Campaign map

[Meneldil]

https://forums.totalwar.org/vb/showp...62&postcount=5

Here you can find a quick sample of how battles work.

[Rodion Romanovich]

Ok, sounds good.

I think you should make the Seine a little shorter though (so that it's sea-method river to Paris, then standard river), and make the last bit a standard river. Would be cool to have rivers where the upper part is made by the sea method and the lower part has the traditional crossings - the river crossings are nice and shouldn't be removed too much. That would work very, very well IMO:

- high upstreams, you can only cross at certain locations, and can't send in ships
- more downstram, you can only cross at certain location (just like upstreams), but also send in ships to cross the river anywhere you want.

As I see it, as long as the landbridges far downstream in the rivers are as few, or perhaps fewer than, the crossings further upstreams, it's great. However, if there are too many landbridges far downstreams, it doesn't make sense because it shouldn't be easier to cross where the river is wider, than it is where it's smaller.

In fact, my opinion now is that this method with sea-method rivers should be implemented far downstream in ALL larger rivers on the map, and all smaller rivers and upstreams parts of larger rivers should be made using the standard rivers.

What do you think? Or is what I suggested in this post what you initially had in mind?

Edit: I saw now that you had zoomed in on the screenshot. The length of the Seine is fine, I didn't see it correctly first time.

[Meneldil]

What you suggested is what I had in mind

But the Seine still needs some fixing, it should go a bit further south (just north of Paris), and ending with feature rivers.

I've almost added all French provinces, but I get some random ctd will scrolling on the map. Quite annoying, I already had this bug, and did not find how to solve it.

[Rodion Romanovich]

Some findings about climates:
- Heat 2-4 means no snow in winter, heat 1 means snow in winter.
- It is possible and quite easy to add own climates, but there are enough climates already so it isn't necessary.
- I think I will draw the snow border in wintertime approximately in northern Denmark, further south in eastern Europe.

[Meneldil]

- Should Constantinople's province really be called Thrace? I suggest name changed to Constantinople, and call province north of that Thrace. I can find a city for that province, I know there is one there on a historical map I have of the area.

The province of Constantinople was called Theme of Thrace, so I think it's alright

[Rodion Romanovich]

The province of Constantinople was called Theme of Thrace, so I think it's alright

Ok.

I finally managed to solve the coastline problems. You might need this knowledge too when making sea rivers:

- For coastlines pieces vertical or horizontal, use one pixel adjacent to the shore line with RGB 1,1,1.
- For coastlines facing down-left or up-right, whenever two pieces of horizontal and/or vertical lines meet, there'll be a pixel which doesn't face the sea directly, where only the CORNER of the pixel will touch the sea. That pixel should for down-left and up-right facing coasts NOT be colored in 1,1,1, but with any lighter color.
- For coastlines facing up-left or down-right, those pixels that only touch with it's corner SHOULD be colored in 1,1,1 too.

This removes all protruding edges all over the map.

Now I'll fix map_heights so these things are implemented all over the map. I'm about one third ready with it.

[ScionTheWorm]

Ok not that this has anything to do with anything, but I tried to make another logo-text for our mod. I will also if you like make a simpler "logo". Then I will post it in different styles and format, so that you can use it for signatures, or whereever else it should be needed.


1.) My favourite
2.) Centered
3.) Old style

opinions welcomed. not the best font or..? the old one maybe?

[Rodion Romanovich]

no. 3 looks good on both black and white backgrounds, the other two look good on white but a little hard to see on the black background. Given that, I think 3 is the best one to use.

[GoreBag]

I agree with Legio's reasoning about number 3. However..

I think I will draw the snow border in wintertime approximately in northern Denmark, further south in eastern Europe.

Are you suggesting that it doesn't snow in Germany or France?

[Narayanese]

Are you suggesting that it doesn't snow in Germany or France?

Does it, more then only a little? Where I live there is snow there is snow from november to april , i.e. consistent with the half year winter half year summer in RTW.

[GoreBag]

Does it, more then only a little? Where I live there is snow there is snow from november to april , i.e. consistent with the half year winter half year summer in RTW.

Same here, but I'm too grim to complain about snow.

Seriously, though, it can't be assumed that the winter season must last six months of the year in order to have snow on the campaign map. Won't the seasons be shortened anyway? The way it currently stands with the "four turns per year" script, there are four seasons, and only one of them is winter (the AI counts the aging for family members by winters, not actual years). This would mean that a winter with four turns per year would yield three months of snow.

[Rodion Romanovich]

I agree with Legio's reasoning about number 3. However..



Are you suggesting that it doesn't snow in Germany or France?

There won't be snow everywhere in Germany and France. I'm thinking about makes some spots with snow and some without it. I'll see how it works. If it doesn't work, I'll draw a sharp border like in vanilla R:TW, but it'll then have to go through perhaps the middle of France and two thirds of Germany.

