Jump to content

Hi i'm Vallon


Recommended Posts

Hi, i'm Vallon... hailing from Providence, Rhode Island...

I've loved AOK for a long time now, and i've loved medieval history since I was a kid. Now at 22, I enjoy playing AOK and have recently discovered the joy of mods, and they've added a new dimension to the fun I can have with AOK.

Seeing projects like Rome, 0AD and TLA seriously blow my mind, and have sparked a curiosity in me that I haven't had in awhile. When I was young I was fascinated with books like "Castle" by David Macauley and would draw complicated castle layouts and fantasy maps for fun. I'd spend hours on these with a sketch pad and my friends thought I was crazy... but for me, it was like playing AOK in my head... w/o the cool graphics and sounds and animation...

So naturally when I discovered a game like AOK I fell in love... I've kinda got a way from drawing though... been mostly into music since high school... but now at 22 I find myself looking at drawings of castles & bldgs for 0AD and TLA ... especially many by mythos ruler... and I'm fascinated. I know I can sketch and I know I can do drawings similar to him... and I think that's what excites me. I'm rusty as hell, I haven't really even sketched anything in a long time, until last night when I picked up pen and some graph paper and just started to jot down ideas...

I love this stuff... I love being able to bring my imagination to life in minature scale...

So anyhow... that being said... I've seen numerous Arthurian related characters and mods at AOK heaven... I just can't understand why no one has created a total conversion mod for AOK that totally focuses on the Arthurian legend...

I've been fascinated with the story of the knights of the round table and the quest for the grail since I was a kid... and it seems like AOK is the perfect game for it, yet there isn't anything other than a few heroes.

Arthur, Lancelot, Gawain, Mordred... the usual suspects...

but what about Merlin? what about Guinevere? what about Morgana le Fay? Galahad/Percival? Kay?

I see scenarios... but most seem to be focused on Uther (pre-arthur)...

What about the sword in the stone? what about merlin & arthur in the woods as a boy... what about courting guinevere...and the love triangle with lancelot... what about the lady of the lake, and excalibur... what about uniting the knights of the round table? what about the quests of Gawain & Gareth... what about the Green Knight? What about the wars in France? What about the Battle of Camlaan between Arthur & Mordred? What about Avalon? What about Camelot?

You get the idea... there's so many different quests/scenarious that could be created and incorporated together... yet I don't see anything that comprehensive...

I've never played AOM, and perhaps that would lend itself better to that type of game... but I dunno... maybe it can be done with AOK? maybe a totally seperate game like 0AD and TLA?

I dunno... I just think that if it could be well done with icons/sounds/storylines/animation... it could be a truly great game that would be enjoyed by a great many people who like me, have loved the stories of arthur since childhood.

Tolkien's world is a great one... and I commend those who are putting together such a vast project here with TLA.... but the legends of arthur are just as captivating and full of lore...

---

Like I said, i'm a rookie here... haven't programmed or modded anything (other than just hording and collecting ones that others have made)... but I'd like to learn and be able to create my own stuff. I'm especially interested in designing buildings and fortifications and what not...

Anyhow, if anyone has any info on arthurian related stuff...or would like to collaborate on something... please let me know...

thanx guys

--vallon

Link to comment
Share on other sites

you're welcome :P

I like the arthurian legend as well :P as for all the TLA and 0AD stuff, I'm not the best person here that can answer those questions.  you better talk to the project leaders and such :P

well i'm sure they're actively working on and focused on putting out 0AD and TLA... but I dunno, hopefully there are some talented people who would be interested in working on something like this...

it's just an idea

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Hola Vallon. I'm assuming most people today can't be bothered with learning the full story of Arthur, but at least I know a little. As for me, I'd love to see an AOK version of Monty Python and the Holy Grail. :P

BTW: IIRC: The Holy Grail was an invention of the Authurian legends.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

:P Wijit :P

Anyway, why no one has done it? I dont know, maybe its not THAT many Arthur fans ? Or maybe no one has the time to mod AoK anymore??

I would say that for a first time modder as yourself, and me, im pretty sure WFG (0ad, and TLA) is the best place.

Its not that they only support modding, they also help out, and are kind and helpful people. As i said in the other thread, we might share some ideas and stuff, contact; zezar_88@hotmail.com (I prefer MSN instead of mail ... :P )

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Ah, another arthur fan - can't ever have enough of you :P  I'm a big fan myself but based on another author (Stephen R. Lawhead). 

Hopefully we'll have a nice campaign for you in Part II.

BTW looking forward to the new Arthur film?

http://www.murphsplace.com/owen/arthur/arthur.html

I sure am!  :P

I love the Pendragon Cycle by Lawhead... unfortunately though I have yet to read all the books in the series...

I've only read Taliesin, Merlin & Arthur... but those 3 left me with a lot more excitement about the possibilities of arthurian legend...especially w/ the connection of Atlantis....

The characters from his books would lend themselves well to a mod/game... not to mention all of the others from

Sir Thomas Malory, T.H. White, Geoffrey of Monmouth, Lord Tennyson and others...

I think an amalgam of all of those legends combined with some original storytelling that adds to it would make for an awesome epic game....

I have a lot of ideas for bldgs, characters, and campaigns and would love to work with some people on bringing this idea to life...

I know that a lot of you are busy with 0 A.D and TLA, and I don't expect you guys to have time for anything... but if there's anyone here that shares a love for these legends and would like to work on something like this with me, i'd be honored...

