Of course you have all seen the great screen where you can see the grass made with some sort of pixel shader effect.. ^_^
But I wondered where it is in the game? Is it just everywhere where grass should grow or just on some specific places? If it uses the same amount like the water it should be possible. Is it also possible to make it a little bit yellow, this would look great in Rohan. :lol:
If it is everywhere it would surely make the graphics a lot better than in Morrowind. You dont see this in much games!!

I thought you were talking about weed at first, lol.

weed???

:blink:

*mutters something incoherent

it's a FORUM, for the love of...<_<

As for jeehde2's question, I think that the grass (IIRC) was going to be in abundant quantities and was going to replace the flat,green-colored ground that was MW's trademark grass. And I think that there is another thread that talked about this (perhaps not the color of the grass, but at least the abundancy of it in ME). But I don't know if they were planning on keeping it one color, or having it change colors in response to the seasons or weather...that would be interesting.

Speaking of changing color, will the leaves on trees change color in response to the change in weather and seasons as well? And will some trees (that aren't evergreen) loose their leaves in the fall be bare for the winter?

Changing colours, in order of seasons? Wow, what a great idea!!! I only thought of Rohan and his yellow fields. But that would increase the detail incredible :lol:
I really hope that something like this is in the MeMod!! Just think about this: Rivendell and its trees in the fall!!
Great idea... :whistling:

how is the grass implemented? is it part of the texture or something? i pretty sure the biggest problem with it was that it was sitting on the ground right in all places. and i know its been said that it wont be in beta 1. but if the beta 1 is only a small island...i think it would be worth it to add the grass. i mean the point of the beta is to impress the hell outta people and believe me this grass would do it!

Yes, it would sure impress everyone, including gamers who arent waiting for the MeMod. I showed that screenie to a couple of friends of mine and they were all like: Wow :whistling: They all asked: how do they do that?
Yes, I think it is part of the texture. Pixel Shader is a special effect you put on a texture. I dont know if im right, but it is the most logical explination. You can see it if you play Morrowind without a Geforce 3 or higher. Then the water is just like it looks in other games without Pixel Shader. Thats why I think it is part of the texture. But this wouldnt explain why the grass aint flat like the water. It looks like real gras and I dont think a texture can make height. Or maybe thats the strange thing about Pixel Shader. I think an expert needs to answer this...

Well, the purpose of Beta 1 is to introduce the sleep, eat, etc. system so people can get used to the different style of gameplay and include an empty town in which you can look at (not sure about the latter). Beta 2, IIRC, has multiple towns (though all are empty?) and some of the wilderness as well. Which could mean that there might be the animated grass.

Again, Daerk had earlier posted a thread explaining the contents and purposes of the two Betas. I don't have a link, but I know it is in this section of the Forum.

As said above, the grass will probably be used to replace the boring flat texture used in morrowind. However, I believe that the Devs were trying to figure out how to implement it without manually placing it everywhere. Since it would use only a small amount of resources, I assume they will use it abundantly if they can.

IIRC Daerk stated that the seasons will change and it will be appearent... Im assuming that this means that leaves will change colour and fall off, grass will die, certian plants will revert to bulbs for the cold, animals will hibernate, the scripts will change to make it colder and hotter and so on...

Yes, he stated something like that. But I really look forward to seeing this in action! It will add a whole other dimension to the sense of time, when there's actually something changing the landscape while wanderind the lands of Middle-Earth thin..

Season changing would definitely add realism beyond belief.



I think that it would be awesome if we could actually find bears hibernating, and see birds flying south. I guess I'll have to build my very own Middle Earth summer house

btw, do you guys know what the grass will look like if we don't have a card that supports pixel shading. If not, that's a good reason to put it in the beta

I've mentioned multiple times that getting the pixel shaders to work in Morrowind (bug free) is quite a task and requires me to further research and h4x0r t3h 6i850n.

Pixel-shaders MAY be implemented into Beta 2, but will NOT be implemented into Beta 1, mainly because it requires that I alter the .BSA pixel shader files (.pso).

-- D

Wow... I stumbled upon this mods website a few weeks ago while looking for Morrowind stuff. This grass thing is amazing, and the seasons changing would be so cool. Keep up the good work guys. I will try to be patient, but I haven't looked forward to something as much as I do this mod in a long time.

about his ^^^^^ name, will he be included? Does anyone know?

that sux oh well...now if you can answer my fletching question for beta 1

i doubt this question really deserves an answer...but, of course he will...read the FAQ...or use the search option...anyway, point is...it has been mentioned 12890450234 times that this mod will include EVERYTHING from middle earth

Wrong... It still depends on the time line of the game. There is a probablility that Tom Bombadil will be there yes, but you probably won't be able to meet him just like Elron, Galadriel etc.. well, those who have read the FAQ's etc get my point, I guess.. :blink:

:blink: yeah...i guess...but didn't bombadil come around the time of the istari? errr...im not sure...seems like i read that somewhere...sorry this is getting off topic...i at least thought bombadil had been there for the duration of the third age...

Actually Tom Bombadil I believe (am reading the book right now and I can't even remember :lol: ) was supposed to have been around for pretty much forever... Some even make the conjecture that he was sort of like the God figure... Here I found a passage to quote. This is right after he has been telling Frodo and the hobbits stories the second day of their stay at his home.



