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[WIP] Tamriellic Craftworks: Archer's Paradox


Oriius
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Hello everyone. I go by the name Oriius.

 

I've been a modder for many years and released a number of projects including "Tamriellic Glassworks" and "Ranger's Shroud Armour" for Oblivion, as well as surprisingly successful "The Elder Scrolls V Rewritten: Arvak" for Skyrim (still an ongoing project). I also have a number of project that I consistantly rotate through depending on what ideas I feel like exploring at any given time; most of these have been hampered by issues with getting Blender to play nicely with Skyrim's NIF format. Thanks to InsanitySorrow helping me work out the last kinks in the export process, I can finally move forward, so I've decided to press on with something I conceptualized a few months ago:

 

Like a lot of people I was hyped for the release of Eidos Montreal's reboot of the Thief franchise. I'l admit that my experience with actually playing the earlier game consisted of five minutes in Deadly Shadows before my computer threw a temper-tantrum, but always loved the concept and one of my favourite mods from Oblivion was a mod based on the same sort of concept (Thieves Arsenal by Scruggs). I looked at all of this and thought "why couldn't it be done in Skyrim?". After all, we were already part-way there with Dawnguard's exploding Bolts. So I took it upon myself to expand the archer's arsenal with some craft-able goodies for the player to make use of.

 

Skyrim's current crafting system is something of a joke (I suspect I will never fully understand Bethesda's infatuation with scrolling menus), and the fact that the player couldn't craft projectiles when the original game launched proved to be an irritation to a number of players (particularly as certain arrow types are scarce while materials can often be plentiful). 

 

The goal of this project is a ground-up reinterpretation of Skyrim's fletching system (or lack thereof) featuring modular arrow construction with a wide variety of materials and features. 

 

Planned Features:

 

Core Module:

  • Fletching kit to act as a mobile crafting station to assemble arrows.
  • Knife to act as a mobile crafting station for arrow shafts.
  • Ability to craft arrow components at pre-existing crafting stations (forge and tanning rack).
  • Wide variety of arrowheads with different functions including distraction, armor penetration, bleeding, poisoning, knockout, poison delivery and explosive delivery.
  • Ability to craft arrowheads in all styles in all materials available in game.
  • Ability to make alchemical compounds for syringe and exploding arrows (poisons and silver extract for the former, fire, frost, shock poison and knockout gas for the latter)
  • Customization of arrows based on ability (different flights to determine arrow performance, ability to find arrows in the dark, etc)

Dawnguard Module:

  • Alteration to suntouched/bloodcursed arrow scripts to allow blessing and bleeding of arrowheads rather than full elven arrows).
  • New materials added for each faction ("sunsteel" for Dawnguard, "grimsteel" for vampires made from smelted Death Hound collars).
  • New quests for Dawnguard faction (rediscovery of alchemical formulas for "sunsteel' material and "sunburst" exploding arrow compound)
  • New alchemical compounds for exploding arrows ("sunburst" for Dawnguard, "bloodmark" for Volkihar, both acting as weaker variants for their enchanted cousins)
  • New archivist NPC to implement quest for alchemical formulas (may be tied into another module from a related project)
  • Bolt creation using fletching station. Less variety of boltheads than arrowheads due to differences in how the crossbow deals damage.

Dragonborn Module:

  • New material types added for player to use (Heartstone and Stalhrim)
  • New alchemical compounds for exploding arrows (Petrification, Corrosion)

Possible expansion beyond original project:

  • Custom interface for arrow creation (not sure if possible; further research is required).
  • Regional styles for certain arrows (I wrote a long essay of the subject of regionality in Skyrim on the now-defunct Skyrim Real Estate forums. Suffice to say that it is my belief that Skyrim needs more regionality in its crafting. Only arrows likely to be covered by this are Broadhead, Armour-Piercing and Barbed, along with regional quivers in multiple materials. This would require separating the quiver from the arrows along with scripting to only allow the player to equip arrows when the have a quiver).

