much of that version you have been working on. I only saw the current trees on some of gnomeys screenshots and felt that something needed to be done about them.

Worsas · Post by **Worsas** » Tue Jul 14, 2015 3:37 pm

In Melchior Dharks recent Lythdodea alpha release, I stepped across this larger corkculb tree. There are quite a few interesting resources he has been using.

If you can obtain permission for this one, perhaps put it into joint use with the reworked ndib trees? I have not gotten around to do the altered trunk shape yet, but I still have it in mind.

Post by **Gnomey** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 3:09 pm

I'm certainly interested in the model, though the texture may need a bit of tweaking. Thanks for pointing it out.

Note that it's not entirely clear whether these would be corkbulb trees, they'd just have a similar form; perhaps be related. Originally, corkbulb trees were supposed to look like [url=http://tamriel-rebuilt.org/old_forum/download.php?id=21461]this[/url], but the design is so radically different from the corkbulb we see in vanilla Morrowind that, while I'd like to see the pictured plants in TR, probably Telvannis, I wouldn't call them corkbulb trees. Or, at least, they'd be a variant.

Melchior Dahrk · Post by **Melchior Dahrk** » Sat Aug 01, 2015 9:27 pm

TR is welcome to use my Corkbulb tree model. That one's entirely my own so there are no permission issues there. The model isn't perfect (especially where the leaves attach...), but I like it conceptually.

It's not quite what I would imagine mainland corktrees to look like though. It's more a tropical "things grow bigger and lusher in this climate!" type of design that fits well with the palm trees in Lyithdonea. I imagine mainland corkbuld trees to be more bulbous.

Off topic, but if there's anything else TR might be interested in in Lyithdonea just let me know. The alpha was a big resource dump but I was fairly restrictive with the permissions just to be on the safe side.

Worsas · Post by **Worsas** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 1:08 pm

It is maybe better to elaborate a complete region design rather than keeping discussing a single set of trees.

Changing existing exteriors just at the side is a bad idea, I think. And the recently elaborated working-pipeline suggestion by Swiftoak makes it clear that a top-to-bottom approach is in order. If you touch existing work, be it only exchanging some trees, you should have spent sufficient thought on it and already know what the final result of these regional changes should be like, to prevent having to change changed areas once again later, because the result of the changes was not satisfactory yet.

For now TR can consider these tree assets a mere possibility. If they gather dust on my hd or even go wasted, I won't be fussed this time

Edit: Thankyou for dropping by and giving your permission, Melchior. MW gets tropical the further you go south, but the trees could still get altered to acccount for the different environment.

Melchior Dahrk · Post by **Melchior Dahrk** » Sun Aug 02, 2015 1:44 pm

Good point. I was thinking about Vvardenfell, actually. Since in my own vision, the Ascadian Isles would have corkbulb trees instead of what we got. Like how the dialog describes the area.

edit: by the way, I would be interested in those trees you have. I can see myself potentially using them when I get back to my "Of Ash and Blight" overhaul for Vvardenfell.

Spiffyman · Post by **Spiffyman** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 3:47 pm

I'm just going to chime in and say that I like the morrowind vibe from the corkbulb inspired trunks.

Doom_Carrot · Post by **Doom_Carrot** » Sat Aug 15, 2015 7:59 pm

Worsas wrote:In Melchior Dharks recent Lythdodea alpha release, I stepped across this larger corkculb tree. There are quite a few interesting resources he has been using.

If you can obtain permission for this one, perhaps put it into joint use with the reworked ndib trees? I have not gotten around to do the altered trunk shape yet, but I still have it in mind.

The UESP wiki describes corkbulb as being a tough, fibrous root, commonly used in place of wood due to morrowind's inhosbitable terrain that proves difficult for other tree life to thrive in.
However, I never really felt that the corkbulbs in vanilla looked big enough to really fit that description... I always picture them more like strange tree things. And this model perfectly fits what I imagine.

I think these should deffinately be implemented in corkbulby areas.