Description of minimap - including America

[PacSubCom]

I have the new German magazine PC GAMES before me, and there is a large screenshot of the campaign map. While the large map is a nice and detailed view of London to Nuremberg, the minimap shows something new:

The starting positions of the factions - and America! I can't scan it, have no screenshot. I can only describe it. Dunno what is already known to you, but I'll describe some things which are new to me.

We have the known map of Europe. Factions are

Scotland
Britain
Spain
Almohads
Egypt
Turks
Byzantinum
Papal States
Milan
Venice
Sicily
France
HRE
Denmark
Aztecs
Poland
Hungary
Novgorod

Edit: Sorry, there is something else. In Spain, we have the orange Almohads and the yellow Spaniards. But there also is a white (non-neutral) Lusitania, and another white province in the north of spain - the Basque country. These are white with blue province borders, in contrast to Poland, which is white with red province borders. I haven't the slightest idea what it is.



On the left corner is a very miniaturized outline of North America, Middle America and something in the south I think is a part of Brazil. We see only parts of the east coasts, not the whole continents. For example North America goes from somewhere in west Texas to South Carolina or something. Cuba is there too, as are the Bahamas. The North American and South American parts takes actually less space on the minimap than Britain! Remains to be seen if the player can actually go there. They have the same grey color as neutral provinces.

The middle part inbetween is in Aztec light blue. It's scale seems to be larger than North and South America, and it goes from the Yucatan down to Panama. As far as I can see there are three provinces there. The map looks rather skewed to me, coastlines that run north-south in real life run northeast-southwest on the map. Yucatan seems to be in the same scale as North America, while Honduras is bigger. Incorrect scales to simulate incorrect medieval maps? The western parts of Afrika look strange too. It goes further south than in the screenshots I have seen so far, as if the discovery of America zooms out the minimap, but only in the south.


There also are some new screenshots and info in that preview. For example the pikemen defense formation with the first row kneeling down and the second row holding the pikes above shoulder.

Mark Sutherns of CA describes what is happening after the discovery of the Americas. It is a "world event" which triggers a race to build a transatlantic fleet. They put it in there to prevent the RTW-like tedium of the endgame.

Edit: One historic battle is mentioned: Hastings. There are others. Release date is November.

[Roman-Warrior]

I dont like the sound of it.

-Wes

[Marcus Scaurus]

Can you scan and post it, or is that against TWC rules?

[Atterdag]

I got a question!

Are Norway and Sweden two provinces or one? Is Skåne (the Southern part of Sweden) Danish controled?

There also are some new screenshots and info in that preview. For example the pikemen defense formation with the first row kneeling down and the second row holding the pikes above shoulder.

Sweet! They copied the work of Dirty Peasant

[PacSubCom]

I got a question!
Are Norway and Sweden two provinces or one? Is Skåne (the Southern part of Sweden) Danish controled?

I think there runs a province line, so Norway and Sweden are two provinces. Denmark just controls Denmark, Norway and Sweden are grey.

Edit: There also is some new video footage on the accompanying dvd, mostly of battles. The animations look much more... whole than in RTW. Awesome.

[Blaven]

I was initially against having the New World in the game, but I've warmed up to it considerably. I wonder if we can give the Indians small pox infected blankets like in real life.

Seriously though, plagues should be ten times more potent to them than to Europeans and others. It would be historically accurate.

[Hells Bells]

I was initially against having the New World in the game, but I've warmed up to it considerably. I wonder if we can give the Indians small pox infected blankets like in real life.

Seriously though, plagues should be ten times more potent to them than to Europeans and others. It would be historically accurate.

hah my plagued spy strategy will have em down to 5% population in no time :wink:

[The Black Reaper]

i think he tried to get it to work but was unsuccessful at doing that in CTW.. at least i think so..

[Barbarian-Bob]

First of all, great post PacSubCom!

We're all clinging to every bit of new information at the moment, so this is much appreciated.

I was also wondering about Norway. Are they even a conquerable province, or are they a part of a bigger "Scandinavian" province? (which would be rather daft, if you ask me)
EDIT: Nevermind, I was just posting when you posted. :original: I'm glad there are seperate provinces.

Also, when you say Novgorod, do you mean Russia? Don't get me wrong, I know there was nothing called Russia at the time, but I thought everyone were upset about the fact that CA made a "Russia" faction, instead of proper historical ones (like Novgorod). I could be wrong of course.

[Spajjder]

First of all, great post PacSubCom!

Also, when you say Novgorod, do you mean Russia? Don't get me wrong, I know there was nothing called Russia at the time, but I thought everyone were upset about the fact that CA made a "Russia" faction, instead of proper historical ones (like Novgorod). I could be wrong of course.

I would guess they solve it like in the orginal MTW
Novgorod becomes russia on a specific year

[Sponge]

do you think you could scan and post the pictures, then get the video on youtube ?

it would be very appreciated and no hassle with all the question

[PacSubCom]

do you think you could scan and post the pictures, then get the video on youtube ?

it would be very appreciated and no hassle with all the question

Sorry. I am not able to do that, due to hardware limitations (no scanner, for innstance). I hope they will appear all over the net in due time.

Edited first post.

[Azai Nagamasa]

Edit: Sorry, there is something else. In Spain, we have the orange Almohads and the yellow Spaniards. But there also is a white (non-neutral) Lusitania, and another white province in the north of spain - the Basque country. These are white with blue province borders, in contrast to Poland, which is white with red province borders. I haven't the slightest idea what it is.

I'm almost 100% positive that the faction you mention here is Portugal based on what we've seen in the screens and that official informative trailer by CA. You forgot the mention them in the Playable factions... that is, unless CA has decided to include them but not make them playable.

Overall, thanks for the preview. Makes me even more impatient for it's release than I'm already am.

[JANOSIK007]

You've mentioned 18 factions. What are the remaining ones?

[God-Emperor of Mankind]

You've mentioned 18 factions. What are the remaining ones?

Mongols, Timurids and the pope

[Proximus]

do you think you could scan and post the pictures, then get the video on youtube ?

it would be very appreciated and no hassle with all the question

That is strictly forbidden.

[Atterdag]

I think there runs a province line, so Norway and Sweden are two provinces. Denmark just controls Denmark, Norway and Sweden are grey.

Damn.. Well Skåne wasn't a province in M:TW I so perhabs I was too optimistic.

[PacSubCom]

If Portugal is the 19th, then we have Mongols and Timurids left. I don't see any Timurids, maybe they appear later?

[God-Emperor of Mankind]

Timurids will most likely be like the mongols and suddenly pop-up.

[Cadmium77]

I like the idea that the New World is seen in disproportionate terms by people in Europe. That makes the entire thing sort of more psychologically authentic. And the Coast of Africa you say? How far south can you deploy I wonder?