Savage Empire Remake Thread

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Fri Oct 05, 2007 10:37 am

Quote:

but those people not of this world will not be allowed to use them?

Not unless they go through the proper procedures to get an Earth visa!

Post by **Malignant Manor** » Sun Oct 28, 2007 10:33 pm

It is very easy to create usecode to change things on a weapon strike. The only problem that can really occur is if you use it to change the shape of a object that was created as part of a chunk or if the item has screwy usecode to begin with. When you change the shape and restart the game (this might also happen when the game reloads a superchunk into memory), the original shape and frame will return. I believe that the modified shape will still be there as well. It might be hidden or obstruct the original. In extremely large quantities, this can also cause slowdown.

I might test this later, but I'm pretty sure that is what happens when you just hack move one of the objects and should apply to other changes as well.

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Sun Feb 10, 2008 3:28 pm

A little update, since its been a while:

I'm trying to finish up the new bamboo walls that will be exclusive to the Kurak tribe. Those early yellow walls have been completely replaced with ones that are more reminiscent of the original game's walls. Those yellow ones look silly to me now. I had some major trouble getting them to look right while snapping together properly. They are a major reason for taking a break and practicing with drawing other graphics! The next challenge will be drawing thatch-roof tiles, which I am concurrently working on. I have a few preliminary designs, based on the original U7, SNES U7, and SNES S.E. thatch-roof tiles, but I'm having a hard time getting them to line up since the bamboo walls have changed so much. I'm using the Emp and Harpy nest tiles for some of the graphics to save time. If anyones to give it a go, I'd be happy to check out your work!

I also have preliminary straw walls for another hut style, an initial wall of "stacked-stone" for the neolithic Barako tribe based from the "fortress" wall, and some Aztec-inspired Nahuatl walls. All of these will be much easier to finish up than the Kurak walls, because they use the basic size and shape of U7's walls. For the Barrab tribe, I am going for a vertical-bamboo wall on stilts look, with a green-leafy thatch. For the Barako roof tiles, I'm thinking of some stitched hide, or a hide/thatch mix, but I haven't started that yet.

Once I finish the majority of the walls, I'm going to go back to tackling the grass, dirt, grass/dirt, and water tiles. I'm studying the color-cycling effect of the waterfall from the Silver Seed as well.

Once I get some of these things finished, I'll be comfortable with showing some screenshots. If I do another sample on the "sample thread", maybe I'll throw a couple of S.E.T.C. things on there!

Also, if anyone knows of any sites with ORIGINAL Aztec art/patterns/designs, I'd appreciate any links to these sites!

AnyOtherName · Post by **AnyOtherName** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 4:56 am

I really commend what you're doing! It's brilliant, Savage Empire is very very underrated!
Just a small suggestion for way later on in your project,
To give Rafkin's lab a little more impressive look, try adding some wrecked/blown out walls. You might be able to find some tiles from the original U7 to help this along. I'm kinda thinking what the Britannian mint looked like in Serpent Isle after it was transported, as opposed to just the floor space being ported over.
But that's just a little suggestion for something that would look interesting.
I'd love to help out, but I'm afraid right now I have a mountain of work going on. Perhaps when the project gets under way I could help out a little.
Will keep you posted.

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Mon Feb 11, 2008 5:30 pm

Thank you FF45t1z, for the support and suggestions! The lab in the screenshot is just a mock up to test tiles in Exult Studio. Some of the graphics have been replaced (such as L-shaped countertop pieces, a black desk, different computer, etc. since then), so nothing is final yet, but I am taking all suggestions into consideration!

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Fri Feb 15, 2008 5:55 pm

Ok, I believe that I finally have all of the pieces for the Kurak walls nearly finished. Except for the door which isn't tested yet, and a pixel or two, these are what they are going to look like. Much improved over those yellow one

Much improved over those yellow ones! I'm still messing around with the roof tiles, which will need to cover different variations of huts. I truly believe that the walls for most of the other tribes will be easier, since the shape of those will be more in line with Ultima VII's walls.

