Idea: Underground provinces
 

I wonder if it would be possible to add an Underground terrain type for maps with some sort of underworld provinces? This terrain type would always have Darkness in it. Poptypes could include Pale Ones, Shades and perhaps even new stuff like Olms or fungi creatures if IW would bother. Or maybe there wouldn't be poptypes but people making underground maps should take care of it themself.

All IW would need to do is the add an Underground terraintype, make a battle background for it (and perhaps a submerged undergound background too) and make it have Darkness on when battles are fough there.

I would really, really like to see this, as I have an idea for mod that would take largely place undergound. It would have fancy stuff like Olms, bat people and ctulhoid fungi in it. http://forum.shrapnelgames.com/images/smilies/happy.gif

Re: Idea: Underground provinces
 

Maybe a second layer of map with entrances and exits?

Alternatively, the Air nations could have an "air map" above the world...

Re: Idea: Underground provinces
 

Indeed, but that would require rather profound changes to the game. Maybe in Dom 4.

It's easier just to add a new terrain type. I'm asking this not only because of my own interest but also because I remember that there has been some "underworld" maps.

Re: Idea: Underground provinces
 

not to pour cold water on your idea, but an 'underground' terrain type really doesn't make sense, considering that the map is a bird's eye view of the land. Looking down from above you wouldn't see 'underground', you'd see whatever is over top of the underground (i.e. fields, mountains, forests, etc.)

With that said, I *believe* that Agartha's cities are 'cave cities' wherein it is always dark etc. - the idea being that they are, in fact, in great caves (i.e. underground). I see no reason (in theory) why you couldn't have an independant cave city, complete with underground-dwelling creatures, but that would be in a province that had some kind of surface to it (forest, mountain, etc.)

Re: Idea: Underground provinces
 

I know, but there are maps that have had "Underworld" layer or rather part of the map made to represent underground areas. Such as Hollow world and the map that had Surface World, Underground and Stygian Abyss.

Thumbnail of the Hollow World map for Dominions.

http://www.illwinter.com/dom/hollow_mini.jpg

Do you get what I mean now?

Re: Idea: Underground provinces
 

The visual image of the map is not what decides neighbors, but the actual #neighbor commands in the map file. So you can have multiple layers, and special connections (caves, teleports, chutes and ladders) between the layers.

Ive seen some creative maps doing things like this. Check out the Dom2 Maps page at Illwinter.com and look for the maps done by Andrew J. Osborn. He did some great examples of what can be done with this idea.

Gandalf Parker

Re: Idea: Underground provinces
 

This would be a good addition I think, and it need not interfere with the 2-D nature of the maps. For example, there are impassable mountains which cannot be crossed or inhabited, but perhaps there can be a province underneath which is a path under. Impassable mountains don't need to be just a border feature, but can be a province with an underground instead.

There is also no restriction on making the province boundaries visible or cover 100% of the visible map. I can imagine a lake province connecting two other bodies of water, and also an underground cavern connecting the two land masses underneath the water, so the only trick would be how to display it on the 2-D map view and make it clear with neighbors, etc.

Sill

Re: Idea: Underground provinces
 

Yes, I know it works like that but the underground provinces will have to use some of the surface world terrain, and that can be very silly. What I am suggesting is an Underground terrain type that could be used in such situations. Yes, the game is top down, yes it's the neighbour connections that matter etc.

Re: Idea: Underground provinces
 

Yup. You can have a world map that lets you go straight from Norway to Taiwan, to put it that way.

Re: Idea: Underground provinces
 

yeah i think it's fine to have multiple layers - I've played on the map you show before, and it's a fine idea. But having 'underground' as a terrain type without it being on a separate layer of all underground provinces wouldn't make much sense.