This thread deserves an update...
In short, I quit making stuff for Uru. Too many hoops to jump through. I dropped it like I dropped Platinum Arts Sandbox.
But there was more to it than that...
For a long time I have been telling myself that I have been wasting my time. This idea that one's time must be productive and well spent, which only leads to a mindset of limitation and lack. You are either time broke or monetarily broke!
A dream I had last night, worked through using the format in "Realities of the Dreaming Mind" by Swami Sivananda Radha, helped me see that I had in effect, tied my own hands behind my back creatively.
There is a young woman, a neighbor - our families are friends - who plays the flute. I got to thinking. I realized that it was highly unlikely she ever looked back at all the time she spent learning how to play the flute as a waste of time. She plays beautifully BTW - some really complicated and complex stuff - even multiple tones.
Maybe there is regret. Maybe there is something that wasn't done because one was at home, practicing. But to look back and say it wasn't worth it, it was a waste of time? I doubt any artist believing that would stay an artist.
Before this dream I reinstalled Morrowind. I loaded up my old mods - Morrowind and Amaya Lodge. Below is a shot of Valenwood. You can see I really put my heart and soul into this:
- Valenwood.jpg (822.62 KiB) Viewed 6139 times
Back then I had a different user name. A different mindset. I had been telling myself the last few days that nothing had changed. My circumstances and situation remain basically the same. I was depressed. I was angry. I was frustrated. I revisited my old work and I went to bed, for the first time in days, happy. After the dream I was at peace. The spark is back!
So what does this mean? Well first of all apparently I was not diligent in keeping notes, which is why I am here, to re-remember everything I learned about modding Uru. Maybe I will find some notes I kept somewhere later. In the meantime I want to re-famileriaze myself with the process.
In all likelihood my first age idea is dead and will stay that way. I am inspired to do something better. I do not know on which "canvas" this something better will be painted. Will I do something for The Witcher or The Witcher 2? Well I revisit Morrowind (unlikely)? Will I do something with Skyrim? Unity 3D? UDK? CryENGINE? Or Uru? I don't know. Blender and Gimp are my brushes. All Max work is hereby officially ceased. I will, from now on, only use and support free or open source tools. The aforementioned tools are the various canvases I will choose from.
So for now I am collecting information and getting my memory refreshed. If I start on an age I will let everyone know. Chances are I will see which free GCS is closest to scale with Uru, so I can model something in Blender, import it into Unity and test it there, then bring it back into Blender for Uru. Or I might try using the Blender game engine. I just have to find the right process. It would be a lot easier if Uru had a good, graphical and stable editor. But for now I will do what I can with the tools I have on-hand.
So that's my update, enjoy the screenshot, and if you want the plugin for Valenwood for any reason let me know. I wouldn't mind making something like that for Uru. But I am not setting anything in stone right now. I am leaving myself open and receptive to my creativity, in whatever form it decides to manifest itself through me.
