The Dawn Of Ages - Quenched

[Kabanellas]

The Dawn Of Ages quick guide – things you need to know about key elements

Every Settlement has its respective army Training Ground (TG) for bonus combination:
Elven town - Elven TG
Human village - Warriors TG or Horsemen TG
Orks camp - Orcs TG
Raiders inn - Raiders TG

Dwarves have 2 region types that yield bonus when combined:
Dwarves Stronghold (DS)– one-way assaults the region it's built in (Ex: Damkianna Stronghold one-way assaults Damkianna Region)
Dwarves Gateway (DG)– from where you get access to the Dwarves underground passage
Combine DS and DG for bonus [1 DG + X DS = X bonus (detailed in the legend box)]

Tower of Control - Can bombard all Receptacles; is bombarded by The House of Gods

Raider’s Haven - Can one-way assault all Ports; is bombarded by Sea Dragon

The House of Gods - Can bombard both Towers and the Sea Dragon

Sea Dragon - Can bombard Raider's Haven; is bombarded by The House of Gods; is one-way assaulted by all Ports

Scheme:


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Races:

-Orks ,region names came from Mongolic etymology
-Humans/The Horseman (representing the Rohirrin), region names came from Sumerian etymology
-Humans/The Warriors (representing Gondor), region names came from ancient Egypt etymology
-Elves, region names came from Scandinavian mythology.
-Dark Elves, located in the forest of Logoth
-Dwarves, located in underground tunnels across the map

32 Regions to be distributed by all players
20 Starting neutral regions (with 1 killer neutral)
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Large map: http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af105/Kabanellas/Dawn_of_Ages_Beta5_Large_img.png
Small map: http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af105/Kabanellas/Dawn_of_Ages_Beta5_Small_img.png
XML: http://bolonniy.com/CC/Dawn_Of_Ages_v5.xml

Last Version

Large Image

Click image to enlarge.

Small Image

Click image to enlarge.

Version 1 - http://www.freewebs.com/kabanellas/Dawn_of_Ages.jpg
Version 2 - http://www.freewebs.com/kabanellas/Dawn_of_Ages_V2.jpg
Version 3 - http://www.freewebs.com/kabanellas/Dawn_of_Ages_V3.jpg
Version 4 - http://www.freewebs.com/kabanellas/Dawn_of_Ages_V4.jpg
Version 5 - http://www.freewebs.com/kabanellas/Dawn_of_Ages_V5.jpg
Version 6 - http://www.freewebs.com/kabanellas/Dawn_of_Ages_V6.jpg
Version 7 - http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af105/Kabanellas/Dawn_of_Ages_V7_Small.jpg
Version 8.1 - http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af105/Kabanellas/Dawn_of_Ages_V8_1a.jpg
Version 9 - http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af105/Kabanellas/Dawn_of_Ages_V9a.jpg
Version 10 - http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af105/Kabanellas/Dawn_of_Ages_V11_image-1.png
Version 11 - http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af105/Kabanellas/Dawn_of_Ages_V11b.jpg
Version 12 - http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af105/Kabanellas/Dawn_of_Ages_V12.jpg
Version 13 - http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af105/Kabanellas/Dawn_of_Ages_V13.jpg
Version 14 - http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af105/Kabanellas/Dawn_of_Ages_V14.jpg
Version 21 - http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af105/Kabanellas/Dawn_of_Ages_V21img.png
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And finally it’s done after a long time in the making.

The idea, as it was discussed before, is to make a map that brings back Tolkien’s spirit without interfering with any kind of royalties.

Being so I tried to make a map that conceptually would follow Tolkien’s Middle Earth matrix – without making any kind of reference to his (own) creations.

Therefore Orks have become Gorks – and their region’s names came from the Mongolic Age; The Rohirrin are now the Horsemen – and their region’s names are Sumerian; Gondor is represented by ‘The Warriors’ and their names came from the ancient Egypt. The Elves – remain elves for they are older than mythology itself, and their region’s names came from Scandinavian mythology.

The regions starting neutral are marked in the map along with their defined number.

Hope you like it, as much as I enjoyed making it.
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[kevusher]

I think Gork may be copyrighted by Games Workshop, they certainly use it in some personal names within their own Ork race.....

although a quick ( ) check seems to indicate it's not.

[WidowMakers]

FYI. I don't think your Lost island game play mechanics will work with the current XML.

Neutrals reset at the beginning of every round when held by a player.

[whitestazn88]

too busy in the legend. not a fan of the color right now... too parchamenty, but not good like in age of merchants..