At present I'm at the asset creation stage; I've completed the mesh for the exploding arrow and the steel texture is nearly completed with only a few touchups left to be done. Other materials will not be far behind. For the moment I am focusing on the core module. Only when it is either completed or near completion will I move forward on the other two.

 

Project Status:

 

Core Module Phase 1:

 

Arrow Flights Assets

  • Arrow Flights Mesh 100%
  • Arrow Flights Hawk Texture 50%
  • Arrow Flights Chicken Texture 0%
  • Arrow Flights Hagraven Texture 0%
  • Additional Arrow Flights Textures (Still deciding on how many variants there will be. All will affect arrow stats in some way)

Arrow Shaft Assets

  • Arrow Shaft Mesh 100%
  • Arrow Shaft Mesh (Long Variant) 100%
  • Arrow Shaft Mesh (Short Variant) 100%
  • Arrow Shaft Firewood Texture: 50%
  • Arrow Nock Mesh 100%
  • Arrow Nock Iron Texture 100%
  • Arrow Nock Steel Texture 100%
  • Arrow Nock Moonsteel Texture 75%
  • Arrow Nock Dwarven Metal Texture 100%
  • Arrow Nock Orichalcum Texture 0%
  • Arrow Nock Quicksteel (quicksilver alloy) Texture 0%
  • Arrow Nock Silver Texture 0%
  • Arrow Nock Ebony Texture 0%
  • Arrow Nock Malachite Texture 0%

Exploding Arrowhead Assets

  • Exploding Arrow Phial Mesh 100%
  • Exploding Arrow Arrowhead Mesh 100%
  • Exploding Arrow Iron Texture 100%
  • Exploding Arrow Steel Texture 100%
  • Exploding Arrow Moonsteel Texture 75%
  • Exploding Arrow Dwarven Metal Texture 100%
  • Exploding Arrow Orichalcum Texture 0%
  • Exploding Arrow Quicksteel (quicksilver alloy) Texture 0%
  • Exploding Arrow Silver Texture 0%
  • Exploding Arrow Ebony Texture 0%
  • Exploding Arrow Malachite Texture 0%
  • Exploding Arrow Flame Compound Texture 100%
  • Exploding Arrow Frost Compound Texture 100%
  • Exploding Arrow Shock Compound Texture 100%
  • Exploding Arrow Poison Gas Texture 100%
  • Exploding Arrow Knockout Gas Texture 100%
  • Exploding Arrow Water/Empty Phial Texture 100%

Whiterun Serrated Arrowhead Assets

  • Serrated Arrowhead Mesh 100%
  • Serrated Arrow Iron Texture 100%
  • Serrated Arrow Steel Texture 100%
  • Serrated Arrow Moonsteel Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Dwarven Metal Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Orichalcum Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Quicksteel (quicksilver alloy) Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Silver Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Ebony Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Malachite Texture 0%

Whiterun Bodkin (Armour-Piercing) Arrowhead Assets

  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Mesh 100%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Iron Texture 100%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Steel Texture 100%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Moonsteel Texture 75%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Dwarven Metal Texture 100%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Orichalcum Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Quicksteel (quicksilver alloy) Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Silver Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Ebony Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Malachite Texture 0%

Whiterun Broadhead Arrowhead Assets

  • Broadhead Arrowhead Mesh 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Iron Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Steel Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Moonsteel Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Dwarven Metal Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Orichalcum Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Quicksteel (quicksilver alloy) Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Silver Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Ebony Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Malachite Texture 0%

Whiterun Ropecutter Arrowhead Assets

  • Broadhead Arrowhead Mesh 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Iron Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Steel Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Moonsteel Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Dwarven Metal Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Orichalcum Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Quicksteel (quicksilver alloy) Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Silver Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Ebony Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Malachite Texture 0%