And here is a sample of some other stuff in progress:

Here we have an avatar concept, based on the original box cover. I am imagining different versions without the hat, tattered clothes, etc. But nothing is final. The knife needs to be shrunk a bit. I fixed the ax handle a long time ago, and the tribal ax is close to completion. The sundial is something that I wasn't going to show yet as it isn't quite done, but I couldn't wait any longer! Also displayed is the new bamboo design. There will be variations as well as different stages of bamboo growth.

I have some grass/dirt tiles that I'm working on based off of the original version's, but more in line with the Ultima VII style. I may wait to post any other shots until the roof and ground tiles are done.

Oh, here is one last thing:

I've been messing around with recoloring the original portraits through palette conversions. I'm unsure how the portraits will be handled at that stage, but for now I'm just experimenting.

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 6:57 pm

I've got a preview of tiles-in-progress (that I may need help with) as well as a couple of other objects, but I seem to be having trouble with image shack at the moment...

But I'll give it a shot. I'm not sure what is going on, since all I did to post the screenshots in this and the "New Graphics Samples" thread was to copy the link from image shack. I'll post both links (forum options 1 and 2):

(Edit by Dominus, so the thumbnail is only showing - considering how big your screenshots are, the thumbnails are better here IMO)

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Sat Feb 16, 2008 10:45 pm

There is no option to edit posts, so Dominus or anyone else with moderator abilities, please fix the redundant posts.

The grass/path tiles are what I am currently tinkering with. I like the looks of them, they fit well with the theme of the game. Since chunks are 16x16 tiles, I have to work out a non-haphazard way to implement them into E.S. They are based on the original game's tiles, but these are the first ones that I was comfortable with showing to the community.

On the lower left, I have one of the petate mat variations, since there will be a few variations per tribe. Another macuahuitl is displayed, and there are others. I'm going for a variety of looks for similar objects, to be more realistic. There will be multiple versions of same-certain items. The scepter is a Nahuatl priest concept item, based on an article I have read concerning an artifact related to the rain god Tlaloc, and should at this time be treated as a "magic wand" (unusable at first by the P.C.). The well is based on the original game version, but animated using the original U7 well frames to have the metal bucket "scoop in and out with water", but is in concept stage. I also included some Nahuatl tiles that I am working on, but are about finished, besides variations. It is based upon the original version, which has a petate weave design, but with adobe brick.

The original Savage Empire was meant to be a more directed game, more adventure style than the Ultima VI/VII style. The more I think about it, and the more I write about it, the more I come up with. Though I refuse to deviate too far from the original story or canon, I would like this game to add more VI/VII elements to the Savage Empire experience, but with an "epic" feel. I have a lot in mind for this game, depending on the future capabilities of E.S., and whether or not I can assemble a team to assist in bringing the idea to fruition. Stay tuned, and contact me if you are an interested artist, or can script with E.S.!

AnyOtherName · Post by **AnyOtherName** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 6:05 am

The new avatar graphic looks incredible! Very good work!
One idea to consider about portraits, though you've probably entertained the idea already, is to use photographs to achieve the SI style portraits. I'm sure plenty of people associated with the project would be able to help out and lend their faces, plus you can find and modify pictures from anywhere. This would allow you the freedom to seamlessly add new characters without having to rely on creating new portraits in the style of the old ones. ( probably much harder )
A big challenge will be porting the conversations over to the U7 style conversation tree. When it reaches that time, I'd be glad to help out in that area.
I think that the ES engine would allow room to add much more depth to the game world, a story which truly deserves a depth equal to that of U7/SI. Keeping close to canon is needed, but there's still so much room within which to expand.
Also music, I have extensive experience with MIDI/MIDI to Synth and real instrumentation and composition.
When the time swings around, if I'm not around here to help out with music or conversation. You can grab me at: ff45t1z [at] gmail ( you get it )
Also email me if you need any examples of what I can do.
Peace

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 9:15 am

Thank you, Dominus, for fixing the screenshot situation! And thank you FF45t1z, for the compliment on the avatar w.i.p. and for your email address!

