Some months ago I uploaded my map called simply Battle for Middle Earth ( http://bfme2.heavengames.com/downloads/showfile.php?fileid=1321 ) with aim to get a balanced, symmetrical map while still having it look natural, alive and movie - like. I was quite happy with the result except for one thing. The spawn point I designed for Isengard player was on the same side of the river as the one for Gondor, and Rohan was starting on the same side as Mordor. Because of that my singleplayer skirmishes always ended up with Gondor fighting Isengard and Rohan fighting Mordor, rather than looking like the movies, which was my intention. I know it's just an aesthetic issue (you can play as any faction you want), but it bothered me so much that I've made a new map. The only difference to the old version is that the North - West player is designed as Rohan and South - West as Isengard. There are also few more graphical improvements but it's more or less the same map with really little changes. There are few files in the download:
- The original BFME 1 version (that's why one of the starting areas is designed for Rohan),
- A BFME 2 version (compatible also with ROTWK and AOTR Mod v 5.1),
- Edain Mod version.
I know it's not much but I hope you'll enjoy it. I'll try to release something more creative in the future. Have a nice time playing ;)
Creativity: 4
The mirroring is a downside in this category
Map Design: 5
Very nice textures. Im very jealous of the river, mine are aways ugly
Story/Instructions: 5
Agandaur 2404 File Author
Posted on 12/12/20 @ 03:07 AM
Thank you for review, it means a lot to me. I really tried to do my best. Spent a lot of time perfecting the river, glad you like it. My previous rivers were also not that good, so I think it's a matter of experience and also attention you pay to it. I also found out that a straight river (like the one in this map) is easier to make than a curved one.
When it comes to the shape, I wanted a mirror map for the sake of balance. I also wanted each side to look different, which most of mirror maps don't have, and I achieved that through texturing and neutral objects. My goal was to make each part to have a vibe of a certain BFME1 faction (the map was originally made for BFME1). I could've done a map in a more "realistic" shape, but that would most likely make it unplayable or at least unbalanced (there are maps, even on this site, that try to resemble Middle - Earth in it's original shape, they're mostly unplayable). I'm making maps for the game, not an art gallery, so obviously playability and balance are very important to me ;)