Arcadia II?

[Aldandil]

So word has it that the Arcadia II map is finished, and is even better than the first one. Can the developers please post it so we can see?

[Mythos_Ruler]

If you're one of the people that update the game regularly through SVN then you can see it.

[Aldandil]

I don't have a graphics card that can run the game and I can't afford a new one right now. No job, no income.

I'm just enjoying the screenshots and videos folks are posting.

[Mythos_Ruler]

Just pulling ur leg, man. I am making screenshots to post now.

[Mythos_Ruler]

A R C A D I A II

Players start off with a Civic Centre and a new building I made called a 'Stoa.' You can't build any additional Stoas, but this initial Stoa gives you a +10 population bonus so you can get a little bit of a head start at the beginning of the match.

Nearby there are cool little areas like this one with a bunch of Metal to mine (unfortunately the bear doesn't attack yet, but eventually he will), plus both sides get a nice Apple orchard for lots and lots of food. I recommend using Female citizens, as they have a foraging bonus over their male counterparts.

It's a 1v1 map. Both players are separated from the rest of the map by a broad stream (rivers in Greece tend to be rather narrow and fast). Each stream has 2 fords.

The center of the map is rather mountainous, with valleys and cliffs criss-crossing the area. The valleys are packed full of resources for the players to fight over.

The map features another revision of the Mediterranean terrains in order to present a more unified and integrated look to the textures. Alpha II will also have very large Metal Mines (you can see them in the screenshots), to differentiate them from Stone Mines, which are smaller and more numerous. Alpha II will also feature some other goodies, some rudimentary and some not so rudimentary.

A closer look at the Stoa building:

From WIKIPEDIA:

Arcadia

Geographically, ancient Arcadia occupied the highlands at the centre of the Peloponnese. To the north, it bordered Achaea along the ridge of high ground running from Mount Erymanthos to Mount Cyllene; most of Mount Aroania lay within Arcadia. To the east, it had borders with Argolis and Corinthia along the ridge of high groud running from Mount Cyllene round to Mount Oligyrtus and then south Mount Parthenius. To the south, the border Laconia and Messenia ran through the foothills of the Parnon and Taygetos mountain ranges, such that Arcadia contained all the headwaters of the Alpheios river, but none of the Eurotas river. To the south-west, the border with Messania ran along the tops of Mount Nomia, and Mount Elaeum, and from there the border with Elis ran along the valleys of the Erymanthos and Diagon rivers. Most of the region of Arcardia was mountainous, apart from the plains around Tegea and Megalopolis, and the valleys of the Alpheios and Ladon rivers.

Due to its remote, mountainous character, Arcadia seems to have been a cultural refuge. When, during the Greek Dark Age, Doric Greek dialects were introduced to the Peloponnese, the older language apparently survived in Arcadia, and formed part of the Arcado-Cypriot group of Greek languages. Herodotus says that the inhabitants of Arcadia were Pelasgians, the Greek name for the supposed 'indigenous' inhabitants of Greece, who dwelt there before the arrival of the 'Hellenic' tribes.[5] Whilst Herodotus seems to have found the idea that the Pelasgians were not 'Greek' far-fetched, it is clear that the Arcadians were considered as the original inhabitants of the region.[6]

Arcadia is one of the regions described in the "catalogue of ships" in the Iliad.[7] There is a modern prefecture of Greece of the same name, which is more extensive than the ancient region.

[edit]

History

Main article: Arcadian League

From the 6th century BC, Sparta dominated the Peloponnese, and compelled its neighbours, including Arcadia, to join its Peloponnesian League and fight in its wars. The Spartan military dominance that enabled this interference in Arcadian affairs was suddenly ended in 371 BC, when Epaminondas and his Theban army decisively defeated a Spartan army at Leuctra. In the aftermath, the Arcadian League was formed, combining various cities of Arcadia into a federal league. After its establishment, the Arcadian League took an active role in the politics of the Peloponnese.

However, by 362 BC, the question of whether to continue as an ally of Thebes had become so pressing as to divide the Arcadian League. The cities of the league therefore ended up fighting on different sides at the Battle of Mantinea. After the battle, and the end of the Theban hegemony, the influence of the Arcadian League diminished. Although it never regained the prominence it had held during the 360s, an Arcadian league in some form—whether a continuation or a recreation of the original league is unclear—continued to exist in the years after the Battle of Mantinea. Various references indicate that the league endured at least into the 3rd century BC. The date of its final disappearance is uncertain, but at the latest it had vanished by the 230s BC, when the Arcadian cities joined the Achaean League.[8]

[Aldandil]

Thanks! Those terrain textures are so gorgeous!

If/when I finally get the ability to use this game, the editor is probably one of the first things I'll mess around with, followed by building pretty city screenshots.

Also, the stoa is cool. Kind of like editor-only eye-candy, but with game mechanics as well. I wonder what the equivalent buildings for other civs would be. Maybe a brick apartment building for the Romans?

Edited September 15, 2010 by Aldandil

[fcxSanya]

A nice description of the wonderful map Thank you, Michael !

[Mythos_Ruler]

Thanks. It's a great map. Hope you guys enjoy it. I think once settlements are implemented the map will be even better (with players fighting over the settlements).

[rjs23]

Looking real nice there pal.

[omicron1]

A thought:

The metal/stone deposits don't really stand out on all maps, especially visible in the valley 1 screenshot above. I'm not certain what you could do to highlight them; what AoE3 did was to place a dirt "rim" around any resource outcrops, separating them visually from the surrounding terrain.

[Mythos_Ruler]

Made a "grape vine" object and added some nice little orchards to the map.

Edited September 18, 2010 by Mythos_Ruler

[Jeru]

(Could we have a screenie of an orchard?)

[Mythos_Ruler]

LOL, it just looks like a couple of rows of bushes with a couple fences on either end. We'll just assume they are growing on posts.

http://www.abc.net.au/reslib/200801/r215262_835506.jpg

http://www.capetown.dj/Regions/Winelands/N...20vines_JPG.jpg

[SMST]

Hold on a minute. Are those new mediterranean terrain textures?

[Jeru]

Thanks, looking good.

[Mythos_Ruler]

Hold on a minute. Are those new mediterranean terrain textures?

Yes? Only about half are new.

[plumo]

Gorgeous map.

One thing: the cypresses 'stand out' in comparison with the other trees. Too low polygon count or the model? Can't put my finger on.

[WhiteTreePaladin]

I suppose they could use more of the "fuzzy" factor, but they aren't too bad. (They are lower poly, but that's just the way they were designed. It is a fairly "solid" tree if you know what I mean.)

[Mythos_Ruler]

These are typical breeds of Cypress tree.

http://www.artificialplantsandtrees.com/Le...press_trees.jpg

We might make a few more variations sometime in the future.