Starting Town - Devil's Crossroads

[medierra]

Crossroads? Crossing? Can't make up my mind...



(Note that environmental effects and custom lighting have been turned off for this shot)

Anyway, thought I'd give you a little sneak peak of how it is shaping up in the world editor. I think there is a good chance we will end up replacing the current buildings with different art but I think the layout will remain roughly the same.

The large U shaped building will most likely get new art as the current thinking is that it is an old jail that survivors have taken refuge in. The iron bars help keep out Aetherials. The cliff walls surrounding the plateau also make for a highly defensible location, so it was a natural choice for refugees of the nearby Burrwitch Village to try and hold out. This is a town you will frequently return to over the course of the game and it will contain memorable NPCs that you get multiple quests from. This is a significant shift from the find and forget towns of TQ. Some of the earliest quests will revolve around helping the survivors at Devil's Crossroads get the supplies necessary to keep surviving, overcome local threats, and maybe even improve their lives a little. Some of the survivors will have more personal quests for you with themes like vengeance, vice, and lost love.

We wanted to keep the town consolidated so it was easy to access everything you needed from vendors to quest NPCs without a lot of excessive running around. Only a couple of the merchants / NPCs are set up at the moment. Teleporter hasn't been worked in yet either. Still a lot of work to do but it is taking shape!

Once additional art is done there will be make-shift barricades at the ends of the functional bridges. The top bridge will initially be destroyed but you will be able to help the survivors repair it by completing a quest. This will unlock a new section of the world where Devil's Crossroads once again becomes the starting point. The bridge to the West (left) leads to a small area that players can complete a quest or two in early on but the road beyond is blocked by a region of aether-fire. Only after heading North and completing a quests that will grant the necessary protections will the player be able to cross the aether-fire and unlock a third region of the world. That may not happen until the first expansion though.

The bridge to the East (right) leads to a swamp road which in turn leads to the ruins of Burrwitch Village where many of the early quests take place. Surrounding Devil's Crossroads is a large area of mashland called Wightmire that stretches to the Northwest, South, and East.

The Northern area hasn't been fully defined yet but it will contain abandoned farmlands and a massive cemetery. You know no good can come from that.

[Scryer]

This looks Awesome Medierra!

Thanks for the news! It sounds like you have a pretty good set up, I like that you're focusing more on a town rather then throwing it behind the player like it was yesterday's spoils.

I like it, I want to look more at it later and see if I can suggest / come up with anything.

Awesome though, thanks!

I like Devil's Crossroads, whatever you choose is fine with me.

[Malpheas]

Originally Posted by Medierra

Once additional art is done there will be make-shift barricades at the ends of the functional bridges. The top bridge will initially be destroyed but you will be able to help the survivors repair it by completing a quest. This will unlock a new section of the world where Devil's Crossroads once again becomes the starting point.

BWUaaaaahh?? Map changes after quest is finished?! WOO Good news!

Devils Crossing for me please, but either way it will be known as something.

Cheers and it looks great!

Malpheas

[Azrael]

I vote Devil's Crossroads!

Also, the water looks far too clean for a marshland :P

Very nice looking town though

[ASYLUM101]

EPIC!

Too cool man, I love it. Devil's Crossing sounds good to me, Crossroads gives me too many WoW memories...

[myrmidon]

AWESOME!!!!

devils crossing for me! it feels like April 8 day.

[medierra]

I like the superstition surrounding crossroads, which is why I initially chose that but I think it is too wordy for a town name that people might be referring to a lot. Devil's crossing rolls off the tongue easier, so I think I'm leaning in that direction now. What say you?! Cast your votes.

[Malpheas]

Seriously, though, if you made it THE Devil's Crossroads it would have just as much impact on me as Devil's Crossing currently does.

[ASYLUM101]

If you choose the name crossroads, make it singular. Devil's Crossroad or The Devil's Crossroad sounds way cooler than Devil's Crossroads imo.

[Malpheas]

aren't there usually more than one road in a cross road?

I mean, based on what I just said it makes NO SENSE, but still!