Today we are publishing the first in a series of interviews from Golden Dragon Award winners. lord_rosenkrantz won the 2006 NWN award for Best Hak - Tileset, with his Immersive Swamps (http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Hakpaks.Detail&id=6963) contribution. Find out how lord_rosenkrantz got into the tileset scene, his influences and his view on receiving a Golden Dragon!
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What made you start building tilesets for NWN?
The answer can't be short, and it's going to sound a bit like the chronicle of a progressive addiction. Surely as a player I had been growing a strong liking and interest for the custom content that was available on the vault, especially tilesets. Quite simply, they definitely enriched my roleplay experience, and helped my suspension of disbelief when pretending I was some different person living in a world different from the one I actually live in. When I started to develop a module for a PW to come, that interest turned in an actual hak merging activity to make all material I had picked play together flawlessly. I wasn't completely satisfied though, as I could not avoid noticing the flaws, and often the uneven quality of the material I was using. I started trying to fix the issues that I was spotting, but I had never opened a 3d modeling program in my life, so I was clumsy and totally clueless.
After developing some skills with the old trial and error technique, I met this guy on some forums where I was looking for clues, and argued with him a bit over the issue of "what's the point to have different people trying to debug the same tilesets? Why not just join forces?", to which logic at the time I must admit I was rather deaf. That guy was Bannor Bloodfist (http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=Hakpaks.Detail&id=6992), team leader of the Community Tileset Project (http://www.nwnctp.com/), and he is the one who eventually made me jump on the other side of the fence by joining the CTP. That was the critical point, as my perspective was turned upside down, and I started to think with the mentality of a member of the CC authors community and not anymore with just the one of an individual off to realize his own private project. Without Bannor, it is very unlikely that I would be now sitting here and trying to answer the questions in this interview.
From there I started another fundamental collaboration, this time with very imaginative and by now multiple HoF'er author helvene (http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=User.EntriesListing&id=63095), which led to the release of an elven themed tileset before we both felt more confident and moved to other things on our own. Then came the Immersive Swamps, and after those the development of the Rocky Mountains tileset which was a challenge in technical terms, because of the difficulties that needed to be overcome in order to provide "a patternless, seamless, realistic environment of epic scale". I tried to address the infamous "cake layer" effect for example, and to develop a new approach for the river/lake that was necessary implementing in a mountain themed tileset. The Rocky Mountains are still my main tileset project, and an almost daily part of my 3d modeling work.
What did you think when you first heard about the Golden Dragon Awards?
It gave me the impression that something new had arrived on the scene, hopefully going further than the role of popularity certification offered by the Hall of Fame label. I had been on a leave from the online world for a few months, handling some real life things that I had delayed for a while and all that jazz. The new award from the Academy hit me just as soon as I came back, in the first place by reading that my work was among the nominees, and then resulting soon after in the great news that the Immersive Swamps had won Best Tileset Award for 2006.
The swamps were my first relevant project, and although nowadays I obviously feel (happens every time) like I'd need to rebuild them from scratch, to implement all the better techniques that I have learned and developed since then, they do have some strong points in their favor, one of them being the heavy stress on the "immersiveness" factor that influenced every aspect of their design. The water is almost pitch black, hiding all sort of dangers for the characters, the deep water parts cannot be told apart from the walkable zones, sort of forcing the player to actually explore the area, and the in-game minimaps don't help either, as I used a dark bitmap that does not give away any area details to the player. Being chased down by some swamp monsters is a thrilling experience, as one could easily end up in a "blind alley" while running away clueless. In other words, the environment was designed to impact the gameplay as a hostile element, not simply as a neutral "scenario".
Another important point in favor of the tileset was the "builder kit" system that became a necessity in such an intentionally confusing environment, and that allows module builders to be immune from it in the toolset, hence keeping a clear control on what sort of area their are painting. And finally, I simply find the result to be aesthetically very beautiful, and luckily it doesn't appear to be just my personal opinion.
Is it important that there is some sort of award system for custom content and other contributions outside modules?