While I'm not thinking too much about the portraits at the moment, I will more than likely go the S.I.-style route. Though I will probably have borders and backgrounds for them like in the original game as well as U7pt1. I'm not sure if its possible in E.S. yet, but I would like to have different backgrounds for portraits based on the time of day and location, like the original. I'm assuming that I'll just need extra frames for each portrait to reflect this, and that scripts would have to be made to switch them.

As far as the conversations go, I will need help implementing them into E.S. But I will be adding to the story and changing a few conversations. I would like more NPCs and quests, so there will be more conversations for those, as well as an expanded storyline.

Also, I will definitely be looking to add more music to the game, and will eventually ask for aid in that area as well. I will be asking for people as soon as I get enough graphic assets done that world building can actually take place. The ground tiles will probably take a while, and I'm waiting to see what the Exult team does with increasing the lift, as that will determine how mountains and waterfalls are handled. The ground tiles are very hard to see in E.S., especially with my current monitor, and initial experimentation with creating new chunks hasn't worked out so well. One experiment will involve drawing the chunks in the gimp, and then put them in E.S. in a certain order.

Post by **marzo** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 10:06 am

but I would like to have different backgrounds for portraits based on the time of day and location, like the original.

BG had borders depending on the city from which the NPC was, but not depending on time or location in other ways; and SI had neither. But I assume you meant the BG behavior. So, moving on

I'm assuming that I'll just need extra frames for each portrait to reflect this, and that scripts would have to be made to switch them.

Correct. It is similar to Rowena (in BG) or Laurianna (in Keyring mod) -- you'd select which frame to show depending on the circumstances.

If you want to (and don't think it will look too out of place), the AvatarPack can be freely mixed with other mods.

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Sun Feb 17, 2008 10:47 am

Quote:
"BG had borders depending on the city from which the NPC was, but not depending on time or location in other ways; and SI had neither. But I assume you meant the BG behavior. So, moving on

"

The borders would use elements from the original S.E., similar to the player/stat gumps I created a while back. While I like the quality of the actual portraits in S.I., I was always disappointed that they lacked "picture frames" as seen in S.E. and B.G. When the time comes, I'll attempt to merge the styles.

Quote:
"Correct. It is similar to Rowena (in BG) or Laurianna (in Keyring mod) -- you'd select which frame to show depending on the circumstances."

Excellent! I also just took a quick look at the B.G. portraits in E.S. and noted that Spark, Erethian, and a couple of other NPCs have other portraits for different circumstances.

Quote:
"If you want to (and don't think it will look too out of place), the AvatarPack can be freely mixed with other mods."

Thank you Marzo! I will definitely take the AvatarPack into consideration when I start focusing full time on the portraits.

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Wed Feb 27, 2008 4:25 pm

Work continues...

I stopped work (again) on the thatch-roof-tiles. They are a pain. I'm going to work on them again soon, but I've been working on Nahuatl npc/item/building graphics.

I have a bunch of adobe-style walls made for the nobility and peasant class. The nobility-walls have pits in them, but otherwise have no exposed framework or adobe brick. Doorways are painted red, blue, yellow, or green since they could afford the paint, and are made from a timber frame. Peasant walls on the other hand have exposed framework on the inside walls, along with walls that have had the plaster crack and crumble away in spots to reveal the adobe brick underneath. Their door frames are probably going to be unpainted.

Nahuatl royal palace and inner temple walls have designs painted onto them, and are of a lighter, more white-washed color. I also have a (frame 16) concept for the Nahuatl usurper, Huitlapacti, as well as concepts for a noble, and concepts for male and female peasants.

I have also drawn a few more designs for the Nahuatl shields, and macuahuitls. The kiln has been touched up a bit, as well as a few other objects. I'll post some Nahuatl stuff when I finish with the main walls, which require a few touch ups. One example of a touch up that actually turned into a new object is an L-shaped (two-piece) counter top with a sink. Of course, the sink won't function once the lab is in Eodon, but I think that a lab would have a sink in it.

As far as mountain, waterfall, and pyramid tiles go, I'm putting them on hold to see if the Exult team increases the lift rate. I experimented with making a temple with existing 36x36p tiles, but it is just too small for an epic pyramid! I'm going for Tikal or Temple Mayor sized pyramids. The Pyramid of the Sun at Teotihuacán is also inspiration, as well as added back story for this remake.