[Meneldil]

A few pics :

Scotland :


Dál Riata (Dalriada), Lodainn (Lothain), Srath Chluaidh (Strathclyde), Fortriu and Cúige Uladh (Ulster)

Asia Minor :


Northern France :


Will post screenshots from Northern France and the Roman Empire tomorrow

[Rodion Romanovich]

Great! Now it's starting to resemble a real map!

[Rodion Romanovich]

Anyone know where to find info about which climate is used in the Italian lowland custom map? I want to know that for reference when making the climates map. I know there's a file somewhere describing coordinates for all custom maps - if I can get that I can compare with the vanilla climates map and find the needed info. The problem is, now I can't find the custom battles txt file.

[Meneldil]

Middle East :





Baltic lands :



I'm using common rivers, because it's easier when creating provinces. I'll replace them later

[Rodion Romanovich]

Amazing! Now I'll have to speed up the construction and testing of the landscape too! I saw your France looks different than mine - did you remove some fertile tiles on your version? Anyway that's great, I was going to do that too. I'll do more battle map testing and experiment more with climates. I'm mostly going to use the existing climates but perhaps add one or two more.

[Meneldil]

I don't think I changed anything in France, it's just that fertility looks different when farms aren't built.

[Rodion Romanovich]

Ok, no problem, I'll take care of that like I said then. Good work so far!

[Jarlabanke]

Seeburg should perhaps be renamed seeing how it's a german name and though I'm not sure when it fell into german hands the same thing might be the case for Oldenburg which I belive was called Starograd by the Slavs living in the area. Could also be that I'm mixing one Oldenburg with another, seeing how names like that tend to be quite usual.

[Meneldil]

Jabarlanke, I sent you a private message.

I knew Seeburg wasn't really accurate, but I couldn't find a better (slav or baltic) name

The game now CTDs in a random place in the middle east (between Armenia and Damas). I have no clue about what is happening here

[Rodion Romanovich]

It might be that the region lacks fertile tiles. Every province needs at least one fertile tile. You can edit the map_ground_types temporarily. If that solved the problem, let's both make a note that that region needs a fertile tile so I can add it on my map_ground_types when I've gotten further with the editing and testing.

[Meneldil]

Problem solved, no more CTD. I don't know what happened.

[Meneldil]

The Frankish Empire :

[Rodion Romanovich]

Sweet!

I'll post a preview of climate effects soon, i.e. a winter map showing where the snow will be and where it won't be.

[Csatadi]

Do the two dark green land represents the Magyars?

[Meneldil]

Yes, that's Etelköz and -I think- Levedia.

Now, you might say that well, Etelkoz and Levedia aren't here, but there are different theories about the homeland of the Magyars, and I chose one that fit with our map.

[Csatadi]

I see two provinces. The eastern one is Levedia, the western one is Etelköz. Perfect.

[Archbaker]

1 - Aquitaine - Limoges
2 - Gascogne - Bordeaux
3 - Brittany - Rennes
4 - Neustria/Maine/Anjou - Orléans (could be replaced by Le Mans or Angers)
5 - Septimania - Montpellier (could be replaced by Narbonnes)
6 - Provence - Marseilles
7 - Burgundy - Besancon
8 - France - Paris
9 - Flanders - Boulogne
10 - Upper Normandy - Rouen
11 - Lower Normandy - Avranches
12 - Spanish March - Barcelona
13 - Navarre - Pamplona
14 - Castilla - Burgos
15 - Leon - Oviedo (could be remplaced by Leon -the city)
16 - Gallicia - Oporto (could be replaced by Santiago de Compostela)
17 - Toulouse - Toulouse
18 - Badajoz - Badajoz
19 - Toledo - Toledo
20 - Zaragoza - Zaragoza
21 - Valencia - Valencia (I don't know if this place was an independant Emirate or part of Cordoba during the 9th century)
22 - Almeria - Almeria
23 - Granada - Granada
24 - Cordova - Cordova
25 - Sevilla - Sevilla
26 - Novgorod - Novgorod
27 - Polotsk - Polotsk
28 - Smolensk - Smolensk
29 - Rostov-Suzdal - Rostov (could be replaced be either Vladimir or Suzdal)
30 - Kiev - Kiev
31 - Pereiaslav - Pereiaslav
32 - Chernihiv - Ryazan
33 - Volhynia - Brest
34 - Galich - Galich
35 - Estonia ? - ???
36 - Livonia ? - ???
37 - Lithuania - ???
38 - Prussia - ???
39 - Pomerania - Kolberg
40 - Mazovia - Plock
41 - Chrobatia - Cracow
42 - Polania - Posen
43 - Friesland - Utrecht
44 - Ripuaria (could be Upper Lorraine/Lotharingia) - Aix la Chapelle
45 - Moselle (could be Lower Lorraine/Lotharingia) - Strasburg
46 - Liguria - Genoa
47 - Tuscany - Florence (Pisa ?)
48 - States of the Church - Roma
49 - Spoleto - Spoleto
50 - Venetia - Venice
51 - Friuli - Aquileia
52 - Croatia - Sissek
53 - Servia - ???
54 - Lombardy - Milan
55 - Alemannia - Zurich
56 - Franconia - Frankfort
57 - Saxonnia - Bremen
58 - Transalbingia - Hamburg
59 - March of the Billungs - Oldenburg
60 - NordMark - Brandenburg
61 - OstMark - Juterbog
62 - Bohemia - Prague
63 - Bavaria - Salzburg
64 - Moravia - Olmutz
65 - Silesia - Breslau
66 - Carinthia - Fiesach
67 - Cherson - Cherson
68 - Tmoutarakan - Tmoutarakan
69 - Levédia - ??? (land of the Magyars in 840/850)
70 - Etelköz - ??? (land of the Magyars in 840/850)
71 - Pannonia - Ofen
72 - Avarorum Solitudo - Kaliesa (sp?)
73 - Carpathia - Erlau
74 - Transylvania - ???
75 - Banat - Vidin
76 - Dalmatia - Ragusa
77 - Dyrrachium - Dyrrachium
78 - Nicopolis - Nicopolis
79 - Peloponnesus - Corinthes
80 - Hellas - Athens
81 - Thessalonica - Salonica
82 - Macedonia - Andrianople
83 - Thrace - Constantinople

