The arrival of the first Northern elves

Timolin · Post by **Timolin** » February 5th, 2004, 10:13 am

Hi,

The first version of the first northern elf (or ice elf), I'm still not sure, is arrived: the Northern hunter.
These fighters are the backbone of the border patrols in the northern tundra. They travel great distances, persuing orcs who enter their lands, until they can ambush them and hunt them down.
Although I'm not yet really sure about fighting statistics and so, I'm not going to let you guys wait any longer: with this files the unit should be playable.
More background information you can find in the scenario development forum.
Tip: very reliable unit in the snowplains!

By the way: how can I create a tundra-ambush ability?

Hope you like it, Tim

miyo · Post by **miyo** » February 5th, 2004, 10:24 am

Looks quite nice.

- Miyo

miyo · Post by **miyo** » February 5th, 2004, 10:46 am

Timolin wrote:By the way: how can I create a tundra-ambush ability?

Code it and send us a patch or request such feature.

http://bugs.wesnoth.org

- Miyo

Post by **fmunoz** » February 5th, 2004, 2:45 pm

Not bad

you need to pick a light source and do shadows and such to get a "volume feeling". (all wesnoth units are lighted from top right)
Selective outlining (use more than one colour for outlines, ie 2) will give them a more wesnothish feeling.
Try to keep the image in the inner 50x50 square
For 1st level maybe you should use hide shields.. and no long range attack.
I'll try to edit a imge to show my points

Post by **Dave** » February 5th, 2004, 2:52 pm

Timolin wrote:
By the way: how can I create a tundra-ambush ability?

Either you can code it yourself, basing it on the 'ambush' ability....or isaac or I can code it for you. Tell us which you prefer

Also, it'd be good if we could think of a name that sounds better than 'tundra-ambush'.

David

Timolin · Post by **Timolin** » February 5th, 2004, 3:25 pm

I'd be happy if you could code it. I agree that you can base it on the ambush ability.
I'm not sure about the name. When the hunters kniel and wrap their cloak about them, their shield and cloak make them invisible to the orc-eyes. It's basic camouflage, but I would prefer a more original name...
What about 'snow blindness'?

Post by **fmunoz** » February 5th, 2004, 4:13 pm

This is an edit of the hunter.
Changed the spear to be more "snowusable" (tips in both ends to allow them to move across snow)
Changed to shield to gie them a special image.
It's still not finished...

Timolin · Post by **Timolin** » February 5th, 2004, 4:31 pm

I like it, the unit is indeed more Weshnotish. But I'm not sure about the size of the spear and shield. I feel the spear is now to short and the shield a little to small.

Post by **fmunoz** » February 5th, 2004, 4:40 pm

Shield could be fixed but the spear need to be, at least, a bit smaller than in your image...just to be usable in animations.
(only 50x50 usable size)

Timolin · Post by **Timolin** » February 5th, 2004, 4:45 pm

Can you explain me what's wrong with exceeding this 50x50 pixels? I thought the unit performed well when I tested it...

Post by **turin** » February 5th, 2004, 11:23 pm

the spear to me seems the perfect length, and the shield is good. i think the white-blue color looks too soft, though. is it supposed to be fur? if so, i can understand it.

Post by **quartex** » February 5th, 2004, 11:34 pm

I have a bone to pick with the naming of the ambush ability.

Why should each terrian variant of the ability have to have it's own ability? If in the forest it is called "ambush" and in the tundra it is called "snow-blindness" what do we do when dwarves get the ability in the mountains or orcs get it in the swamps? And what about the word "ambush" associates it with hiding only in forests? The name was fine when only elves had the ability, but if other races are going to get it, instead of thinking of a new name for what is essentially the same ability, we should just add a suffix for whatever terrian is works for. Forest elves get ambush(forest), Snow elves get ambush(tundra) and so on.

Not that the actual name of the ability is that important to the player, becuase it seems that all the abilities are being turned from text to icons on the units screen. And the ability is described rather than named in the unit description, so the name is just for the developer's use.

Of course this ability reminds me of Magic's "forestwalk" and "mountainwalk" abilities, but we probably shouldn't use those names persay.

Maybe other races won't get the ambush ability, but it just makes sense other races might be able to hide in their respective home environments as well.

P.S. I love the new swamp tile that I saw in the second wesnoth challenge. I think it would be really cool for someone to make a swamp map, a huge swamp with lots of lakes and little islands that Konrad has to explore or escape from. It would allow us to showcase more amphibious monsters and players would be able to make more use of mermen. (I remember how one player used them so effectively in the first wesnoth challenge, yet we are given so few opportunities to use them)

Post by **Aleksi** » February 6th, 2004, 12:16 am

I find Fmunoz's character very good. Putting shades makes it a lot better. I personnaly don't see a need for further changes proportionally or esthetically. Go on, your work is great!

Aleksi.

Christophe33 · Post by **Christophe33** » February 6th, 2004, 8:44 am

I also find these new elf units very good. For the name of the ability, just keep it simple...snow-blindnes doesn't scan, sounds like a disease. Just name it ambush or hide or invisibility or merge with nature...
It will be good to have a little norrdic excursion.
Will you also work on some worthwhile enemies for these nordic elf?
Few suggestions: mammoth (big nasty things), ploar bear, a set of human barbarian units (maybe recruted by the queen to fiind out what happen to Konrad and Li'sa), ice giant, ice dragon, ice cube

.

miyo · Post by **miyo** » February 6th, 2004, 9:12 am

Northern men, hmm... something like vikings? Swords, axes, bows, round shields, etc. Anyone interested providing some "barbaric" northern men images?

I hope non-art discussion about northern elves is taken to http://wesnoth.whitevine.net/forum/phpB ... .php?t=708

- Miyo

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