Speaking of remake, Dominus if you read this post, I was wondering if you could change the title to "Savage Empire Remake Thread" since some people might not know what the S.E.T.C. is about!

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 7:38 am

Thank you Dominus!

Post by **Dominus** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 10:51 am

You're welcome, I'm here to serve

Wiz · Post by **Wiz** » Thu Feb 28, 2008 11:05 pm

I don't mind redoing some of the sprites you need for the remake on the condition that I can use/abuse them in TFL if I see fit

~ Wizardry Dragon

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 1:57 pm

Quote:
"I don't mind redoing some of the sprites you need for the remake on the condition that I can use/abuse them in TFL if I see fit

~ Wizardry Dragon"

That sounds fair! Did you have any sprites in mind?

Wiz · Post by **Wiz** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 2:07 pm

Well I was going to make something similar to the old SE-ish crates for one of the TFL cities, was what prompted the remark.

Anything else you'd want?

~ Wizardry Dragon

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Fri Feb 29, 2008 2:40 pm

I have some newer versions of the crates, but would be interested in what you have in mind. The crates I have are being sized for the items they contain, for example I have a wide yet short crate for the guns. Added back story to explain why guns and ammo are in the lab have to do with a safari exhibit that Rafkin was supposed to oversee being set up prior to the moongate-to-Eodon incident.

I am very interested in tropical/jungle plants of all shapes and sizes. I'm going to make palm trees that or 2-3 times the size of U7's (in fact, many plants are going to be larger). I'm going for a very lush look for the rainforest sections of Eodon.

Of course, anything that anyone would like to contribute will be taken into consideration. I do not believe that the project will ever be completed without help!

foody · Post by **foody** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 1:21 pm

Any idea where is the main webpage so I can bookmark it and if there is any demo for download? I would love to play Savage Empire in Ultima 7 engine.

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:56 am

Thank you for your interest! I don't have a web page yet, nor a demo.

I'm currently experimenting with some ideas. I'm trying to stay focused on actual world building assets such as water, grass, and mountain graphics, though I have a lot of other stuff.

I am hoping for an increase in lift height for the ideas that I'm working on. I'm experimenting with wall-based mountains, and water that the player can walk through being only partially submerged (which would set up neat scenarios with crocodiles! I also have a waterfall "wall" that uses color cycling and looks very torrential. An increase in lift will allow a realistic portrayal of the Nahuatl Teocalli pyramids.

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 3:23 am

I just noticed that the lift goes up to 255 in the latest snapshot!

Post by **marzo** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 5:51 am

I just noticed that the lift goes up to 255 in the latest snapshot!

Yes, but beware: Exult won't *save* nor *load* these correctly; DrCode hasn't written that part yet. Best to stay away from high lifts for now.

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 6:38 am

Quote:

"Yes, but beware: Exult won't *save* nor *load* these correctly; DrCode hasn't written that part yet. Best to stay away from high lifts for now."

Thank you for the warning about the saving and loading. What is exciting though, is that I can go ahead with designing the Teocalli pieces and test them, as well as finish up the grass/water/dirt "blocks" and mountain walls that I'll use to build the majority of the map!

Post by **drcode** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 2:57 pm

Yes, I've got to do a bit more work. Damn these real-world activities!:-)

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Wed Apr 02, 2008 7:09 pm

Quote:

"Yes, I've got to do a bit more work. Damn these real-world activities!:-)"

I hear you! I'm a single dad who also likes playing games, so my projects have slow periods, especially because I'm currently working solo. Though in a way, those slow periods allow me to think of cool things to try!

Wiz · Post by **Wiz** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 7:05 am

I just, between two jobs, worked 10-14 hour days for the past 8 days.

Life does that to you sometimes, which is why TFL is not something Ive had too much time to work on.

Skutarth (not logged in) · Mon Apr 07, 2008 2:02 pm

I may or may not have time to help out when I'm out of college for the summer.
You might know that I started working on a Savage Empire remake for the Exult engine a while back. Thanks for resurrecting the dream.

