Custom Content Challenge: April 2015 (for real): The Small Details

[Legacy_The Amethyst Dragon]

               

The theme for this month's challenge: "The Small Details":

  

The Small Details: It's often the small details that can bring a setting to life. Create items, placeables, creatures, etc. that use small details to help bring a part of a kingdom/village/event to life for players. A worn hunter's knife with an interesting history. A merchant's child that really wants (or really doesn't want) to follow in his/her parent's footsteps. A book detailing an event that's just a minor footnote in a place's story. An unusual statue with a tragic backstory. A crumbling crypt devoid of treasure and monsters, but steeped in historical references (perhaps with said references are further fleshed out in a nearby prefab library area). An NPC storyteller that is full of stories that may (or may not) have some bearing on anything related to the PCs. Randomized NPC/item/placeable descriptions taken from pre-written tables of descriptions. Small placeable objects for filling shelves in libraries/shops/houses/etc. (nicknacks, ships in bottles, small statuettes, whatever).

 

 

 

This theme was suggested by The Amethyst Dragon.

 

Guidelines:

•  

• It must be fully working in game.

• Use of vanilla NWN or publicly available texture is fine.  Just remember that NWN textures must have dimensions in powers of 2 (2, 4, 8, 16, 32, etc.).

• Teamwork is welcome.

• Beginners most welcome. Don't be afraid, just try, you'll be surprised!

• "Custom Content" includes many sorts of things: models, scripts, prefabs (areas, items, creatures, conversations, quests, etc.), sounds, portraits, or anything else new for the game.

• All submissions must be finished, working, and emailed to NWNCCCMakers@gmail.com (or a non-Vault link provided) by May 1st, 2015. Sooner than that is perfectly fine too. ;-)

 

 

Somethings you could include in the download/email that would make packaging everything up easier and faster:

•  

• 2da lines needed.

• Screenshot from in game for use on the vault page (this also gives me hints on how to display the new goodie). Formats: .bmp, .jpg, .png, or .tga

• Portraits (if needed) of your new goodie. Placeables and monsters should include a portrait.

• Inventory icons (if needed) of your new goodie.

• Any credits you would like listed.

• If this is your first entry, please tell me what name you would like your work listed under and provide a link to your other NWN content if you want that displayed as well (the link bit is totally optional).

• Also if you would like an invite to the CC Makers group, send Rolo Kipp a friend invite. The group is nothing spectacular, mostly just documentation on 2da lines.

 

Remember, the Challenge is all about fun, sharing, creativity, and surprise!

 

This thread is for all sorts of discussion about this month's theme: ideas for things to make, questions/concerns, announcement of what you intend to make, screenshots of work in progress and/or finished projects.  

 

If you want to discuss the Monthly Custom Content Challenge idea as a whole or wish to submit ideas/themes for future monthly Challenges, please post in its thread here. 

 

When submitting a new theme, please provide a title and short summary of the theme.

 

If you have a technical question about some custom content creation, please create a separate thread so that the answers can be found later by anyone, not just people interested in this Challenge. 

 

We'll try to help!

 

Have no fear and join the fun!

 

And finally, you can: 

 

Submit theme suggestions. 

Vote for May's theme.

Email content to: NWNCCCMakers@gmail.com

 

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_The Amethyst Dragon]

               

Declared/Intended Projects:

Food and Art (placeable models) by KlatchainCoffee

Small Area (prefab using Project Q) by Pstemarie

 

Downloaded/Emailed Projects:

Books (placeable models) by GunnersaurusRex

Altar of Ultimate Evil (placeable model) by PLUSH HYENA of DOOM

Animal Idols (placeable models) by PLUSH HYENA of DOOM

Animal Statues (placeable models) by PLUSH HYENA of DOOM

Dinosaur Statue (placeable model) by PLUSH HYENA of DOOM

More Animal Statues (placeable models) by PLUSH HYENA of DOOM

Tabletop Animal Idols (placeable models) by PLUSH HYENA of DOOM

Waystones (placeable models) by PLUSH HYENA of DOOM

Books (prefab items) by Proleric

Bloodied Daggers (weapon models) by Shadowing2029

Books (item models and icons) by Shadowing2029

Rocking Horse (placeable model) by Shemsu-Heru

Book Collection (prefab items) by Tarot Redhand

Book Icons (inventory icons) by Tarot Redhand

Papers (inventory icons and prefabs) by Tarot Redhand

Placeable Prefab Collection (prefab placeables) by Thayan

Dice Pairs (placeable models) by The Amethyst Dragon

Mounted Hunting & Fishing Trophies (placeable models) by The Amethyst Dragon

Outhouse (placeable model) by The Amethyst Dragon

Smooth Weather Transitions (scripts) by Uranochos

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Shadowing2029]

               

I dont understand what are we supposed to do.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_PLUSH HYENA of DOOM]

               

I get the "small articles for going on shelves, etc"... That's straightforward.

