Rome Total History: New fantastic campaign map!!!!

[Philadelphos]

Hello, everybody!

I want to introduce myself. I'm a historian from Germany (recently I have published a book on the Peloponnesian War). I've been playing Rome Total War for several years and I think it is probably the best game I've ever seen. I've also started playing some modifications (for instance RTR). I like the idea of increased historical accuracy. But I was usually turned off by certain shortcomings, most of all regarding the campaign map, the regions and cities and the leader names. We have seen loads of new and very interesting combat units, but there are many other things to improve.

This is why I started creating a new map. It took me two years of research and edit work, but now it is ready and it seems to be stable. It is a complete rework of the original map going from Scotland to India. Everything is of unprecedented accuracy. You have a huge number of realistic mountain passes, river crossings, islands etc. Some rivers have even become partially navigable. The new rivers and mountain passes give lots of new strategic options that will make up for a completely new game feel. For example: once you could prevent any invasion into Italy by closing 3 passes over the Alpes. But ancient geographers actually knew 12 ways to cross the Alpes and now these have been truly represented in the game, giving any invader a huge number of options.

The number of regions is now 197 (the maximum) and most of them are historically correct with exact borders as far as known. In many other cases I used rivers, mountains and forests to define the borders. All the major cities of the ancient world are included and each is in the right location as well as their ports. Many city sites have been highly improved. Just take a look at Alexandria, where you can watch the city plant with the Mareotis lake, the harbor and the island of Pharos and the lighthouse obviously in the right place on the island above the harbor.

In this thread I will post a series of screenshot to show what I'm up. For anybody interested I propose this map for further development. Currently I'm still working on a few features like ressources, city buildings, rebel names, leader names, but most of the work is done and the map is waiting to be filled with life. Any help is welcome. Just let me know what you think about it.

[Philadelphos]

Here comes my first screenshot showing Lower Egypt with Alexandria and Memphis. Watch out in particular for the following features:
1. Alexandria with beautiful city plant, the Pharos in its correct position on the island and the Mareotis lake behind the city.
2. The improved Nile Delta.
3. The port of Tanis with its bay/lake
4. The city of Heliopolis as port to Memphis (here still a fishing village)
5. The Bitter lakes and the port of Arsinoe.
6. The irrigation canal and the lake/swamps of Fayum.
7. Two branches of the lower Nile have become navigable and a canal allows ships to reach the Red Sea (but the ports of Tanis and Arsinoe will close this passage).

[Philadelphos]

Here is another screenshot of Egypt, where all the ports have been build and the navigation options on the Nile are highlighted.

This is the provincial order of Egypt:

¬* I AEGYPTUS --------0+7=7
{Delta} Delta
{Alexandria} Alexandria
{Aegyptus_Inferior} Aegyptus Inferior
{Memphis} Memphis
{Aegyptus_Superior} Aegyptus Superior
{Ptolemais} Ptolemais
{Thebais} Thebais
{Thebes} Thebes
{Cyrenaica} Cyrenaica
{Cyrene} Cyrene
{Marmarica} Libya
{Siwa} Siwa
{Sinai} Sinai
{Pelusium} Pelusium

[Philadelphos]

Here you get another glimpse. This time it's Syria and southern Asia Minor. The map highlights the passages through Cilicia. Note also the position of Tyros on its former island, the double mountain chain in the Lebanon and the complicated passages from Tarsus into Syria (Antiochia) which allowed Dareius to outmanoeuver Alexander at Issus.