PS: Alt+PrintScreen will take a screenshot of the selected window in Windows XP.

Post by **drcode** » Tue Apr 08, 2008 3:20 pm

About the higher lifts: I finally got to the point where I realize that there's a fair bit of work to do. Changing the file formats won't be too hard, but detecting when objects block tiles will have to be rewritten, since the current system assumes lifts 15, you'll get a red X, or the object will end up behind where you tried to put it.

This still shouldn't be too hard; but I need to set aside a bit of time for it.

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 2:32 am

Quote:

"I may or may not have time to help out when I'm out of college for the summer.
You might know that I started working on a Savage Empire remake for the Exult engine a while back. Thanks for resurrecting the dream."

Any help and/or contributions will be greatly appreciated and considered for the project! Hopefully at some point, the dream can become a reality. I'm currently looking for rain forest plants.

Quote:

"About the higher lifts: I finally got to the point where I realize that there's a fair bit of work to do. Changing the file formats won't be too hard, but detecting when objects block tiles will have to be rewritten, since the current system assumes lifts 15, you'll get a red X, or the object will end up behind where you tried to put it.

This still shouldn't be too hard; but I need to set aside a bit of time for it."

DrCode, many thanks for the hard work that you, Marzo, and all of the others do on Exult/Exult Studio! It helps keep Ultima alive.

Post by **drcode** » Wed Apr 09, 2008 8:52 am

Thanks! But I think lately, Marzo's the only one doing hard work!

Post by **Malignant Manor** » Tue Jun 10, 2008 6:18 am

Could you possible release a patch so people can experience what you have done so far? (besides just screenshots)

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Sat Oct 18, 2008 3:57 am

Quote:

"Could you possible release a patch so people can experience what you have done so far? (besides just screenshots)"

My apologies, Malignant Manor. I missed this post. I got into new relationship at the time and it put the project/Ultima/Exult on hold.

I cannot create a patch for a couple of reasons:

1.) I am very critical of my work and only reluctantly post shots,

2.) and I have no idea at the moment how to make a patch because I have focused only on drawing graphics rather than learning anything technical concerning Exult.

This is where others will need to come in. Scripting competently is beyond me without detailed tutorials, and I also need artists. After establishing the art direction, I will not at all mind if artists who love Ultima come in to help. Even though Exult/Ultima VII has their limitations, I cannot help but try to cram as much detail into the game as I can. If one looks at a picture of a real rainforest, they can see see what I mean!

With the advent of the higher lift values, I am looking for rainforest plants that look as real as possible considering the axiometric view, palette, and resolution limitations. With the added back story I have in mind, it doesn't matter from what area of the world the rainforest plants come from. In fact, they could be "extinct", which will actually fit in with the Time Lord aspect of my rewrite of certain aspects of the story...

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Sat Dec 13, 2008 12:52 am

Another post to say that the project is not dead!

Work on the S.E.T.C. continues. Though I haven't drawn as much lately, I have been doing a lot of reading on the subject matter and working on concepts.

Due to the lift increase and look of the original game, I have decided that when all of the terrain art has been drawn, the world will be built with "blocks". The only chunks will be water with palette cycling, with the blocks being added for the first level and up, of the ground. Mountain/tepui(mesa) faces will definitely be walls, though I haven't drawn or discovered a desirable texture, though the test walls use a modified version of the original texture. The hollows of these mesas will have cave systems except for Myrmidex caves which will be on a separate map.

I have three different shades of mulchy-grass, but need mulchy-terrain for the thicker parts of the rainforest areas.. Some blocks will be "rounded-off" for a hilly effect as seen in a couple of areas of Ultima VI. Blocks have to be drawn and aligned for the dirt paths. These paths will not be as "road-like" as in the original, except for the area surrounding the Nahuatl.

Rocky terrain is in early concept and needs to be done along with lava for the Jukari and Haakur areas of the map. These areas will also need flowing, pouring, and spraying lava. I have a "wall" using color cycling for big, torrential waterfalls but needs slight tweaking.

