Project of the Month: September 2010OOT2D Map Project
Forum TopicDeveloper:
MaJoRa
Language: ---
First Posted: 22 June, 2010
Last Update: 09 October, 2010Interview:What made you first want to start undertaking a large mapping project like this?I never actually intended to make a map this large, I started by just making the Kokiri Forest area because when TRM was around his screenshots of the area made no sense, all the houses had south facing doors and this didn't seem possible to me. After my first attempt at the area, I realised it wasn't. I had several attempts at this location and only actually hit my final version of it about a month ago, several years after I started. It was actually Alex_Xela who encouraged me to create other areas which had not been done yet, for example the Lake Hylia area which I created next, was thanks to the screenshots provided by this member. I suppose I owe a thanks to Alex_Xela for this project going beyond the first area. After this I just felt like I needed to link to two areas, in came Hyrule Field and my project had begun. I started making areas one at a time after this.
What were some of the hardest parts to get right and why?Hyrule Field was by far the hardest part to get right, for the simple reason that the area is so big, and there are so many open spaces. In LTTP there are not many open spaces and the areas always seem busy. I had to shrink the field and make it seem busy, whilst still keeping it large enough to travel along with Epona, and to fit Lon Lon ranch in. As you may have noticed I had to resize the field to fit the ranch later on.
Another hard part to get right was the way the map fits together. In LTTP they failed at making their map fit together, purposefully having cliffs that go nowhere or just change at a different section of the map. According to the initial maps of OOT, they failed at this too. There were overlaps and obvious errors. I have been trying to make the entire map fit together perfectly whilst still resembling the areas we all remember playing. This is very difficult to do.
Are there more locations from OoT you intend to map, aside from the overworld?Yes, and no. After the overworld I will have no project, so I will need to move on to something else, but what that might be I do not know yet. I have always fancied the idea of mapping the Deku Tree, as well as Zoras Domain. Of course when you get into mapping the dungeons you have to start planning for all of the things that move etc, and it becomes significantly more complicated. I would need to load up a ROM and be playing it as I mapped it, so I will have to work that one out nearer the time.
Do you have any further plans for your work in the future? Like turning it into a game either with or without someone else's engine?This is an interesting question, I could program my own game engine and actually make a game out of this yes, and I would hate for such a huge project to simply go to waste. At the same time though this was never my plan for the project, it was simply just fun. If I finish the project and get bored then who knows? I find the very reason I have got so far with this project is because I look at it in modules, one area at a time. If I start planning ahead then I create expectations for myself, and probably wont meet them. So for now, I will just be finishing the overworld, but its a big world and I have plenty of spare time, so we shall see.
Of course in the mean time it is an open project, and I welcome anyone that might wish to use the maps as part of their project, or change parts of it to improve it. Of course I am determined to keep the original entirely custom with mine or Nintendo's sprites, so I won't be changing sprites in it for other peoples. If anyone created an engine to play this map I would love to see it.
