This is the Sleheyron Planet, which is a Work-In-Progress mod for KotOR

[N-DReW25 1,336]

or the hutt she refered to (unnamed hutt).

Yuthura said his name is Omeesh so he definitely wasn't unarmed - http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Omeesh

[Sithspecter 909]

Today I have a special treat for you. I don't normally showcase this much of the areas, but this one is pretty unique. It may not appear groundbreaking at first glance, but it is.

 

This is the first area I have designed from the ground up in the same way that KotOR areas are structured. It may sound pretty idiotic, but previously I didn't have much of a plan before jumping in 3DSMax and modeling. Sure, I had some ideas in my head of what it would look like, but this approach was lengthy and tiresome. I would get stuck partway through, unsure what to do or what to work on next. It would eventually all work out, but was a more grueling process.

 

Not this time.

 

The first item on the agenda was a floor plan. I checked around a few similar KotOR areas, and discovered that a 3.75 or 7.5 meter square is typically used as a base size that rooms are constructed in. With this in mind, I decided a few things like wall thickness, doorway width, etc that I had previously been eyeballing. I also checked in-game to see what similar areas contained. I thought things through. For instance, if you have guards, they have to have a place to sleep, eat, and store their equipment. For this area, I knew I needed bunks, a kitchen/dining area, and store-rooms. With all of this in mind, I took to graph paper to lay out the floor plan. It was a bit more difficult than I thought, but after a few hours I came up with a good floor plan with dimensions. Satisfied, I turned to the second part of the plan: creating pre-made assets.

 

Ironically, some of the inspiration for this came from an Apeiron livestream, of all places. I guess you can learn things by studying the apes. Anyways, it was interesting to see how easily (note that I say easy, not that it's done well) the TheDigitalCowboy put areas together. And he hardly models a single thing! He takes a bunch of pre-created things like walls and chairs and tables and fixtures and places them. I decided to do the same. I modeled beds, tables, chairs, crates, wall cross sections, light fixtures, doorways, and panels. Previously, it was annoying to go back and detail an area after it had been created. With this approach, it was drop-dead easy.

 

Now can the actual modeling of the area itself. With dimensioned drawings, it was simple. I laid out a big circle, and went from there. Walls were quick to construct, since I already had calculated cross sections for them, and doorways were simple drag-and-drop affairs (a little more like calculate and rotate, but it was still very easy all the same). The planning really paid off, and the area went together quickly.

 

The next thing that I did that I don't normally do is slice the area into sections. Well, sections that make sense anyways. Previously I was selecting ~20 meshes randomly, lightmapping them, and exporting. This time, I divvied up the meshes into their respective rooms, and combined all meshes in the room with the same texture. This makes lightmapping way way easier. The lightmapping went off without a hitch, and it's normally a bit more difficult.

 

With the area all in-game, it was time to do the walkmeshes. My walkmesh tutorial details that further, but this is the first area that I've done with multiple walkmeshes, i.e. one per room.

 

Finally, I added the camerameshes, which can now block the camera from going through walls (thanks to Dastardly!)

 

Soooo...that's it. A lot of kinda technical things that added up to really smooth and beautiful area creation. Expect more of this in the near future!

 

[134340Goat 116]

Holy frig.... I don't know what to say beyond WOW. This is incredible. The details, the structure, the lighting. It feels just like it belongs in the game

 

It's always good to see an update. Especially one so impressive as this. Thanks and fantastic work

[Eauxps I. Fourgott 81]

Very very nice.

[Damned 20]

Your near endless sense of dedication to this project never ceases to amaze me. You and Fair Strides are truly one in a million.

[Eauxps I. Fourgott 81]

Your near endless sense of dedication to this project never ceases to amaze me. You and Fair Strides are truly one in a million.

 

Wouldn't that be two in a million?

[Sith Holocron 2,478]

Wouldn't that be two in a million?

They each get their own million.

 

Excellent work as always, SS. I wish M4-78 had that attention to light maps.

[Zhaboka 91]

Totally seamless with the original maps. Excellent work.

[Kexikus 995]

Looks just like a vanilla map. Amazing work!

