-- Preview of Middle-earth --

[ccllnply]

But then the human player will always have to play as Mordor or it will never be able to fully destroy Gondor.

[King Kong]

Very impressive work! It really brings Middle Earth to life, beautiful! And the improvement since the first preview is amazing -- compare the old Mirkwood to the new one...

It does seem that Harad has too much farmland though, while Gondor has little. And if you want to be accurate to the 'actual' geography, Osgiliath should be further north of Minis Tirith, the Anduin should flow much closer to Minas Tirith (remember the Black Fleet moored close to the City), and the Anduin shouldn't become so wide so far north.

Also you might consider adding some more towns in Gondor -- at the very least Edhellond, Ethring and Linhir, and maybe one or two others.



Also, rather than a town called 'Orc Encampment' in Mordor, it would be more compelling if you give it a name -- look at the MERP maps of Mordor, they have many named towns and fortresses noted (in fact those maps are a truly remarkable resource). Likewise you might add Cirith Ungol -- possibly as a permanent fortress if you don't want to make it a town; and changing the name of 'The Black Gate' to Cirith Gorgor would add more atmosphere.

Thanks for the suggestions, cherryfunk.
I know that the the anduin river is a bit wrong, but the problem is that I would have to remake a pretty big part of the map in order to correct it. Maybe I will try, but probably not in the first release.
And I will probably add some more Gondor settlements and maybe some other settlements for other regions will be added. The final amount of settlements should then be about 125.

P.S. Is the landscape really going to be black when you fight in the Mordor region?

yes.

im guessing this has been asked but is Cair Andros going to be accesible by land, or will we have to sail to it?

It will be accesible by land (invisible land bridges) and by sea, so that the AI won't have any problems to cross the Anduin there.

[Niall of the Nine Hostages]

I know this has been asked before, but I haven't seen a response. Is there a reason the Argonath is facing south?

[DIABLONL]

I know this has been asked before, but I haven't seen a response. Is there a reason the Argonath is facing south?

Argonath are those statues right?
because king kong made those statues and it would be a shame if you only see their back.

[kainer]

very good point!

[Alexios Komnenos]

I'm sure you know this map, but I'll post here anyway. I see (though I can be wrond) few cities in Harad, Rhûn and Eriador:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

This map, however, does not show other towns in Breeland, like Archet. But, as I saig, this work is superb and incredible.

Take care!

[STELLover]

This is a reply to the last post but I did not want to take too much room so...

I really think this is a good map, exept that judjing by the names they look like it is a reflection of the Second Age of middle earth

[Alexios Komnenos]

This is a reply to the last post but I did not want to take too much room so...

I really think this is a good map, exept that judjing by the names they look like it is a reflection of the Second Age of middle earth

Sorry, I don't know how to post "spoiler" windows. But yes, it seems to depict the Second Age. Anyway, in need of settlements, I think that nobody will bother if the modders take some "second age" names from Gondor, Harad, Arnor, etc.

Take care!

[ccllnply]

That map, as said already, is of the late Second Age. Also, its fan made so many of the names for places such as Rhun, Harad and the parts outside Middle-earth have been made up

[Varjon]

Agreed with ccllnply, places in South sound too arabic and some places in North are Finnish.

[ccllnply]

Lol, Sultanate of Raj? Never realised that before

[Varjon]

Pitkäranta, Järvamaa and Korela are very Finnish words, feels wierd to read them from the top of the map.

[Alexios Komnenos]

Pitkäranta, Järvamaa and Korela are very Finnish words, feels wierd to read them from the top of the map.

I know that, but as long as Tolkien did not settled any information about far North or far South...

Remember: Tolkien himslef said that mythology is not written by just one hand, and he was just putting the pillars to a world that other would continue.

Take care!

[ccllnply]

I know that, but as long as Tolkien did not settled any information about far North or far South...

Remember: Tolkien himslef said that mythology is not written by just one hand, and he was just putting the pillars to a world that other would continue.

Take care!

Tolkien was the only one to write the "facts" of Middle-earth (can you have facts on a fantasy world?) everything else is just guesses and speculation

[Varjon]

John Tolkien is God and Christopher Tolkien is his prophet.

[Alexios Komnenos]

Tolkien was the only one to write the "facts" of Middle-earth (can you have facts on a fantasy world?) everything else is just guesses and speculation

You cannot have facts on a fantasy world, of course. But he did not write about a fantasy world, he created a mythic world which represents the far mythic past of our world. He intended to create a new mythology like Nordic, Egyptian or Greek ones. And he did. And he stated, and he was so correct, that a myth is created by the mouth-to-ear effect, and there are dozens of versions about Jason or Sigfried's life, but the best known versions are those that some writer inmortalized. Wagner settled down how the Nibelungen myth should be known from then on. Who wrote Beowulf wrote about the version he knew and ignored the other 5 or 7 versions. The same did Homer (or the various Homers), etcetera.

Think about Tolkien as just a collector. Inicially, the Silmarillion was going to begin with a medieval English sailor called Aelfric (If I recall well, perhaps I'm wrong about the name) lost in a storm and arriving at Tol Eressëa. There he meets with Elves, ans they tell him the stories told in The Silmarillion.

Tolkien wanted other people to continue what he created, to create in this way a true mythology, evolving as time and generations go by.

But we've turned they texts into dogma and instead of wandering why this character did this or that and trying to solve the situation with our imagination, we surrender to the lack of evidences and say "Well, Tolkien didn't say anything about it. And so it must remain".

The Lord of the Rings is a story, yes, but it's even more: it's mythology.

Take care!

[STELLover]

That map, as said already, is of the late Second Age. Also, its fan made so many of the names for places such as Rhun, Harad and the parts outside Middle-earth have been made up

Agreed

Pitkäranta, Järvamaa and Korela are very Finnish words, feels wierd to read them from the top of the map.

Huh never noticed those names. Perhaps they are borrowed from the real world?

[OSDEA7]

I have to admit this is the best work i have seen on any MTW mod.Great talent.Can't wait to play.

[Badg3r]

i only counted about 40 in the pictures, are the 114 settelments not on the map yet or are they just very spread out or something?

[cherryfunk]

Thanks for the suggestions, cherryfunk.
I know that the the anduin river is a bit wrong, but the problem is that I would have to remake a pretty big part of the map in order to correct it. Maybe I will try, but probably not in the first release.
And I will probably add some more Gondor settlements and maybe some other settlements for other regions will be added. The final amount of settlements should then be about 125.

Honestly, I wouldn't worry too much about the Anduin -- the important thing, as you know, is how well the map plays and how good it looks. It already looks great. Changing the Anduin wouldn't really impact gameplay and is probably more work than it's worth, at least until you have some free time.

125 sounds about right for the settlements -- you just need to add a few here and there to 'fill out' the map. Add 2 or 3 to Gondor, 1 or 2 to Harad, 1 or 2 to Mordor, 1 or 2 to Rhun, etc. and that will really fill the map out nicely