I believe I've mentioned in the past that I've been labelled a "Regressive Achiever". We're very rare (so I've been told). Most people when getting from A to Z conclude that they best go to B first, whereas I'd argue that since Z is where I want to be, I'm going to need to get to Y at some stage so spend my time working out how to get there. Regressive Achievers tend to tackle things backwards. As a result they tend to be slow and methodical, perhaps taking longer, but usually achieving a superior result far closer to the desired requirement of their chosen task. Ever since I was told this, I have to chuckle at the amount of times I subconciously work like this without realising I'm doing it. It's most obvious in the manner in which I draw. I have an unusual style that my art teacher used to criticise me for, yet I find it is the only way I can work. When I work on an animal portrait, I have to see evidence that I am achieving what I want, or I lose interest, so I'll finish part of the portrait (I usually do the eyes first, as that's the most important feature to get right) before moving on to another section. If you were to photograph progress of one of my drawings, you'd get the impression a jigsaw was being made.
It recently occured to me that even Neverwinter can't escape the way I work.
Having encountered many a thread in the past requesting building tips and advise, I thought perhaps I should elaborate on my own methods. True, they may be long winded, but, like my drawings, by finishing the finer details before tackling the bigger picture, I find I am provided with the inspirational fuel required to take the project further.
So, for your own enjoyment, here is the thought process involved in the latest piece of "The Relbonian Chronicles - Chapter Two" that I've been working on...
For the introductory cutscene, I need a conversation to take place between the player and an NPC who is the leader of the local Thieves' Guild. I work on the location where the conversation will take place until I'm happy with it in terms of content, lighting, and most importantly, music. I say music is most important for two reasons. One, it helps set the mood for what will happen in the scene, and two, it helps put me in the right frame of mind to capture the essence of what I want in the characters that will inhabit the scene. Having got this far, I'll start working on the NPC, taking care that the location he will inhabit is visible to me during the creation process, and that the music can be heard.
Players of my previous works will know I pay great attention to detail, taking the trouble to have an NPC match their chosen portrait as closely as possible. With the help of the music and the setting, it occurs to me that the head I've selected, although close to the portrait, doesn't portray the intimidation I want to convey so I return to browsing through the head models until I find something more suitable.
Having found something more suitable, I find a description of the NPC comes more naturally, and am able to move on to the inventory. By far the most important item is the clothing, as again, I want it to tie in with the chosen portrait of the character. In this instance I am fortunate that not a great deal of the clothing is visible, so the main things I need concern myself with are the colour scheme and the fact that he shouldn't be showing off his chest. Rather than spend ages looking for something that fits the bill, I just copy what he's wearing and edit it to my personal taste, eventually culminating in the outfit shown below. Note that while I work on the outfit, I keep the NPC details visible so that I can still refer to the character portrait as reference.
Now, at this stage it occurs to me that as an actor in a cutscene his equipment isn't that important. I don't let that stop me however, as there's no reason I can't use it elsewhere (perhaps even a later chapter) for whatever reason, and so I set to work on giving the armour both properties and a description...
"Armour of Wrist Whistling is the apt name given to this armour by the maker, a famed tailor called Vence Volderberg, who is rumoured to have created the original Runner costume favoured by the Druids. This outfit is for an entirely different type of customer however, with urban camoflage as opposed to rural clearly evident in the expensive dyes used to colour the garment.
Light yet well padded, it has been designed to allow swift movement of the arms (hence the name), allowing the wearer to block potential sword swipes with the bladed forearm attachments.
It is rumoured that some in Relbonian high society oppose the open production of such garments arguing that they are favoured by criminals and that anyone wearing them should be treated as such."
Satisfied that the description tallies with the properties I designate to it, I then place it on the NPC to see if the final look fits the bill.
Now I'm happy. He looks the part and suits the music I'm listening too perfectly. I create a one line conversation file and assign it ready for working on later, and browse through a few voice sets until I find the one I feel best suits him. With that done, I place him in the scene, look at the clock, and realise I should be getting to bed!
Rest assured that work continues, but the perfectionist in me can be a little demanding of my time. Hopefully that's already clearly evident to those of you who played Chapter One.
Bedtime again... lol... night all. :)
