For now, I recommend Return to Criswelvania v5.2 Beta using Minecraft version 1.5.2. Later versions of Minecraft tend to break one thing or another.
More harbor town progress, now with more Haunted Cliffside Abbey (under construction):
This section is turning out really well so far, lots of fun windy paths and secrets already!
I honestly didn't expect to be able to expand the map as much as I have, but I've been eyeing these various locations for some time with ideas and since I'm in an expansive mood, why not? It is definitely giving Book II some teeth.
A lot of the concerns I had about this area was that it was so open and relatively flat compared to the convoluted valleys of the Fangs of Winter/Throne of Darkness areas, but having found a good hub from which to introduce horse travel, the flatlands, i.e.: the areas which are now being converted into jungle, pine and savannah, are a perfect way to greatly increase the surface area of the playable map, with lots of natural places of interest that can be turned into something rewarding to veer off the trail toward.
For the future, perhaps next year, I forsee that Book III will utilize rail, horse and boat travel, as well as a greatly expanded Nether complex (as a massive puzzle to unlock new locations), to extend the map deep into the vast world of Minerva. Not sure yet if we'll revisit the Nether in Book II, although I have been scouting for the opportunity...
[Update] What a difference a day makes! Yes it's very grey so far.
Thinking about a fair way to allow veteran players to skip directly to Book II from the start. Should they get better starting gear and/or some treasure, or should the map contain a more accelerated basic progression from the start of the new adventures?
Also considering ways to introduce a new set of heroes to play as from Book II (or you can continue the adventure from the first book as the classic characters), in which you would encounter the fame, effect and consequence of the previous generation of heroes, or as Grimfarrow & Co., you will find sometimes your reputation precedes you, perhaps even to your peril as assassins and other enemies may come after you for revenge. But I may save that idea for later, as I still need to put a lot of work into the Rachen and scoreboard tracking for the various existing multiplayer modes, and I might have these characters approach the world from a completely new direction.
But there's time to explore these ideas, as Criswelvania Chronicles will probably get a couple updates of fine polish after release like Book I has, before I move on to a trilogy.
Wednesday's Daily:
Some areas of interest are popping up in the backlands.
Oh there will be plenty of that. But not all at the same intensity as Return. At this early stage, just sketching in structures to develop into more atmospheric locations with some general notion of puzzles, challenge level and advancement distribution. Book II: Cult of the Dragon will ultimately be more story-driven and there is a great deal of continuity to achieve between the introduction and resolution. When I am back on Skype next week I'll discuss the ideas I have going in further depth.
The yet-unnamed harbor town is kinda bright and lively but even they will have their share of problems. We get to see how the other half lives a bit and what passes for normal in the world of Criswelvania, in a town where commerce is still thriving, the curse of darkness has only begun to take hold, and prophecies of doom are met with scorn (at least for now).
The spread of evil.
New overworld render v41029
At the current rate I should be done building the overworld around mid-December, maybe even by the end of next week if I can stay motivated. Then the underworld (caves, crypts, catacombs, mines, dungeons, etc.), additional passes for final location detail, loot and mob distribution, and redstone/command block work. It seems a tall order to get this all done in 2 months by the 4th anniversary of the map, but I've been blazing through the work so far, so we'll see. Maybe at least a beta release by then, no promises. Feel free to hit the donate button or use the ad links if you like what you see. If they even still work. Criswelvania will be my main project for at least the next two months unless some attractively lucrative comes through. Winter is dark and full of fangs.
Some advancement on new structures, but much greater definition to the various forest environments which feel more lush and natural now, with some dithering of mixed tree types near the boundaries of each region.
Hilltop Fortification and Hidden Temple
Several scattered locations contain plenty of mystery to keep you occupied while you explore the countryside. Some of them will hearken back to the old castle areas, some will expand the background of various main and side characters along the adventure.
Couple more:
The interior of this castle is really fun to progress through already!
Wow, you are working hard like a beast! Great job!
Some questions:
1- What will be the compatible minecraft version for this map when you finish it? (The current downloadable version is for 1.5.2, if I am not mistaken.)
2- Will you develop a resource pack for the map or keep pure vanilla?
3- Could I make the skins for the character? (If yes, I would like a few points on how you thought they would look-like.)
Wow, you are working hard like a beast! Great job!
