Preview: Minas Morgul, Edoras, Rivendell, Hobbiton, Rammas Echor and Caras Galadhon

[Spitfire -WONDERBOLT!]

*ORC-GASMS*

[Himster]

So beautiful.

[DAVIDE]

very veeeery nice

[Tatoru]

Incredible tranformation of MM concept from LOTR movie. I would like to play it in campaign very much. It is just so great, that this is happening, after all these wishes, and despairs.

[Solas]

Simply amazing! One question though, will there be a hidden stairway? Or is that impossible, because then (No clue if this would work) you could script something that allows the player to get into Mordor without taking the castle. (If they wanted to)

[Lemoniser]

Simply amazing! One question though, will there be a hidden stairway? Or is that impossible, because then (No clue if this would work) you could script something that allows the player to get into Mordor without taking the castle. (If they wanted to)

I highly doubt that you could get an army up the hidden stairway. For one theres the simple matter of supplies, after all "An army marches on its stomach". Short of constructing a pulley system and everything then individual soldiers would have to carry their equipment and supplies. Climbing the steep stair in armour would be hard enough and so I doubt that they could take more than one bag of food. By my reckoning this would mean that an army would have supplies for maybe two weeks and thats if theyre lucky enough to find water on the other side.

The second is Shelob, her webs are near impenetrable (perhaps an elven army could get through) and she is incredibly powerful. It is said in ROTK that no Elven hero would have the strength to push a blade through her built up layer of putrid protection. Sam managed to hurt her grievously only because Shelob herself pushed herself on the blade.

Third there is the fact that if an army attempted this they would be left incredibly vulnerable which couldn't be counted in and if that can't be counted in, then how can one reasonably let this advantage in? Also horses and artillery would have to be abandoned, which once again could not be counted in.



So basically while I personally believe that it would be a good addition to have it depicted (just the steep stair in the rockface) I don't think that it's feasible or fair to have it operationally in-game.

[mondpeiler]

jep, include the stairs!

but not for an army to move...
imagine, a big powerful invading-army climbing up the tight stairs, and the watchmen of minas morgul not notice them???

two-and a third former hobbit are bit likelier to oversee them climbing, than thousands of men or elves

[Hermes Trismegistos]

And even they weren't totally overlooked. I mean the silent watchers and the Nazgûl sensed something and feared spies on the stairs. That was why they sent one company of orcs up from Minas Morgul and one down from the tower of Cirith Ungol.

It was only because it was just at that moment that the west campaign was starting and the commanders were busy with other things that they got sent out a day late. So surely they would have noticed an army and it would really be easy to block these narrow stairs against any enemy.

[boris73]

is it posible to destroy the bridge?

[Goniseu3kurca]

And even they weren't totally overlooked. I mean the silent watchers and the Nazgûl sensed something and feared spies on the stairs. That was why they sent one company of orcs up from Minas Morgul and one down from the tower of Cirith Ungol.

It was only because it was just at that moment that the west campaign was starting and the commanders were busy with other things that they got sent out a day late. So surely they would have noticed an army and it would really be easy to block these narrow stairs against any enemy.

Its obvious.. you're right.

I'm wondering why they didnt ask to make an Alliance with Rhun (if im not mistaken) and then climb up those tight stairs with elephants >.>

[DisgruntledGoat]

First time I noticed this in the stickied threads. GREAT job D_A very very impressive. The only thing I can see that looks a bit unnatural are the cliff like mountain walls. I know they are suppose to be shear and impassible by might I suggest reducing the slope slightly to reduce the jarring nature of them visually. I think it takes away from the beauty of the citadel.

[danny_b26]

Well done a huge congratz :-p +1 keep us lot informed of release we are all looking forward to it

[Devils_Advocate]

First time I noticed this in the stickied threads. GREAT job D_A very very impressive. The only thing I can see that looks a bit unnatural are the cliff like mountain walls. I know they are suppose to be shear and impassible by might I suggest reducing the slope slightly to reduce the jarring nature of them visually. I think it takes away from the beauty of the citadel.

