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Targetgamer
  • Europe
  • 0. Map of Act II - Work in progress   09/09/2009 09:41:42 AM PDT
I have nearly finished mapping out the entire Act II game map.

It's NOT RANDOM, just as Blizzard said it would not be. What IS random are the little mini-adventures, quests and events that take place on the map.

Either way, it's pretty cool:
http://www.diii.net/gallery/data/503/medium/Act_II_map.jpg

There is also a bigger version here:

http://forums.diii.net/showthread.php?t=740173

So, just like on Diii.net, I am asking for help to find images or videos of the minimaps, or any directional help is most welcome.

How do you like it so far? :)


Major update!
http://forums.diii.net/showthread.php?t=740173&page=5

The new version has checkpoints, chests, monsters and much more annotated on the map itself! Some details left to do, but mostly done!





UPDATE 2
Next to final version:
http://forums.diii.net/showthread.php?t=740173&page=4
I imagine all source material is now exhausted. Only thing left is a map with chests, monsters etc annotated.

UPDATE 1
I now have the entire map added, but some borders are not 100%
http://forums.diii.net/showthread.php?t=740173&page=4

[ Post edited by Targetgamer ]


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Mikotian
  • USEast
  • 1. Re: Map of Act II - Work in progress   09/09/2009 10:26:25 AM PDT
neat. thanks
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Targetgamer
  • Europe
  • 2. Re: Map of Act II - Work in progress   09/09/2009 10:33:18 AM PDT

Q u o t e:
neat. thanks


Don;t forget to link any images or videos I might have missed. I got them all as far as I know, and I am surprised there are not more on youtube, or more images around.

I haven't really looked for images though, so that might be a venue!

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Medievaldragon
  • USEast
  • 3. Re: Map of Act II - Work in progress   09/09/2009 10:38:09 AM PDT
Interesting. And because it's not a dungeon, that means this map is set in stone. Outdoor maps are not random. They are static.

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Acidchunk
  • USEast
  • 4. Re: Map of Act II - Work in progress   09/09/2009 10:49:49 AM PDT
Very cool stuff. Cant wait to see what's beyond those "no clue" areas and see the full scope of the act. Keep up the good work!
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Targetgamer
  • Europe
  • 6. Re: Map of Act II - Work in progress   09/10/2009 04:31:45 AM PDT

Q u o t e:
Very cool stuff. Cant wait to see what's beyond those "no clue" areas and see the full scope of the act. Keep up the good work!


I have puzzled together most of Alcarnus, the final town, and I got some photo of the stinging winds northeast corners, thanks to a member of Diii.net forums who linked me a new PAX D3 video gameplay.

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Targetgamer
  • Europe
  • 7. Re: Map of Act II - Work in progress   09/10/2009 08:49:42 AM PDT
Updated it with a new version, adding an almost finished Alcarnus as well!

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Targetgamer
  • Europe
  • 9. Re: Map of Act II - Work in progress   09/10/2009 09:34:13 AM PDT
D3 is very similar to D1.

The top is static (like D1), but dungeons are randomised.

I actually found some of the randomisation of D2 maps more annoying than anything.

I mean the game was the best you could get at the time, so you didn't really notice, but that ever little nagging voice made people get map hacks etc.

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Bashiok
Blizzard Poster
  • 10. Re: Map of Act II - Work in progress   09/10/2009 04:01:05 PM PDT
Nice. Although that isn't Act II, at least not all of it. Or most of it. The playable area in the demo is a portion of the second act, not the whole thing.

And to clarify, our exterior zones have static borders, roads, and town placements. Most of the area in-between is static too, but there are these chunks of the map in various shapes that are essentially cut out. We then create pieces to fit those shapes and sizes, a bunch of them for each, and the game randomly picks which ones to use. They could have quests, little events, mini-bosses, just different scenery, or whatever else we want to cook up in them. It keeps the exterior locations static, while still having some random bits in there to keep them fresh. We refer to it as the adventure system.

