The Making of Blood Bay and Xenos Polish

From last week’s Update of the Avatar #203, we covered two scenes in the game that are getting special attention from World Builder, Travis Koleski, and Senior Environmental Artist, Scott Jones. Have a look below at the Making of Blood Bay and the continued work on Xenos Polish!

The Making of Blood Bay

Blood Bay is going to be an Open PVP area with two NPC towns, player housing, adventuring areas, and entrances to underground adventure areas. It is going to be a testing ground for several systems that will in turn propagate to other parts of the game if successful. We will be talking about more of those new systems and revealing more about the map during the Fall into Winter Telethon, so be sure to tune in.

[A Dev+ Forum Post by Travis “Vas Corp Por” Koleski]

Here’s some early shots of Blood Bay.

Blood Bay is an open PVP map located on an atoll. At the ends of the arms of the atoll is a town founded by brigands and buccaneers. However, one side hosts more virtuous adventurers, while the other hosts adventurers with more colorful pasts, (there’s going to be a lot of fighting on this bridge).

Approaching the town from the less virtuous side of the island.

The view from the more virtuous side of the town.

Thanks for taking the time to see how Blood Bay is shaping up. There’s lots of unique features to this map that I’ll be unveiling as they reach completion!

Travis “Vas Corp Por” Koleski
World Builder

Xenos Polish

Right before we went persistent, we uncloned Xenos and made some modifications to it for specific plot points. However, we were not satisfied with the level of polish so we are revisiting this scene and doing a polish pass this release. We hope to have this pass complete by Release 38. Xenos is on the island of Elysium, southwest of Novia, and is a critical juncture on the Path of Truth.

[A Dev+ Forum Post by Scott “Scottie” Jones]

Having had the chance to return to labors in Xenos, I’ve begun to flesh out areas of primary interest to me, which I hope will set the tone I want to achieve with the entire scene! Starting at one of the entrances, I wanted to ensure that one of the first things visitors understand is the fact that the culture of Xenos is ancient, predating the cataclysm, and that many of Xenos’ structures are actually built atop the foundations of the ruins beneath. In many cases, the most glorious of these were incorporated into the more modern architecture. Like the Rome of our world, there will be few places you can gaze that won’t hold details of the old world, both small and large. Here at the very entrance is no exception, for across the old road from the caravans of merchants lay a ruined courtyard surrounded by columns, its original use long forgotten.

Further along the path into the city proper, past tall and imposing aqueducts, grand roads lead up steep hills that wind their way through several of the richer neighborhoods, whose fantastic views are now graced with sculptured foliage, stone arches, and pillars topped with braziers. Where before there had been very little in the way of decorative finishing, I wanted to make sure that such steep roads and the leveled-off areas for player houses felt very “intentional” in their craftsmanship…

Though I have no idea which players have already claimed these lots, or which houses they have chosen for themselves, I have placed (for my own reference) houses there that remind me of old Roman villas, to help me capture the inspirational feel of the areas as I create the sights around me. Where before were only dirt paths or a sprinkling of cobbles, there now springs forth old stone retaining walls, granite stairs, and evenly-paved roads like those of ancient Pompeii. Added to that are publicly-maintained decorative flower pots, shrubs, and trees, which I’m hoping the proud owners of those houses will now enjoy gazing upon as they frame their view of the sparkling sea beyond, with the masts of tall ships rising from the harbor.All of the decorations pictured are, of course, outside the boundaries of the lots themselves, so the beauty you see here will merely accent whatever decorations you choose to place yourself! At the top of this grand avenue, a partial circle of arches gloriously frames various angles of observation across the sprawling city itself. A fitting view, indeed, for those of such wealth and extravagance that can afford to live in the wondrous city of Xenos, gateway to the pleasures of distant Artifice!I hope you’re enjoying these sneak peeks! Stay tuned for more to come!

Scottie ^_^
Senior Environmental Artist