[CF List] BIGworld

[Todd Mitchell]

>
     
        There are some options when you run java that may help this
     
     out: -Xmx<num>mb
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      increase the heap size the program can use.  The default of 64 mb on unix
     
     (at
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      least) is a bit small for these big maps.
     
     >
     
     
     Have to try that.  I also noticed that the tiling in the editor worked until
I hit the top corner of Navar or Scorn - then I would get a message that the
editor is looking for the next map in the javaeditor directory and not the
maps directory.  By the way I am using the editor in Windows with a mapped
drive to the maps on my redhat box so I bet this slows things down a bit.  I
will try upping the memory, but once the map is open it tiles quickly and
the editor is not sluggish.

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     >
     
        It's fairly open.  Before doing something big, you should certainly send
     
     a
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      message to the mailing list saying what you want to do and where on the
     
     world
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      that would be.
     
     >
     
     
     The map mailing list or this one?  I do want to cut out a minor desert
(maybe 3x3 of maps worth) just northwest of Navar to build some ruins in.  I
will also try to dig up some nice documents on world landscaping that I have
found useful in the past - outlining good rules of thumb for
social-geographical design (like deserts usually sit on the opposite side of
mountains that the wind is hitting, dwelling usually are located near water
or a passable landscape feature such as a mountain pass.)  - this would be
nice to add to the map making documentation.
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     >
     
        Monsters can cross tiled maps.  Its unlikely they would run off (the map
     
     won't
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      get loaded until someone visits it).  But if someone was adventuring
     
     there, and
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      decided it was time to go back to town, it is certainly possible that some
     
     >
     
      monsters may follow him.  However, unless the monster and playes speed are
     
     very
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      near each other, pretty much the player will either have to fight them
     
     off, or
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      will likely out run them.
     
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     One problem I see with this is player a stirs up some monsters and player b
comes walking by on his way to newbie map Alpha and gets eaten alive.  One
way to deal with this I can think of is to make the main roads 'safe'.  The
main road could be widened to two tiles (to make it easier to move along)
and monster blocking could be done along the 'Imperial Highway' so that
players are generally safe from attack there.  (done with monster specific
directors to push them back, could possibly add in no-magic tiles to the
road as well) Of course not all roads would be like this - in fact most
wouldn't.  This could also be extended to some scattered inns and shrines
and an area of influence around cities (like a patrolled zone).
That would be pretty sweet - and make overland travel more fun if you wanted
to wander off the main route.  You could get some basic social structure out
of this idea as well - The Imperial Highway does not go there - it is a
strange and dangerous land.

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        I certainly wouldn't want to go for different currency, even though it
     
     may be
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      the most obvious, it would most likely just prove to be a pain for the
     
     players.
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     Nope wouldn't want to do that.