And to clarify on THAT in case anyone hasn't been following along much, we keep our exteriors static for the most part because following the edges of the map to find exits and find where the town/questgivers are just wasn't a fun use of randomization. You also couldn't easily or quickly meet a friend anywhere outside of town because nothing was ever in the same place. And lastly it helps us create a sense of a world that actually exists, the towns and cities and at least the important points of interest exist in stationary locations.

The dungeons, in addition to being random in design and flow, also use the adventure system to bring in random events and quests.
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Reddog22
  • USEast
  • 11. Re: Map of Act II - Work in progress   09/10/2009 04:21:43 PM PDT

Q u o t e:
Nice. Although that isn't Act II, at least not all of it. Or most of it. The playable area in the demo is a portion of the second act, not the whole thing.

And to clarify, our exterior zones have static borders, roads, and town placements. Most of the area in-between is static too, but there are these chunks of the map in various shapes that are essentially cut out. We then create pieces to fit those shapes and sizes, a bunch of them for each, and the game randomly picks which ones to use. They could have quests, little events, mini-bosses, just different scenery, or whatever else we want to cook up in them. It keeps the exterior locations static, while still having some random bits in there to keep them fresh. We refer to it as the adventure system.

And to clarify on THAT in case anyone hasn't been following along much, we keep our exteriors static for the most part because following the edges of the map to find exits and find where the town/questgivers are just wasn't a fun use of randomization. You also couldn't easily or quickly meet a friend anywhere outside of town because nothing was ever in the same place. And lastly it helps us create a sense of a world that actually exists, the towns and cities and at least the important points of interest exist in stationary locations.

The dungeons, in addition to being random in design and flow, also use the adventure system to bring in random events and quests.


In my experience, the system works amazingly well. Even though I played through the BlizzCon '09 build nearly 20 times... each play-through new. I didn't even encounter all of the random adventures that were possible.
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  • Level: 1
  • Gateway: Northrend
  • 12. Re: Map of Act II - Work in progress   09/11/2009 01:10:13 AM PDT

Q u o t e:
Nice. Although that isn't Act II, at least not all of it. Or most of it. The playable area in the demo is a portion of the second act, not the whole thing.

And to clarify, our exterior zones have static borders, roads, and town placements. Most of the area in-between is static too, but there are these chunks of the map in various shapes that are essentially cut out. We then create pieces to fit those shapes and sizes, a bunch of them for each, and the game randomly picks which ones to use. They could have quests, little events, mini-bosses, just different scenery, or whatever else we want to cook up in them. It keeps the exterior locations static, while still having some random bits in there to keep them fresh. We refer to it as the adventure system.

And to clarify on THAT in case anyone hasn't been following along much, we keep our exteriors static for the most part because following the edges of the map to find exits and find where the town/questgivers are just wasn't a fun use of randomization. You also couldn't easily or quickly meet a friend anywhere outside of town because nothing was ever in the same place. And lastly it helps us create a sense of a world that actually exists, the towns and cities and at least the important points of interest exist in stationary locations.

The dungeons, in addition to being random in design and flow, also use the adventure system to bring in random events and quests.


All this has been hinted at before, but nice to have a more solid confirmation.
Anyway, while some of the major changes in D3 are, to put it nicely, controversial, this one just really really rules. This system sounds awesome. It combines all the positive aspects of the D1 and D3 systems and as a nice bonus should make it easier to create really beautiful/atmospheric scenery.
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Targetgamer
  • Europe
  • 13. Re: Map of Act II - Work in progress   09/11/2009 02:19:13 AM PDT

Q u o t e:
Nice. Although that isn't Act II, at least not all of it. Or most of it. The playable area in the demo is a portion of the second act, not the whole thing.

