I know it may have been a long while since this thread was last bumped but...
I like the concept, and actually have been working on something similar before I found this. I gave up, but this inspires me to finish at least one (of eight) of the original cities I was working on, even if it's just to show you how do this thing properly!
Don't get me wrong, I like it and it's good and all but there are some things missing or needing improvement other than bugs, in my opinion. In order of priority:
Game mechanincs: A city should be more than just a collaberation of dungeons and jobs. While those are nice you need some advancement in stats, and not just exploring. It doesn't nessacarily have to be a skill like woodcutting, it could be something like reputation or social class. You also should avoid repetative grinding, yes with skills and jobs grinding is inevitable but that doesn't mean you can't have other methods of increasing stats. Like runescape has quests and minigames. Completing them often rewards you experiance, or points which you can use to get more experiance. These stats should give you something you normally couldn't have, for example advancing to the social class of Count would allow you to buy a mansion or have an elite guard or something.
Also, every building you can enter should have a purpose. The bar for instance could be used to buy everyone a round of drinks which will make them like you more. The museum could be used to reveiw the history of Werthmire city. If you could buy things (I don't know if you can because I haven't explored everywhere) you should give most of them a purpose other than aesthetics, for example the round of drinks mentioned above provides a use other than watching you character go "
Glug, glug, glug."
There need's to a good variety in things that can be bought and purpose of bought things.
Storyline(s) and plot orginization: Yes, you should have a story in city. It doesn't have to be great story, just an ok one, and you should have a lot of them. For instance there could be several guilds, each with it's own story that doesn't have much connection. Oblivion is an example of good plot orginization. There is a main quest, but it isn't nessacary and can be ignored while you concentrate on another storyline in the mages guild. While there are quick stories in Werthmire city, they are all found in dungeons that people keep in the basement. You need story arcs that are longer and more diverse.
Connection: Depending on the complexity, things need to be interconnected at different levels. Using reputation as an example you could have just:
Fame
Infamy
Or you could have something as complicated as:
Fame_Hero
Fame_Generous
Fame_Wealthy
Fame_Criminal
Reputation_Poor
Reputation_Rich
Reputation_Evil
Where all the stats are interconnected, with this complexity you could create a Robin Hood like character, in which you rob the rich and give the money to the poor, which results in high Fame_Generous and Fame_Criminal, and being loved by the poor, hated by the rich, and medium-disliked by the evil.
Point is, connect the stats, stories, and items so you have a more immersive experiance, if that's what you're going for.
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This is just my own opinion and the longest post I ever posted.
Edit: Don't forget to do research. For example in the museum it says roach bones, but really roaches don't have bones, just an exoskeleton. Now if you said roach exoskeleton or roach fossil that would be fine. But roach bones need to removed or replaced.
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Since everybody keeps putting their holds in their signature, I decided to put my mod
here.
Not sure if anyone actually clicks on these things though
[Last edited by Dictator Reverus at 02-01-2008 06:01 PM]
HOLDS: (GOOD AND NOT FINSHED) Map to Dugandy Prison.