Some changes are being made to the original story. The Jukari are going to be presented in more of a stereotypical barbarian form, with bone axes, loincloths, horned leather helms, etc. They will live in huts of leather/furs,/large bones. I would like to add a new tribe that is more of the stereotypical jungle-cannibal Jungle Hunt style menace that the Timelord asks the Avatar to eradicate from the valley. The game is called "Savage Empire", so I want the game to be more dark, savage and primitive, where surviving isn't as easy as it was in the original. Ultima VII requiring characters to eat is a plus, as players will have to use survival skills to win the game. Shields and weapons will be specific to each tribe, save for generic weapons such as spears, and I have two styles of hut walls nearly done.

These changes have allowed me to think of numerous quests and realism to be added. For example, the Nahuatl may have a limited supply of obsidian due to the Myrmidex/cannibals/warring tribes disrupting the Jukari obsidian tribute, making it difficult to supply the Yolaru with macuahuitls. Quests to obtain obsidian could be added (once the player deals with other Nahuatl problems). Since tribute from the tribes have ended, the Nahuatl might get restless, which is put under control by Crazy Spector and Huitlapacti bringing back human sacrifice on top of pyramids...

I am still looking for people to contribute art for the game. Mountainside textures will be considered, as will tropical plants. Trees can be fairly tall. Those who can are are willing to draw 32-frame npcs will be greatly appreciated! I have frame "16" of 4 or 5 npcs that need the rest of the frames done. Very few Ultima remakes see completion, and I will not give up on this one! I have ceased drawing random stuff, and have focused on doing things somewhat in order:

1.)Water/terrain tiles and terrain-walls for mountains and various waterfalls. (then build map)

2.)Building materials; walls and roofing. (Construct villages)

3.)Flora (create forests and plains)

4.)Objects (village items, weapons, props)

5.)NPCs

6.)Fauna

7.)Misc.

Kensu · Post by **Kensu** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 2:28 am

I suggest everyone disabuse themselves of any dewy-eyed notions about The Lost Vale.
Especially when you consider something about those screenshots: that isn't snow, it's clouds.
So that does indeed mean that in screenshot Screen13, the Avatar is jumping between two clouds.

Super Avatar Brothers, indeed.

Post by **Dominus** » Tue Dec 23, 2008 2:00 pm

wrong thread?

Kensu · Post by **Kensu** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 3:00 am

Yeah... I must've hit "back" once too many.

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Tue Dec 30, 2008 4:53 am

LOL...at least the thread got bumped! Interesting thing is, maybe The Lost Vale is among the archived Origin Material!

Anyway, about the S.E.T.C............

Since I cannot focus on any one part of the project and keep getting interrupted by playing games of The Witcher and Privateer, I keep working on random things...

I lost the "completed" versions of the Kurak bamboo walls, and have to re-import them into E.S. to reconfigure them to snap together properly. I have thatched walls completed for another tribe, and preliminary work on a "stacked-stone" look inspired by Skara Brae for the Barako tribe. Working with photos of the site have also given me ideas on a mountain-side texture. One idea is to have the Barako dwellings consist of sunken earth-dwellings like at Skara Brae. Building the world with walls and blocks should make this possible. Since the Barako are mountain-dwellers, they could have settled on a spot that allowed them to dig deep enough for their dwellings, thus making their mountain home a veritable fortress to protect themselves from rival tribes, dinosaurs, and waves of Myrmidex attacks.

I have three different shades of grass, and three different shades of mulchy-dirt (for beneath the canopy). Work has begun on creating blocks with dirt paths. When I have settled on mountain-textures, the tops of the mountain walls will have the grass applied to blend seemlessly with the grassy blocks. When one comes up to any elevated terrain, it is essentially a building made with terrain-textures.

Today, I recolored much of the parrot frames to look more like a scarlet macaw. That is about 80% done. Next animal will be the snake. New objects have been created that were mentioned in the Official Cluebook, such as blue-lacquered Kotl armor, found in their ancient city, and croc-skin Urali armor, but are considered WIP.

