Middle Earth map (104x96)

[Door]

This is my first map for Civ 4, based on Tolkien's Middle Earth. It's 104 by 96 in size playable with 11 civs. It's more or less done but I'll probably go back and make some more changes at some point. I think the map itself is fine but the starting locations and resources might need some adjustment. I'm also not too sure what to do with Mordor. It looks best with Tundra as the terrain but this doesn't really allow a civilization to survive there, so at present it has a few flood plains scattered in. That said whoever starts there is still going to have serious problems. All feedback, criticism and ideas are welcome

I've tried to keep the map as faithful as possible, but I've added a lot of small forests and hills to try and break up the large flat areas, as well as spreading the resources out fairly evenly. I've also got a smaller version on the way (probably about 70 by 65 to give it a comparable number of plots to a standard sized map) as well as a couple of other maps.

edit: I've added a shot of the map, but if anyone knows how to get better screenshots of the whole map let me know

 

[Elhoim]

Map view and print screen, I think that´s the best way... If it doesn´t fit all in one, take many and paste them with a image editor...

 

[WildWeazel]

I didn't get mine out in time...
I guess I'll have to make it bigger!

 

[Royal]

Well, with Mordor, in reality it was basically unsettle-able, because of Mt Doom.

Good job this would be a cool map to play around with

 

[Door]

I just noticed that screenshot I posted is of a slightly earlier version of the map as there are patches of what look like desert where there are meant to be marshes. My orginal plan was to do the marshes with flood plains as the flood plain texture looks most like a marsh. However, flood plains only get the greenish texture if there's a river next to them so they just showed up as desert. I also didn't want the marshes to be a great place to build cities so I used jungle for marshes instead.

I'm still not sure what to do about Mordor though. I might leave it as it is and move the starting location somewhere else or I could just use another terrain type.

 

[yendorII]

Keep the tundra but assign different values to it so that it looks good and is feasible. Guess that would make it more of a modpack than a map though dunno.

Sweet 100th post.

 

[The Caltrop]

Just a quick thing: That large thin lake in Mordor (Lake Nurnen), the area around that was quite fertile... That's where Mordor got most of its food from. You might want to consider changing that on your map.

 

[IamSid]

Maybe if someone adds the factions they can use this map to put them in?

 

[Door]

Just a quick thing: That large thin lake in Mordor (Lake Nurnen), the area around that was quite fertile... That's where Mordor got most of its food from. You might want to consider changing that on your map.

Thanks, that's helpful. I'll make the changes later tonight.

 

[Gr3yHound]

neat map, goood job.

hahah about the mapview sugestion, feels good to read that.
next version (in 3-4 hours) will save screenshot as jpg.
furthermore it will show woods and rivers (basicly, doesn´t look good yet but rivers are rivers )

 

[JDexter]

Well, with Mordor, in reality it was basically unsettle-able

You noticed what you said there?

Nice map job, hopefully someone will make a good fantasy mod very soon, I ache to play something like the warhammer fantasy mod for c3c with civ4 - but sure, I know, animated units...
Ah well, I'll just play regular style for a while

If you have too much time (either of you middle earth mappers) you could make a Beleriand map!

 

[Door]

If you have too much time (either of you middle earth mappers) you could make a Beleriand map!

There has already been one made, here.

 

[AndrewDJ]

I'd been working myself on a Middle Earth map, working off of the map from Harlan Thompson's Lord of the Rings Civ II scenario. Height maps and terrain were easy enough, but the rivers kept giving me fits, so I never really got anywhere with it. In the Civ II version, large chunks of the rivers (especially the Anduin) were replaced with lake. I think that that may have been in part a gameplay-mechanic decision, to restrict the ability of Mordor's forces to cross the rivers to where there were bridges or fords in the books. Unfortunately, from Civ III on, you can't fake rivers like that.

Given the restrictions in CIV on placing cities, is there enough room on the map for both Minas Tirith and Minas Morgul? It looks like there's a three-plot separation from the screenshot, but I haven't downloaded it to check. Things also look a little tight in the Isengard/Edoras/Helm's Deep/Dunharrow region. And shouldn't Mirkwood be bit more heavily forested? Minor quibbles aside, a very cool map indeed.

On another note, am I the only person who wishes there were a few more terrains, for modding purposes, at least? Sure, you can swap jungles for swamps, like they did in the American Revolution mod, but it does look odd.

 

[kingpenguin]

Hah, just saw the special extended Return of the King today. Awesome.

If only terrains were moddable yet. The number of files that make them are staggering.

 

[WildWeazel]

They're moddable- there's already a complete new terrain set. But it takes a lot of work do it.

 

[kingpenguin]

Sorry, hard apparently equals impossible in my mind.

 

[hajmyis]

i think that map is really great, but it would cool if some one made a mod based of the books and movie......one could play as any race and the ages and techs unit etc. are based off of the story......

 

[SoCalian]

that looks amazin from the shot, I'm sure to download it when I'm home. I also want to make a LOTM for civ 4, when I'm done with California.

 

[WildWeazel]

I'm in.

 

[SoCalian]

All right! What I need to do is figure out how to get the Alpha channels to work for my mods! *sigh* been at it for weeks, and nothing.