chtujo wrote: ↑Mon Jan 06, 2020 9:19 pm
Something extra I'd like to add to this - IMHO Daggerfall is in need of an updated heightmap. The old one only stores a few different height levels, and is rather low resolution. If possible, it would be good if this mod was designed so that it can easily be re-run on a new heightmap if it were to be released, with minimal manual adjustment.
ByteMixer wrote: ↑Wed Jan 08, 2020 3:42 am
For me, I'm just interested and waiting to see how the concept gets implemented as well as looking to the future of what can be done to create synergy between it and other mods that add unique, custom locations now that modders can implement those areas using world data. (e.g. World of Daggerfall and New Locations mods by Kamer and Uncanny Valley).
Daggerfall uses the low-res heightmaps but only as a basis. It uses an algorithm to generate the actual terrain features based on these maps.
I am aiming to get an adaptable solution that can easily be run on other maps or extended or completely new sets of locations as well.
ByteMixer wrote: ↑Wed Jan 08, 2020 3:42 am
If the mod is intended for "realism or immersion junkies" then let it be.
Don't recall ever being called a 'realism or immersion junkie', but fair enough. Fits well
ByteMixer wrote: ↑Wed Jan 08, 2020 3:42 am
Not all roads need to be paved. Some could be animal paths or hunting trails, some could be dirt or gravel. I would think only important main roads between commerce centers would be well paved. Plus, you could use the type of road as a cue or landmark to tell the player that, "Hey, this broken, torn up path may lead somewhere like a dungeon or crypt. Might want to go explore that for fun, loot, and possibly death."
Lokkrin Zhataros wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2020 10:07 pm
I am now happy and enthusiastic about the hopeful prospect of having roads properly placed in Daggerfall in the future.
I hope all the best for the modders and developers in this project and will look forward to seeing more on this topic!!!
Agree with the suggestions. Thanks for the good wishes.
ByteMixer wrote: ↑Wed Jan 08, 2020 3:42 am
But yeah, it's possible this mod would not be "immersion" compatible with Tedious Travel. At least, not initially. Maybe the mod author for Tedious Travel would find a way to make the player "stick to the roads" by calculating a predetermined path to follow rather than plow over hills and forests "as the crow flies." But that's something for way in the future. We don't even have a working version of roads yet, and it's still heavily concept work at this point.
BadLuckBurt wrote: ↑Tue Jan 07, 2020 10:59 pm
Tedious Travel could theoretically check in with the road mod to get a road path, if the author is up for supporting it I'm sure something could be worked out.
Roads lead places wether they're in Arena, Daggerfall or whatever TES game you prefer.
[...]
And roads leading nowhere is silly when we might as well make a network out of them.
ByteMixer wrote: ↑Wed Jan 08, 2020 3:42 am
As for practicality. Roads become practical as just another option for the player to travel around. Maybe it's aimed for the person who wants to wander to another location aimlessly, or to explore and still have a guide point to return to without getting really lost in the wilderness. Some people just hate the idea of using fast travel (and I'm not a fan of Tedious Travel either, but that's on me personally).
Eventually, I'd be happy to coopeate with other modders on ensuring other widely used mods are compatible with the roads mod.
The issue with Tedious Travel also raises an important question. It concerns not only Tedious Travel but also other mods in the future that potentially build upon the roads mod. There is a large array of poosibilities if we do it right.
Why people travel on roads? One thing is that it is a guideline.
1. You can just follow the Hammerfell road and it will lead you to Hammerfell, no need to check your map all the time. Having the player 'know' his or her current position is also a 'cheat', but I understand that without roads, the developers of classic DF did not have an array of better choices to choose from. With roads, that could change.
There could also be signposts at bigger junctions to tell which road is which or mile stones by more significant roads.
2. Second, also important factor. The placement of roads is optimal or close to optimal: you wouldn't find a quicker way to get to your destination anyway, so you just follow the road.
In addition, once the road is there, it is considerably easier to walk a road than to walk on rough terrain, so there should be a speed increase and it should take less fatigue to travel (walk or run) on the roads - the higher the quality of the road, the stronger the benefits.
Mods such as Tedious Travel could take this into account when optimizing the route to take to a particular destination.
3. Third, because a lot of people use roads, a lot of other features can be built around them. (I recall a post from a couple of months back drawing my attention to this fact.) You can meet people on the roads, or avoid roads if you prefer to avoid meeting people. There could be travellng merchants, guard patrols, message or news carriers, fewer of certain kinds of enemies on or near the roads, and more of other kinds (like highwaymen).
There are lots of possibilities apart from having them as decoration.
But for all of that, first, the roads need to be there, and the roads mod needs to be done in a way that is acceptable to a large enough part of the community so other modders build on it. It is a very challenging task. This is why I hesitated to take up the task in the first place and this is why I am excited about all the possibilities this could mean.