Graphics request/mesh merge: Haunted Lands

[Tarquelne]

I'd like to try out a new graphic for the Scions Haunted Lands - a merge between the current bleached burnt forest and a recolored fallout.

I can get the forest and the fallout together... except that the fallout part is screwed up. If someone can put them together is such a manner that the fallout doesn't look like a psychedelic umbrella, that'd be greatly appreciated.

Or if you've got a suggestion for a new Haunted Lands graphic that'd be good too.

 

[[to_xp]Gekko]

maybe FF could revert the Ancient Forests to the old golden look so that you can use the current ancient forest graphics as haunted ones? those ancient forests right now look pretty gloomy you know

 

[zup]

They should look gloomy! Think of venturing into Fangorn Forest and worry about not only ents/treants (if you did not know, they are the same thing) but also amazon elf assassins. Gloomy is the name of the game.

 

[JeffSteel]

Don't really know if its supposed to be a "forest" per see, just a region where the normal rules don't apply. Where trees grow off of the vines, where water flows uphill, and the egg lays the chicken. A fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area we call, the Twilight Zone, ....... also know in Erebus as the Haunted Lands.

 

[Tarquelne]

Don't really know if its supposed to be a "forest" per see, just a region where the normal rules don't apply.

Good point - I've probably been too focused on using some sort of forest graphic when a forest is really an arbitrary choice. Hmm... well not completely, come to think of it, since the Scion Druid and Ranger UUs are heavily involved... But the essential thing is indeed that it's not a "normal" region.

I do like that a forest implies darkness and mystery, but looking weird is important.

Graphically I think Haunted Lands would work better as an Improvement since it could preserve the underlying terrain/features. But I really like the need to "chop" a HL tile to get rid of it, rather than just pillaging. Gets a lot closer to what you'd need to do to restore the area.

OTOH Workers could be given a Spell that activates only in a HL tile allowing them to restore it. That might be ideal if it wasn't for the AI and graphical work that'd both be necessary and beyond my abilities.

It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man's fears and the summit of his knowledge.

QFT.

 

[Valkrionn]

Graphically I think Haunted Lands would work better as an Improvement since it could preserve the underlying terrain/features. But I really like the need to "chop" a HL tile to get rid of it, rather than just pillaging. Gets a lot closer to what you'd need to do to restore the area.

I agree, it would show that the haunted lands can exist anywhere, and would stop your empire from being quite so homogeneous... But it would be too easy to get rid of, and would prevent you from building improvements under it, like you can now.

 

[Tarquelne]

HL are generated via python. Assuming Improvements can be created the same way we could probably have the best of both by having the code put a HL Improvement rather than a Feature in some places. Forests are replaced by HL forests, say, while a mine is replaced by a HL-Mine or a Pit or Maw or something. (Actually a variety would be best...)

OTOH xeinwolf's Aspects may be the way to go.

 

[zup]

Scions hardly need improvements. Except for resources but it is possible to make haunted lands connect them right? Just get theocracy and start spamming great prophets. When you have the final level, priests are extreme (especially 200 in a single city). Then throw in scholarship and caste system to further boost them.

One thing you might do is make haunted lands a base terrain (or a few base terrains).

 

[Brokenbone]

Scions hardly need improvements. Except for resources but it is possible to make haunted lands connect them right? Just get theocracy and start spamming great prophets. When you have the final level, priests are extreme (especially 200 in a single city). Then throw in scholarship and caste system to further boost them.

One thing you might do is make haunted lands a base terrain (or a few base terrains).

Maybe on point of "base terrain", I'm thinking of just like how the Illians have buildings (Temple of the Hand) and rituals (the Deepening) that spread snow and tundra, as applicable... why not have Scions cities capable of generating big swaths of haunted lands around themselves by some method or other? Could be haunted hills, haunted plains, haunted forests, whatever. Probably in cases, resource-rich tiles might not always fit being haunted (I can picture a haunted gold mine, but a haunted cow pasture? C'mon)

 

[Valkrionn]

Maybe on point of "base terrain", I'm thinking of just like how the Illians have buildings (Temple of the Hand) and rituals (the Deepening) that spread snow and tundra, as applicable... why not have Scions cities capable of generating big swaths of haunted lands around themselves by some method or other? Could be haunted hills, haunted plains, haunted forests, whatever. Probably in cases, resource-rich tiles might not always fit being haunted (I can picture a haunted gold mine, but a haunted cow pasture? C'mon)

lol, What's so hard to believe about an undead cow?

