Month: January 2014

Quest Profile – The Elven Sword

Kris Takahashi Character Profiles No Comments

There’s a reason the face sculptor lives in the Ratways. It’s the only place she can hide her can of worms.

The notion of altering one’s face may be ideal from a gameplay perspective, but from a lore standpoint it’s crazier than a barrel full of Orcs. The ability to take on the faces of loved ones, confidants and infiltrate places in plain sight makes it a game-breaking tool for any assassin or thief. As such, in most universes, shape-shifting is a power reserved for the most dangerous of villains. It’s a rare practice, a difficult feat, a taboo. It is not offered to random strangers for the cost of an ebony mace. After all, if such skills were available to everyone, it would destroy the very concept of physical identity. If anyone can be anyone, then there’s no guarantee that anyone is anyone.

Your spouse could be your neighbor, looking for a taste. Your child may be some orphan who wanted a better life. The guardsman who teases you about your stolen sweetroll could be the thief who stole it. Hell, he could be Ulfric Stormcloak. He’d certainly have the face for it. All it takes is some gold and a smith willing to forge it.

The elven sword Pelgurt asks you to retrieve is just that. A forgery. It’s a stranger posing as a member of the family. It wears its face, it bears its markings, but it has none of the history. Nevertheless, its resemblance alone is enough for Vartheim to question whether the sword he’s stolen is real. The same is true for the face of the mercenary Benild. At no point does he consider that her identity is as false as Pelgurt’s sword.

In the end, the story of The Elven Sword is one about deception. Whether it’s the make of a sword or the face on a skull, when identities can be bought and bartered for, it’s best not to trust anyone.

Fan Art – Anum-La and Dalum-Ei by Kayla Marquez

Kris Takahashi Art 4 Comments

tumblr_mwfcidwmgf1rrm90jo1_1280

Not that I don’t love Zora and Rumarin, but there’s over 200 NPCs and counting so you’d think some of the others would get some love. This is the talented Kayla Marquez drawing everyone’s favorite Swamp Knight. I really like the art style and the coloring, it gives them that animated feel that’s a good change of pace from the dark, hyper-realistic atmosphere in the game itself.  As Honor’s Calling has always been a fan favorite, perhaps Kayla will one day do a scene with all eight members of the party, with Indrel ensconced firmly in a tree.

tumblr_mwfkc2Z7Sz1rrm90jo1_1280Since there are two pictures in this post, now I have to fill this bottom area with text as well. Did you know Dalum-Ei‘s favorite system is the honor one? Bet you didn’t. Although a strict, Draconian rule would come in a close second. In any case, here are Kayla’s links. Be sure to click on them, bookmark them, and tattoo them on your buttocks.

• Kayla’s Tumblr
• Kayla’s Deviant Art Page

Creation Kit – Scenes and Splitting

Kris Takahashi Other No Comments

2014-01-09_00004One of the things I’ve noticed when splitting up monologues is that the changes aren’t always for the better. In some instances, I feel like it transitions naturally. In other cases, I feel like the flow of the words is lost by the splitting question. For these conversations, I think a better way to present the backstories is through the use of scenes as opposed to a split or straight monologue.

Naturally, when the dialogue was constructed, I had no idea how to execute any of this, but now I know enough about the CK where I can implement these changes and do it in a way that’s consistent with the original layout. The dialogue stays as intended, the interaction is more dynamic, and by having free range of motion, you avoid the feeling of being locked into a conversation.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qf4h-MTZh54&

Here, we have two changes that were implemented in version 3.04. Both are examples of using scenes as opposed to splitting up monologues. Be forewarned, there are MINOR SPOILERS for the characters Zora, and MAJOR SPOILERS for the quest To Warm Sands. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJDPq6AVJHE

This video shows a similar effect with the initial meeting with Jaspar. With Flin, I start his dialogue early as opposed to after him sitting down. This prevents you from getting locked in to him for an extended period of time, while offering a different perspective and have free range of motion. You’ll also notice I sped up some of Flin’s lines, which I’ve been meaning to do for some time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYr6cTFoYig

Here with have a similar opening to Jaspar to help condense Among the Hist‘s initial sequence without removing any lines. Naturally, we don’t want to overuse the mechanic where we’re staring at people’s backs. There’s also the fact that with followers, you can’t orchestrate their movements as easily. Thus with Among the Hist, the sandbox feature is used when going into some of the protracted stories. This can be unpredictable – you don’t want him telling a sad story while riding the sword bicycle. However, I do think most of the sandbox items involve sitting down or standing still, so for the most part it should be a net gain.