It's something that has been sorely needed along the whole history of the game. For technical reasons, while the community has proven for years the ability to produce hundreds of high quality modules, often as good if not better than the official campaigns that we bought with the games and its expansions, custom content creation requires guidance and clear standards to output material that can compare with the quality of the modules released by the community. The lack of such quality standards has caused the use of custom content to be often a game of chances, because there was no way for module builders to figure out beforehand what sort of bugs or malfunctioning the custom content they were using could bring to their modules, which could appear even after days or weeks of work. That in turn created mistrust towards the use of custom content altogether, spreading the mentality prevalent among the community that "the lesser custom content, the better".
Personally I have seen only a few exceptions to this "wild state" in which custom content has remained for years, but for different reasons none of them has really taken the lead of the CC scene. Among those there were DLA (http://www.dladventures.com/), that gathered the best and most skilled modders active during the game's youth, but which soon disappeared from sight because behind the curtains they were (successfully) building their expertise as professional game developers. Then came the already mentioned CTP, with their high standards and strict procedures, that mainly thanks to its team leader Bannor Bloodfist eventually overcame all difficulties and brought some of the tilesets from the early days of NWN1 to a new level of quality; but the release of the CTP material happened too late in the game history, so the benefits haven't been as wide as they could have been. And then there is the Player Resource Consortium (http://www.nwn2prc.com/), which has grown and still keeps growing to new levels of quality, but that could never take the lead of the CC scene as their natural audience are the players and not other custom content authors, and could only provide an example of how custom content should be developed.
Nowadays, having a credible award system that is focused on quality certainly would still benefit the average level of custom content, in synergy with a more mature and professional approach from those authors that still are active, and hopefully with an extended compatibility policy spread across the CC scene. Had the community developed a system to promote quality and compatibility from the start, now probably we'd be talking a fairly different scenario, with a lot of quality material around, with more top modules extensively using CC content, and with a larger and happier playerbase.
It isn't too late. There is a lot of talking going on among authors about the future of this old game, and hopefully the whole community will soon start seeing some tangible result of all the talking. I personally believe that it's time that what CC authors and quality teams are still around start a large project to bring the old game to a totally new standard in line with the newest content provided with the soon-to-come final patch. And I also believe that the distribution of such a quality material should be carried over by the same standards, and should remain in the hands of the authors themselves, without others butchering the result of the hard work.
You've mentioned a couple of people who've stood out for you. Is there any other work that really inspires you?
Personally I have the habit of keeping the custom content scene under constant monitoring. As soon as I switch on my PC, searching the vault for new or updated content is always the first task. So I can say that any work that is released to the community is an inspiration for me, as interesting ideas or details can be found embedded even in material of the poorest quality. Certainly though I have my favorites, and among these, some of them had a direct and significant influence on what I do, or on the way I do it.
Maxam's Classic Dungeon (http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=hakpaks.detail&id=5899) is an exceptionally well designed tileset, that I personally feel is overlooked. Yes I know that it achieved hall of Fame status, and that something like 60 users cast their votes on it, often using adjectives like "spectacular" or "amazing" to describe it, but we are talking about one of the three/five best tilesets ever made for NWN1, and I'd like to see more explicit recognition to its excellence. It has always greatly inspired me, and has been one of the top standards of tileset design. Its geometry is realistic, solid and simple, yet imaginative and rich of details, the use of textures is perfect, the mapping is always top-notch, the models are virtually bug-free. And it is a dungeon with perfectly working ceilings, can one imagine anything sweeter than that? It's the perfect dungeon for a realistic PnP feel, and nonetheless with some careful use of area lighting can fit any environment. It's probably the tileset I wish I had created myself.
On the other end of the spectrum, there are WoRm's many tilesets (http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=hakpaks.detail&id=6631). While Maxam's tileset is closer to my personal style and taste for solid and realistic design, WoRm has the uncanny ability to envision the fantasy needs of the majority of the audience, and their status as (by far) most popular tilesets around is the best acknowledgment to such a talent. WoRm's tilesets always give you the feeling that you are walking through a magical world full or paradisiac or infernal colors, with stunning geometry that feels almost alive. For that reason they are probably a source of inspiration for me even more important than the Classic Dungeon, because they force me to widen my perspective, and balance my natural tendency to have a less "eye-candy" approach with reminding me the importance of the exotic factor in a fantasy environment. I am currently eagerly awaiting the release of the final version of his tilesets, which will be a mind blasting event as usual. And I can't wait to find out what are those future plans that he mentioned recently.