Imperial Legion Serrated Arrowhead Assets

  • Serrated Arrowhead Mesh 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Iron Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Steel Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Moonsteel Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Dwarven Metal Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Orichalcum Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Quicksteel (quicksilver alloy) Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Silver Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Ebony Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Malachite Texture 0%

Imperial Legion Bodkin (Armour-Piercing) Arrowhead Assets

  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Mesh 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Iron Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Steel Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Moonsteel Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Dwarven Metal Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Orichalcum Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Quicksteel (quicksilver alloy) Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Silver Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Ebony Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Malachite Texture 0%

Imperial Legion Broadhead Arrowhead Assets

  • Broadhead Arrowhead Mesh 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Iron Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Steel Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Moonsteel Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Dwarven Metal Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Orichalcum Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Quicksteel (quicksilver alloy) Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Silver Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Ebony Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Malachite Texture 0%

Eastmarch Serrated Arrowhead Assets

  • Serrated Arrowhead Mesh 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Iron Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Steel Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Moonsteel Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Dwarven Metal Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Orichalcum Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Quicksteel (quicksilver alloy) Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Silver Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Ebony Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Malachite Texture 0%

Eastmarch Bodkin (Armour-Piercing) Arrowhead Assets

  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Mesh 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Iron Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Steel Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Moonsteel Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Dwarven Metal Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Orichalcum Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Quicksteel (quicksilver alloy) Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Silver Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Ebony Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Malachite Texture 0%

Eastmarch Broadhead Arrowhead Assets

  • Broadhead Arrowhead Mesh 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Iron Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Steel Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Moonsteel Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Dwarven Metal Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Orichalcum Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Quicksteel (quicksilver alloy) Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Silver Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Ebony Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Malachite Texture 0%

Aldmeri Dominion Serrated Arrowhead Assets

  • Serrated Arrowhead Mesh 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Iron Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Steel Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Moonsteel Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Dwarven Metal Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Orichalcum Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Quicksteel (quicksilver alloy) Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Silver Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Ebony Texture 0%
  • Serrated Arrow Malachite Texture 0%

Aldmeri Dominion Bodkin (Armour-Piercing) Arrowhead Assets

  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Mesh 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Iron Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Steel Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Moonsteel Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Dwarven Metal Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Orichalcum Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Quicksteel (quicksilver alloy) Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Silver Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Ebony Texture 0%
  • Armour-Piercing Arrow Malachite Texture 0%

Aldmeri Dominion Broadhead Arrowhead Assets

  • Broadhead Arrowhead Mesh 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Iron Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Steel Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Moonsteel Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Dwarven Metal Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Orichalcum Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Quicksteel (quicksilver alloy) Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Silver Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Ebony Texture 0%
  • Broadhead Arrow Malachite Texture 0%

Syringe Arrowhead Assets

  • Syringe Arrowhead Mesh 100%
  • Syringe Arrow Iron Texture 100%
  • Syringe Arrow Steel Texture 100%
  • Syringe Arrow Moonsteel Texture 0%
  • Syringe Arrow Dwarven Metal Texture 100%
  • Syringe Arrow Orichalcum Texture 0%
  • Syringe Arrow Quicksteel (quicksilver alloy) Texture 0%
  • Syringe Arrow Silver Texture 0%
  • Syringe Arrow Ebony Texture 0%
  • Syringe Arrow Malachite Texture 0%
  • Wayrest Green Texture 100%
  • Nightshade Extract Texture 100%
  • Liquid Silver Concentrate Texture 100%
  • Additional Toxin Textures (Still not decided on additional toxins)

