Paragons: Year of the Ebony Crown

[JayRay]

Okay, Update, as I have began the work to create Roguehaven in the way that I want it to be made. I decided against the DLC friendly pack for now, which might still be used at a later date, once the original game is complete, or enough of it for a viable demo is ready. I did however, solidify my mapping structure, which basically will come in at just 900 maps over all! This was great as I was really concerned that the number of maps I truly needed would be too much to work with. Luckily, I converted my world Mapping down into 10 regional or kingdom maps, with landmarkes, forts, ruins and little towns throughout the map for each one.

I also added three new scripts, two for aesthetics, and one for purpose.

The first, Event Transparency, looks to be an awesome way for me to cram more trees into a thick forest without destroying any chance of seeing our hero

The second, ELSA, began as a script by DerVVulfman called Events Always Under. This was expanded into a multi-tiered eventing that opened up a lot of doors.

The third script, which I'm really excited to try out, called Event Sizes, seems to allow me to add event passability for events larger than 1 tile. This is the script I need for purpose. With this script I can add event variations (walls, props, obstacles at will on a map, using the same map over and over in different aspects, much like some MMOS will have the same room in 3d, but while you could go up stairs in one version, the path is blocked off by a bunch of rocks in another version, but this alterpiece with all sorts candles, definitely WASN'T in the other version of the room.


MAPS MAPS MAPS
I also got a chance to really outline my maps for the world, and have the map matrix listed below. There are really six environment types, woodland, Grassland, Snow, Desert, Rocky, and for the most the entire world can fit into those basic general type. I also have


Updated 3/11/15
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New Map Matrix
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1 - 25 Non-Map Menu Screens
26 (Category Folder)

27 - 49 World Overland Maps
50 - (Category Folder)
51 - 249 Specific Locations External
250 - 599 Ships/Tunnels/Specific Exteriors

600 (Category Folder)

601 - 630 Varied Fort/Castle Interiors
631 - 660 Varied Reydi Stronghold Interiors
661 - 690 Varied Tomb/Ruins Interiors
691 - 720 Varied Desert Interiors
721 - 750 Varied Shadow Bastion Interiors
751 - 799 Varied Cave/Cavern Interiors

800 (Category Folder)

801 - 899 Specifc PVE Event Systems
900 - 950 K'tyras
960 - 998 Ob'raskyr

999 (ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER PLACE)

Explanation
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1-25 Non-Map Menu Screens

Taking advantage of my strings and text placement engine, I wanted to also utilize mouse systems in my game for menu systems that might not need all the extras that a Scene may require. This system will allow for that same transition, for things like minigames, character customization, whatever options I have decided to embrace.

26 & 27-99 Specifc Interiors

Even though a castle is a castle is a castle, I want varied and specific touches to some of my locales. For instance, I know that the throne room in Sharistae is gilded with silver, has many balconies, and a 30foot tall angelic figure known as a Silvermaiden, servant of Aaliana in the room, while Raven's Court in Merede is much older, with large gothic archways throughout. These are items that may mot be used in abundance throughout the game, so I am working on maps to best befit these unique locations.

100 & 101 - 599 The world is your Oyster!

Okay, so even with 500x500 maps, with all these points of doors, and portals, and even with a world atlas, I still have a VAST, and I mean VAST overland track land masses so far require at least 477 maps at 500x500, with an 8x10 border on each map. That's still 484 x 480 x 477, or 110,816,640 total tiles, and if we figure a stride from one tile to another is approximately 3 feet, we end up with close to 62,964 SQUARE MILES. Now some of that is taken by maps that have impassible water tiles, but even ignoring the scale that a continent is NOT going to be a tiny 250 miles by 250 miles or so, we still have a HUGE mass to work with.

601 - 799 Interiors/Dungeons

I was stressing, oh so stressing about how I was going to recycle everything I needed per maps, until I realized, I had switches in my game, perfect for ensuring that doorways always go to sections of fortresses, back and forth, until everything, and every one of my fortresses are created from (BLOCKS) of rooms and tiled areas. 30 maps at 500x500, to give enough space between each section, should definitely be enough for what I'm trying to accomplish. Using bits and pieces, even combinations of pieces form different mappng structures, I can be sure that ALL my locations are preserved, allowing for hundreds of locals for adventure, questing, and just for the 'Hey let's see where this takes us' immersion. Even though each map location is just bits and pieces, a good mapper can draw out and keep maps for all these rooms, much like in the old days of pen and paper games.

800 & 801 - 899 Ninety Nine More Dungeons, I feel for ya son,

That's right, keeping with themes, for larger dungeons and crypts we have 99 more locations that will be specifically set around certain levels, class options and more. These may allow for our more uncommon equipment drops, but of course are a lot harder than your normal slower-paced dungeon setting. The risks are greater, but so are the rewards. Plus, of course, like many major MMO's, you can go back over and over again to defeat the threats at each of these PVE, to stock up on the higher needs that might just not be available in the overland or normal dungeons.

900 - 950 Travel to the Chaotic, Churning, Hell of K'ytras, Vacation Getaway

Extraplanar travel is sometimes not as easy as you might think. While guarded transportation can quickly scoot you from countryside to countryside, the 'Old' created large stone portals. These portals used a harsh environment as a bridge from one area to another. If one is low on money, and wants to risk being torn to shreds by something that would never exist in the natural world? Then K'tyras is available, with its ruined and cursed lands.

960 - 998 Ob'raskyr
Ob'raskyr, also known as the Scarred, is a land of choking black air, hot wind, and environments that make K'Tyras seem like a true vacation getaway. Deep Underground, this cavernous getaway can confuse and misdirect the hapless adventurer. The only reason anyone would want to travel through the Ob'Raskyr Gate is for rare metals and spices only available there, and to meek out a living among the factions of Ob'Raskyr City. The Haz and Dark Elves of millenia ago came to this city, in hopes to alienate themselves away from the outerworld, and often belittle outsiders or surface dwellers who come.

999 Another Time and Another Place

In the center of K'tyras is a henge of portals that stay inoperable for now, but (when DLC comes out) will expand to huge expanses for players to explore, adding new items, new equipment, adding new maps, new magic powers, and more! These updates should fall seemlessly into the same game files, and seeks to someday populate the entire world of Kharis as one major campaign and RPG system.