Better Maps/Polygon Maps: Difference between revisions
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= Walkthrough = | = Walkthrough = | ||
<table><tr><td valign="top"> | <table><tr><td valign="top"> | ||
Our "unit" will be the '''place'''. A place is a single | Our "unit" will be the '''place'''. A place is a single settlement on the map and its related areas. A settlement can be of any size, it coulde be a village, a town, a castle or a city. The area around it is the area this settlement claims as its own, belongs to it geographically. We could go looking for geographic features and derive the area from that, but it is easier to do it the other way around: Draw Voronoi cells around the settlements and define the geographic features based on their edges. For cities, the place is the city itself and the edges are the city walls. | ||
This gives us a basic segmentation of our map, for example like shown on the right. | This gives us a basic segmentation of our map, for example like shown on the right. | ||
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In our example, the two left-most estates belong to the same region, so they are now part of the same hierarchy, and their knights share a common lord. If in our example the leftmost estate is the region "capital", then the other estate would be its vassal. | In our example, the two left-most estates belong to the same region, so they are now part of the same hierarchy, and their knights share a common lord. If in our example the leftmost estate is the region "capital", then the other estate would be its vassal. | ||
Regions also have names, independent of their estates or places. The region top-right could be Keplerstan, which consists of the town Keplerville and the four villages Kepple, Kipple, Kapple and Kopple. | |||
</td><td>[[Image:MapConcept_Regions.png]]</td></tr> | </td><td>[[Image:MapConcept_Regions.png]]</td></tr> | ||
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These intermediate layers mainly serve as vehicles for player creativity. They make it possible to create different kinds of realms, with flat or deep hierarchies, with intricate systems or simple ones. This layer serves as the foundation of pretty much any imaginable feudal system that players want to come up with. | These intermediate layers mainly serve as vehicles for player creativity. They make it possible to create different kinds of realms, with flat or deep hierarchies, with intricate systems or simple ones. This layer serves as the foundation of pretty much any imaginable feudal system that players want to come up with. | ||
Players can name these layers at will, and a game name following the syntax ''(layer title) of (capital region)'' will be generated and used by the game. For example, the name could be "Barony of Keplerstan". This makes it clear what one is talking about. If something says just "Keplerstan", it is talking about the region ("Enemy forces have looted the village Kapple in Keplerstan."), while talk with the title refers to the political entity - "You are now entering the Barony of Keplerstan" does not necessarily mean I am entering the ''region'' Keplerstan. | |||
</td><td>[[Image:MapConcept_Duchies.png]]</td></tr> | </td><td>[[Image:MapConcept_Duchies.png]]</td></tr> | ||
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Realms are marked in red to the right. To make the example clearer, the two realms in our example do not touch, though in the real game they usually would. | Realms are marked in red to the right. To make the example clearer, the two realms in our example do not touch, though in the real game they usually would. | ||
Realms also have names. Like regions, these are arbitrary, provided the realm consists of at least two regions. Single-region (or even single-estate) realms can not choose their name freely, but are always given the name of their capital settlement. Realm names consist of a short and a long form, with the long form containing ornamental titles. So the short form of a realm name could be "Keplerstan", while the formal/long name could be "Holy Empire of Keplerstan". | |||
</td><td>[[Image:MapConcept_Realms.png]]</td></tr> | </td><td>[[Image:MapConcept_Realms.png]]</td></tr> | ||
</table> | </table> | ||
(to be | |||
= Example = | |||
[[Image:MapConcept_Example.jpg|left]] | |||
This is a very, very rough example to illustrate the relation between the old and the new world. | |||
In this overlay of the [[East Island]], the voronoi cells are randomly generated, so they do not fit the existing landscape well. | |||
Ocean tiles are marked in blue, the river is marked in light blue, region borders are painted over in red. Not all tiles or borders are marked, this is just an example, ok? | |||
Nevertheless, you can see how each region would break down into several places, for example [[Tokat]] would consist of 6 individual places and could have somewhere between 2 and 6 estates (a single estate is not possible, since not all places border each other). | |||
Note, however, that "Tokat" stops being a fixed entity. It could conquer, trade or otherwise get control of any place that borders it, e.g. the settlement to the north-west that makes up the "leg" of [[Sordidus]], and thus grow larger. Or smaller. Or it could change shape. | |||
You can see how a large city like [[Oligarch]] could be made up of several districts, or a small city like [[Fontan]] or [[Karbala]] is made up of one place. I have not yet decided if cities should always be one place exactly, both possibilities exist. |
Latest revision as of 13:54, 22 November 2010
Conceptual Overview
The purpose of this is to generate a bottom-up system of regions, duchies, realms, etc. So we start from the lowest reasonable element and build up.
Walkthrough
Example
This is a very, very rough example to illustrate the relation between the old and the new world.
In this overlay of the East Island, the voronoi cells are randomly generated, so they do not fit the existing landscape well.
Ocean tiles are marked in blue, the river is marked in light blue, region borders are painted over in red. Not all tiles or borders are marked, this is just an example, ok?
Nevertheless, you can see how each region would break down into several places, for example Tokat would consist of 6 individual places and could have somewhere between 2 and 6 estates (a single estate is not possible, since not all places border each other). Note, however, that "Tokat" stops being a fixed entity. It could conquer, trade or otherwise get control of any place that borders it, e.g. the settlement to the north-west that makes up the "leg" of Sordidus, and thus grow larger. Or smaller. Or it could change shape.
You can see how a large city like Oligarch could be made up of several districts, or a small city like Fontan or Karbala is made up of one place. I have not yet decided if cities should always be one place exactly, both possibilities exist.