Ghostgate and Red Mountain

I always thought that the Red Mountain region was kind of boring, and that there weren't much to do in connection with Ghostgate and that general region, before the last parts of the main quest that is.

It just occurred to me that Skywind might be an opportunity to remedy this. Maybe not as part of your main project, but perhaps as a separate mod?

You might think it cliché, but I think it would be a lot of fun to make Red Mountain a corprus zombie survival region, and to create more quests related to Ghostgate. In the original game you may run into a single corprus infected every exterior cell, and maybe an ash creature later in the game. Wouldn't it be cool to have rampaging hordes of corprus stalkers with behaviour similar to more conventional zombies; make Ash Slaves, Ghouls, Ascended Sleepers and Ash Vampires (the Dagoth Ur-looking ones) into boss creatures; buff up their toughness and write special behavioural scripts to reflect this? Something like the zombie bosses in Left 4 Dead. I'm not proposing to make a L4D minigame in Skywind, but I think recent zombie games have some things worth imitating for this update.

Later in the original game, as you progress through the main quest, you run into Ash Creatures in Ashlands regions outside of Red Mountain. This could be made to reflect the failure of the Buoyant Armigers to contain the Blight by having Ghostgate suffer overwhelming losses and damages, and this in turn could be made to depend on the player's success or failure in aiding the Buoyant Armigers.

Now I'm just thinking out loud. I don't have the competence or resources to do this, but I thought if I brought it up the idea might catch on. You may not want to change it as much as I suggested, but I'd be glad just to have the corprus behave more like zombies, which would seem to have been the original intention anyway.

Last edited by grumpycat on 14 Mar 2014 - 16:13.

I'd be definetly for

I'd be definetly for increasing the spawns of corprus stalkers and beasts in that region to almost - horde levels, as for quests and AI packages I'm not sure we would have quite enough time to implement this - I'd be thrilled to have that in though. And Red Mountain will already be more interesting in Skywind, at least from graphic point of view ;)

The size and toughness of the

The size and toughness of the horde could be adjusted to the player's level so as to always make it potentially overwhelming (which is, for me, a key element of zombie fiction that is too often forgotten--actually, that is a key element in games in general, but you get my point).

Yes, I've seen screens and trailers, it looks beautiful. I loved Morrowind's style the most of all the Elder Scrolls games, the creative architecture, mushroom castles and novel creature designs, which I missed very much in Oblivion and Skyrim. To this day it remains my favourite fantasy game universe.

I don't think level scalling

I don't think level scalling is a good idea. I'd much rather have increasing spawns as the Main Quest progresses, and decreasing when we complete it.

Well, as long as it provides

Well, as long as it provides the challenge to make it feel like a zombie survival kind of situation, it wouldn't matter how you achieve it. Not being able to survive beyond the Ghostgate until your stats are adequate could work, perhaps engaging the horde could be futile the first couple of times you're in there, and the Ghostgate quests could have you run errands, retrieve things, scout, etc, until you're strong enough to join the guard (or something). I remember similar limitations in the original game for advancing in guilds.

maybe even add in elements of

maybe even add in elements of the ashfall addon (if it would ever become a thing) Like you have to have the right gear like mouth covers and protected arms and legs (and the rest of your body) or something magic like a conjured survival suit. You cant just walk in naked, you have to be prepared. If you come unprepared in both skills gear and/or magic you will be completely annihilated.

Just trowing stuff out there.

I really like the idea.

Corprus ambushes would be

Corprus ambushes would be great.

TheBusStop wrote:maybe even

TheBusStopmaybe even add in elements of the ashfall addon (if it would ever become a thing) Like you have to have the right gear like mouth covers and protected arms and legs (and the rest of your body) or something magic like a conjured survival suit. You cant just walk in naked, you have to be prepared. If you come unprepared in both skills gear and/or magic you will be completely annihilated.
Just trowing stuff out there.

I really like the idea.

I like yours too.

I say that instead of having

I say that instead of having hordes of Corpus beasts, use more Sixth House cultists. After all, this is their base of operations! I always found it odd that there wasn't an army waiting for me on the other side of the Gate.

As for the Corpus beasts, nobody has actually LIVED that close to the Red Mountain since the mid second era at the latest, so there really aren't likely all that many of them left that haven't been killed or taken to the Corpusarium. By which I mean that there are plenty, but not the endless hordes you see in Left 4 Dead. Plus, cultists are harder than Corpus beasts anyway, so it becomes even more dangerous! Bwahahaha!!! >:D

It might not be entirely lore

It might not be entirely lore friendly, but I think there should at least be groups of 6-7 stalkers to avoid or fend off. Dozens upon dozens of corprus might be unlikely, as you say. Fallen Boyant Armigers, adventurers and smugglers/illegal slave operations could fill their ranks.

But what about minor outbreaks throughout Vvardenfell? It could be a Ghostgate quest (or series of quests) to contain the Blight wherever it might rear its infected head. I remember an Ald'ruhn house that was overrun by corprus, we could have something similar occur in added interiors. Underground Dwemer Umbrella anyone? ;)

The only place where hordes

The only place where hordes of stalkers should be is the Corprusarium. And you're not allowed to go all mutilatey kill kill maim on them, because they're just victims of a terrible disease.

you could write a few scenes

you could write a few scenes at ghostgate in the scenes thread

Denevir wrote:

Denevir
Well JLR, the Sixth house is having their forces infiltrate Vvardenfell by way of the underground passage between the Ghostfence and Kogoruhn. The only downside would be the number of forces that can make it through at once at any given time. Do remember that Corprus Stalkers and Lame Corprus are basically deformed Hulks full of anger and violence. The Ash Minions, on the other hand, are a more organized bunch: they can fight when needed, but they'd rather resort to covert tactics, having Sleepers and Dreamers distribute Ash Statues among the population so they hear the song of the Sharmat and are more easily welcomed into the fold. Eventually, all Dunmeri infected will become new Ascended Sleepers, but the process is rather slow.

Although I could see the Ordinators and Armigers holding the gate from being overwhelmed by Corprus creatures. Not too many though.

Fair enough. I wouldn't want to break with the lore (too much), but surely something similar can be done within those limitations.

Smitehammer
The only place where hordes of stalkers should be is the Corprusarium. And you're not allowed to go all mutilatey kill kill maim on them, because they're just victims of a terrible disease.

According to the caretakers, yes, but how do the Buoyant Armigers feel about them?

I also just remembered that the battle music, while fitting for most encounters in Morrowind, doesn't really go that well with e.g. a corprus outbreak setting or running into one or two on Red Mountain. If there are enemy creatures all over the cell then I would prefer to have fitting (darker, less bombastic) constant exploration/battle music rather than listen to the regular battle and exploration music activate/deactivate every 30 seconds (isn't this what made Cliff Racers a pain in the ass anyway?).
I don't know if you've thought of this.