Noisemaker Arrowhead Assets

  • Noisemaker Arrow Mesh 100%
  • Noisemaker Arrow Iron Texture 100%

Blunt Arrowhead Assets

  • Blunt Arrowhead Mesh 100%
  • Blunt Arrow Iron Texture 100%

Quivers Assets

  • Whiterun Common Quiver Mesh 0%
  • Whiterun Common Quiver Brown Texture 0%
  • Whiterun Common Quiver Black Texture 0%
  • (Additional colour variants for Whiterun Common Quiver still being decided)
  • Whiterun Expensive Quiver Mesh 0%
  • Whiterun Expensive Quiver Brown Texture 0%
  • Whiterun Expensive Quiver Black Texture 0%
  • (Additional colour variants for Whiterun Expensive Quiver still being decided)
  • Whiterun Extravagant Quiver Mesh 0%
  • Whiterun Extravagant Quiver Brown Texture 0%
  • Whiterun Extravagant Quiver Black Texture 0%
  • (Additional colour variants for Whiterun Extravagant Quiver still being decided)
  • Whiterun Exquisite Quiver Mesh 0%
  • Whiterun Exquisite Quiver Brown Texture 0%
  • Whiterun Exquisite Quiver Black Texture 0%
  • (Additional colour variants for Whiterun Exquisite Quiver still being decided)
  • Imperial Legion Common Quiver Mesh 0%
  • Imperial Legion Common Quiver Brown Texture 0%
  • Imperial Legion Common Quiver Black Texture 0%
  • (Additional colour variants for Imperial Legion Exquisite Quiver still being decided)
  • Imperial Legion Expensive Quiver Mesh 0%
  • Imperial Legion Expensive Quiver Brown Texture 0%
  • Imperial Legion Expensive Quiver Black Texture 0%
  • (Additional colour variants for Imperial Legion Expensive Quiver still being decided)
  • Whiterun Extravagant Quiver Mesh 0%
  • Whiterun Extravagant Quiver Brown Texture 0%
  • Whiterun Extravagant Quiver Black Texture 0%
  • (Additional colour variants for Whiterun Extravagant Quiver still being decided)
  • Whiterun Exquisite Quiver Mesh 0%
  • Whiterun Exquisite Quiver Brown Texture 0%
  • Whiterun Exquisite Quiver Black Texture 0%
  • (Additional colour variants for Imperial Legion Exquisite Quiver still being decided)
  • Eastmarch Common Quiver Mesh 0%
  • Eastmarch Common Quiver Brown Texture 0%
  • Eastmarch Common Quiver Black Texture 0%
  • (Additional colour variants for Whiterun Eastmarch Quiver still being decided)
  • Eastmarch Expensive Quiver Mesh 0%
  • Eastmarch Expensive Quiver Brown Texture 0%
  • Eastmarch Expensive Quiver Black Texture 0%
  • (Additional colour variants for Eastmarch Expensive Quiver still being decided)
  • Eastmarch Extravagant Quiver Mesh 0%
  • Eastmarch Extravagant Quiver Brown Texture 0%
  • Eastmarch Extravagant Quiver Black Texture 0%
  • (Additional colour variants for Eastmarch Extravagant Quiver still being decided)
  • Eastmarch Exquisite Quiver Mesh 0%
  • Eastmarch Exquisite Quiver Brown Texture 0%
  • Eastmarch Exquisite Quiver Black Texture 0%
  • (Additional colour variants for Eastmarch Exquisite Quiver still being decided)
  • Aldmeri Dominion Common Quiver Mesh 0%
  • Aldmeri Dominion Common Quiver Brown Texture 0%
  • Aldmeri Dominion Common Quiver Black Texture 0%
  • (Additional colour variants for Aldmeri Dominion Common Quiver still being decided)
  • Aldmeri Dominion Expensive Quiver Mesh 0%
  • Aldmeri Dominion Expensive Quiver Brown Texture 0%
  • Aldmeri Dominion Expensive Quiver Black Texture 0%
  • (Additional colour variants for Aldmeri Dominion Expensive Quiver still being decided)
  • Aldmeri Dominion Extravagant Quiver Mesh 0%
  • Aldmeri Dominion Dominion Extravagant Quiver Brown Texture 0%
  • Aldmeri Dominion Extravagant Quiver Black Texture 0%
  • (Additional colour variants for Aldmeri Dominion Extravagant Quiver still being decided)
  • Aldmeri Dominion Exquisite Quiver Mesh 0%
  • Aldmeri Dominion Exquisite Quiver Brown Texture 0%
  • Aldmeri Dominion Exquisite Quiver Black Texture 0%
  • (Additional colour variants for Aldmeri Dominion Exquisite Quiver still being decided)