#15 should be Asturies (that spelling), both because the faction is called Kingdom of Asturia in the game, and because it was based in Asturies untill 914. Not to mention that León is sitting on the Castilian meseta and has no coastline. A decent compromise would be to call the area Asturies-León.
The capital could still be León, but Oviedo seems more likely because it would be closer to the port (which should be placed north of Oviedo like the town of Xixón (Gijón). The original capital Cangas de Onis is also an option, but it was much smaller than Oviedo.
The area could contain a minor wonder called Marian Shrine of Covadonga.

#16 I would put Santiago de Compostela as capital because it was a frequent target of pilgrimages (possibly more so than Jerusalem) and a generally large city. It is also still situated in modern Galicia whereas Porto is in Portugal (duh). A Coruña (Las Coruña) was also a large city. The Cathedral of St. James could very well be a wonder of the same kind as the pyramids (loyalty of Catholics).

[Csatadi]

69 - Levédia - ??? (land of the Magyars in 840/850)
???=> Camp of the Black Magyars

70 - Etelköz - ??? (land of the Magyars in 840/850)
???=> Camp of the White Magyars

These were the traditional names of the people living on the eastern part – Black Magyars, and the western part – White Magyars.

I suggest smaller Magyar provinces – especially Levédia because the Magyars should have at least one neighbouring Pecheneg province – otherwise they probably will not fight against the Magyars.

71 - Pannonia – Ofen
72 - Avarorum Solitudo - Kaliesa (sp?)
73 - Carpathia – Erlau
74 - Transylvania - ???
75 - Banat – Vidin

The northern and eastern borders of Carpathia and Transylvania didn’t give the curve of the Carpathian mountains.
I suggest a thicker Carpathia like the shape of Slovakia now.

I have a map about the Carpathian basin in the 9th century.
I don’t see there Ofen, Kaliesa, Erlau and Vidin.
71 Instead Ofen I suggest Blatenszki grad (=Mosaburg). In 847 Pribina founded here a (slav) duchy which stands to 876.
72 Avarorum Solitudo: I think it shouldn’t be called in Latin. The simply Avar Lands or Avar Steppe would be better. Instead of Kaliesa I suggest an Avar Camp. It is near the Danuvius in the same altitude like the lake Balaton (Pelissa).
73 This territory had slav inhabitants, the Ants. I suggest simply Camp of the Ants instead of Erlau. (You may have right but there isn’t any city on this part of the map.) If the western part will not be Moravian Nitrava (called now Nitra) can be its city.
74 I see 2 appropriate cities on the map. Zilingrad and Mojgrad are in the vicinity of where Dej and Cluj-Napoca lie now.
Mojgrad sounds well, what do you think?
75 I think the ’Bánát’ name was used only later, in the era of the Magyar Kingdom.
I don’t see well if Belgrad – it has the same name now – is in the province. I suggest this city if it is in Bánát. My map shows here slavs – the Brodniks. But there isn’t any city except of Belgrad.


Albanians (on the Balkan) are missing from the map. Historians say they are descendats of the Illiryans.