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 1:01 am

1/28/09 UPDATE:

For some reason, I still cannot get these mountain textures right. So I have violated my plan to finish drawing terrain objects first and have been drawing or reshading inventory/prop objects. The forum has been slightly dead lately, which scares me (nothing from Marzo in a while, I hope everything is alright!), but I am hoping that some artists & scripters that love Ultima and have spare time see this thread!

Please forgive me if any of these objects have been discussed or already shown...

Some new objects include a Urali crocodile-skin armor, probably be slightly better than Ultima VII leather armor. I scrapped the original armor which was based off of the U7 leather armor, and drew a new one from scratch. Blue lacquered Kotl armor including breastplate, greaves, and arm guards are done.

I'm trying to represent all items possible, so I have a safari shirt that the avatar starts with, as well as a safari hat (modified from previous screenshot) that will go in the helm slot. A slightly different version would be found on Segallion, and a smaller gray version for Jimmy Malone's hat. I have a white long labcoat for Prof. Rafkin, and three different shades of trousers inspired by a Martian Dreams object. Ten different shields, eight different macuahuitls (obsidian swords), two backpacks, twelve different clay pots (recolored versions, will recolor even more), waterskin, leather satchel, various jewelry (going to draw more), a wooden crate for the rifle, and a wooden crate for other objects to replace the orignial yellow one (but needs recolored, too dark brown). I have a two piece (snaps together) L-shaped counter top with sink. One version has a gray top, the other used the granite pattern-fill from Gimp, not sure which to use...

The computer from the software pirate easter egg in S.I. has been tweaked and there is a monitor that is powered on for before the lab is transported, and one for afterwards. Jimmy's camera is basically done, as I'm sick of tweaking it. I had about 20 different versions of that!
Oh and the avatar's hunting knife is smaller and not as cool as the first one I drew, but the first one is too big for the game's resolution. Random other objects, and a few WIPs...

So I am looking at pics of Mount Roraima (a tepui) for inspiration for the cliff sides. This was the tepui that inspired Sir Arthur Conan Doyle to write "The Lost World" which in turn seems to have inspired the original Savage Empire. If anyone wants to draw walls with a goot tepui texture, please do! I'll add the grass texture to the tops of the "walls" that need them. As always, any tropical plants are welcome. Any art contributed shall be considered. I've been working on this off and on for almost 3 years. Lets get a team together to see it to completion!

Scythifuge Dragon

Petrell · Post by **Petrell** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 3:14 am

Nice progress Scythifuge. Any change on screenshots of some of the completed pieces? Any plans of building a site for the project?

Marzos absence is worrying. There has not been updates to source code since 25th of november last year and his last post is from 7th of december so it's been almost two months already. None of his posts indicated he was going to be absend from the project.

He has been the code monkey and driving force of the development for yers now so basically the entire project has ground to a hald on his absence. The HD project is also on halt without someone to direct it and any volunteers it might have atracted are likely to lose interest if this continues. Someone needs to take up reins and organise the effort before it's too late but is there anyone beside Marzo who is capable of handling it?

Worse still, Pentagram is in same situation as there have been no progress since early november and both Matthew Jimenez and Willem Jan Palenstijn seem to have disapeared as well. Palenstijn has been contributing to Exult development so his absence hurts exult too.

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:03 am

Thank you for the reply, Petrell!

I haven't taken any new screenshots as all of the new stuff is in large png files that I refer too as "master canvases". I have a "completed" canvas, as well as "WIP", "flora", "building material", and "fauna" canvases (and random others!). My original Exult files became very convoluted with all of the new objects/test objects, making it tedious to add new stuff, arrange it and take screenshots. I wish that there was a "clean" method for adding/removing/testing new stuff. After a while, I want to post new screenies, but only after I have some world-building objects ready to go.

I have never created a site, nor will I for this project until I get at least an artist and scripter attached to the project.

I hope that everything is alright with Marzo and others involved with Exult and other projects. The community needs people with knowledge and skills in order to keep Ultima alive. I am in constant fear that Ultima is on its last legs...

