I'm Back! (Even Though You Didn't Know I Was Gone)

A week or so after my last update, my grandfather passed away. If I'm being completely honest, it really made me lose all inhibitions to complete ZNPC, or any other mods, so I stopped developing it.

Fortunately, about a week ago I started thinking about all the cool projects that wound up abandoned, and how irritated I was by the fact that they never came to fruition. I really don't wanna be one of those people, so I decided to continue this project. I've also started working on another small-ish project that I don't feel like announcing just yet, but things are somewhat back to normal.

I should be making some big progress in the next month or so, but only time will really tell. Either way, it's nice to have my motivation back!

The Project (Still) isn't Dead!

Anyone who reads this blog probably already knows that I'm super bad at updating on schedule, but please don't interpret my lack of updates as a sign that the project is dead. We've actually begun working on the first of four Snow Elf colonies, Sepredium! Additionally, Valion's questline is 100% complete. The only remaining thing to do with the Sea Elven pirate is to add more follower dialogue. When completed, he'll be locationally aware, as well as quest aware!

In other news, I've started up Prometheus, the Discord server dedicated to teaching people how to mod! If anyone is reading this and would like to learn, you can join the server with this link: https://discord.gg/kRtHB3C

The Good, the Bad, and the Slightly Less Bad

As I previously warned, it's likely that these updates won't be every other Saturday as I originally intended. This is proof of that. However, even though these updates have slowed down, mod development has not.

Valion's mini-questline is finally almost complete. The remaining two or three bugs should be squashed within the next couple of days, as should the previously mentioned Dwemer Prison. Upon completion of these, I plan to finally implement our Dwemer warlord, and then move onto the first Snow Elf colony, Sepredium, while also adding a couple commoner NPCs here and there throughout Skyrim. I'm not sure if we'll have enough content, but perhaps I'll be able to put together a small teaser trailer once Sepredium is finished.

I've also come up with a new concept for the mod's super followers: Character Traits. Basically, to further set them apart from typical followers, the super followers added by the mod will have abilities exclusive to them, ranging from simple, yet unique, passives to conditional summons. So far, only one trait has been implemented, to Valion. His trait, Duelist, gives him a 15% damage boost when wielding a one-handed sword and no shield, as well as a 15% chance to negate all damage from an attack blocked with a one-handed sword.

As for Cepheus, I've decided to put it off until ZNPC is completed, or at least more developed than it is now. I haven't abandoned it, but knowing myself, if I continue to juggle multiple projects, one will end up abandoned.

On the bright side, I've decided to create a Discord server devoted to teaching people to make mods, while still acting as a reference for those who already have a decent grasp on it. If anyone who reads this is interested, comment on this and I'll link you to it once it's up!

The Dwemer Update (Part 2)

I've gotten a new job since the last update and they seem to enjoy scheduling me for the weekends, so these updates may not be exactly two weeks apart as I originally intended. So if a new update isn't posted on a Saturday, or even a Sunday, it doesn't mean the project is dead!

I've done some more testing of the existing two quests, and unfortunately had to rebuild Friends In Deep Places from scratch, and change some of the dialogue. On the bright side, both quests are now 100% bug free, and partially voiced, thanks to the talented Complete the Circuit! 

In the last update, I detailed a lot of the Dwemer stuff that ZNPC will add, but I barely mentioned anything about the followers. Unfortunately, Dwemer names are hard to come up with, so they don't have any at this moment, but I should have a decent Dwemer name generator sheet completed soon. Firstly, we can't just have Dwarves living without any explanation and still keep the mod lore friendly. Of course, I could use the Morrowind excuse of being in a plane of Oblivion at the time of the Dwemer's disappearance, but for seven or eight NPCs? I'll need more than that. So after a bit of thought, and a couple of Smallville episodes (I decided to rewatch it, it was such a great show), I came up with an idea: prison planes. Basically, unruly Dwemer prisoners would be thrown in these portals that led to an unknown plane, where they'd serve their sentences.

In ZNPC, the player will be able to encounter a couple of these portals in a creepy Dwemer prison, and if the respective activator is found, the portal will open up, and a prisoner will be released. One of the releasable prisoners is a Dwemer warlord with Dwarven metal arm, who will be available as a f ollower after completing his quest. Another follower will be a Dwemer scientist, who modified one of the aforementioned portals and sealed himself inside. Anyone who liked Arcade from New Vegas should like this guy. I'd go into more details about their quests and whatnot, but I don't want to spoil everything, so you'll have to wait until the mod is released and see it all for yourself.

Now, onto the Cepheus update. This week, we have the Jode stone, which is unlocked after completing 30 quests.

• Jode's Vigor - Choose one of three random buffs to apply for 120 seconds.

I made this power to parallel Andromeda's Ultimate Power. Instead of fortifying one of three schools of magic, it provides a buff that a warrior would find especially useful. The buffs are to:

• Weapon damage

• Damage resistance

• Block

• Power attack damage/cost

• Health

• Stamina

That's all for this stone. Next up is the Sithian Stone, which I'll detail in the next update!

