Middle Earth: Battle For Arda - Official Thread

[alkexr]

This is the official thread for Large Middle Earth - post your bug reports or ideas here. Ask any questions, leave any suggestions, I will read them (eventually).

Former discussion on this map:

• https://forums.triplea-game.org/topic/465/large-middle-earth-strategies
• https://forums.triplea-game.org/topic/577/large-middle-earth-queries

[Hepps]

I think I have hit all the terrains in a manner that accentuates them while making them distinctly part of the back ground.

This first example is just of the new River terrain image. None of the other terrains are changed.

This is the River Terrain with all the other finished terrains included. You will see that I have also created a new Swamp Terrain.

I have omitted the Names, PU & UP icons as I am currently revisiting those as well.

[redrum]

@hepps Looks awesome. This might put your previous works to shame though...

[Hepps]

@redrum Well here is another spot with some of the work done.

Before...

Halfway to after...

You will notice that I have dramatically changed the Falls of Rouros.... since it looked EXTREMELY confusing in the current version. Might even justify a small image to indicate it is impassible.

[redrum]

@hepps I'd suggest adding a bit of texture to the falls so its less solid blue and has more white/gray to set it apart more.

[Hepps]

@redrum How about just this?

[Hepps]

@hepps Black Knight Security Services.... "We'll risk life and limb to make your wilderness secure"

[alkexr]

@hepps Rivers are really cool. They should not be visible behind the trees though (one tree in Elvenking's Halls and another one in Lower Forest River)

[Hepps]

@alkexr Lol!!!! I was waiting to how long it would take for that to come up.

Answer.... not very long.

[alkexr]

@hepps I'm unimpressed by the ability icons. They don't help with seeing what is what.

I don't think there is a shortcut to the steep learning curve here. You just have to learn all the units, or at least the important ones. Or use the tooltpis frequently.

[Hepps]

@alkexr All good. I already have them installed in my version. Truth be told it helps a great deal. You have so many different effects for almost every unit I find it unplayable without them.

I don't know how you produced that image but everything other than the back ground looked blurred. So not sure what you did.

[Hepps]

@alkexr The other thing that probably helped me is that I redid the placements to account for the larger overall unit image size. That way the added abilities icons aren't overlapping each other making a jumble of unit images and icons.

[alkexr]

@hepps Do you have them as unit icons? I see no reason not to include them as an optional feature if one out of five-ish people who have ever given feedback say it "helps a great deal" and I don't have to lift more than a finger. Maybe with better placements there will be less clutter.

I don't know why it looks blurred, I made it with windows snipping tool. Here is the same with map snapshot:

[Hepps]

@alkexr Looks much better the second time through.

I put them in the unit images since the feature did not exist when I did them. But certainly they'd be much better as icons that you could turn on at the start of the game for a real release.

[Cernel]

@alkexr said in Large Middle Earth - official thread:

I don't know why it looks blurred, I made it with windows snipping tool. Here is the same with map snapshot:

Are you using Windows with a general zoom different from 100%?

[Hepps]

So here is a view of how I am doing the fords and river crossings.

Before

After

[alkexr]

@cernel Windows 10, zoomed in as much as possible, TripleA 1.9.0.0.10351

[Cernel]

@alkexr Just wanted to suggest to try it at 100% if it comes out right. I got several cases myself Windows zoom and TripleA don't mix well. Myself I gave up; now I've it at 100% since a while.

[Hepps]

Although this is quite tedious... it is also immensely enjoyable. Almost all of Gondor is now done. But you do not get to gaze on Minas Tirith or Osgiliath just yet.

Here is a look at the coast with just the rivers and terrain layers so far.

IF this is anywhere near as fun to play as it has been to design the reliefs for it... then we are in for a treat!

[alkexr]

Objectives

I'm going to start reworking the objectives soon. There are multiple open questions:

• Some of the objectives are quite random and not too significant, like Dwarves getting +3 PUs for controlling several of their original territories. Are these even necessary? They are just additional rules that the player has to keep in mind, and it feels like the game would not change much without these.
• Some objectives are one-time bonuses, like Saruman getting 12 PUs for taking Helm's Deep. Again, does this make the game more interesting?
• Then there are ones that are quite random, but are also significant, like both Dol Guldur and the Woodland Realm getting +1PUs per controlled Mirkwood territory. This can result in a difference of 26 PUs per turn, which is quite significant.
• Then there are the objectives balancing Rhun and Harad. I'm certain that these are necessary, and I'm also certain @Hepps will figure something out to mark them on the map on those 6 huge territories.
• And finally, there is the objective that tries to counterbalance Tolkien's tendency to give accurate descriptions of "Good" realms and neglecting "Evil" realms. In other words, there are way less Evil cities, so Evil has way less production. It is so bad in fact that without objectives I could only balance it by giving some Evil cities stupid amounts (40-ish) of PUs.

So my suggestion is:

• Scrap the type 1, 2, 3 objectives entirely, and if it seems necessary, balance this by increasing the production of some settlements. Balancing Saruman feels crucial, but they already have as much production as possible, so they will get more initial armies instead. (Also feels fair that Evil gets the initiative.)
• Keep the Rhun and Harad objectives, as per above.
• Most importantly, instead of the objectives giving flat 16 PUs for Orcs, Mordor, Dol Guldur and Angmar, I will introduce a "Creeping Darkness" objective or something like that, which gives them PUs based on TUV destroyed. Something like 10 TUV -> +6 PUs, 20 TUV -> +5 PUs, 30 TUV -> +4 PUs, 40 TUV -> +3 PUs, any additional 10 TUV -> +3 PUs.

Ideas?