Another great source of inspiration is what I consider the best debut author on the CC scene, diademus (http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=User.EntriesListing&id=126310). His Spidercave tileset (http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=hakpaks.detail&id=7241) is a great innovation in terms of design, with a camera blocking system that returns claustrophobic vibes to enhance the "into the tunnels of Shelob's lair" overall feeling. Great textures of unmatched richness, excellent use of a narrow palette of colors, a complex web of tunnels that create a labyrith going upward and downward. But more than his tileset, which appeared in rather recent times to fully affect my own design style, it's diademus versatility and ability to create top quality material in every field, what has directly influenced me, and it's fair to say that the widening of my interests to other fields of custom content creation beyond tilesets was inspired by his different contributions (many of which are currently still unreleased). It is sufficient to look just at his spiders, or trolls, or winter trees to realize the excellent quality of his work.
But not only 3d artists have proven to be a source of inspiration for me. I am very partial to Estelindis' Cloaks (http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=hakpaks.detail&id=7055). She is the perfect answer to the question "but then if I have no modeling skills, I won't ever be able to contribute with some quality work?". Well, she had never opened a 3d modeling program, nor I think was overly expert on texturing business when she started, and yet she was able to achieve so much with the right dedication and mentality. Her work is a paradigm when it comes to attention to detail, and that was the first thing that impressed me. Then as the updates went on, I could appreciate the solidity and consistence of the task she had taken on her shoulder, and the high quality results of her work. Anybody could take some cloaks and slap a few different textures on them, but her textures went to a level of refinement and pixel-by-pixel tweaking, that I couldn't imagine a better implementation of the pantheon symbols in game. It's thanks to packages like hers that I've fully added to my idea of custom content the concept of providing consistent and well-rounded sets of items that not necessarily must explore new CC areas, but that for community benefit can expand on what we already have and complete it without letting the quality level drop. Something that Tiberius_Morguhn (http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=User.EntriesListing&id=34511) was already doing, in particular with his "More" series, before pleasant real life events stepped in taking away most of his spare time. My current placeables pack project is a direct consequence of their work.
Finally, during the last months I have been constantly impressed (and the current limits of skills challenged) by the talent of one of the CC community youngest members, _six_six_six_ (aka sixesthrice) (http://nwvault.ign.com/View.php?view=User.EntriesListing&id=108290). His still narrow technical knowledge does not prevent him from producing material that is already listed among the best and most interesting around, because he shows a strong imagination and the tendency to find innovative approaches, and has a solid set of quality standards that guide his work. As his technical skills are growing on a daily basis, and pretty fast, he only needs balancing his enthusiasm with a more methodical approach, in particular focusing on actually finishing the many projects that I have the impression are started and often dropped for something new and more interesting, and we'll have a new king of the hill of the CC scene.
What are you up to currently? Any plans for something for NWN2?
I have just released a pack of placeables that started quite casually, but as it often happens, it grew under my hands despite my initial attempts to cut it short for lack of time. After the great feedback that it has received, there is no way back anymore, and I'll steadily keep adding new content to it. I am also working on another "short" task on behalf of the Player Resource Consortium, and which is turning up quite promising and fun to realize. It should be released just after patch 1.69 as part of the PRC server package, both as eye candy and, above all, as alternative user interface to access some of the new functions in the patch.
Another project that I am going to resume together with a few other authors has a very wide scope, will more directly benefit players, and, in conjunction with the soon to be released mount system from DLA/Bioware, will make adventuring and traveling a mind-blasting experience for all those who love a more realistic gameplay. It's been a "secret" project for a long while now, but I guess it's fair to say that it revolves around an extended Visual Inventory System.
Finally, I'm obviously working on the Rocky Mountains tileset, which will be significantly expanded and optimized with v12.
Regarding NWN2, currently I do not own the game, so I am kind of cut off the CC scene over there. But in all honesty NWN2 doesn't appeal to me, the only reason why I could consider doing some work with it is to join a project under development for fans of the old RPG series Ultima. On the other hand, soon there should be a bunch of modding tools for the Witcher, and since it uses an engine originally developed from the old NWN1 engine, I find natural that I'll try developing some custom content for that game too.
What are your other passions besides making tilesets?
