Evil castle tileset (exterior and interior) challenge suggestion.

[Legacy_Lady Patricia]

               My sincere apologies if this is posted in the wrong place.

Perhaps this really isn't a challenge best suggested to the CCC team (don't know) , but...
Something I, as a builder and plot driving DM of a NWN server, personaly always have missed
as an option to have in the Aurora toolset is the "Truly evil castle" interior and exterior tilesets.

Now there's a whole bunch of placeables created by various modelers out there that can help
create a suitable evil environment alright. Still I think it would be great to extend the options and
possibilities with 2 truly dedicated tilesets for the base of operations of any mods'/ servers' main
antagonist.

A few inspirational  images to kind of emphasize my suggestion:
www.lotrscenerybuilder.org/barad-dur_new.php

fc02.deviantart.net/fs70/f/2012/264/a/9/ghost_castle_by_balint4-d5ff5ie.jpg

static1.cornucopia3d.net/download/store/PictureFiles/Objects/Architecture/Large%20Buildings/Fantasy/The_Gothic_Castle_Obj_6_3_img.jpg

www.awn.com/files/imagepicker/35/conan01_castle-CU.jpg

images.wikia.com/villains/images/b/b6/Iracebeth_Castle.png

and for the interior tileset:
images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20120601222712/lotr/images/d/dd/Orthanc010531a-1-.jpg

fc07.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/251/f/1/gothic_castle_west_stairway_by_sunset_phoenix-d2yamz6.jpg

images2.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111005184118/villains/images/2/27/Ultimecia_Castle%27s_Hall.jpg

www.mobygames.com/images/shots/l/521737-black-mirror-iii-windows-screenshot-the-evil-throne-rooms.jpg

'>
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Lady Patricia, 13 décembre 2012 - 05:41 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_NWN_baba yaga]

               Am i right that you are asking for 2 or at least (one, the interior) whole new tilesets? You know it´s much work to model tilesets + the textures aye '> . Well when i can get back to my "stone castle interior" maybe i can add some tiles with a more evilysh type of look but i guess thats it;)
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Zwerkules]

               Thanks for that lotrscenebuilder.org link. It gave me some ideas for more hobbit buildings for my rural tileset.
Have you seen Six's wildwood tileset? You could almost build a castle like the one in your second link with it. Maybe if you ask him nicely and he's got some time he'll add a tower like the one in the middle and you'd have all you need to build your evil castle.

The gothic castle doesn't look like an evil castle to me. The castle terrain in my Medieval City tileset will look similar to that one.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_NWN_baba yaga]

               oh and btw maxams dungeons are both of great use for castles too. LoW used his dungeon for crypts as an example and the result is realy good.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               Some good tilesets were mentioned by Baba, and I second them.
Maxam's dungeons (classic and versatile)
LOW's Fantasy Interiors definitely fit the bill too, although they don't always look castley.

Despite its age, I like Helvene's Castle Arcanum reskin - but not really evil.
I also think that the Stem Interior (CODI tilesets) works well.

Lastly... Project Q the most recent release has an awesome castle interior.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Lady Patricia]

               

NWN_baba yaga wrote...

Am i right that you are asking for 2 or at least (one, the interior) whole new tilesets? You know it´s much work to model tilesets + the textures aye '> . Well when i can get back to my "stone castle interior" maybe i can add some tiles with a more evilysh type of look but i guess thats it;)

Yes you are quite right. And I never said it would be easy to do. Challenges seldom are '>.

And some further replies;
Yes I am aware there are several good tilesets out there already, which with some suitable placeables could indeed gain a good atmosphere and look. But  that might crave quite a lot of placeables in some cases.
Still,  placeables are placeables. They're not part of the architectural design.
Just a brief look at some gothic cathedrals is enough to get inspiration for such.
cghub.com/files/Image/226001-227000/226633/292_max.jpg
www.pacificgrids.com/skull/WingedSkullDurhamCathedral.jpg
cdn2-b.examiner.com/sites/default/files/styles/image_full_width_scaled/hash/e6/da/e6da933cd5405a6625d14af05d083338.jpg
cdn.c.photoshelter.com/img-get/I00006DwJEHDKDR0/s/800/800/Inside-the-Cathedral-Santa-Eulalia-1.jpg
veshkau.blogspot.se/2010/11/coven-of-dark-oracles.html
(As you can see I found a few more inspirational images '> )

However, I don't expect anyone to take on this task. Mostly due to NWN1 being so old now that I suppose
the majority of you modelers prefer to focus on more modern games?
And all the images posted by me in this thread are simply for possible inspiration. I'm not necessarily
asking them to be an actual part of any tileset.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_henesua]

               

Lady Patricia wrote...
Still,  placeables are placeables. They're not part of the architectural design.
Just a brief look at some gothic cathedrals is enough to get inspiration for such.
cghub.com/files/Image/226001-227000/226633/292_max.jpg

Just about everything that is "evil" in the link you posted there would be a placeable. So I'm not following.
AND Project Q's Castle Tileset is perfect for the gothic castle look.
ALSO if you haven't used Lord of Worms Fantasy Interiors you need to check it out. I also have a feeling that some of his other tilesets would fit the bill.

Lady Patricia wrote...
Mostly due to NWN1 being so old now that I suppose the majority of you modelers prefer to focus on more modern games?

