The Making of Brookside

[SotA Stratics]

The last several weeks have seen Brookside scene development come to life. See below what level designer, Esteben Zaldivar, included in last week’s Update of the Avatar #208!

Brookside is located in the Drachvald region in the northwest of Novia directly south of Spite. It is the hometown of Samael and was overrun by the Undead armies of Anapa not long ago. Players will encounter this town when following their quests along the Path of Love. Brookside started as a cloned scene using one of our PRT / POT templates based off of the Forest 02 POT template (a forested variation of the Grasslands POT template). In Release 38 it is being rebuilt with new flora, new atmospheric settings like permanent fog, a graveyard, and other unique features. Note that when we un-clone these scenes, we do NOT change lot placements. We only make cosmetic changes of building styles, terrain, and foliage.​

[From a Dev+ Forum Post by Esteben “SorcerousSteve” Zaldivar]​

Hey guys, SorcerousSteve here once again to give you the latest scoop on my most recent map!​

The town of Brookside is a village located in Drachvald between Spite and Rhun. It is the site where Samael lost his family. The village has a history of being overrun by the undead, it is a dark foggy town nestled in pine forest filled with wary town folks and decrepit buildings.

Inspiration shot after chatting with Art Lead Michael Hutchison.

I took a lot of inspiration for this scene from New England towns, “Sleepy Hollow”.
A church tower and graveyard just south of Brookside. ​

A steeple can be seen amidst the fog as you approach the town NPC Center. ​

Ruined buildings on the outskirts of town are a reminder of the undead overrun. ​

Deadman’s Pond​

Samael’s Farm, the place where the graves of his wife Muriel and sons Michael and Tobin were laid to rest.​

See you next time!​

Esteben Zaldivar
Level Designer

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