When Will the Map Be Released?
This has perhaps been the most asked question -- with no way to truly answer it with a number. ‘progress is sort of at a variable speed so it's hard to pin down’, stated Lux, the leading face behind the new map. ‘at the current rate I hope to release before the summer’. However, it should be considered that work gets explored as it is being done -- so it may be well into the summer when the map is finally released to the enjoyment of the players.What will happen to the old map?
For those concerned with the fate of their beloved buildings and monuments, this may be of importance, something that clouds the mind. Lux had the following to say; ‘This is still up in the air, we will definitely keep a copy of it in case we need anything so don't be too afraid of losing everything forever. It will likely never be downloadable but who knows. I don't think we intend for it to be publicly available on the server, but there will be a significant overlap of being able to access both maps while we transfer things…’ The first signs of the first line already show in the release of the new wild world -- accessible since the 16th of April.What exciting things await us in the new map?
With the freshness of a new map, the expectations have increased as to what new things will we be able to experience in the new horizons. Lux comments: ‘The terrain is probably the most exciting to me, I think it'll be fun to hide things throughout such an expansive map and the mountains look great. I am very happy with how they turned out.’ On top of this, we know that one big change is coming to the transit system: The addition of trains & a railway system. The project, heavily influenced or directly headed by LTARailways, is on its tracks to be a new dominant method of inter-city travel. On top of this, it has been confirmed that the /gps command will work in the new map, allowing players to navigate directly to plots. There have also been additional discussions as to city planning and how things will be structured, but there are no clear policies yet-- so we shall wait and see!However, on top of all that, Lux has told us that there will be plenty to explore in the new map, some example items ranging from cave systems, ancient sites, abandoned buildings to hiking trails! There will be a lot to satiate the desires of an Urban Explorer or any kind of Explorer for that matter.
How will the plots be transferred?
While not the most frequent, this is perhaps the most influential question with the most influential answer. From the start, it was known that the staff would have some sort of system in place to allow people to transfer their plots to the new map-- but the details were scattered and left in the dark, so we have compiled them for you here:- City Plots for the capital will be limited to 3 plots.
- Wild Region Plots will be limited to 2 plots.
- Yachts will all be moved.
- Suburb plots will be limited only to a single plot.
- Farm Plots will not be transferred, but those who own one at the moment will be given a fresh new one in the new map.
- Ocean City will allow all plots to transfer over after running an inactivity check. If a building / plot does not match their new & updated guidelines, the City Staff will give a discounted price for a new plot & design.
- Covington, similar to Ocean City, will run an inactivity check, and will transfer plots after. They also stated that they would have an updated and ‘stricter’ building regulation. However, differing from Ocean City, the Covington Staff allow their residents with plots that don’t adhere to the new and stricter building regulations to either receive a full refund or receive a new plot with a value equal to their current one, with a pre-built building on it.
- Lexford, as the smaller of the three, takes the approach of not allowing any plot transfers by business owners, and opting to instead give out replacement plots pre-built by the town staff. Similar to the other two, they are running an activity check, and those who fail the check will not be able to get compensation in the form of a replacement plot. The Mayor Kawai commented: ‘I've decided to do this to allow Lexford to have a more distinguished theme, in which the town fits more into the landscape and players are able to add their own touch to their new buildings through the interior and gardens when applicable.’
How was the map made? Who made it?
When asked about the process behind the map, Lux offered a long paragraph of information, which we will be providing in full:‘I did make it pretty much on my own. I used a few new tools including world machine so there was a bit of a learning curve that caused a significant delay in building the terrain specifically but I knew it would be worth it to get the look and features I was after. I've been making maps for probably about 7 or 8 years using only world painter and worldedit. The map is based on the US as that is where I am from and most familiar with but the terrain can be seen as being pretty universal. I studied some geography specifically to get realistic features in the new map such as the arid northwest being in the rain shadow of the moist northeast region. Prevailing winds tend to go from northeast to southwest creating this rain shadow. The bay near the capital city was also deliberately sheltered with small islands and shallow waters to be able to build a port just off of the channel. You'll notice in the arid region that certain areas have more dense foliage due to runoff of the nearby mountains. Lakes were built in low areas with no outflows to oceans, you'll see more ponds in the wet region as well as mud flows. The climate of the capital city will be temperate and mild similar to the eastern US or France, the arid area in the northwest is a Mediterranean climate similar to Southern California, Italy, or Spain, The island to the south and mountains to the east are subarctic or humid continental climates similar to Eastern European countries or Canada.’