 

But I'm not at all sure about the rest. Maybe I'm completely missing the point here, but surely WE (the Module Builders - and also CC makers in some cases) make Modules to tell our own stories. For me, anyway, the real joy of the Aurora Toolset is that it allows me to put into a video game format my own tales, characters, worlds, mythologies, cultures, etc, and creating new CC is part of making those worlds more detailed and unique. Probably some sort of god complex thing about being in total control...

However, nobody else wants to tell my stories, they want to tell their stories, with their characters, worlds, imaginations...

 

So what, exactly, would be the point of making very specific articles with very specific backstories and so forth in one's own imagined world. Surely they'd be of no particular use to anyone but their originators, since other Builders doubtless all have their own different worlds?

 

I hope I'm not being in any way offensive in asking this, but I just don't see the purpose. If I make a big, weird statue and use it for whatever I use it for, fine; I release the model and everyone else uses it for something a bit different. But they surely won't want it for the exact same specific purpose I do so why would they want four volumes of history chronicles detailing someone else's uses of it in a totally different world?

 

I think I need a clearer indication here of why a specific item or character with a detailed history would be of use to anyone but the creator.

 

(Hope I don't seem seethingly negative - just faintly confused...)

 

I shall be doing a series of small Animal Statuettes for Tabletops. I may also do a few humanoid ones, probably with notable curves, being the dribbling, shabby Hyena object that I am.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Mecheon]

               

Honestly PHoD, just do it the way I do it. Which is "Twist and turn the thing until it fits something you want"

 

Small details? Sure. Small bugs are small details. An animated texture placeable that makes it look like ants crawl across a log is a small detail.

 

I have no idea if I'll be able to contribute as I am in the process of applying a hammer to my new computer to ensure its full cooperation in my backlog, but I might throw something with a vague idea of smallness or detailness

 

Or just a weird critter with some weird details

 

(Mind I am hanging out for the Elder Scrolls one to go completely insane and start ranting about THE HOME OF THE RED KING ONCE JUNGLED and Numidian. Vote for it to see Mecheon go insane and just dump an Elder Scrolls loredump)

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Frith5]

               

Small things to me:

 

Where are my spilled drinks? A mug sideways, with a pool of liquid issued from it. How about some icicles to place on things for winter? Geeze, where do you put your broken weapons? Maybe in a bin full of old metal trash, to be recycled by the smith? Hey, has anyone seen my half-skinned deer (bear, cow, wolf, etc)? I thought I had it hung on that tree? You know, the tree with the big knothole in it? Yeah, I think there's a beehive there, with bees circling around it. You know you can get honey and a comb from that hive?

The other day I was walking along the river bank and saw the bones of an animal piled there, and farther along were some half-eaten animals. I almost stepped in one, and had to take off my boot. That boot is probably still laying there on it's side. Hate to think what might be in it by now!

Bird feeder. Placeable animals (I did once a pileated woodpeck to be 'perched' on the side of a tree. Animated to move its head and ruffle its wings). How about this for a small thing? A squirrel that runs up a tree truck (and then disappears)? Perched owl for limbs, turning head and hooting?

How about a milking stool. How about a farmer milking a cow or goat? How about a butter churn? How about bags of seed? How about broken bags of seed (damn rats!). How about animals with other animals in their mouths? Snake eating a frog. Frog eating a butterfly. How about steaming placeable, to put above anything you want, like a bowl of food, or a corpse?

 

Just small details.....

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_KlatchainCoffee]

               

Cookies.

 

 

*runs off to dig up Nwnmax*

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_3RavensMore]

               

Or pie.  Everyone love pie.  Back story not required.  '>

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_The Amethyst Dragon]

               

Wonderful thoughts and ideas.

 

I guess the original description does lean heavily toward prefabs. My idea wasn't toward something world-specific (though it could), but more for small things that could be dropped into modules to just add a little something to the feel that it's more real...because not everything in the world is big, powerful, magical, or even considered important to everyone.