Some questions:
1- What will be the compatible minecraft version for this map when you finish it? (The current downloadable version is for 1.5.2, if I am not mistaken.)
2- Will you develop a resource pack for the map or keep pure vanilla?
3- Could I make the skins for the character? (If yes, I would like a few points on how you thought they would look-like.)
Yes as Lucky mentioned, the map version consistently matches the Minecraft version with which it is compatible, just remove the leading "1". If MC v1.9.x beats me out the door (though I seriously doubt it will before Spring 2015), the map will be released as v9.x.
I would love to ultimately develop a partial or even full resource pack, but if it is left to me to complete it may be some time before the task is approached, if ever. It's not a matter of capability but economy of time. If anyone is up to the task on the textures, I still welcome the assistance. For myself I would be interested first in creating a sound overhaul with custom music, sf/x and other audio.
Minnan and another forum member had both been working on skin packs but I see no reason to limit the skin choices. If you submit a suitable skin pack I will include it with the download with your name on the set. Same would go for the tex/res pack. Thanks for the offer! Feel free to PM me with any ideas.
One of 4 or 5 major locations remaining to be built before commencing the gameplay design phase. Experimenting with a 2-thick wall design that I like a lot. Taking inspiration from Spanish carribean coastal fortresses with this one. I've actually been using lots of photographic reference during this update. I think the buildings are generally more interesting, varied and atmospheric this time around as a result, although I am still using a certain classic tile-based RPG aesthetic to govern playspace. This is essentially a 16-bit successor to the 8-bit soul of the original map.
More progress:
What is the Castlevania influence in this edition? Well, there's a lot from Simon's Quest and CVIII that I haven't previously utilized. But Darksiders and Dark Souls have both been some of my favorite adventures of the past few years, I hope to incorporate some ideas from these as well as from the underappreciated world of the Soul Reaver series...
Here is a link to a 2.5MB gif overlay animation showing progress just from Oct. 29 'til today. It would be cool to do a complete evolution animation with the extensive backups I have since the inception of the map!
Looking at these new pictures I was thinking, 'man, those acacia tress look new.' Then I checked the gif.
That is some hardcore planting you've been doing in the past few days!
I know I keep saying this, but with every new picture, my excitement level keeps growing. This is going to be so awesome! I love all of these new additions!
Somewhere in this post is a link to the Minerva Developer's Kit, for those of you wishing to contribute something to the map. Please read the READ ME file for more details on submitting works for inclusion in a future version of the map. It includes the full map in its current state. Also included are several other previously unreleased files that may shed some light on my own development process. This link will be available for 72 hours.
Ooh! I'm on it!
Well, once I find the link I will be.
Edit: Alright, I'm not finding this link anywhere. Am I just missing it?
More harbor town progress, now with more Haunted Cliffside Abbey (under construction):
This section is turning out really well so far, lots of fun windy paths and secrets already!
I honestly didn't expect to be able to expand the map as much as I have, but I've been eyeing these various locations for some time with ideas and since I'm in an expansive mood, why not? It is definitely giving Book II some teeth.
A lot of the concerns I had about this area was that it was so open and relatively flat compared to the convoluted valleys of the Fangs of Winter/Throne of Darkness areas, but having found a good hub from which to introduce horse travel, the flatlands, i.e.: the areas which are now being converted into jungle, pine and savannah, are a perfect way to greatly increase the surface area of the playable map, with lots of natural places of interest that can be turned into something rewarding to veer off the trail toward.
For the future, perhaps next year, I forsee that Book III will utilize rail, horse and boat travel, as well as a greatly expanded Nether complex (as a massive puzzle to unlock new locations), to extend the map deep into the vast world of Minerva. Not sure yet if we'll revisit the Nether in Book II, although I have been scouting for the opportunity...
[Update] What a difference a day makes! Yes it's very grey so far.
Harbor town almost complete!
Ruined Abbey starting to take shape (and color).
Just seven kingdoms or so.
Also considering ways to introduce a new set of heroes to play as from Book II (or you can continue the adventure from the first book as the classic characters), in which you would encounter the fame, effect and consequence of the previous generation of heroes, or as Grimfarrow & Co., you will find sometimes your reputation precedes you, perhaps even to your peril as assassins and other enemies may come after you for revenge. But I may save that idea for later, as I still need to put a lot of work into the Rachen and scoreboard tracking for the various existing multiplayer modes, and I might have these characters approach the world from a completely new direction.
