Hey all, I promised Ahowl a roadmap for the map.
I currently have a version of the map that consists of the following elements
- A regions map that I expect to be close to the one that will eventually be implemented.
- A ground types map that is a basic division between land, beach and sea.
- A an overlay of the infrastructure of the map at ground types resolution.
- A features map with corresponding fords.
- A placeholder climates map.
- A nearly finished height map.
- A descr_strat from which I have removed everything with a coordinate, except a leader for each faction.
My current project is to build the actual climates map. Technically, that's not a very critical or demanding task per se. The main job will be the coding that's involved in redefining some of the existing climates. I will put that off until later, as it does not impact the map functionality.
At this point, I should have everything I need to build the ground types map, which will be the next phase.
After that, everything that has a coordinate to it will need to be transferred to the new map. Everything that gets added that needs to move will have to be placed on the tiles of the infrastructure and settlements I referred to earlier. If we stick to that, further developments of the map on one hand and its coding on the other should in most cases be able to proceed without conflict.
Finally, there's going to be a lot of testing. Part of the charm of data based mapping, is that once everything comes together, the variety of localities created is greater than any paint job could ever achieve, but with it comes the risk of unforeseen problems. I'm trying to preempt them more than I ever have, but I am under no illusion that it will all be smooth sailing. If not for technical issues, then because we're bound to find that the historically sound disposition of things will be beyond the capabilities of the AI in some cases.
Timeframes? I aim to have a map ready to be populated before the summer.