The Tale of Archon Discussion/Updates [Archive 2003]

Dont think this is to rush you Iron, but do you have a due date for this 2nd part of yours. I mean 7 min. is pretty long. Are you planning to make this part a building block of the story(showing some history, names, ideas, etc) that will effect the whole epic? If you are then take your time. Better to wait for a good cinematic tomorrow then watching a horrible one today.

Its not a majorly storyline intensive part.
It kinda gives a good characterization of Archon (the main character)
Also there is no combat, so it is a bit boring editing it at times.
Also the type of map is the hardest type of thing to build in computer games --- a wide open countryside. Its a bit hard to get the terrain to look like a wide open plain at times (due to the fact that if I have the camera's far z set too far, it will lag like Arthas on crack. emote_sweat
This part is easily linked to part 1, though it may seem wierd to jump all the way from the far northern mountains to the southern countryside.

Think of it in a LOTR fashion -
Part 1 is like the intro with the narrator on Lord of Rings, it sets the where, what, and why for the story
Part 2 is kinda like the Shire... it sets the who, and when for the story in a since.

EDIT: Also part 2 is not your typical full of epicness cinematic. It doesn't take place in an overly cool place, nothing overly cool happens, and its hard to make it suck you into it like part 1 did.
Luckily, the terrain is excellent (I did the terrain for pt. 2 over again at one point in time, put alot of hours into it :ggani:), and hopefully the mystery like element will help add to it.

Sry everyone, no progress for the past 2 days.

I've been playing through Halo PC (Should only take another two/three hours to finish. And I've also been playing Myst 4 (Uru Ages Beyond Myst) with my dad.
Once I finish Halo PC, I'll have plenty o' time to work on TTOA. I was going to tonight, but I was trying to finish Assault on the Control Room (One of the larger levels of Halo).

In the next few days I should be able to near complete Part 2. :ggani:

Later,
Iron_Ian

Your able to play Halo on your PC? You must be packing some serious works in your tower.
Anyways, hope you beat it soon so you can get to TTOA. I really want to know what Archon plans to do, seeing how his town was completely destroyed by unknowns.
You have plenty of history and characters already Iron, tell me, did you write out the story before you did this? Or is it just a pretty vauge idea in your head your making up as you go along?

Well the original idea for the story was started around 1 1/2 years ago 0_o
Then I added and added to it, and revamped the hell out of it many times, and now it is where it is today :ggani:

My comp is a 900 mhz, 320 mb of ram, and a GeForce 128 mb, and Halo PC runs great on 800x600, full detail on particles, and graphics, and shadows on :ggani:
I've heard that it lags like hell on some peoples computers though (I was reading a review for it in my gamepro magazine last night) :bgrun:
Maybe it has something to do with the type of Graphics card you have.

EDIT: W00t finished Halo. I realized this morning I was only a little over halfway through the game. With nothing else to do, I played Halo for about 5 1/2 hours today and finished it. :ggani:

11/29
Well I got some stuff done today.
Mainly ideas (I know for sure how the next minute or so of TTOA will go)
I also did a few little enhancements to the terrain,
and I jotted down an organized list of bugs and things that need fixing (before I had a bunch scribbled over a crumpled, cluttered piece of paper.
I have a few minor skin fixes to do (very minor, just gotta get rid of little flaws in the skins, shade a few things, and some other little stuff)
Tommorow I'll probably get a bit more work done as I won't be "Halo'ed out" from playing Halo for like 5 hours this morning. :bgrun:

Well I'm gonna get off the comp for the rest of the night, I might write down a few storyline ideas and such for TTOA before I go to bed. :ggani:

11/30 -

Not much progress today either :bgrun:
Though its getting late, and I like to work on TTOA at night.

Got alot of boring bug fixing and testing stuff to do, then I'll work on adding more to it.

I'll prolly edit this post every once in a while tonight. :gsmile:

EDIT: I'm off to bed, got the triggers that I have so far 99% debugged now, and I'm right at the end of the tunnel for getting skins done. I'll update the progress to be more accurate tommorow. :ggani:

How about more stuff to drool over? Like a pic of Archon himself.

Are you going to use more techniques in this part, I mean so we can see your triggers.

You haven't seen Archon yet?

http://www.wc3campaigns.com/forums/s...threadid=34484

Yes I probably will be using a few new techniques (I have a few things to update right now actually)

I gotta do some work on it now, I've been testing out stuff for a new forum style for the TTOA forum :ggani:

Grr..im tired of waiting *pulls out a whip and whips ian to work harder* im impaient

I have but i meant in the cinematics. Take a screenshot while the movie is going on.

I'll post one when I have a bit more time tommorow.

11/31

Well I didn't near as much done as I hoped to over the past 5 days. Blame Halo for PC and Myst 4 for that :ggani:
But I did get everything 99% done. And made a lot of improvements :D
Gonna finish fixing up a few little things tonight, and add some tempremental triggers in for the later stuff.

L8er everyone

12/1 -

Didn't touch the editor tonight. :bgrun:

But...

I was working on a skin for a few hours...
and I was working on the TTOA calendar...
and I had alot of homework.

Tommorow I'm probably gonna continue skinning. (Gotta get outta the World Editor for a while), and I'll try to whip something up about some of the other continents on Arasil (the world in which TTOA takes place).

Good night everyone,
Iron_Ian

12-2

I've been skinning all night. Well not "all" the time. But 90% of the time I have spent on the comp I have been skinning. I might do a bit more work tonight on the skin, or maybe some storyline stuff. Either that or I'm going to bed early, fuggin tired :bgrun:

Looks like your working pretty hard Iron. How about some R&R, dont waste all your time on the comp. Get some air of you'll turn pale.

If i where you i would just rap it up on part two and what ever i did'nt finish i'll put in Part 3. But whatever works for you.