Fletching Equipment Assets

  • Fletcher's Kit Mesh 0%
  • Fletcher's Kit Texture 0%
  • Carving Knife Mesh 0%
  • Carving Knife Texture 0%

Core Module Phase 2 (Scrimshaw):

  • Currently still in the planning phase. Will feature the use of bones from various animals including trolls and dragons to create arrowheads and arrow components.

 

Core Module Phase 3 (Oblivion):

  • Currently still in the planning phase. Current plans include dealing with Daedra of various levels in order to gain access to materials, equipment and information on crafting different Daedric arrows.

Core Module Phase 4 (Cultures):

  • Currently still in the planning phase. Will feature arrows from various regions and cultures across Tarmiel, including the Holds of Skyrim, the Great Houses of Morrowind, the Akaviri and more. Planned as an incremental release (each culture gets a separate release rolled into the core module).

Expansion Phase 1 (Dawnguard):

  • Currently still in the planning phase. Current plans include bolts based on the exploding arrows, new materials for both the Dawnguard and the Volkihar, as well as new cultural designs for the Snow Elves.

Expansion Phase 2 (Dragonborn):

  • Currently still in the planning phase. Current plans include new materials, new compounds for exploding arrows, as well as new cultural designs for the Skaal.

 

Screenshots:

 

May 29th, 2014

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May 30th, 2014

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May 31st, 2014

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June 2nd, 2014

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Edited by Oriius
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Quick update before I get some sleep: I've completed the meshes for both the Serrated and Broadhead arrows with steel textures for each, along with a new modular arrow shaft; smaller textures shared between multiple files should reduce the performance load on the player's PC. Of course now I have to redo the body for the Exploding arrow, but that shouldn't take too long. 

 

Anyway, onto the new content:

 

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Yes, I'm aware there's something wrong with the arrow shafts. I forgot to set them as smooth before exporting to NIF. I corrected the problem after taking the screenshots.

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Thanks Hanaisse. 

 

Woah, been a busy weekend. If you've been watching the progress board then you would have noted more and more elements of the project hitting that magic 100%. I'll admit that the noisemaker and revised exploding arrow (with its new separated phial) took much longer than expected. I'll post a large update at some point tomorrow (or is it today? Too late to be thinking really).

 

Also, the project now officially has a name; given that I can finally make meshes again (and that this overlaps with a couple of my other projects), I've decided to add this one to the "Tamriellic Craftworks" metaproject. Those who transferred here from the Skyrim Real Estate forums might recognize the name. For everyone else, let's just say you should watch this space. Big things are coming.

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Ok, brace yourself people: this is going to be a big one.

 

I'll start with the content that was planned for release on Saturday, only to be pushed by the wayside by the project itself:

 

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And now the latest:

 

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And that's it for a day or two. Have fun kiddies!

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Wow.... Just, wow.... Can someone script this guy a freaking medal? I've been a little disappointed with the archery/crafting myself and I can't wait for this mod to go live. Truly inspired work, Orius.

 

One quick question;

 

You're already using a variety of crafting materials for each head type. And you've stated that each material will provide 'stats' fr the finished arrow or bolt. Will there also be unique visual designs for each material, or will it amount to strictly a new paint job?

