@ Ingo
Quote: “But that doesn't mean I don't like a good discussion...”
Yes and it has been always great discussing with you and here again our opinions are practically the same, we just draw another conclusion. I support everything you said and I wish I could have found your words when I discussed the revealing of a map with Anastasia. I deducted a point in my review of Gaiku Airashii for revealing the map after four minutes, taking the pleasure of exploring away. I also lower my rating when a designer makes you walk a known path back and forth; and I do not use Marco Polo because it would take that thrill, to discover a new landscape away, as you put it. Where I do not agree, is to apply what was said to the Pendragon Saga.
Quote myself from post 45:
“The Coming of the Unborn King played on a reality map, England. Obviously the coast line had to stay the same and so did some of the places like London, Tingtagel castle at the Atlantic ocean etc, also your map changed from each and every scenario to the next, for example the place for the joust never repeated and especially the northern part changed according to the locations involved. Finally the scenarios did not use the same locations and if, variation was guaranteed. In one scenario the path was used to Tingtagel castle, which was blocked for the scenarios to follow by rocks. In another scenario the entrance from the water side was used. I had to use Marco Polo to see some areas which were repetitive and here we come to the rule that we only rate what we see. “Unfortunately I deleted my saved games of The Coming of the Unborn King, but as we both decided to stay here for a while I might play it again and send you the saved games shortly before the victory signal of every scenario. I did compare these when I wrote my review. The mini maps showed that the scenarios used mostly different parts of the map, conserving “one of the biggest thrills that the Age designs has to offer”, the “discovering of a new landscape”. Where the action was in the same place the map changed, reference again to the joust, the location was, other than in Ulio, used only once. Gordon had a realistic approach; we discussed the realistic approach of ES, with his reality map. The castle of Tingtagel was in every scenario the same, the same applies for Urug’s castle in Ulio. I only recall one situation where Gordon intentionally used for a short time the same parts of the map. Quote from my review: “As you’re given location names, which you should remember from the earlier scenarios, you‘re getting into problems by searching in the wrong places.” I had reloads; the thrill of the game play did not make me miss the thrill of discovery in that sequence. To stay out of too much trouble, if you remember where to go, was a creative way to balance the scenario.
I did not realize that the map was repeating during game play and had to use Marco Polo to see that, which should not influence our rating. The Coming of the Unborn King deserves the highest rating, especially the map it is one of the best, creative maps at the black smith, creating the perfect atmosphere for the Dark Age.
Quote from my review:
“This is art, not map design. Gordon Farrell is creating an atmosphere, which is the Dark Age and so is his map. Somebody with his skills knows that shores have flat water. He uses the dark blue colour for his mysterious painting. Where there is a harbour, he is practically forced to use a lighter colour, but with economy, not to ruin anything. His landscapes as the towns follow the same rules. Something heavy, depressing lays over the scenes, which excludes the use of eye-candy. All four scenarios play on the same map, in England and Wales. A lot of research, time and effort went into this, as all locations are in the right places. There is no way, that you can make a different map of England, with its historical places, for every scenario.”
Quote: “And it saves us designers a lot of work, of course.”
Considering the research to place the locations of the Saga correctly on the map, I do not believe that Gordon wanted to save work. It took me some time to check if the were in the right places. Quote from my review:
“The Places: -Tintagel Castle is situated on the Atlantic Ocean in Cornwell (look for Tingtagel Head and the town of Tintagel). -London. -Sir Ectors estate, Northern Welsh, west of Bala at the river Dee. -Canterbury. -Pendragon Castle (before Uther became King and governed from the London Castle, he stayed in Pendragon Castle in Westmoreland, south of Cumberland). -Garlot (land of King Nentres of Garlot, married to Igraine’s sister Elaine). -Merlin's land, which are the woods of Northern Welsh, today Cumberland. -Lothian, West- and East-Lothian around Edinburgh.”