Syllabus: Worldbuilding

[DarkRider]

An Introduction to Worldbuilding

Introduction:

Welcome to Oblivion Worldbuilding, Student!

So, you have begun your journey into the wonderful world of modding for The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion and now you feel ready to create your own worldspace! Congratulations! Worldbuilding is one of the most rewarding aspects of modding as it allows you to create new places to visit that are separate from the vanilla world offered in the game. This is a great place to let your imagination run free in your mod and throughout this course you will gain the tools you need to create your vision!

These classes build upon the lessons learned in the Construction Set Basics course and will approach the broad subject of worldbuilding from the assumption that you have either completed the CS Basics course, or you have achieved through private study, a working understanding of how the Construction Set works. If you do not have that foundation, it is advised that you go back and complete the CS Basics course before you attempt the material in this one. Beginners will find the instruction in this course confusing and shorthanded without that working knowledge to refer to so save yourself the frustration and start back a step.

By now you will certainly have lots of grand ideas about all the things you’d like to create, and with some careful study of the tutorials available here on TESA you will soon achieve those goals. However, jot them down and set them aside for now! The first thing you want to do is spend some time studying the tutorials and learning how to use these techniques, rather than stumbling through your mod idea one tutorial at a time. If you start with your ideas first the margin for error is greater and you may find yourself having to fix and even redo things later when you learn proper skills. So for now, let’s focus on learning the some Worldbuilding techniques!

Smarty Says: Hi! Remember me?! I’m Smarty, I know everything there is to know about Worldbuilding for the Elder Scrolls and I will follow you along your course of study with useful tips and reminders for you, so keep your eyes open for me!

What You Need:

• TES CONSTRUCTION SET v1.2.404 (See Part I for Install Instructions)
  
  
• OBLIVION PATCH v1.2.0416
  

Terms to Know:

Worldspace- A collection of cells apart from the Tamriel worldspace; quite literally, a separate world.

Landscaping- The act of sculpting the landscape model using the landscaping tool.

Cell- One interior or exterior unit.

Region- One group of cells among many that are identified as a collective “regional” name.

Parent- A reference that other references are dependent on for defining information.

Child- A reference that is dependent on a Parent reference

To Begin Class:

• Enclave Etiquette: Before posting, please read the general guidelines for Enclave Etiquette.
  
  
• Enroll: Contact the current instructor and ask to be added to the Official Roster
  
  
• Go to Class: Head to the Worldbuilding 101 classroom and begin with Lesson #1
  

Have questions? Post them in the General Questions Thread!

Make sure you read "About the Worldbuilding Course" so you know what's expected of you!

[DarkRider]

About the Worldbuilding Course

Description:

The Worldbuilding class has been designed to give intermediate modders a solid understanding of common and basic worlduilding techniques needed for creating new cities and worlds for Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion. The class does not cover every subject, such as scripts, quests, and NPCs, as those are covered in other classes.

Rules:

Worldbuilding Students are expected to adhere to the general rules for Enclave Decorum. Be sure to read through them before posting in this class. Ignorance of the rules is not an excuse for breaking them, so have a quick read and you'll be set to go.

Section 101 vs Section 102:

The worldbuilding course is the first Enclave course to offer multiple sections. If you are participating for the grade, you must complete the sections in order; 101 and then 102 as well as both the Midterm and Final exams. If you are not participating in the class, you can choose how you tackle the material, but students must do them in order otherwise you will be confused.

Homework:

By Section 101-Lesson #1 homework is introduced. The point of the homework assignments is to give students an opportunity to practice what they are learning while still being guided by the Instructor. Doing the homework is optional for casual learners, but necessary if you want to earn your Worldbuilding medal.

Extra Credit:

Extra credit is just that, extra, doing some of these will be necessary to earn a total of 200 points, but you can pick and choose what you do to make the grade. The Midterm and Final exams are not optional.

Credit Challenges:

Credit challenges are small tasks worth points but offering little guidance. This enables students to boost their point count while expanding on their skill set and gaining some confidence for working without guidance.

Midterm Exam:

The midterm exam offers a great opportunity to earn points and also represents the halfway mark of the course. Finishing the midterm will earn you the midterm medal and will pass you to Section 102. The midterm medal does not count as the course medal in regards to graduating from the Enclave.

Final Exam:

The final exam marks the end of the class and is the most labor intensive part of the course. Finishing the exam will earn you the overall course medal and releasing your final exam will earn you a third additional medal for your release.

Points:

In the class, you are required to achieve at least 200pts in order to receive the Worldbuilding Medal. There are more points possible however and doing all of the homework and all of the credit challenges will boost your skill set and your confidence.

About Advanced Students:

Some of you may be more advanced but still want to earn a Worldbuilding Medal by doing the assignments. Regardless of your skill set, if you do the homework assigned in step with the class you can certainly earn a medal. However, with advanced skills comes the temptation to show off a bit and add in resources and other custom touches not being covered. Screenshots of your work will only confuse and invalidate the other students who are still learning, so such images will be nixed and you won't get credit for your work toward a Worldbuilding Medal. If you want to do the work, you must do the assignment within the outlined spirit of the class.

Smarty Says: Once the class is completed and points are tallied everyone, beginner and advanced students alike, are welcome to add whatever they like to their creations to make it custom.