Well, let's start with the ones more closely related to tilesets, and then move further away. I already mentioned how I have started to expand my work to other custom content fields during last year, and I am loving it more and more as I try new things and build my skills to handle them. I have been (and still am, in my spare time) a module builder at heart and somehow I consider all my custom content work as a mere preparation to module creation. Obviously I know that there won't be an end to custom content creation, but it doesn't mean that I don't like pretending to look at it from this perspective.
As a player, I have a strong liking for realistic online roleplay, and in that direction, I'm developing a PW module with a friend, which creation will speed up as soon as the final patch will be released. Regarding other games, I have a thing for great series of the past like the two Baldur's Gate and the Ultima saga. Although I very rarely have the time to play nowadays, I confess that I still like to launch those games for a nostalgia trip now and then. Brings back such sweet memories, and works pretty well to relax from NWN stress.
Outside the kingdom of videogames, I am a great fan of european comics and films (I graduated in philosophy with an essay on them), with quite some american pieces of art in the mix. Music too, of course (although never I was able to play a RPG and listen to some at the same time). Finally Simpsons and Futurama: could I ever not mention them?.
Thanks to lord_rosenkratz for taking the time to do this interview. Good luck with your future projects!
Great interview! I enjoyed reading it very much. :)
PS: It was very nice of lord_rosenkrantz to mention so many members of the CC community besides himself.
I really like this a lot. Great read. Congrats Lord Rosenkrantz!
excellent interview. Congratulations
Very cool! Bravo, monsieur rosenkrantz. :)
Thanks a lot folks, glad you found it an interesting reading. It took me a while to refine my answers in a satisfactory manner (not being a native speaker made it harder), but I have to say I am quite happy about the result. Maybe I could have added more details on my own work, to explain some design choices and explicit the logic behind them, but not big deal.
Quote from: lord rosenkrantz on February 01, 2008, 10:27:30 AM
Thanks a lot folks, glad you found it an interesting reading. It took me a while to refine my answers in a satisfactory manner (not being a native speaker made it harder), but I have to say I am quite happy about the result. Maybe I could have added more details on my own work, to explain some design choices and explicit the logic behind them, but not big deal.
Actually what I liked most is your credit to others in the community. Not being selfish and showing a little modesty is very commendable. It's not seen too often these days. My hat's off to you Lord Rosenkrantz!
I must agree, a very good read. I too appreciate the obvious humility shown when recognizing team-mates.
Thanks again folks, I just meant that maybe I could have added more infos or technical analysis of my own work too (although on the current projects I can't really give out too much detail), I never meant that I could have replaced the analysis or mentioning of other authors. It was intended and whole-hearted, I love a lot of CC work and I have a deep appreciation for the other authors out there, and I think that any award should be seen in the wider context of a great CC community that has supported both the game and the individual work that has been produced in these years.
I am not sure I'd call it humility though (or that others would call it that), as I have my regular dose of self-esteem, which incidentally also seems to have valid reasons to back it up. The self-confidence that comes from that seems to allow me to easily acknowledge my limits beside my skills, and to look at what others do in a positive manner and not with a selfish attitude. There are those who need to denigrate other people's work so they can feel they are better at what they do. For me it kinda works the other way, makes me happy to be part of a healthy community in which many authors can produce high quality stuff.
That aside, I am also certain that my work has been a positive influence for what other authors do, just it isn't anything that I feel like highlighting and sharing for self-promotion (and an interview is dangerously close to that). Who knows me and my work gave me flattering feedback in many occasions, and I recall each and every time that I felt embarrassed by the words that were being spent for what I do. More praise will probably come for the projects that I am developing currently, as due to my efforts and to the knowledge that other community members are kindly sharing with me, or that we are simply brainstorming together, the quality of the material is constantly increasing.
In other words, what I want to say is that I am a proud member of a community that features many great people and many great authors, and my interview was a direct consequence of this simple fact.
I do agree though that in the current context it is maybe nothing you see too often, especially if you look at different communities than NWN1's, and I agree that it is good to provide an alternative example of interaction to the selfish over-competitive and self-ego-boosting attitude.
You sir, are guilty of being modest, and unassuming in attitude, and behavior, and of showing respect, and deference toward fellow modders.
In short...humble.
ps...it's a good thing. :)
Hey, is this going to be announced on the Vault? I think doing so would be a good publicity move. ;)
Already done - just waiting for the item to come up...