The provinces and cities in Syria and Asia Minor are as follows:

¬* II SYRIA ---------------7+15=22
{Syria} Syria
{Antiochia} Antiochia
{Coele_Syria} Coele Syria
{Damascus} Damascus
{Nabataea} Nabataea
{Bostra} Bostra
{Petraea} Arabia Petraea
{Petra} Petra
{Judaea} Judaea
{Jerusalem} Jersualem
{Phoenicia} Phoenicia
{Tyros} Tyros
{Libanensis} Libanensis
{Sidon} Sidon
{Cyprus} Cyprus
{Salamis} Salamis
{Cilicia} Cilicia
{Tarsus} Tarsus
{Commagene} Commagene
{Arsameia} Arsameia
{Osroene} Osroene
{Edessa} Edessa
{Palmyrene} Palmyrene
{Palmyra} Palmyra
{Parapotamia} Parapotamia
{Dura} Dura Europos
{Arabia} Arabia Felix
{Tayma} Thaema
{Maecene} Maecene
{Gerrha} Gerrha

¬* III ASIA -----------------22+17=39
{Asia} Mysia
{Pergamon} Pergamum
{Lydia} Lydia
{Sardes} Sardes
{Ionia} Ionia
{Ephesos} Ephesus
{Caria} Caria
{Halicarnasus} Halicarnasus
{Lycia} Lycia
{Phaselis} Phaselis
{Pamphylia} Pisidia
{Side} Side
{Lycaonia} Lycaonia
{Ikonion} Iconium
{Phrygia} Phrygia
{Pessinus} Pessinus
{Galatia} Galatia
{Ancyra} Ancyra
{Bithynia} Bithynia
{Nicomedia} Nicomedia
{Paphlagonia} Paphlagonia
{Sinope} Sinope
{Pontos} Pontus
{Amisos} Amisos
{Cappadocia} Cappadocia
{Mazaka} Mazaka
{Armenia_Minor} Armenia Minor
{Trapezunt} Trapezunt
{Armenia} Armenia
{Artaxata} Artaxata
{Sophene} Sophene
{Amida} Amida
{Corduene} Gordyene
{Tigranocerta} Tigranocerta

[Philadelphos]

Here comes one of the most detailed parts of the map: Greece with the Aegean Sea.

While the original map had 13 Greek islands, this one has over 50! Note the details: the exact position of the Colossus guarding the port of Rhodus, the finger of Knidos, the Cyclades with over 20 islands and the city of Naxos, detailed resources like the marble of Paros and the wine of Chios, the exact form of Lesbos with the city of Mytilene, the Marmara island, the peninsula of Kyzikos and the city of Byzantium with its port on the Golden Horne, the Rhodope mountains in Thrace, the port of Thessalonike, the snowy mountains of Olymp and Parnassus, Euboia with the city of Chalkis and the port of Eretria, the detailed bays of the Saronic Gulf with the islands of Salamis and Aigina, the port of Corinth, the peninsula of Argolis, ports like Gythium and Methone in the Peloponnes and last but not least the Ionian islands with the city of Corcyra.

What you don't see in this screenshot is that all mountain passes have become much more realistic giving more strategic options. I'll have more screenshots later to illustrate this.

These are the Greek regions and cities:

¬* V GRAECIA -------------------52+20=72
{Macedonia} Macedonia
{Pella} Pella
{Chalcidice} Chalcidice
{Therme} Thessalonica
{Nova_Epirus} Nova Epirus
{Apollonia} Apollonia
{Epirus} Epirus
{Ambracia} Ambracia
{Thessalia} Thessalia
{Larisa} Larisa
{Aetolia} Aetolia
{Thermon} Thermon
{Locris} Locris
{Delphi} Delphi
{Boeotia} Boeotia
{Thebae} Thebes
{Attica} Attica
{Athenae} Athens
{Achaia} Achaia
{Corinth} Corinth
{Argolis} Argolis
{Argos} Argos
{Laconia} Laconia
{Sparta} Sparta
{Elide} Elis
{Elis} Elis
{Messenia} Messenia
{Messene} Messene
{Creta} Creta
{Kydonia} Kydonia
{Rhodos} Rhodos
{Rhodes} Rhodos
{Lesbos} Lesbos
{Mytilene} Mytilene
{Euboea} Euboea
{Chalcis} Chalcis
{Cyclades} Cyclades
{Naxos} Naxos
{Corcyra} Corcyra
{Kerkyra} Corcyra

[ahowl11]

this map is amazing... could you modify the vanilla map for RTW at all?