[Kabanellas]

I had that same doubt. Couldn’t we just adapt the XML to fit something like that? (regions resetting to neutral every 10 turns)

Also, can we have that – holding 2 towers (2 regions) - feature that makes some regions loose 1 troop per round?

[AndrewB]

I had that same doubt. Couldn’t we just adapt the XML to fit something like that? (regions resetting to neutral every 10 turns)

Also, can we have that – holding 2 towers (2 regions) - feature that makes some regions loose 1 troop per round?

Not under the current XML engine.

But you can make that holding 2 towers will result in -1 troop in the total deployment, not into the specific territory.

[Kabanellas]

ok.. so anyone possessing the Tower of Control and the Tower of Doom will trigger a effect that will make anyone holding a receptacle have a -1 effect in his/her income. Not on the region itself....

[Kabanellas]

The all idea behind the Lost Island feature was to create a sort of medium-term investment that players could try. They could lose from 10 to 20 troops but the investment would pay in 4/5 turns the rest would be just gains – until the next eruption.

Apparently the XML doesn’t allow it... well, I could do something else instead, trying to maintain the concept though.

Players will have a one-time shot to overrun 3 + 3 killer neutrals, reach the Gods, and make an income of 12 troops in the following round if keeping the House of Gods for a turn. Don’t know if the XML will allow this – will the neutral killers from the region act first disabling the player from receiving the income from that same region?

Version 2

Click image to enlarge.

[Kabanellas]

Ok.. After talking to AndrewB about the XML concerning the Lost Island feature, and the impossibility of doing it in the way I initially wanted, we came up with the idea of equipping the House of Gods with the ability of bombarding the Tower of Doom. Pretty much the basic philosophy of Good vs. Evil – being that the tower of control already has the ability of bombarding the regions holding the receptacles.

Well, with no further delays, here is Version 3:

Click image to enlarge.

[Barry Zuckerkorn]

There is some really good artwork being displayed in this map -- its style will set it up there with some of the best maps on this site. I applaud the artist for the inspiration to turn CC into art

[Kabanellas]

Thanks a lot Barry! I appreciate.

I've added some artwork on the map. Hope you guys like it!

Click image to enlarge.

[AndrewB]

Great addition, Kabanellas.

Here are some other comments:

1. The receptacles negative bonus cannot be implemented under current game engine.
2. +3 bonus for holding 2 territories is too much. Especially if one of them receives +1 autodeploy to start with. Same goes for the +2 bonuses of gorks and elves. I think all pairs should be worth +1 (this will clean up a legend slightly).
3. Can House of gods attack both tower? I think it should, especially if u are planning to give the positive bonus for holding both. Not just bombard, but attack too.
4. Raiders cave: "But cannot reinforce them" - Cannot be done with current game engine.
5. Is there particular need for the dwarfs gateway to be numbered? Kind of confusing to whose numbers mean.
6. I think there should be some bonus for holding the house of gods (some autodeploy one).
7. What can attack North Logof?
8. What South Logof can attack? Not clear from the map...
9. You might want to consider to turn the villages etc into the starting points. Make some other territories neutral? Like all the resources.
10 . Being in Addar it is not easy to get to the towers? Or it is not a concern?

Regarding the graphics:

1. It would be nice for the background to have some texture. For examaple like this:
http://www.rapidsharegfx.com/2008/10/09/old-paper-or-parchment.html
Or even this on is better:
http://www.filterforge.com/filters/1480.html
2. I really like the text which you have up top in the middle. Hopefully it can be some passage, encrypted using lets say simple replacement algorithm? It would be pretty cool.
3. It is better for the border to go around all the edges, uninterrupted. I know, the real estate can be a problem, but it would look a lot nicer. But with the reduced legend (see comments above) you might get a lot of free area.

[Kabanellas]

Great addition, Kabanellas.

Here are some other comments:

1. The receptacles negative bonus cannot be implemented under current game engine.
2. +3 bonus for holding 2 territories is too much. Especially if one of them receives +1 autodeploy to start with. Same goes for the +2 bonuses of gorks and elves. I think all pairs should be worth +1 (this will clean up a legend slightly).
3. Can House of gods attack both tower? I think it should, especially if u are planning to give the positive bonus for holding both. Not just bombard, but attack too.
4. Raiders cave: "But cannot reinforce them" - Cannot be done with current game engine.
5. Is there particular need for the dwarfs gateway to be numbered? Kind of confusing to whose numbers mean.
6. I think there should be some bonus for holding the house of gods (some autodeploy one).
7. What can attack North Logof?
8. What South Logof can attack? Not clear from the map...
9. You might want to consider to turn the villages etc into the starting points. Make some other territories neutral? Like all the resources.
10 . Being in Addar it is not easy to get to the towers? Or it is not a concern?