Here is another quote from The Council of Elrond regarding Tom Bombadil. This is when they were discussing whether they could send the ring to him for safekeeping.




So, it seems to me that Bombadil would be in any time period of Middle Earth, we will just have to wait and see if he is included in the mod or not. I hope so, he was one of my favorite characters... If you can't guess

Hey, don't worry about it. We're patient enough.

Besides, I think that Memod is more important than whether or not the grass is wavy or not. Tolkien would be proud with or without it

Very true. Tolkien would probably be more happy with it than with the movies. This mod appears as though it will be the more accurate of the two Not that I am putting down the movies. They were great works and will be watched for many many years, but many things were changed of which he (I personally think) would not have approved of. The portrayal of Farimir's character for one...

But I am off topic... again ^_^

I'm confused. Be there but not able to meet him? eh? Like he's mentioned in diolauge in the game but can't physically meet him? Am I right?

Dunno... Haven't played the game, it ain't finished yet either, we'll just have to wait and see

And Tom, I bet if you're the big fan of Tim Bombadil as you seem to be, I understand that you may dislike the way the movies a bit "like some other people here" as Tom actually wasn't in the movies, nope not even mentioned óÒ, And yet as you say the movies are indeed great, in my opinion they're artwork of the big screen, I suppose it'll be just as great the next 50 years, even through technoligies, etc. will be improved over the years. But yes, the movies was changed abit, some of it was nessasery, while some of it wasn't, like both Faramir and Boromir, and the way Frodo is towards Sam in Return of The King. Well, kinda went off topic again :blink:

lol Lthot, you think we don't know the mod isn't finished? :stupid:

Wow, I made my reply yesterday ( I think) and Everyone made a post in a whole day... I think thats cool. Anyways I think in a previous post about Tom, was that he will just be there in his house and he like... I donj't know I kind of forget, but he will like know everything... Like he can give you hints to anything... He isn't suppossed to play an important role except for his all-knowingness ^_^

I'm positive that you will have the opportunity to meet him! Every character present in the timeline of the mod will be there! Of course it will be hard to find him or talk to him, but nonetheless he will avaliable as a character..
Of course I can't be sure, but I think I'm right on this one..


Pharzon..

Of course, the mod is going to be great!! Things like the grass are just details and they make the world!! OOOOHHHHHHHH I cant wait any more, I wish I had some sort of machiene and then I would beam myself in the future, somewhere around christams 2004. I know you all cant wait until the Beta 1 so you should all download the Far Cry demo. Its really so great...

They could put Tom Bombadil in the game and make him hard to find. He may have been around forever, but he had many different names during those times, and I am thinking he probably didn't live in the Old Wood for all of it Again though if they did put him in he would have to be one of those characters that it is somehow impossible to kill. If he is in the game, it will be interesting to see how they deal with this.

Well, one would think that Tom would have located in that particular spot for a good while. He doesn't come into any other tales before the LotR (to my knowledge), so he could have remained at that same spot with Goldeberry for lord knows how long.

And concerning the First and Second Ages, he doesn't come into any tales in those lands (in Beleriand at least), so though he was the First it sounds like he had little encounters with the Elves after the First Age.

That is true. It had also slipped my mind that the mod takes place in the 3rd age, so he would be in the Old Wood then. Ooh! What about Old Man Willow?? What if they included him? That would be really cool. They could have a scripted event where you fall prey to Old Man Willow's song, he captures you, and you are rescued by Tom like the Hobbits in the book. Wishful thinking I know, but it would be really neat....



lol The original topic of this post was about the grass Sorry about the hi-jack

Oh, I think we discussed enough about the grass. Everyone likes it and my questions have been answered. Now lets talk about good old Tom.
I wondered, if Tom really is the first (and I dont doubt that) when did Goldberry arrive? AAAHHHHH, I know, this is something you cant answer.
I think a scripted event would go a little far, but it would be great if you hear some sort of song or sound made by the tree.
I would be cool if you only can find Tom when you have some sort of high level. Maybe that you have to run really fast so you can keep up with him!! This wouldnt be so hard to do?

That would be cool. You are wandering through the Old Wood and you catch a glance of a Tom running through the trees. You have to be fast enough to keep up with him and he leads you a merry chase through the forest finally to some spot where he stops. Maybe his house, or a small glade or something. Then you get to ask him questions.

You're right, a mortal probably couldn't kill Tom Bombadil, but they would still have to deal with what would happen if you tried to attack him...

I don't think any mortal or immortal could have the HEART to kill Tom, save for Orcs. I mean, it's Tom Bombadil, I could never raise a sword against so jolly and merry a fellow as he...

Yeah your right,
but I dont think an Orc would even come close to Tom.
Something like that just couldnt reach a thing near that forest. Tom just wanders around, he doestnt have to be afraid of anything.
This would be cool:
when you find Tom (thats a quest on his own) he can teach you things like sneaking or speechcraft or singing(?) or ....
And he has some sort of quest for you, a very difficult one.
Great!!

first of all he will be in there because he has existed there since the begining he says so himself...
and who would doubt the great Tom

i'm sure he'll be in there but he will be impossible to kill because of the whole timeline thing

you have to remeber its impossible to become uber so he probably will be able to kill you in one hit and you could try hacking away at him for several hours before hewould die