Normal Map or Extended Map as standard for MOS

[Hero of the West]

For future versions of MOS i want to remove the choice option conceirning which region version you want.. This would save some time modding..

If the extended region map is chosen then i first want the necessary feedback that it doesn't disrupt balance or cause any problems..

people please post how you like your map here.. and any feedback on the extended regions mod!!!

Rep will be given for valuable feedback..

PS: to moderators.. this post is separate from the main MOS thread because i don't want to clother it with a temporary poll.. when done i will contact right away to close this thread

[Maestro Ugo]

I really like the desolate feeling some places in the middle earth have with the current setup, your army on an invasion alone for miles around... Including more settlements just doesn't seem to add that much - game-play is long enough as it is. Therefore, I vote for the original setup.

[Mappo]

I cannot vote, but for what it may be I would prefer the Il Ducce's extended mod map

[Araval]

I'd prefer ll Ducce's extended mod map because it gives factions more chances to expand and it is more fun to play

[Jackie Treehorn]

I vote for the extended map.
First of all it makes the game more epic.
It helps minor faction, since in FROME Silvans, Isengard, Mirkwood, OoG, Ered Luin for example have just 2 or 3 starting settlements and not much space for expanson. So, they have to start a war quite early to get additional settlements.
Also, if you have played vanilla quite often, the additional settlements give you new surprises and experience.
Also, you can not more have a blitzkrieg, by conquering 2 or 3 settlements and destroy a faction with that. Will say the factions have approx 5 - 15 settlements and with that a better chance to survive, even by losing 2 or 3 settlements.

[AragornElessar]

mine vote goes to The Extended map. it adds middle earth feeling. here is a idea why don't make a mod that adds AOR units to those new settlements would be awesome but ok lets get back to the topic Jackie Treehorn is too right that the (weak) factions don't expand fast so this map is on the good place. Keep up the good work with MOS

[Fukushima]

I would very much like it if you incorporate your mod into the Il Ducce's extended map mod. I really like that mod and your mod and it is good to have them together. The reason why I finally made a TWCenter account was to tell you about this!!

[STELLover]

Agree, I would very much like the two mods to be incorporated. But tell me, how long will it take to do so?

[Hero of the West]

my mod already has this mod in the mod.. but you just have to install it manually..

the reason of the poll is to know in the future if i will drop the extended map.. or the normal map and go on with 1 of the 2.. second reason for this thread is to get to now more about the quality of the extended map mod when lookking at bugs and gameplaybalance changes

[(HG)LordKoal]

Extended

[Jackie Treehorn]

Quality of the extended map is very good. No, CTD so far with FROME and the map. I would even opt for a more settlement than the extended map mod provide. Specially the south of the map should have more settlement. Like in ReSiros mod.

[Il Ducce]

I voted normal map, if only because I am concerned that there are bugs I haven't found yet.

[Withwnar]

I voted normal map, if only because I am concerned that there are bugs I haven't found yet.

Two comments of "no" so far and one is from the submod's author. I admire your professionalism Il Ducce. Seriously though , that's a fair point and one we were discussing in the lab.

[airborne guy]

I voted normal map, if only because I am concerned that there are bugs I haven't found yet.

Wow thats integrity right there. I also voted for the normal map, because I found a few bugs. Not that I sont like it. Just some things need to get ironed out

[Hero of the West]

Wow thats integrity right there. I also voted for the normal map, because I found a few bugs. Not that I sont like it. Just some things need to get ironed out

can you tell me about the bugs?

[Alexiel]

Il Ducce's extended mod map

[achema]

extended mod map

[alreadyded]

Why not release a version of both then since the work is done? And decide from the feedback you get from that (which will take a long while). I haven't played Ducce's map so I can't speak for bugs, but the region setup looks like it will improve gameplay. There are a couple of spots I see where the campaign AI might have some problems, but nothing serious I think. Either way, I don't think you should put this choice into other people's hands (especially not a public poll) when you are the one that has to do all the work and live with it. Do what you want I say.

[Gharbad the Weak]

I´d say use the normal map... Or at least keep it optional. Mostly because the extended version is so lore inaccurate.

