Let's get this map finished!

[Targa]

Ok, this map is just about finished, I just need you all to help me with this final decision. Take a look at the map here:

MAP

I've crudely circled/outlined the water provinces to make them easier to see. The map consists of 142 land and 20 sea provinces. Suitable (I'm guessing) for only 1 water nation at best (especially since the only water provinces that are not #nostart are located at the bottom of the map). Anyways....I was considering adding #poptype 57 in at least one land province, if not more (in the swamps), which allows you to recruit amphibious Shambler, Atlantean Spearmen, and a Shambler Chief. Again, due to an utter lack of experience, I find myself in a quandary.

So the question goes something like this....should I:

1) Add poptype 57 and Shambler Reefs to certain provinces in the .map file.

2) Allow the game to randomly decide whether it wants to add amphibious units, and let land-based players forge magic items, use undead, or whatever other means they can think of to enter the water.

This poll assumes that either a) Atlantis or R'lyeh are active, or b) You like to be able to conquer water provinces even if they're all independents.

Why bother asking? Because...to attack a land-based enemy, there's no need for specific research in construction and forging of magic items, and/or getting your hands on troops that can survive underwater. If you're playing against an aquatic enemy, he's virtually untouchable unless/until you do these things (Unless you're Ermor w/undead, of course). Lastly, these kind of questions will hopefully prevent me from having to release a Version 1.1 map.

P.S. FYI, the results from the Last poll were overwhelmingly (73%) in favor of allowing water nations to "swim upriver", so I have implemented that. The sole exception is the lake in the upper-left corner, which has no interconnecting river.

[ February 08, 2004, 15:43: Message edited by: Targa ]

[Ragnarok-X]

im looking forward to your map, its looks quite awesome and interesting. Anyways, will the water race that start in the middle bottom lake be able to conquer the seas that lie within the map WITHOUT going on land ? maybe add some kind of underwater route (i.e. big underwater tunnels that lie deep under the continent) or something like that ?

^^

[Saber Cherry]

The map would look SO much prettier if it was not all brown. Brown is the Illwinter terrain color default, but that's because they have death fetishes... The AOW and MOM default-green maps are much prettier to my eye.

[Targa]

Originally posted by Ragnarok-X:
will the water race that start in the middle bottom lake be able to conquer the seas that lie within the map WITHOUT going on land ?

Yes. That was the point of the first poll. You can see approximately how water provinces are connected here:
http://www.techno-mage.com/~targa/webmap2.jpg

[Targa]

Originally posted by Saber Cherry:
The map would look SO much prettier if it was not all brown. Brown is the Illwinter terrain color default, but that's because they have death fetishes... The AOW and MOM default-green maps are much prettier to my eye.

I look forward to playing your non-brown map. AFAIC, green denotes farm, so making a map with default green ground is counterintuitive, unless you want to get into various shading... which is too much work for me.

[Gateway103]

Not a Modder myself, but is it possible to guarranty at least one shambler or sea-capable creature recruit site, but still let the game decides where to place it?

This way, people won't always go for that same province (especially important in MP), or restart their game if started far from it. Instead, they will know that the site is somewhere, just have to find it, meanwhile watching out for Atlantians and/or Ryleh.

-Gateway103

[PvK]

I don't think the amphibian sites are really necessary. It is a bit harder for dry nations to attack underwater, but the underwater areas in this map can be attacked from many directions - only two or three underwater provinces can't be attacked directly from land, and land provinces greatly outnumber water provinces, and the land nations will be greatly motivated to prevent underwater invasion. Once they have some magic, they'll be able to summon forces such as undead to make a claim on the water areas.

P.S. You could always offer a variant data file that offers some manually-placed amphibians, so players can decide.

PvK

[ February 08, 2004, 18:09: Message edited by: PvK ]

[Saber Cherry]

Originally posted by Targa:
I look forward to playing your non-brown map.

Of course! I would have made it yesterday, but I was very busy. And today there's some anime that I have to watch, but maybe afterward=)

Regardless, I'll be modding YOUR map as soon as it comes out

[Buzzbomb]

Leave the map colors the way they are, the reason I like them so much is that the maps look like something my generals would bring in and lay out before me and I decide where the troops are to be deployed and conscripted.


Oh by the way Targa, what operating system are you running GIMP in, Linux?

BB

[Targa]

Originally posted by Buzzbomb:
Oh by the way Targa, what operating system are you running GIMP in, Linux?

I don't use GIMP, I use Photoshop. I did d/l and install the GIMP-Windows Version tho, in order to convert the original mapstuff file from Illwinter. Didn't like the interface, having worked with Photoshop for too many years.

Saber: You make me laugh. Here, this is for you:
http://www.techno-mage.com/~targa/sabercherry.jpg

Here, have a cookie:
http://www.techno-mage.com/~targa/Have_a_cookie.jpg

[ February 08, 2004, 23:22: Message edited by: Targa ]