Andy · Post by **Andy** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 4:18 am

Good going Scythifuge! I never played Savage Empire, but I remember the boxes. I started playing Ultima games at Ultima 7. From what I've heard, Savage Empire has a good plot. Thank your for your effort, and I look forward to following your rendition as it moves along.

Post by **artaxerxes** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 5:30 pm

Scythifuge,

is there someplace on the web where all your progress can be seen and/or downloaded?

thx
Artaxerxes

TDI · Post by **TDI** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 5:56 pm

Maybe a red moongate appeared in Marzo's living room. He stepped in, and was magically teleported into Exult. Now he is one with the code, waging battle against the bugs, with Iolo, Dupre and Shamino at his side, a two-handed sword firmly in his hands.
On a full moon, Exult players might encounter him ingame, hacking away at his enemies.

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 6:38 pm

Thank you everyone for our replies and interest!

Artaxerxes,

The only stuff publicly available is what I have posted in screenshots on this forum, much of which has been changed since then. When I get the terrain pieces done and some sample world-building completed, I'll probably post new screenshots. Much work will need to be done to tweak the items once they are in Exult, such as hand-placement and the like.

Today, I began work and completed much of the vinyl-sided walls of the Avatar's house on Earth, since I am thinking that I want the game to start there, with the Avatar going to sleep and having the dream with LB about the moonstone (maybe an interactive dream like in S.I.), and have the player actually go to the museum to speak with Rafkin. I'll be looking at the intros from VI, MD, and the beginning of IX to create the Avatar's house and yard, complete with the stone circle. A cab could "teleport" the Avatar to the museum. This of course means that I'll have to draw modern stuff for the house and museum (some of which can be recycled from the cyberpunk project). Using the multi-map capability of E.S., these will be on separate maps.

Of course, the player will be able to bake bread in the house before embarking on the journey...

Warder · Post by **Warder** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 8:41 pm

I wouldn't take anything from the start of Ultima IX as inspiration; that area is clearly built as a tutorial and makes no sense at all.

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Thu Jan 29, 2009 8:58 pm

Warder -

I'm just looking at the textures and house layout, though I'm going with the other two games mostly. I view the beginning of Ultima IX as a "dream sequence", though I sort of view the entire game as a dream...a very bad dream!

So I got the Avatar's inventory clothing done, as well as Rafkin a Jimmy's inventory clothing. A watch for the Avatar (maybe a recolored pocket watch for Rafkin), and a new whip WIP. Black boots for the Avatar, gray loafers for Rafkin, and brown ones for Jimmy.

Also, I just looked at some cyberpunk-project-canvases and noticed that I had some modern day stuff WIPs, such as a refrigerator, stove, tub, shower, toilet, animated ceiling fan...

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 2:19 am

Busy day!

Completed toothbrush, toothpaste, kitchen sink/counter top, bathroom sink, refrigerator, wardrobe cabinet, dresser, end table, and nearly completed glass topped end stand and coffee table. Also found my old couch WIP. Tweaked a lot of random stuff today as well.

Post by **artaxerxes** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 12:35 pm

We should have some sort of a Wiki for SE Remake, where users (proven to have legal access to SE data) could access the yet-to-be done SE data and submit reconstructed images.

Artaxerxes

Scythifuge · Post by **Scythifuge** » Fri Jan 30, 2009 4:54 pm

That sounds like a great idea, Artaxerxes! Though I don't know how to go about creating a wiki!

Many items I have drawn or redrawn no longer look like the original S.E. items, though they represent them. Items that use originals are drastically changed, such as the grass texture for example. I took the original grass and road tiles, removed the black color, and scaled the image while recoloring them with the u7 palette, and am in the process of drawing random sticks and stones upon them, as well as reshading variants for beneath tress, other side of cliffs, etc.

Other items are additions made from scratch, like plants that aren't in the original, but are being expanded upon to create a U7/more realistic jungle experience. Anyone wishing to contribute can email me at sythifuge@hotmail.com, or by posting pics on the forum!

I am hoping that with EA/ EA Mythic beginning to release all of the Origin archives to the public, that they won't mind graphic assets from out-of-print games to be reused in remakes that in turn, help to promote their IPs.