ive never been to tatooine. (i need a creative consultant)

[Tems]

ok i've got this level. im happy with it for the most part. it's tatooine and done with the form. now all i need is the misc items around the level. im nearly tempted to remove all the crap (cargo boxes etc) and leave it empty. here are my prolems, mostly relating to preserving the universe set forth by canon.

 

1) i'm using a few fonts for signage etc. these include 2 huttese fonts and then some from other sources. i'd like to use Fremen from Dune, however as you may have noticed, half the characters are straight out of arabic script. i see this as a problem because people would recognize these characters as being arabic. i also have klingon and romulan (not the real names). im concerned that both are recognizable (more so klingon). is this just because im a trekkie and know what both look like? should i avoid these three fonts? what fon'ts/languages WOULD you find on tatooine? someone said it was a lot of looting so it could be almost anything. not english i assume. i always figured whatever language the 'human' characters spoke was just being translated for us (in fact i never really got the feeling they were 'humans', but rather some lookalike race (galaxy far away, long ago)

 

2) signage. what kind of signage would you find? all of my references are episode 1 and 2 behind the scenes photos. i don't see a single sign there. in fact, i don't see a single string of text there. i want this to be realistic but interesting.

 

3) R2/pitdroid units. would there likely be one that was broken down and half buried in the sand? how about other recognizable items/robots?

 

4) anything else im missing? pretend i have nothing and you get to decide what junk gets to go in there.

 

thanks in advance. sorry its a lengthy one.

 

-Tems

[D'akt Sangwar]

u just GOTTA have a junkyard like watto's thinkof all the broken droids and stuff

[BlackDragon]

OK, my thoughts and opinions.

 

Firstly - canon is all well and good but sometimes canon gets in the way of making a playable and enjoyable map. It's good to go for recognisable locations which play well rather than exact reproductions which don't. As far as fonts, languages, signs and the rest, they're not as canon as, say, elvish in Middle Earth. And canon is still loose - TPM had E.Ts in it which, in theory, suggest that somewhere in the SW universe exists Earth - even if it's in a different galaxy! How canon and unacceptable is that?

 

Fonts: as I stuck my oar in before, I'll do so again now. I personally would avoid using things like Klingon and Romulan fonts and other highly recognisable trekkie ones. It doesn't matter that Fremen is based on Arabic - Trade Huttese and Aurabesh are based on the Hebrew font. A lot of the languages in the SW films are real languages that we don't know - Nien Nunb allegedly speaks an African language and says something like "A hundred elephants are standing on my foot!" but no-one notices or cares.

 

Signs: I personally wouldn't make the signs as distinguishable as they are in our world - ie, no sign posts, no road signs etc. But there are signs such as labelling the docking bays, signs above doors. If you're using fonts though, I wouldn't bother typing the words in English - make them look alien so just type one word in gobbledygook! Remember also that things like arabic and chinese aren't read the same as English so you can make signs go down, or spell it right to left. It's the look and feel. There must have been signs of sorts and bits of text in the background (like the crate prefabs you did - they're perfect as an example of subtle and unobtrusive text)

 

Droids and background stuff: If this is an MP level, you dont' want anything that's going to get in the way of play. But you can add some for atmosphere. What do I suggest - a droid junk shop - like Watto's? A hangar with a landspeeder in? Moisture vaporators (noticed you had one in an original screenie!). In ANH:SE there was a rebel medium transport in the background. next to the Cantina there was a cylindrical pod like craft. Crates are good (especially if they act as a barrier or steps or something)

Pod Racer wreckage? (Tatooine strikes me as the sort of place where something could be left to rot for 30 years!)

 

Hope this is useful, even if it's just in deciding what you don't want!

 

Dragon

[Compsith]

Moisture Vaporators....

and maybe a HUGE Sand Crawler sitting on the horizon

[Evan Nash]

No junkyard.

 

Mos Espa was in Episode 1.

 

It probably gets destroyed in the prequels.

[Tems]

i dont think i can fit a junkyard in anyway.

 

but i can fit some junk.

 

-Tems

[Evan Nash]

Just use real Star Wars fonts.

 

Don't use Arabic or anything.

Don't worry too much about putting extra stuff around.

 

If you want, you can add R2 Units and Gonk Driods.

 

Aside from that, I am sure it looks fine.

 

Maybe give us a few screenshots to check it out?

[L2.0]

Alrighty, first off:

 

2 Suns in the sky. Tatooine has 2 binary suns that the planet orbits. (Tatoo I & Tatoo II)

 

"For centuries Tatooine has been the site of many orbital battles between rival gangsters and smugglers, and it's surface is littered with ancient starship wrecks, most of which have long been buried by the fierce sandstorms that rage across it's surface..."

 

Okay, so let's see some engines, wings, or cockpits slightly visible in the sand, or even semi protruding, making for wonderful cover.

 

Many colonists on the planet run moisture farms, which condense water from the dirty air with vaporators...

 

So, like Compsith mentioned, vaporators are almost a must.

 

As your map reminds me of Mos Eisley, I'll paint a better picture of it for you as well.

 

It is bordered by mountains on the north and on the opposite side by the decaying buildings of the southern sector. The wreckage of the Dowager Queen, the planet's first colony ship, can be found in the centre of town. Other sites in Mos Eisley include the Lucky Despot hotel and casino (owned by the Whiphid gangster Lady Valarian), Lup's General Store, the Spaceport Traffic Control Tower, the Mos Eisely Inn, the underground Mos Eisley Towers hotel, a Dim-U monestary where ships can have their transponders illegaly altered, and the infamous Mos Eisley Cantina owned by Chalmun the Wookiee. After the Battle of Endor, the master chef Porcellus opened the Crystal Moon restaurant in Mos Eisley, and it's fame has spread throughout the Outer Rims...

 

Hope that gives you a nice mental picture to look at when you see your map next time.