And to clarify, our exterior zones have static borders, roads, and town placements. Most of the area in-between is static too, but there are these chunks of the map in various shapes that are essentially cut out. We then create pieces to fit those shapes and sizes, a bunch of them for each, and the game randomly picks which ones to use. They could have quests, little events, mini-bosses, just different scenery, or whatever else we want to cook up in them. It keeps the exterior locations static, while still having some random bits in there to keep them fresh. We refer to it as the adventure system.

And to clarify on THAT in case anyone hasn't been following along much, we keep our exteriors static for the most part because following the edges of the map to find exits and find where the town/questgivers are just wasn't a fun use of randomization. You also couldn't easily or quickly meet a friend anywhere outside of town because nothing was ever in the same place. And lastly it helps us create a sense of a world that actually exists, the towns and cities and at least the important points of interest exist in stationary locations.

The dungeons, in addition to being random in design and flow, also use the adventure system to bring in random events and quests.


Awesome! Thanks for the bluey! :D

Also, I know you already explained the system before, but cool to get to know:

- It really is (part of) Act II
- The landscape is (mostly) static - in all the good ways!
- It has a name - Adventure System
- You know where to find towns and essential NPCs
- Easier to meet (real) friends or party members
- Dungeons are completely random (but with Adventures)

Now, I kind of read your post saying that the interior stuff will be replaceable etc, but from the available info on the maps, all "interior" little things like tents, house ruins etc seem to be the same from different sources.

Are these little "objects" (as I put it on the map) going to change in the live game, or are the adventure locations not part of the "objects"?

I have noticed one place where one of the "objects" might have been replaced, but it could just be poor quality of the source material.

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Toonami54
  • USWest
  • 15. Re: Map of Act II - Work in progress   09/11/2009 04:44:18 AM PDT

Q u o t e:
i think act 2 has become so popular because its the only "major town" you really encounter in the diablo universe.

its sort of like something from indiana jones with the trap doors on the ground and people wandering about the city.

the city leader, jerhyn also provides a sense that its a living place, with real threats and dangers just waiting to get inside....

i also like act 1, where you are kind of on the outskirts. it does a good job of placing you in important areas.

something i wish they would have done for diablo 2 is after you rescue charci's malus from the barracks, the monastery becomes a town with npcs with an inn, blacksmith, chemist, etc.


To quote Dr. Evil, "Right..."


Q u o t e:
No.

-Bashiok
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Friskydingo
  • USWest
  • 16. Re: Map of Act II - Work in progress   09/11/2009 04:47:44 AM PDT
Yeah I wish they would have.. uhm somebody called it "Phasing" where once you complete something it could change the map.. expand the town.. get people living outside the town again.. building homes, farming and what not..
But jay wilson said they will not be having this..

And if anybody tried mythos beta (Fun game at first) I imagin thats how the maps will be

Boosh and or Ka-Kaw
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Merak
  • USEast
  • 17. Re: Map of Act II - Work in progress   09/11/2009 05:07:26 AM PDT

Q u o t e:
Yeah I wish they would have.. uhm somebody called it "Phasing" where once you complete something it could change the map.. expand the town.. get people living outside the town again.. building homes, farming and what not..
But jay wilson said they will not be having this..

And if anybody tried mythos beta (Fun game at first) I imagin thats how the maps will be


That would be pretty sweet. I am not sure how it would/could fit into a game like Diablo (that is constantly being reset with new games) but it would be an interesting feature in many games.
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Mordin-92
  • Europe
  • 18. Re: Map of Act II - Work in progress   09/11/2009 06:35:38 AM PDT
is it only me who sees north+south america on this picture?
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Targetgamer
  • Europe
  • 19. Re: Map of Act II - Work in progress   09/11/2009 07:06:42 AM PDT
It wouldn't work in Diablo, as you kind of need to have those areas to kill enemies in.

I suppose they could do it with phasing, in each instance of the game, if ALL monsters around it are killed...

Come to think of it, it's a pretty cool idea! You get to see a little of the results are of what you did, other than moving off to the next place!

I can see it would be a lot of work to implement, but if the D3 team did implement it, it would be very cool!

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