Thanx

--vallon

Ah, another arthur fan - can't ever have enough of you :D  I'm a big fan myself but based on another author (Stephen R. Lawhead). 

Hopefully we'll have a nice campaign for you in Part II.

BTW looking forward to the new Arthur film?

http://www.murphsplace.com/owen/arthur/arthur.html

I sure am!  :P

Oh... and about the movie "King Arthur"...

I am excited, as I am whenever I see and epic/medieval/battle movie being made...

But I'm also kinda scared that it's going to suck. lol...

It seems like so many people have tried to tell the story in one way or another, and most of them disappoint me for one reason or another...

"Excalibur" was great because of the depth of which they showed the whole story between Merlin and Wart (young Arthur), and then the sword in the stone and morgana and all that...

But even that movie had a lot of things that were off that annoyed me...

"First Knight" is one of my favorite movies... and I loved the way they played out the live triangle between Arthur, Guineviere and Lancelot... but it too was lacking a lot of what made Arthurian Legend so exciting... Pretty much all references to Merlin and any of the great knights other than Lancelot or Agravaine.... but it did have a lot of cool stuff in it as well. Definately a glammed up account...

I've seen tv movies like "Merlin" and "Mists Of Avalon" which were cool in some ways, but very disappointing in others... It seems like when they do show the mystical side of things in a movie... it's overly cheesy and silly to appeal to kids... and in mists of avalon, I dunno... there was just a lot of weird things about that movie (based on the book)...

That being said, I know Guinevere is more of a warrior queen/princess in this one... so that should be interesting, but hopefully she doesn't lose the grace and beauty that made her basically the medieval version of Helen. I'm hoping it's more like an Arwen from LOTR type character.... but we'll see.

I just really hope they do it right... and avoid a lot of the cheesy stuff. It's sad when you have a legend so full of stories and so interesting and they hack it to pieces to make it "digestible" for a movie audience...

It's kinda how I feel about the X-Men movies... I grew up loving that comic book and knowing so much about the characters... I felt like I was inside that world... and then I see that movie, and it was so watered down and plain. Some of the special fx were great and all... but when a movie lacks substance and a strong plot.. it shows. Then you hear everyone raving about how great the movie was... and you're like... "did we see the same movie?" Maybe that's how Tolkien enthusiasts feel about LOTR... I don't think it's just that books are much more vivid than someone else's vision... I just think in books there's more attention to detail about characters and storylines that draws you in.

So if this movie isn't just a bunch of battle scenes in a grungy/dark age view of camelot... i'll be happy... but I have a feeling it will be...

In many ways... Arthur is the kind of story you need to have drawn out over a series like LOTR... not just one movie. There's just too much story there, and if you try to edit out a lot of it to cut it down for one film... you lose a lot of what makes the legends so great.

Someday, someone is going to do it right... in epic LOTR/Star Wars like fashion... hell maybe it'll be me... I dunno

Maybe i'll cast myself as Arthur... B-) awww yeaaaa... :P:P

http://www.comingsoon.net/cgi-bin/imageFol...r6.jpg&img=&tt=

Mon dieu!

Ladies & Gentleman... I present to you Professor Gerald Lambeau from Good Will Hunting (two time winner of the Fields Medal :P)... starring as "Cedric" (hopefully not the Entertainer...doesn't really look the part :P)

*Runs away frightened*

Innnteresting.. verrrrry interesting...

I dunno, seems like they're going for the whole Dux Bellorum/Roman General/Dark Age Arthur here... which is cool and most likely the accurate historical context of Arthur... but not quite as interesting or fascinating as all of the legends and tales associated with him afterwards...

It'll be interesting to see how it goes... Could be good, but i'm still being skeptical...

(posts merged by Desmond)

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I've only read Taliesin, Merlin & Arthur... but those 3 left me with a lot more excitement about the possibilities of arthurian legend...especially w/ the connection of Atlantis....

Yeah those are pretty much the best ones IMHO. The Grail is more 'fatasy', The Pendragon is mainly a battle book, and Avalon could be read totally independantly.

I liked the Atlantis connection too. I also appreciated all the history he researched and how he interweaved it into the legend of Arthur. Cool stuff :P

I haven't read them in about 5 years, its about time to re-read them again :P

I have a lot of ideas for bldgs, characters, and campaigns and would love to work with some people on bringing this idea to life...

The deal is, we are doing an Arthurian based campaign for part II of the game. If you would be interested - you could help perfect the current storyline we have now? The guy who wrote the first draft based it largely on Bernard Cornwell's books. It would be kind of nice to have a story that is our own.

I also have a few history articles I've been working on that I need to get completed - "Authorian Britian" and "The late Roman Empire".

"First Knight" is one of my favorite movies

Julia Ormond :P

I guess its a personal preference, but the whole lancelot story really annoys me. Yes, its a pivital part of Monmouth's story... but I just don't like it. I guess perfer putting Arthur and Gwen on a moral pedistal :P

I'm also a big fan of the "True" king Arthur vs. the "Legendary" king Arthur. The history of the british isles from 400-600 AD has always facinated me :D

So if this movie isn't just a bunch of battle scenes in a grungy/dark age view of camelot... i'll be happy... but I have a feeling it will be...

lol, thats exactly what I want. No glitz, no glamour - just history and an epic story!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...