 

One thing I wondered yesterday is the following: Do you already have an outline for the secondary quests? I'm asking since those might require specific places that need to exist in the area, so I wonder if you have a list of additional locations that are necessary for side quests or something like that? I just assume that you already know the planet story line and thus know the areas needed for that^^

[Sithspecter 909]

Looks just like a vanilla map. Amazing work!

 

One thing I wondered yesterday is the following: Do you already have an outline for the secondary quests? I'm asking since those might require specific places that need to exist in the area, so I wonder if you have a list of additional locations that are necessary for side quests or something like that? I just assume that you already know the planet story line and thus know the areas needed for that^^

 

Well, I suppose that 2 of the main quests really count as secondary quests, since they are not necessary for Star Map retrieval. I've outlined both of those well so far, with necessary areas planned. As far as smaller quests go (ie Sharina Fizark or A Wookiee Lost), I haven't done much planning at all. Fortunately, those type of quests can be implemented almost anywhere without too much hassle.

[starwars1234 9]

....wow.......I am lost for words. Incredible!

[Jorak Uln 458]

Well, I suppose that 2 of the main quests really count as secondary quests, since they are not necessary for Star Map retrieval. I've outlined both of those well so far, with necessary areas planned. As far as smaller quests go (ie Sharina Fizark or A Wookiee Lost), I haven't done much planning at all. Fortunately, those type of quests can be implemented almost anywhere without too much hassle.

First of all, AMAZING work as always!

 

Speaking of quests, im curious, do you plan to get a good storywriter into the team?

 

I think that might be helpful if you plan to implement some big quests with many story arcs and twists & turns...

Maybe even some big decisions like in KotfE?

[N-DReW25 1,336]

Looks good, I can assume those red boxes on the tables are spice boxes (Since the Spice on the ebon hawk had a three red boxes as an icon)

[Sithspecter 909]

First of all, AMAZING work as always!

 

Speaking of quests, im curious, do you plan to get a good storywriter into the team?

 

I think that might be helpful if you plan to implement some big quests with many story arcs and twists & turns...

Maybe even some big decisions like in KotfE?

 

Thanks Jorak! I've been writing most of the quests and storylines myself, over a long period with quite a few revisions as well as calling on a few unbiased opinions to critique them. There are a few larger quests, which have been thoroughly written for the most part. I don't play SWtoR, so I'm not quite sure what big decisions you refer to. But I am trying to keep things more streamlined and less complex.

 

 

Looks good, I can assume those red boxes on the tables are spice boxes (Since the Spice on the ebon hawk had a three red boxes as an icon)

 

Good eye, N-DReW25, those are in fact spice bricks, ready to be packaged and shipped.

[Jorak Uln 458]

Thanks Jorak! I've been writing most of the quests and storylines myself, over a long period with quite a few revisions as well as calling on a few unbiased opinions to critique them. There are a few larger quests, which have been thoroughly written for the most part. I don't play SWtoR, so I'm not quite sure what big decisions you refer to. But I am trying to keep things more streamlined and less complex.

 

 

 

Good eye, N-DReW25, those are in fact spice bricks, ready to be packaged and shipped.

what i meant is:

its good that you have a clear plan what quests should be in there, but:

 

my point was that  a (semi)professional writer  could help you a lot with the quality of the writing - to make each quest as interesting and exiting as possible.

So if you have clear ideas how the plot has to be & which npcs should be involved, you just talk to your writer, and he/she fills that with greatly written dialogues and perhaps new even ideas.

 

That saves you a lot of time and would make even simple "bring & fetch" quests interesting like in amazing games like the Witcher, Mass Effect  or Kotor 2.

 

So if you like the idea, i could also look around which fanfic writer capture that Star Wars/Kotor feeling best in their stories.

[LiliArch 115]

Speaking of quests, im curious, do you plan to get a good storywriter into the team?

...I'm sorry to jump in like that and if my opinion sounds rash, but to me that sounds like you're sure SS himself is a bad storywriter.

[Jorak Uln 458]

...I'm sorry to jump in like that and if my opinion sounds rash, but to me that sounds like you're sure SS himself is a bad storywriter.