Regarding the graphics:

1. It would be nice for the background to have some texture. For examaple like this:
http://www.rapidsharegfx.com/2008/10/09/old-paper-or-parchment.html
Or even this on is better:
http://www.filterforge.com/filters/1480.html
2. I really like the text which you have up top in the middle. Hopefully it can be some passage, encrypted using lets say simple replacement algorithm? It would be pretty cool.
3. It is better for the border to go around all the edges, uninterrupted. I know, the real estate can be a problem, but it would look a lot nicer. But with the reduced legend (see comments above) you might get a lot of free area.

Thanks, Andrew!

1- Maybe we could make it work in another way. They could give a 1 troop auto-deploy bonus, which could be lost if one player holds the 2 towers.
2- I’ll drop down those bonus
3- I’d prefer to stay with the Bombard Tower of Doom effect for the time being. Later on we’ll revise that.
4- That’s sad, I wanted it to be able to one-way assault ports but not being able to feed them.....
5- They need to be numbered or else I’d have to name them, which would make everything harder. I’m sticking to ‘Dwarf’s gateway 1’, ‘Dwarf’s gateway 2’, and so on....
6- There is – check the bonus scale
7- Only South Logoth can attack North Logoth (you need to be inside the Dark Elves realm to get to it, and the only way in is through South Logoth – I’ll drop this bonus too)
8- South Logoth has a both-way passage to the Hillmen region.
9- I think that in this map I’d prefer to make it all random everyone will get to choose what place f the map suits him/her better. The only problem is that a player could get instant bonus by getting deployed in both regions. I don’t know if we can avoid it with programming, I think so, if not we could make all cities and villages neutrals.
10- No, not really. The towers should eventually be owned by the player holding the orkish (Gorks) regions.

Graphics:
I’ve tried different parchments background. Actually I’ve tried your second option – very confusing the final result, believe me

The text in the middle is indeed Dwarf runes – and they have a meaning.... but you will have to discover it in deep dark caves of the Lost Civilization’s Library .....

As for the border – that’s just a personal thing. Both in design and in architecture I prefer to avoid the obvious, which would be, in this case to make an all edge frame. I find the interrupted frame to be much more interesting.

[Kabanellas]

Version 5, considering all Andrew's valuable remarks is now ready.

Click image to enlarge.

[captainwalrus]

It sort of comes across as too much. Maybe simplfy the bonuses. less symbols.
Also, makeing it tell a story would give it more of a tolkin feel to it.

[Kabanellas]

Hi Captain! Could you specify a little bit more the ‘story’ part. How could it be added ? in what way? – that could be interesting.

As for the bonus, I’m working on bonus pairs, is something that made perfect sense to me since the beginning when I first thought about this map. It’s taking the concept of Age of Realms, but trying to make all bonus more identifiable on map.

I wanted all races to be perfectly recognizable – being so, we have the Elven town that gives +1 a/d, but paired with the elven training ground will add 1 more troop to deployment bonus; the Gorks and their respective training ground; the human village that could pair either with the horseman t.g. or with the warrior t.g. Of course I had to make a reference to the 2 towers and his powers... to the Dwarfs... Well, all those bonus will definitely make the map a lot more juicy and will help making Tolkien's visions come alive in CC (I hope)

K

[Kabanellas]

DOA map updated!

Version 6:

http://www.freewebs.com/kabanellas/Dawn_of_Ages_V6.jpg

[thenobodies80]

Nice work K!
I love this map.

I'd like to see "the house of gods" listed in the legend...
Are Woods impassable? It isn't explained on the map
About bonuses....
If i have a gorks camp and a gorks training ground i'll receive a +1 bonus. this is clear.
But if i have 2 gorks camp and 1 training? or 2 gorks training and 1 camp?
For example if i hold all gorks camps and all training grounds i will receive a +9 or only a +1 or a +3 ?

About gateways, i don't think you need letters or numbers on the map
gateway 1 is Damkianna gatewawy, Gateway A is Khnum gateway...i think it's clear and easy.

About graphic, only a thing...
I'm not a big fan of your "little white/black squares" border, but it's only a personal choice and i have nothing against if you want to keep it
And maybe some names are a bit difficult to read. (grut for example).

thenobodies80

[Kabanellas]

Yes, putting the house of gods in the legend makes some sense… On the other side I could do a parallel to both towers and make a direct connection to the region itself. The Tower of Control doesn’t appear on the legend because it’s defined by the region itself, the same can happen for the House of Gods.