 

I'm really liking some of the model ideas mentioned as possibilities already. For some more inspiration on the model side, here are some examples of what I've done for my PW that would be similar:

- honeycomb placeables for hanging under tree limbs

- small cobra statuettes for placing on shelves (my PW's drow worship a god of snakes, not spiders)

- semi-transparent holy symbols that can be laid on the floor to appear stained or painted down (for temples)

- headstones with the holy symbol of my PW's goddess of the dead

- a tavern dart/knife/shuriken target that looks like a circle cut from a tree

- fireflies that shine with a bright green light for a moment before "going out" again (because that's what they looked like when I was a kid)

- a "low tech slot machine" with wheels that spin (and stop)...yes, I worked out the (non-existent) inner mechanics in my head before making it

- sewer stuff (floating feces, piles of feces, a floating corpse) because a used sewer shouldn't be clean

 

More ideas that I haven't seen yet:

- small animal corpses (birds, rats, frogs, fish, etc.) - good for dire omens when a flock of birds has dropped dead in midair

- perfume or cosmetic bottles and jars - something to steal from a merchant or noble house?

- scattered flour - make that kitchen countertop look used, or leave it on the floor

- a saddle - for on the floor or shelf of a stable

- small wooden toys - even D&D kids need something to play with (or leave somewhere)

- hanging plants/herbs - best place to dry them is hanging them from a beam, right?

- mounted antlers - no hunting lodge is complete without them

- tiny glowing runes - for door frames, shelves, altars, big books, or whatever else a wizard wants to mark up

- hanging, gutted corpses - because you don't want your meat to go bad before it's eaten or preserved

- religious props - books, chalices, plates, symbols, knives, incense, scrolls, etc. that are part of ceremonies

- pipes - because Gandalf probably has a couple spares on a shelf somewhere

- boots - clean or muddy, left just outside the door so the house doesn't get dirty

- chandeliers - rich people gotta show off somehow

- beggars sitting on the ground - why waste energy just standing around all the time?

- dice - need something to use for "rolling the bones"

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_rjshae]

               

• Sled


• Winnowing basket


• Birthing stool


• Backgammon board


• TImbered well with a lever arm instead of a winch


• Scroll case


• Hand barrow


• Harrow


• Butter churn


• Ard

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Zwerkules]

               

Or pie.  Everyone love pie.  Back story not required.  '>

Everybody loves pie, but KC has to make cookies. If you want to know why, use the chat of the new vault and ask Klatchian Coffee about it.  '> 

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_3RavensMore]

               

Everybody loves pie, but KC has to make cookies. If you want to know why, use the chat of the new vault and ask Klatchian Coffee about it.  '>

 

I already have a fair idea of the nature of said cookies.  '>

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Bluebomber4evr]

               

Maybe some small mundane animals? Rabbits, hares, frogs, toads, lizards, hedgehogs, porcupines, salamanders, quail, pheasant, garter snakes, etc.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_OldTimeRadio]

               

Or, ah, I can't recall if this in the Bioware content or CEP's, but the old lady in the rocking chair, just rocking silently.  I love that placeable and I wish there were more like it.  I was thinking about doing some placeable groups of people, to be placed so they would be appear to be sitting at the inn's tables but they don't fit.  Except for the really small round tables, I think most of the other table tiles have their benches at different, odd angles which means you couldn't really re-use the placeable.

 

Still, I love the thought of placeable "people" to give a lightweight (resource-wise) impression that there's more going on in an area.

               
               

               
            

[Legacy_Tarot Redhand]

               

While glad that the cc crowd (I use the term loosely  '> ) are starting to get behind this I just want to remind those who can do pre-fabs (i.e. anyone with even a little knowledge of the toolset) that this is a great subject for them. Don't believe me? Here's a couple of examples that would have fitted right in and that have been around a while (one I have used the other I made).

 

The first are the CTP Jerl Silvershield Adventure Books. This is one storey set over numerous volumes. These are designed to be spread throughout a module and as a relief from the standard bioware books. You don't even have to use all of them in a module, they can be there just to give flavour and to encourage the player to examine everything. If you're wondering (and you probably weren't  '> ) I used a few of them in my module <Warning - Shameless Self Promotion> "Hrothgar's Resting Place".

    

The example of something I made are the scrolls that I created for the December 2012 CCC: To the Winner Go the Spoils. In this instance I am not talking about the icons that I created but the blueprints that accompanied them. A lot of them featured messages from a fictitious law-firm regarding the creation of a fictitious dungeon.

 

The thing with both examples is that they weren't part of any weighty storey. They were just there to add flavour. With this subject you can create something that is serious, humerous or even something that references a favourite book/movie/TV show (how about a poster to Sam Spade's Mining Emporium or Mulder's Mystery Tours or Scotties Refurbished Gnomish Machines (the engines canna tak it anymore, captain)).

 

TR