You should stick around and see how wrong that assumption is. New content for NWN is produced by this community on a regular basis.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Master Jax]

               You could make a re-skin of the original Castle Interior or the 1.69 one easily, and make it darker. This I have already done by playing around with the 1.69 textures in order to make it look closer to the Skyrim Castle Interior settings.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Rolo Kipp]

               <p®imping...>

I think this would make a pretty good challenge, actually. Something like:

Evil stuff:
Things to darken the atmosphere of any fallen castle, manor or village. Tiles of darken hue and gruesome detail. Placeables of pain and terror. Creatures, minions, henchmen and beasts serving evil overlords. Sounds and skies to inspire dread. Scripts of the most dreadful sort...

Not that *I* ever think that way, of course... ;-)

<...the custom content challenge>
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Lady Patricia]

               

henesua wrote...

Lady Patricia wrote...
Still,  placeables are placeables. They're not part of the architectural design.
Just a brief look at some gothic cathedrals is enough to get inspiration for such.
cghub.com/files/Image/226001-227000/226633/292_max.jpg

Just about everything that is "evil" in the link you posted there would be a placeable. So I'm not following.
AND Project Q's Castle Tileset is perfect for the gothic castle look.
ALSO if you haven't used Lord of Worms Fantasy Interiors you need to check it out. I also have a feeling that some of his other tilesets would fit the bill.

To further elaborate then, since it appears I might come out as a bit vague explaining what I'd like to see;
I'd say the drow interior and Underdark tilesets are good bases for an evil castle.
But they could imho both be extended with more options. Spiky walls, towers a lá Barad dur and Orthanc inspired
variants, side stairs going up and down and not only the big interior stairs etc.
I'd like to see spiky pillars with twisted patterns, skulls, demons and dragon heads and bodies, also integrated with walldesign. Large, heavy chandeliers that's doesn't necessary look fancy, but evil, in dark iron and so on and so forth.

I'll admit some of the tilesets suggested is very good indeed, and with the use of placeables could go a long way towards achieving the right atmosphere. Yet I'm asking for something that carries an ominous and evil touch to it before placeables goes in.

Regardless, I'm all for more "evil", gothic and dark inspired placeables aswell.
Any evil wizard and necromancer needs an ominous looking home decorated in fashionable cruelty and horror. '>
And I think Rolo is on to something there. Well,...not that he thinks about such things of course '>
               
               

               

                     Modifié par Lady Patricia, 15 décembre 2012 - 09:13 .
                     
                  

            

[Legacy_henesua]

               

Lady Patricia wrote...
To further elaborate then, since it appears I might come out as a bit vague explaining what I'd like to see;
I'd say the drow interior and Underdark tilesets are good bases for an evil castle.
But they could imho both be extended with more options. Spiky walls, towers a lá Barad dur and Orthanc inspired
variants, side stairs going up and down and not only the big interior stairs etc.
I'd like to see spiky pillars with twisted patterns, skulls, demons and dragon heads and bodies, also integrated with walldesign. Large, heavy chandeliers that's doesn't necessary look fancy, but evil, in dark iron and so on and so forth.

Ah! Well that is helpful. I think an upgrade and extension of both of those tilesets would be very welcome in the community. Personally I don't have any use for the drow tileset as it is. But if it was given a facelift, a roof, and extended.... I would think differently. A few variant tiles that lack the pure drow theme would be good too so that it could fit any dark faerie or goblin theme rather than the same old drow which were like totally cool in the early 80's but have since lost their lustre - for me at least. (nerd trivia: the late Gygax once told us at a convention that drow was pronounced like "row" as in row row row your boat by the way rather than like "ow" as in ow, that hurt. I have no idea if he ever contradicted that.)

Also I dig the idea of spiky and twisted. Some biomorphic, or Gaudi inspired architecture could be cool. I think CODI did well with this in their tilesets, and the aesthetic could work well for this if riffed upon and extended.
               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Lady Patricia]

               

henesua wrote...

Lady Patricia wrote...
To further elaborate then, since it appears I might come out as a bit vague explaining what I'd like to see;
I'd say the drow interior and Underdark tilesets are good bases for an evil castle.
But they could imho both be extended with more options. Spiky walls, towers a lá Barad dur and Orthanc inspired
variants, side stairs going up and down and not only the big interior stairs etc.
I'd like to see spiky pillars with twisted patterns, skulls, demons and dragon heads and bodies, also integrated with walldesign. Large, heavy chandeliers that's doesn't necessary look fancy, but evil, in dark iron and so on and so forth.

Ah! Well that is helpful. I think an upgrade and extension of both of those tilesets would be very welcome in the community. Personally I don't have any use for the drow tileset as it is. But if it was given a facelift, a roof, and extended.... I would think differently. A few variant tiles that lack the pure drow theme would be good too so that it could fit any dark faerie or goblin theme rather than the same old drow which were like totally cool in the early 80's but have since lost their lustre - for me at least. (nerd trivia: the late Gygax once told us at a convention that drow was pronounced like "row" as in row row row your boat by the way rather than like "ow" as in ow, that hurt. I have no idea if he ever contradicted that.)

Also I dig the idea of spiky and twisted. Some biomorphic, or Gaudi inspired architecture could be cool. I think CODI did well with this in their tilesets, and the aesthetic could work well for this if riffed upon and extended.

Now you're definately thinking the way I do. Welcome to the twisted world of darkness