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Thanks DelusionsofGradeur. Each material will really be a "paint job" relative to the arrow. For different designs, this is where regionality comes into play. Each of the arrows pictured above is a nordic arrow. I'm considering adding variants of certain arrows relative to each hold, as well as certain other cultures (Altmer which would rely on more sweeping, bird-inspired forms or Bosmer, which would rely more on plant forms whilst forgoing plant-based materials in favour of bone). Each region would likely have unique forms of the Broadhead, Serrated and possibly Bodkin arrows. Regional variants are something to be added in another phase of the project though (with a possible exception to the Altmer style; Elven arrowheads would be needed for the Dawnguard module).

 

In real life I'm a designer, which has afforded me a decent understanding of materials and how they affect production. Bearing that in mind, the form of each arrow is dictated by what can be produced, relative to the culture and their level of technology (Skyrim obviously can produce moulds as evidenced by the silver candlestick from the Thieves' Guild Quest, which gives me more options to play with). Certain materials will require different designs due to their nature; Chaurus Chittin and Dragon Scales for example cannot be formed like metal, so the form is dictated by the material. This is somewhat true of Dragon Bone, though since material is carved it can take most of the same forms as its metal counterparts.

 

One thing that I have noted in my research is that there doesn't really seem to be much variation in shape for crossbow bolt heads, so the only variation I am likely to do for those is in the shaft (exploding core to visually represent the exploding bolts from the DLC for example).

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I think I understand this, but just want to make sure. So, once regionality is introduced, if I make a Bosmer character, all of the arrows/bolts that are crafted will be of the Bosmer regional variant? And likewise for other races/regions? Or would one be able to individually learn to craft each regional variant?

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I've never been a believer in regional/racial lock; Anyone can create any arrowhead in any specified material, provided that they have the skill, the equipment and the knowledge. The skill comes from your stats (smithing), the equipment must be purchased or crafted (moulds for the arrowheads, the fletching kit, etc) and the knowledge can come from a variety of sources: you can find someone to teach you, or you can find a tome on the subject. No race should have inherent knowledge of how to craft anything out of the womb, and likewise should not receive any bonuses from it simply beacuase it is in "their style".

 

I like the way CRAFT did things, utilizing books to teach the player how to create items, however I found the implementation to be both haphazard and one-dimensional (you can only learn from the books, and they can be absolute hell to find).

 

I've made the decision to have the current set as the "Whiterun" set. Though the differences between styles are mostly cosmetic, I've also made the decision to create a unique arrowhead for each style. For the Whiterun set I'm looking at the Ropecutter head, which apparently was used in hunting to make the prey easier to track (useful when hunting on horseback in Whiterun's tundra).

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Leaving on vacation today; back on the 15th of June. Now unfortunately I can't take my desktop with me, and I haven't had a functioning laptop for a while. So, I'm boarding my flight with sketchbook in hand, a few pencils and these:

 

0047.png

 

0048.png

 

I made these reference sheets to give myself an at-a-glance way of seeing what Bethesda has already done in terms of styling in the original game/DLCs. Some of these I never looked at closely before, and I've gotta say that some of them defy all logic and reason (the Forsworn arrow for example is made entirely of wood, yet will do more damage than a broadhead arrow with an iron tip. Seriously Bethesda? As for the weird-looking glass arrow, I honestly think that's a rendering glitch in Nifskope; it should look like a miniature axe coming straight at you at high speed normally.) So there's a good chance that I'll have some idea of where to go next on the 3D models when I get back. Textures, obviously are put off until then.

 

Have fun till I get back!

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That they are, HeyYou. Maybe the wood is magically hardened like spriggan wood; who knows.

 

Well, I just got back this afternoon. If you've never done a Trans-Atlantic flight with both a headcold and a chest infection, I highly do not recommend it. Whole thing made me a little less in the mood to sketch than I am during the latter part of the trip, though I did still get a few ideas down for the elven style. Might start work on the elven arrow heads tomorrow, though I'd also like to get back to working on Arvak, and I've got a prototype mod I created a few months ago that I'm toying with releasing. Speaking of which, do we have any screenshot specialists in the house?

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