The South Guard

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nemchenk
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Re: Beginner Campaign: The South Guard

Post by nemchenk »

Well, I've been working on this on my own in any case, and here are the results. A rough sketch of the map I'm making, and some explanation of the thinking which has led me to draw it the way I have done.
Spoiler:
Comments welcome :) Meanwhile, I will start making a map from this sketch...
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Re: Beginner Campaign: The South Guard

Post by Jozrael »

I...don't even begin to know who should be reading this to doublecheck it with wesnoth canon o_O. Zookeeper, perhaps?
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Re: Beginner Campaign: The South Guard

Post by zookeeper »

That map looks pretty good to me conceptually. There's not really any established (other) canon dealing with that part of the world, so you're not conflicting with anything. The only thing I think might be a bit strange is the fact that the province is pretty huge compared to Wesnoth itself and extends rather far from it. If you wanted to, you could tighten things up a bit by shifting them north or northeast somewhat. The travel times mentioned in the story can always be changed.

I'm the official maintainer for TSG so stuff like this should go through me, but I'm currently rather inactive. I'll still gladly commit whatever finished work you do, but probably won't comment very much on works in progress.

As for the idea of gradually revealing the map...maybe. However, you need to make sure that it doesn't look silly visually, and I'd imagine that just leaving big areas completely blank would look silly. Perhaps simply framing each version of the map so that only the areas you want will be visible would work better.
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nemchenk
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Re: Beginner Campaign: The South Guard

Post by nemchenk »

Hi Jozrael, Hi zookeeper,

I am not sure myself about revealing the areas of the map -- I'm thinking of old maps which basically had empty areas with "here be dragons", but as you say, we'll have to see how it actually looks.
Spoiler:
I appreciate all your feedback!
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Re: Beginner Campaign: The South Guard

Post by beetlenaut »

nemchenk wrote:I am worried that it we start to make it smaller, the whole "marching for weeks" thing will no longer work.
Don't worry about the story text. If the map makes sense, the story can easily be changed to match it.
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nemchenk
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Re: Beginner Campaign: The South Guard

Post by nemchenk »

Hi beetlenaut,
beetlenaut wrote:Don't worry about the story text. If the map makes sense, the story can easily be changed to match it.
Well, of course, but if we alter the story text too much, it won't be The South Guard any more! :) I really like the way the campaign story flows, the way the text sets up the atmosphere, and I don't want to loose that.

As to the size of Kelrath:
Spoiler:
Cheers :)
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nemchenk
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Re: Beginner Campaign: The South Guard

Post by nemchenk »

Here's a sketch with everything moved North about 50km:
Spoiler:
Is that better? More like Elensefar-size, and seems to gel with the current bigmap.jpg - distance Fort Tahn to the Aethenwood is the same as Tahn-Westin/Thenin?
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Re: Beginner Campaign: The South Guard

Post by beetlenaut »

The Aethenwood is one of the largest forests visible on the main map, and the forest you've drawn completely dwarfs it. I think you should break it into several smaller wooded areas with other terrain in between.
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nemchenk
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Re: Beginner Campaign: The South Guard

Post by nemchenk »

beetlenaut wrote:The Aethenwood is one of the largest forests visible on the main map, and the forest you've drawn completely dwarfs it.
Indeed it does :)
The South Guard story wrote:Only scattered few outlaws lived in the wildlands south of Kerlath, a bastion of the ancient heart forest of the Great Continent so dense and gloomy that even elves forbore from dwelling there.
I've interpreted this to mean that the Great Continent was *all* forest at some point, and was cleared for farming, settlement, trade etc. Once we cross the Aethen river, however, the "heart forest" remains as it once was - massive untamed forest and jungle, so dense and gloomy that even the Elves don't like it. I imagine it to be like the jungle of the Amazon...

IMHO, if we break this up into smaller areas of woodland, we will re-introduce the "settled, civilised country" look, and loose the primaeval forest feeling.
Spoiler:
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Turuk
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Re: Beginner Campaign: The South Guard

Post by Turuk »

One thing that catches the eye about the map you made is the trees. I can see lines in the forest where you just dragged the tool across to place the trees. This is particularly evident in the middle of the map south of the river, where the lines have been dragged next to each other and stand out amid the scattered trees next to them.
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nemchenk
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Re: Beginner Campaign: The South Guard

Post by nemchenk »

Turuk wrote:One thing that catches the eye about the map you made is the trees. I can see lines in the forest where you just dragged the tool across to place the trees.
Hi Turuk,

Fear not -- this is just a sketch to work out the locations of places etc :) The finished map will not have that kind of ... rough... look to it! :D
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Re: Beginner Campaign: The South Guard

Post by Turuk »

Fair enough, just wanted to make sure you were aware of it.
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nemchenk
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Re: Beginner Campaign: The South Guard

Post by nemchenk »

No problem :) I appreciate it.


Yours,
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Deusite
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Re: Beginner Campaign: The South Guard

Post by Deusite »

beetlenaut wrote:The Aethenwood is one of the largest forests visible on the main map, and the forest you've drawn completely dwarfs it. I think you should break it into several smaller wooded areas with other terrain in between.
Having the Aethenwood between the sea and a big (impenetrable?) mountain range suggests to me that it's a 'temperate rainforest' (think New Zealand and Japan). Most are pretty dense anyway so that's not really the problem.

Geographically the problem is not the size but the width. Most forests like this are very long and thin:
Spoiler:


So I'd suggest moving the southern mountain range west by hundred kilometres or thereabouts. There's still lots of room for merry little elves depending on how far the forest extends southwards. :wink:

Nobody ever said this had to be a geographically feasible forest of course. :D
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Turuk
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Re: Beginner Campaign: The South Guard

Post by Turuk »

Deusite wrote:Having the Aethenwood between the sea and a big (impenetrable?) mountain range suggests to me that it's a 'temperate rainforest' (think New Zealand and Japan). Most are pretty dense anyway so that's not really the problem.
What about the deciduous forest that runs up and down the eastern part of the US (as well as being found in other parts of the world)? It can be found between a mountain range and the ocean as well.
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