The Dwemer Update (Part 1)

Things have slowed down since the last update, as most of the ZNPC team has been busy with finals. However, everything should be back on speed by the time I post the next update. As slow as its been, there's still been a little bit of progress.

Two new NPCs, both Kothringi Dawnguard members, have been written up, and dialogue for Valion's crewmen is just about finished. Also, we've gotten a new, sleeved variant of Ancient Falmer Armor for the Snow Elf colony guards! 

Unfortunately, I haven't had the time to start any of that Dwemer stuff I mentioned in the last update. But I did say I'd have more details, and I'm a man of my word! First off, we have the Dwemer Workshop. Its only denizens are an old Dwarf and his daughter, who will be marriageable after a short quest. The old man sells unique Dwemer items, such as a mechanism that can automatically pick locks, or a sword that causes steam damage. He can also modify Dwemer Apex staves by optimizing them (making them lose charge more slowly, but reducing their damage/duration) or by overclocking them (Increasing their damage/duration, but making them lose charge more quickly). For brevity's sake, that's all of the Dwemer stuff I'm gonna talk about in this update. In the next one, I'll talk about the Dwemer followers we have so far.

Now for the Cepheus update. This week we have the Aetherius Stone, which is unlocked after completing 20 quests.

• Aetherial Rain - Summon a swarm of magic anomalies for 120 seconds.

So these anomalies aren't exactly like the ones encountered in the College of Winterhold questline. These ones do almost no damage, but their attacks apply a stacking debuff of 5% weakness to magic for 10 seconds. And while this effect is tailored to benefit mages most of all, anybody who uses enchanted weapons can benefit from it.

That's it for the Aetherius Stone. In the next update, I'll talk about the Jode Stone and its warrior-boosting power, Jode's Vigor.

So many bullet points

It's been a busy two weeks, but I've still managed to get a decent amount of work done, most of it being dialogue. The Thalmor Shipwreck is now complete, and its associated quest should be finished any day now, which will leave only one more quest to do in Valion's questline. I've also come up with names for the four Snow Elf colonies. They are:

• Fieryn 

• Khardil 

• Mafreth

• Sepredium

Each colony name has a root in Aldmeris, the language that the Snow Elven language is a dialect of. If you translate the name, it might tell you something about the respective colony.

We're also gonna have some cool Dwemer stuff coming in the next couple updates, such as a General Zod-esque follower with a Dwarven metal arm, a workshop complete with an old man who will modify Dwemer staves as well as sell some unique mechanical items, and a new way to acquire Mihail's Dwarven Power Armor. I'll likely have more details in my next update.

In other news, I've decided to do with Cepheus what EnaiSiaion did with Andromeda, and detail one stone with each update up until the mod is released. This week's stone is the Jone Stone, which can be acquired after completing 10 quests.

• Jone's Shadow - Move 10% faster and become invisible while sprinting for 120 seconds.

In Oblivion, the first three stones were designed to predominately suit classes falling under a specific archetype, while still providing something that every class can benefit from. I tried to keep that in mind when creating Jone's Shadow. This ability, in my opinion, has two main uses:

• Giving stealth-based players a break from having to sneak to remain undetected

• Making it easier for all players to escape from enemies when low on health

There's also more to the power than its description suggests. Firstly, the only way to break the invisibility is to stop sprinting. But as soon as you start sprinting again, the invisibility will return. Also, your movement is muffled, and the invisibility effect used actually gives you a fortify sneak effect. 

So that's it for the Jone Stone. In the next update I'll detail the Aetherius Stone and its power, Aetherial Rain. You magic users out there will like this one. ;)

Say Amen

It's been almost two months since I've released an update, but don't worry, the project isn't dead! Admittedly, development did momentarily slow down, but everything seems to be back on track, and up to speed. It's still way too early to give a release date, but I'm really aiming to release the Zebsirious NPC Expansion within six to nine months. I'm also going to make these updates fortnightly. The weekly updates were too small, plus people don't really check up on the blogspot that often anyway. Anyway, onto the development report.

There has been a lot of progress since the last update. The quest Friends in Deep Places has been completed, and the Thalmor Shipwreck and Thalmor Transport Ship both near completion. Dialogue for several NPCs has been written, and will be implemented as soon as I finish Valion's questline, and creation of the first Snow Elf stronghold has begun.

The strongholds will be where the bulk of Snow Elves will be found. As of right now, I only have four of them planned, but I may choose to add more in the future. They'll each have an inn, a couple merchants, a temple to a specific deity of the Falmeri pantheon, a ruling body (complete with a steward and a court wizard), an equivalent to thaneship, a potential player home, and a wayshrine, which can be used as a method of transportation between strongholds. I may add a prison system, although I'm not quite sure yet.

As for other projects, I think I've decided to scrap my aforementioned idea of making tiered magic. It'd potentially cause issues with the College of Winterhold's entry test, as well as with other things.On the bright side, I'm still going to do Cepheus, and have found a resource to use for the Heaven Stones. I've also compiled a few ideas for a werewolf overhaul. Of course the Zebsirious NPC Expansion is my priority, but it never hurts to have ideas written up for the future.