Thanks DG! Hearing that from you definately means a lot.
Concerning the cliffs or mountains, there are still some issues to be fixed, mostly caused by some 'unknown' influences. In fact, according to the movies, and my actual terrain the mountains are supposed to be even higher and more realistically shaped.
KK doesn´t really know what happens to the terrain either...
However, it will be fixed till release.

[DisgruntledGoat]

Great to hear. Keep up the amazing work!

[Celebrinbor1]

I highly doubt that you could get an army up the hidden stairway. For one theres the simple matter of supplies, after all "An army marches on its stomach". Short of constructing a pulley system and everything then individual soldiers would have to carry their equipment and supplies. Climbing the steep stair in armour would be hard enough and so I doubt that they could take more than one bag of food. By my reckoning this would mean that an army would have supplies for maybe two weeks and thats if theyre lucky enough to find water on the other side.

The second is Shelob, her webs are near impenetrable (perhaps an elven army could get through) and she is incredibly powerful. It is said in ROTK that no Elven hero would have the strength to push a blade through her built up layer of putrid protection. Sam managed to hurt her grievously only because Shelob herself pushed herself on the blade.

Third there is the fact that if an army attempted this they would be left incredibly vulnerable which couldn't be counted in and if that can't be counted in, then how can one reasonably let this advantage in? Also horses and artillery would have to be abandoned, which once again could not be counted in.



So basically while I personally believe that it would be a good addition to have it depicted (just the steep stair in the rockface) I don't think that it's feasible or fair to have it operationally in-game.

but what about a spy? could u set it up for a spy to be able to get up there but not an army?

[Lemoniser]

but what about a spy? could u set it up for a spy to be able to get up there but not an army?

I dont have any experience in modding at all so excuse me if im totally wrong but I figured I'd give you my best guess. Maybe by making a small path around it which had incredibly high travel rates (or whatever theyre called) so high that an army couldnt make it over, even if it was just cavalry and a general with great movement speed but so that spies, diplomats and assassins could. However this could make the campaign map look really bad and I dont even know if there is this sweetspot between agent movement speeds and armies.

Perhaps theres also some scripting solution but I don't know much about any of this.

Can anyone confirm if any of this is right or wrong? Or other suggestions or ways around it?

[leo.civil.uefs]

Not to complain about this wonderful customsettlement but the Idea of a always opened external gate is quite weird for me.
You have models of gates with animations in sizes that could fit it asly (like the wooden castles ones).

Just my opinion.

[Scorpius Centaurus]

Not to complain about this wonderful customsettlement but the Idea of a always opened external gate is quite weird for me.
You have models of gates with animations in sizes that could fit it asly (like the wooden castles ones).

Just my opinion.

I think you need to have another look again, as the front gate is way too high to fit any vanilla gate. There is a second gate inside the fortress I believe that is a vanilla gate that you have to destroy to reach the square.

[Lolyjoly123]

Not to complain about this wonderful customsettlement but the Idea of a always opened external gate is quite weird for me.
You have models of gates with animations in sizes that could fit it asly (like the wooden castles ones).

Just my opinion.

If the first gate was closed, it would be impossible to take the citadel. Because you would need to cross the bridge with the ram, while archers on the walls fire the ram up, so you would need like 15 rams for just one siege! But of the first gate is open you can try and secure the first ring with your troops, and then bring up the ram for the second ring.

[mondpeiler]

I've a question:

the normal M2TW-gates are small, yes.
but: could one perhaps make the minas morgul gates like big gates, but if you battre them with your rams only the "lower" parts of the gate-wings break?
so that the lower parts are a vanilla gate?

btw. question nr.2: the term "vanilla" is used for "normal" M2TW, am I right so far - I'm not so familiar witith this forum yet and maybe it is obvious - but how comes the term "vanilla"? (just a question of a noob)