Alternative world map for IWDEE (mod idea)
skusha
Member Posts: 136
I had an idea to add an alternative world map for IWDEE with icons of locations from IWDEE itself (+HoW and TotLM) and mods from @LavaDelVortel.
Default maps, as for me, are not maps in essence, and are just beautiful art. Here was the idea to replace it with a full-fledged map.
The following variant seems to me: to use the EET map as a basis, or rather IWD region from the EET map and on it to place all necessary icons and inscriptions from the game and Lava mods, as well as to add cosmetic improvements such as a frame, directions of the sides of the world, etc..:
Or the second variant is to take some other IWD map as a basis, which would allow to territorialize all the icons of the game and other mods for IWDEE.
For example, here's a good map option:
So this idea, as I think, is pretty good and even necessary, so looking for help from those who will help to realize all this technically as a mod.
Default maps, as for me, are not maps in essence, and are just beautiful art. Here was the idea to replace it with a full-fledged map.
The following variant seems to me: to use the EET map as a basis, or rather IWD region from the EET map and on it to place all necessary icons and inscriptions from the game and Lava mods, as well as to add cosmetic improvements such as a frame, directions of the sides of the world, etc..:
Or the second variant is to take some other IWD map as a basis, which would allow to territorialize all the icons of the game and other mods for IWDEE.
For example, here's a good map option:
So this idea, as I think, is pretty good and even necessary, so looking for help from those who will help to realize all this technically as a mod.
0
Comments
1. Most importantly, this would require more work from me than anyone else. I would need to recode each of my IWD quest to detect which world map someone is using, then code different tables, with different coordinates for. I would also need to create all world map icons for each mod (btw, current Iwd system requires me to make like 1 frame, while the BG2 style icons require like 13 different frames per one icon). And such process would need to happen for each of my possible new IWDEE mod.
2. Secondly, what IWD needs is a vague map that is already there. Why? Because even the original campaign includes places that does not exist in the actual canon - Kuldahar is a IWD game made up place that does not exist in any source book. The fact IWD map is more... Abstract, makes it more fitting to accept a place that isn't there in the lore, as it's not pinned to any specific place.
3. Lastly, what you posted are maps and icons that were made by others, without any approval from them, as far as I understand. So there is a whole thing of getting approvals and/or new resources.
I won't lie, point number 1 is the most important from me. I am on brink of quitting creating new stuff, because I feel burnt out and it's been like few weeks since I wrote anything... I am really not taking more stuff to work on. Sorry!
1) is mostly manageable. BP-BGT Worldmap shows an example how; it can include internal metadata for mod-added areas which it will prefer over the Worldmap folder mods would copy the metadata to. (that folder is a fallback anyway). So if this supposed to be worldmap code extends this import code to try copying out the area addition mods' icons used to duplicate them into the new worldmap and then adds these in based on internal metadata, that's a technically correct solution.
I would also add that EET's Icewind Dale representation is also vastly artistic and vague over how the area even looks like and I wouldn't really advise using that as a starting point. An artistic but more befitting to the original games' map icons solution would be the best for this game, akin to current maps.
I lack the artistic talents and I'm not that much interested in coding this up though.