Atmora Q&A
This spring, Atmora joined Beyond Skyrim and to celebrate the sixth anniversary of our favorite game, we have given people the chance to ask the mod’s developers questions. The answers are available below.
How many Argonian NPCs are in Atmora? Are there Guild questlines? Do you pick up any plotlines/characters that were in Skyrim or another province (no big spoilers necessary, just curious if it’s very much its own beast or if there are a few shoutouts)? What is this province like geographically? What are you most excited to show off? What has been the most difficult so far? What makes Atmora different from Cyrodiil, Skyrim, and other provinces?
Darryl Ga (via Facebook)
Atmora is a lost continent, shrouded in mystery. According to Elder Scrolls lore, it is a hostile and uncivilized place, frozen in time. For that reason, it is not a place with cities and guilds full of life as you would find them in Tamriel. As a result, the story plays a major role and, as one would expect for Atmora, there are various levels of time.
On occasion, we include names that every Skyrim player should be familiar with, adding them in a subtle, immersive and lore-friendly way. The geography is mostly determined by the great Frostfall and the topography explains why the Nords ancestors preferred to settle in Skyrim.
We took inspiration from various real-life places and tried to achieve a believable atmosphere that people would relate to an early Nordic society. We also took influences from a variety of early cultures around the globe and, of course, Elder Scrolls lore. With this in mind, and knowing that the continent is so deadly that only a few people made it to these utmost northern shores after the great Frostfall, the gameplay is about survival, exploration and the remains of an ancient high culture. We kept pushing the limits to achieve something new but something that still feels like Skyrim and fits harmoniously within the vision of the other projects.
We are very excited to see how players will experience the landscape, the story, the rewards, and the different feeling compared to Skyrim.
Any plans for a console release as well?
Nery Mejia (via Facebook)
Atmora began in early 2015, which means it started long before the Special Edition was even announced. Development still takes place on the original engine (“Oldrim”) and the release for Skyrim Special Edition will happen soon after we release the mod for Legendary.
We would also love to make our release available on console, but it is not possible for the PlayStation 4 at this time. The Xbox One has a file size limit, so we cannot promise that our build will be small enough to fit. For now, we can only leave it as a “maybe”.
I’m curious and wonder if you guys have used many of Adam Adamowicz’s conceptual arts that did not appear on TES V? Things like dragon priestess, traps or Draugr faces. Also, do you plan to incorporate anything from other provinces into Beyond Skyrim or are you still independent of this?
Wallace Moura (via Facebook)
Adam Adamowicz was a genius, producing some of the best designs for Skyrim in my opinion. We have used his concept art for meshes as well as landscaping quite a few times, but we have also reinterpreted his work rather than just copying it. We may show some of these things soon…
All Beyond Skyrim teams are run as separate projects, although we do share heightmaps and assets, working together on cross-province matters. We have and will incorporate work from other provinces, but only when it is necessary to do so.
Any projected release dates? Even if they are “loose dates” like “Summer 2018” is a lot better than nothing.
Lazlo Arcadia (via Facebook)
Release dates are very difficult, given that all of our modders are volunteers and our team is filled with people from all around the globe. Doing Atmora justice is very important to us and making a high-quality mod takes time. Since we do not wish to fuel speculation, the only answer, for now, is: when it’s done. Personally, I would like to see a release before 2019. However, this is not a promise but more of a goal for the team to work towards.
Is there enough lore to make a game on Atmora? Will it be a standalone story or part of the main game?
Daniel Cruz (via Facebook)
We stick as close to canon and the available lore as possible. Many other elements are actually a logical extension of what is known about The Elder Scrolls universe in general, so there is very little that is “completely made up.”
Both. The story has evolved over the years as a result of discussions within our dedicated team. We are very fond of Atmora and believe that it is realistic, faithful and we will deliver many quests for players to enjoy. Like all BS projects, there will be a main quest line but it is not a total conversion like Enderal.