[CF List] BIGworld

[Todd Mitchell]

I happened to pop onto Yann Chachkoff's test server to see how XP is being
done there, and was confronted with BIGWORLD.  Wow.  I've heard about it,
and I have looked at the gif's (should use png).  It's big.  I wandered for
quite a while.  It was a thrill just wandering and wondering what could go
where in the little nooks and crannies. From dusk to dusk I wandered.  Big
indeed.
So I got the CVS and cracked her open in the good ol CFJavaEditor.  Well the
tiling is sweet, no more goofing around with miles of invisible exits and
overlapping maps (I love the way you can skip from map to map with the
ctrl+arrow A.V.).  Unfortunatly I had some problems with the sheer volume of
worldmaps (editor couldn't handle it and blew up - am downloading JRE1.4.1
to see if this helps---*it did*).  Perhaps splitting the world maps into a
couple of
folders would be more friendly - there are 900 maps.
How does this work?  I get it that all main level maps are plopped directly
onto the world map (have to make some period piece street light arches to
hold those lights - Scorn by gaslight)  How much should mapmakers change the
landscape?  My first
thought was to make a huge grassland since I didn't see much of that, then
some
rivers.  It looks to be a pretty rocky and hilly place, even the forests are
too small for my tastes.  I realize I could generate my own map, but hey, it
is such a big empty map and I wanted to contribute to the common pool.
Also is there any snow happening?  I believe the map was generated prior to
the addition to winter terrain in the arches.  How fixed is bigworld anyway?
What about the elevation?  If I was to make a desert that ran for many maps,
would I set the elevation manually?  How drastic could changes to the world
maps be?
Say I wanted to make a haunted forest with a ruined city and put all the
mobs directly on the world map(where else would you put them - it is pretty
empty) - would they run off?  Is there some plan to be able to fence them
in, (like a blocking arch with a connection flag you can set on the monsters
to lay out encounter areas?) can they cross maps even?

A few more questions in point form:
-Any thought to making a smaller map initially (half the size? one third?)
and then
adding a second continent later on to make it a bit easier to manage and
populate?  Adding in new lands wouldn't be too hard, you could even generate
them now and just have a keep off sign and no way to get there for the
meantime until a certain density has been built up on the first area.
- How about countries?  The Imperial Empire, the three Kingdoms and
surrounds  - the Hegemony (coming fall 2004...?  All the guards have new
uniforms...)
- Any ideas for a name?
- is there a bigger plan here?  Where is it posted?

Anyway, I have asked enough questions.  Looks cool from the ground.