The woods in Logoth are not passable except for that corridor that opens South Logoth to Ralaq-marsan. North Logoth can one-way attack otter regions. Don’t know if you’re much into the ‘Tolkien thing’, but Logoth here represents the 'Dark Elves' from Tolkien’s books.

The bonus in most cases only work in pairs – so if you have 2 Gork camps and 1 Gork training ground (GTG) you’ll still get just 1 bonus troop. Being so – you can achieve a maximum of 3 bonus troops when holding all Gork’s camps and all GTGs (3 pairs)

About Dwarf’s gates…. Yes that’s probably a good idea – we could name them by the region they connect to.

The’ black and white square border’ is a graphic thing that takes me to that map genre – as seen in books or game boards. I’ve tried some different things though… but I wasn’t able to find anything that satisfied me more…. Yet

As for the font style… well, I’ve tried a lot of them – this one might not be perfect, I know... but was the best I could find. I need them to have a ‘manuscript’ look, and still be readable – not easy...

[Kabanellas]

DOA map updated:

Version 7

Click image to enlarge.

[barterer2002]

OK, I've been called in to give some ideas and a fresh (hopefully) look.

1). What is the Dwarf's passage? The legend says that they can attack adjacent exterior regions which would seem to be a reasons to hold one of those places however couldn't Khnum already attack Damkiananna and Anshar? Or are you allowed to attack any tert along the dwarf's passage that has an entrance? And if so, I think the legend language should read something more like "can one way attack any other Dwarf gateway tert. And if not then I'm not sure what it is other than another bonus structure.

2). I kind of think that Raider's Haven is too powerful here. Not only are you giving it an autodeploy on each turn but its also able to attack every other port-without reprisal from those same ports. I kind of think only one of these advantages is needed/useful and it seems to me that the one way attack fits into what you want the story to be and the auto deploy is just needless.

3). Why is the tower of control starting with 3 while the tower of doom, raider's haven and the elven towns at 4 while the House of gods starts at 6 (and I think they're all neutral)

4). why is the bonus higher for holding a human village and a training ground than it is for Gork/Elvan and training ground. They don't seem to be more difficult to hold or obtain so why is the bonus structure different?

5). Why is North Logoth starting Neutral? Is it really that important a tert that it needs a neutral start?

6). Is the Logoth bonus of +2 too high. There are only two terts and one only one entrance to attack.

[cairnswk]

Kabanellas...i've been called in for a preliminary look at your map

1st impression is that i like the look of this. It's fine art work coupled with appropriate font and good icon work. And i love the Raiders Heaven tert with that skull harbour. I think the background colour works well also, although some woudl think it too bland.

What is all that "haze/things" around N.L. and S.L.? Is it forest?

Gameplay i will leave until later as i know that is being worked on.

My main concern will be with the legibility of the map in small version size of 630(max) px wide, and will it be too cramped at that size. Have you considered that and ways around that.

Are you able to show a small version at this point?

[captainwalrus]

For the story, I mean like a few lines that say like "In the dawn of ages war between elves dwarfs blah blah blah...." Something that sets the scene.

Also, tower of doom and tower of control should have more nuturals and a bigger bonus. The tower of doom needs to live up to it's name.

[Danyael]

this is a nice looking map clean ink style
a glance at a small map is a good idea there are a lot of symbols that could look close to or the same in appearance when made small or hard to make out period
so what to do
I think removing some of the redundancies in the legend
I think you should be able to work it differently
i.e. Put the horsemen name over or under the images in the bonus scale
this would create a lot of extra space helping worth the sizing of the small
i'm not a fan of the cut off border around the map reason way your map looks awesome then the cut off border make the whole thing look half assed to be blunt
but to each there own
as well is there a reason for the arrows and glow on some of the dwarf gates
I also believe you could make graphically better icons for the bridges and the gates are kinda super sharp

i like this map it has a lot of potential
with a early look at a small version and a little more foundation on the gameplay i think this would be ready to move up
of course the op needs to be set up in a better manner how many starting regions

[Industrial Helix]

Prelim review time!

Well, the art work is fantastic on this map, I really like the approach you've taken with it. Some of the stuff looks a little pixelated, dwarves entrances and bridges, you might want to adjust that at some point.

The text on the territories is a tad hard to read. It doesn't help that its not English so my word recognition is just down the toilet. I'd suggest increasing the size of the font or going with a totally new one.

The legend... I think you need to combine what the symbols mean with what they're worth.

Small version is gonna be a problem, I suspect. You might want to address it sooner rather than later.