 

[Tarquelne]

(I can picture a haunted gold mine, but a haunted cow pasture? C'mon)

"It was on the second day without food. We'd been passing plants I thought edible, but our guide examined each and signed that we should avoid it - that we would have better soon. Of course none of us could really trust it... him, but we knew better than to ignore his warnings.

Soon enough the blighted forest ended and we came upon a wide expanse covered not with grass or brush but instead some sort of brown moss. Oh, and it stank. Indicating that the others should stay behind, the guide led me out from the trees and onto the moss. The earth felt oddly soft, but not remarkably so, given the circumstances. About six yards from the forest we stopped and the guide pointed to my knife and mimed what I soon realized was cutting a small piece of sod. When I asked why he pointed to his stomach, well, where his stomach should be. Peat, I guessed, for a fire. So, anyway, I shrugged, knelt, and started cutting.

After being in the Haunted Lands for a month I didn't even pause when the ground started bleeding, though I was surprised with the way it steamed. However, I did stop when the sound came. A low moan or rumble, it seemed to come out of the earth itself. The guide tapped me on the shoulder and clacked - I was to hurry. I set to and lifted a chunk of bloody meat from the... not the earth, from the other flesh. The guide ran and I ran after him. We'd not been back into the forest for half a minute when the great mass flexed and roiled, and the stink became unbearable.

We all fled deeper into the forest. The guild pointed out a fallen tree. We piled some kindling under it, put our hands over our ears and Aeris set the whole alight. After it'd stopped screaming we roast my "peat" and ate. I was hungry, but even without that sauce I think it would have been the finest pork I've ever tasted. At least I assume it was pork."

why not have Scions cities capable of generating big swaths of haunted lands around themselves by some method or other?

Two reasons. Both of questionable validity, but reasons none the less:

1) I don't know how.
2) Because other civs/religions have functions that automatically generate terrain. All other things being equal - or not terribly unequal - I'd like to have Scions do things differently.

Though you didn't say "automatically." A ritual might be nice.

 

[Valkrionn]

First off, amazing back story lol.

Though you didn't say "automatically." A ritual might be nice.

And a ritual that worked like a giant Mend Nature spell would be awesome. Give each type of terrain a certain chance to resist, but you'd end up with a large amount of HL and just need to mop it up.... Would have to be either very expensive, or only effect the BFC of the city it's built in though, otherwise the commerce makes it unbalancing.

 

[Brokenbone]

I guess I like the whole "terrain reflecting the inhabitants" thing that happens now with many civs.

FoL followers, their civs are jammed with ancient forests.

Veil civs, they get hell terrain.

Illians, they have to put in a bit of work (temples, rituals, dragging around blizzards), but can encourage icy / tundra terrain.

FF's two lizard civs have deep jungles/swamps spread pretty naturally inside their borders.

I may not have played Scions enough to get a good feel for them, but having "haunted" territory be commonplace, without ranger-equivalents having to run around and plant it, might be fun. Again, one of the only "themes" of their lands I ended up with was that you'd never see farms, because, hey, why bother? Still, their mines and cottages looked the same as anyone else's. Maybe they should look spookier, with or without game mechanics / bonus to go with them (which might make them short of Haunted Lands, I suppose).

Anyhow, good luck with ideas and look/feel changes!

 

[Tarquelne]

but having "haunted" territory be commonplace, without ranger-equivalents having to run around and plant it, might be fun.

I think I've remembered my initial idea: HL were to spread from Redactors. Unless you were in another civ's territory you wouldn't need to cast a spell - you'd just park the Redactor where you wanted the HL to spread from.

Scions cottages, mines etc. should look pretty much like everyone elses... well, *better* obviously, , but not particularly spooky until the HL kick in. After that it would indeed be nice to have some extra graphics kick in.