No worries. I do not want to suggest anything like that! I like SS work.

The reason why i said that was simply, because i made the experience first hand now, that since i teamed up doing my textures, everything goes much faster and 

the best part: it leaps the quality of my own work, since i can give attention now to small details previously not possible.

 

I think if SS has a good writer in the team, it could boost things in a similar way.

It also wont hurt his general vision since he could give exact instructions how things should be written.

 

@SS: this is only an idea, so dont  feel forced on anything

[Sithspecter 909]

Well, I certainly am open to any help that will make the mod better. That being said, I don't exactly know of an excellent and well-versed writer to call on, so in the mean time I'm stuck with just me, and a few people to check and make sure I'm not creating any bonehead plot holes. But if anyone knows of one, I'm more than happy to talk with them to try and better the mod.

 

I could definitely use a good dialog writer though, I struggle a bit when it comes to that, and so does Fair Strides. It would be good to have someone that can bridge the gap.

 

Also, I am looking for a few Hutt names, if anyone has suggestions.

[N-DReW25 1,336]

Also, I am looking for a few Hutt names, if anyone has suggestions.

Here are some I can think of

 

Chumash The Hutt, Alog The Hutt, Kumash The Hutt, Hobba The Hutt, Ozug The Hutt, Demis The Hutt, Odis The Hutt, Palnor The Hutt, Salbis The Hutt, Azorg The Hutt, Kelon The Hutt

 

I know there bad but when you think about it they can really fit in with the hutt culture.

 

(Also the reason I put the words "The Hutt" after the names is because Jabba in the Star wars movies was refered to as Jabba the Hutt, In Kotor 1 and 2 every Hutt isn't refered to as for example Ajur the Hutt or Vogga the Hutt there just Ajur and Vogga).

[milestails 264]

Ready Set Hutt, Hutt Chi Minh, Ten-Hutt, Adolf Huttler, Starsky and Huttch, Hutt Fuzz, Huttcules, Donald Hutt, Huttary Clinton, George W. Hutt, Hutt Mess, Francois Huttande, Dwight D. Eisenhutt, Mahuttma Gandhi, Makeshift Hutt, Hutt Girl, Hutt Guy, Hutt Plate, Go To Hutt, Kim Jong Hutt, Crosby Stills Nash and Hutt, Huttle Up.

 

Edit: Hutt James Hutt, Hutt and Bothered, Brad Hutt, Smokey the Hutt, McGruff the Crime Hutt, Yogi Hutt, Fred Flinthutt, George Huttson, Kate Huttson, Sylvester Stalhutt, Darth Nihilhutt, Dustin Huttman.

[zbyl2 811]

Man Hutt An

[Malkior 476]

Here are some I can think of

 

Chumash The Hutt, Alog The Hutt, Kumash The Hutt, Hobba The Hutt, Ozug The Hutt, Demis The Hutt, Odis The Hutt, Palnor The Hutt, Salbis The Hutt, Azorg The Hutt, Kelon The Hutt

 

I know there bad but when you think about it they can really fit in with the hutt culture.

 

(Also the reason I put the words "The Hutt" after the names is because Jabba in the Star wars movies was refered to as Jabba the Hutt, In Kotor 1 and 2 every Hutt isn't refered to as for example Ajur the Hutt or Vogga the Hutt there just Ajur and Vogga).

Technically Hutts have three names to denote their family and ranks. Jabba Desilijic Tiur for, example.

[Jorak Uln 458]

It might also help to use the Star wars names generator:

 

http://fantasynamegenerators.com/sw-hutt-names.php#.WAHtP39xqUk

 

not every name sounds right, but a few tries and you might get a good one, also with other races.

 

 

About the writer:

As i said i could look around, and see if i find an appropriate one.

[sEcOnDbOuToFiNsAnItY 60]

Milestails, You absolute genius!

[Zhaboka 91]

Down to be a dialogue editor/writer. I've done tons of dialogue editing as a beta tester for a bunch of Newbie mods, several Fallen Guardian mods, and, of course, M4-78.