Middle-earth's population at the end of the Third Age was extremely sparse. The Elves had continued to sail west until those in northeastern Mirkwood, Lórien, Rivendell, and at the Grey Havens were the only ones remaining. The Dwarves had been driven from their homes throughout the Misty and the Grey Mountains, and were found mainly in the Blue Mountains, the Iron Hills, and at Lonely Mountain. The realm of Arnor had been virtually depopulated by war and plague. In all the vast lands of Eriador, the only apparent settlements were those in the Shire and at Bree — the area beyond was called the Lone-lands. In the extreme north lived the Lammoth, and west of Isengard folk still dwelt in southern Dunland, and along the coast. Gondor had fared better, with many of its people living in the cities and throughout the lands south of the White Mountains, along the coasts, and even into the mountain vales. North of the mountains, the Rohirrim had settled. Their greatest concentrations were near Edoras and in the Westfold Vale. The Wold was used mainly for pasturage. Men had slowly increased along the upper vales of the Anduin and near Lonely Mountain and apparently were still present east of Mirkwood. Beyond the Sea of Rhûn, and south of Mordor in Khand, Harad, and especially Umbar, lived the Easterlings and Southrons allied with Sauron. After the Battle of Five Armies Orcs had been "few and terrified;" yet only seventy-seven years later they were multiplying again. Saruman had raised an army, Dol Guldur had been reoccupied, and north-western Mordor was filled with vast, seething hosts.

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

The largest problem I see is that most people want to be able to restore ancient cities such as the ruins of Arnor, but they weren't inhabited in the Third age. I really hope that someone will make a custom settlement that will change the look of a village to a heap of ruins that can be rebuilt into a regular town/city later on in the game.

Also; there are a lot of settlements that do not make any sense, mainly the barrow downs and the town in the ent forest.

The extended map adds towns in places that weren't inhabited, instead of placing towns that we know that existed in the populated areas. A lot of the towns of the shire aren't represented in the mod, and I believe Achet is left out as well.

I think that the settlements should be clustered together like they where in the lore (As you can see in the map in the spoiler I posted above)

I'm in favor of adding more towns, but those could also be placed closer to the populated areas, instead of the places that are supposed to be lonelands.

TLDR; Dont make the Extended Map standard for MOS as long as it is so lore inaccurate.

[Il Ducce]

I´d say use the normal map... Or at least keep it optional. Mostly because the extended version is so lore inaccurate.
The extended map adds towns in places that weren't inhabited, instead of placing towns that we know that existed in the populated areas. A lot of the towns of the shire aren't represented in the mod, and I believe Achet is left out as well.

I think that the settlements should be clustered together like they where in the lore (As you can see in the map in the spoiler I posted above)

I'm in favor of adding more towns, but those could also be placed closer to the populated areas, instead of the places that are supposed to be lonelands.

TLDR; Dont make the Extended Map standard for MOS as long as it is so lore inaccurate.

I don't want to come off as overly defensive here, but I'd like to make a few counterpoints:
1.) The settlements I added are no more lore inaccurate than many of the settlements incorporated by vanilla TATW and in fact I use many of the same sources that they do (MERP).
2.) Although it is well researched and well written, the Atlas of Middle Earth is NOT lore and many of the maps are still speculation based on the author's interpretation of Tolkien's works.
3.) If we only took settlements from Tolkien sources many factions would have one or two settlements at best while others would have a ridiculous amount. (Key example, Umbar is the only settlement in Harad mentioned in the books, and Eriador could have as many as 15 or 20 settlements if lore was followed)
4.) Your idea of clustering the settlements around the inhabited areas wouldn't be good for gameplay as it would take a quarter of a move from most settlements and then a half dozen turns or more to get to ones outside of the cluster.
5.) Archet is in fact represented in my mod.

All in all, I know that at some points I had to sacrifice strict book-lore for the sake of gameplay, but at the same time, I don't think that I went too far that a lore fanatic couldn't enjoy the atmosphere.

Sorry for being so defensive, but she's mah baby.