But there's time to explore these ideas, as Criswelvania Chronicles will probably get a couple updates of fine polish after release like Book I has, before I move on to a trilogy.
Wednesday's Daily:
Some areas of interest are popping up in the backlands.
The yet-unnamed harbor town is kinda bright and lively but even they will have their share of problems. We get to see how the other half lives a bit and what passes for normal in the world of Criswelvania, in a town where commerce is still thriving, the curse of darkness has only begun to take hold, and prophecies of doom are met with scorn (at least for now).
The spread of evil.
New overworld render v41029
At the current rate I should be done building the overworld around mid-December, maybe even by the end of next week if I can stay motivated. Then the underworld (caves, crypts, catacombs, mines, dungeons, etc.), additional passes for final location detail, loot and mob distribution, and redstone/command block work. It seems a tall order to get this all done in 2 months by the 4th anniversary of the map, but I've been blazing through the work so far, so we'll see. Maybe at least a beta release by then, no promises. Feel free to hit the donate button or use the ad links if you like what you see. If they even still work. Criswelvania will be my main project for at least the next two months unless some attractively lucrative comes through. Winter is dark and full of fangs.
Valley of Three Forests
Overview of the full adventure.
Happy Halloween! (what? no pumpkin?!)
Citadel of Regnos in progress
The tower roofing is kinda hideous, think that will get changed. The interior is turning out pretty cool though!
Hilltop Fortification and Hidden Temple
Several scattered locations contain plenty of mystery to keep you occupied while you explore the countryside. Some of them will hearken back to the old castle areas, some will expand the background of various main and side characters along the adventure.
Couple more:
The interior of this castle is really fun to progress through already!
Welcome to the Jungle, baby.
Some questions:
1- What will be the compatible minecraft version for this map when you finish it? (The current downloadable version is for 1.5.2, if I am not mistaken.)
2- Will you develop a resource pack for the map or keep pure vanilla?
3- Could I make the skins for the character? (If yes, I would like a few points on how you thought they would look-like.)
Also, I fully support:
For number 1: the world will be in 1.8 or 1.8.x (whichever works best).
And number 2: he his trying to keep it pure vanilla but he'll post a resource pack that will go along very nicely with this massive world update.
Yes as Lucky mentioned, the map version consistently matches the Minecraft version with which it is compatible, just remove the leading "1". If MC v1.9.x beats me out the door (though I seriously doubt it will before Spring 2015), the map will be released as v9.x.
I would love to ultimately develop a partial or even full resource pack, but if it is left to me to complete it may be some time before the task is approached, if ever. It's not a matter of capability but economy of time. If anyone is up to the task on the textures, I still welcome the assistance. For myself I would be interested first in creating a sound overhaul with custom music, sf/x and other audio.
Minnan and another forum member had both been working on skin packs but I see no reason to limit the skin choices. If you submit a suitable skin pack I will include it with the download with your name on the set. Same would go for the tex/res pack. Thanks for the offer! Feel free to PM me with any ideas.
One of 4 or 5 major locations remaining to be built before commencing the gameplay design phase. Experimenting with a 2-thick wall design that I like a lot. Taking inspiration from Spanish carribean coastal fortresses with this one. I've actually been using lots of photographic reference during this update. I think the buildings are generally more interesting, varied and atmospheric this time around as a result, although I am still using a certain classic tile-based RPG aesthetic to govern playspace. This is essentially a 16-bit successor to the 8-bit soul of the original map.
More progress:
What is the Castlevania influence in this edition? Well, there's a lot from Simon's Quest and CVIII that I haven't previously utilized. But Darksiders and Dark Souls have both been some of my favorite adventures of the past few years, I hope to incorporate some ideas from these as well as from the underappreciated world of the Soul Reaver series...
Here is a link to a 2.5MB gif overlay animation showing progress just from Oct. 29 'til today. It would be cool to do a complete evolution animation with the extensive backups I have since the inception of the map!
That is some hardcore planting you've been doing in the past few days!
I know I keep saying this, but with every new picture, my excitement level keeps growing. This is going to be so awesome! I love all of these new additions!
I've been posting the daily pictures because you guys keep me motivated. Thanks for the energy!
Ooh! I'm on it!
Well, once I find the link I will be.
Edit: Alright, I'm not finding this link anywhere. Am I just missing it?