Fredius War of the Ring Mission Maps

[Fredius]

You know, more competition helps spicing everything up a bit more, and competition itself eventually favours the consumers/customers only 

Dammit Walk get your capitalistic propaganda out of my thread !

Furthermore, in cases as this, Magic (the heart of the force sustaining the whole stronghold) is generally mainly gathered in one central place, which is often the citadel; I guess that the prison of Dol Guldur, eerie monument representing the sorrows of all who were bound in its gaols, would be the perfect source of the malice emanating from the fortress and permeating the relative buildings. I will probably come up with more specific indications in a later moment. But I nonetheless wanted to address the conceptual aspects I'm always fond of. Just to synthesise one of the principal objectives: the prison ought to be torn down in grand style 

While I do agree with you about focussing the most magic on the citadel, I don't want to add the prison as the main building. Reason for that is that I have something in mind for a small side quest that involves this building . Don't you think the vanilla Dol Guldur citadel will suffice? Perhaps I can kitbash a building myself by using different objects of Worldbuilder. I will surely involve the statue of Sauron as well, I just love that one from BFME2's version .

[Walküre]

Dammit Walk get your capitalistic propaganda out of my thread !

It's just liberty, to improve monolithic campaign projects. No, I'm just teasing you a little. The matters involved are the Lady's last act of might in the Third Age, and what an act! You will thus have my full support, even if you decided to do away with the eerie gaols of Dol Guldur 

No, really, the citadel could suffice indeed. It's supposed to be the main building of the stronghold anyway. But I still suggest you try to express and include properly all the dreadful and ghoulish aspects of that fortress: elements indicating how the surrounding lands and people suffered from the vicinity to Sauron's Hill of Sorcery. Giving the fortress a very grotesque characterisation would be very effective. One question of mine would be which specific role you are to appoint to Magic, in conjunction with the ever-present military operations.

I will surely involve the statue of Sauron as well, I just love that one from BFME2's version .

Wise decision. I love it too. It's deeply connected to the worshipping attitude of the Orcs towards their master (or, better, the past memory of his rule), which is always interesting to explore 

[Fredius]

No, really, the citadel could suffice indeed. It's suposed to be the main building of the stronghold anyway. But I still suggest you try to express and include properly all the dreadful and ghoulish aspects of that fortress: elements indicating how the surrounding lands and people suffered from the vicinity to Sauron's Hill of Sorcery. Giving the fortress a very grotesque characterisation would be very effective. One question of mine would be which specific role you are to appoint to Magic, in conjunction with the ever-present military operations.

Since Sauron isn't present in Dol Guldur at this time of age, the siege will be more or less a battle between Galadriels magic against Khamuls magic and the magic that is still intact from Sauron's last "visit" . I am really fond of Necro's idea of having to destroy certain magical barriers, in order to enter the fortress, so that's already one aspect I will integrate. The citadel, Sauron's statue and these magical barriers will be what's left of Sauron's dark magic.

Khamul himself and the prison will be part of Khamuls magic. How I am going to integrate his role in magic? I do not know yet, for that I need suggestions. One thing that I will do for sure is to save a handfull of Elven and Men prisoners from the clutches of Khamuls claws. He and the prison will have this "fear" aspect around them, while Sauron's magic tries to keep enemies away and boosts his troops.

Note that I brainstormed and typed this post at the same time, so it could be that some things don't correspond with each other .

[Walküre]

Well, Khamûl's powers seem to be much subtler than other kinds of display of might. He is in fact capable of corroding structures and I really enjoy this pervasive characterisation of Magic (very Tolkien-ish). So, basing on that particular trait, you could opt for Khamûl-related features to slowly drain the energy of your own troops and perhaps even the efficacy your heroes' abilities (is it possible to slow their recharging time down or to disable them momentarily, whenever heroes get close to those sources of power?).

[Fredius]

Yes thats basically what I am aiming for with Khamul.

(is it possible to slow their recharging time down or to disable them momentarily, whenever heroes get close to those sources of power?).

Well it's possible to disable the power of heroes when they are in a certain area, but I don't think there is a script for actions when units are near another unit afaik. I can limit Khamul to a certain area, and if you manage to lure him out of his "magic spot" (perhaps the area around the prison), the hero abilities would be enabled again?

[The_Necromancer0]

Quick Question: In the Angmar mission, does Vaztumir need to survive? Cause mine died but I was still able to complete the mission just fine.

[Fredius]

Hm he needs to survive indeed, thanks for adressing this bug. I will try to fix it asap.

[Garlodur]

Concerning the prison feature of the Dol Goldur map, I imagine that most prisoners don't come out unscathed.

Beside the fact that the prison will be guarded with sources of magic (perhaps powers like Corpse Rain or Plague) it might be interesting to have the prisoners defend it against the forces of Lothlorien and Mirkwood as well. You could turn this in some kind of timed event activated when you enter (a particular area of) the fortress: if you manage to save these prisoners before the timer they will be 'merely' afflicted with a strange aura (could be fear-inducing or filled with Necromantic Power) after which you will have to readjust your strategies. If the player does not manage to save the prisoners in time they will turn themselves against the player in the form or Wights, Castellans, Lesser Wraiths and/or Morgul Shadows.

It is exactly these drawbacks that make mission maps so unique compared to regular maps, as much more strategy is required in pre-fabricated situations. It adds the challenge to the map.

I hope this helps you, Fredius, to form the map towards a worthy 'finale'.

[Fredius]

Yes exactly, I was planning to make the prisoners corrupted as you said, and have them fight the players forces. I haven't thought of a way how to do it yet, but your ideas are a good basic plan. Thanks .

[Walküre]

Not to suddenly break your eggs, Fred, but I have a doubt/question: isn't Khamûl supposed to be well dead, during the final siege of Dol Guldur? Or, if not 'technically' dead, completely harmless after the undoing of the One Ring and the consequent loss of powers of all who were bound to its might.

Don't get me wrong, I like Khamûl very much. Not as an evil character, but more for his own characterisation. That ability of his is exactly how I generally picture in my mind the properties of the evil Magic sustaining the fortress. Poisonous and slow yet relentless decay, which, in his case, is portrayed as rusting and deteriorating all materials whenever he's near. Only, there is the above-mentioned lore issue to deal with; even if Khamûl had not turned up to aid Sauron in the last moments of the battle in front of Mordor's gates, his prowess would have later vanished either way.

From what we read of Tolkien's words, the memory of Sauron was ever infesting Dol Guldur (that's why it needed to be cleansed), regardless of whom was appointed to be in chief. Aren't the whole poison motive, the Orcs, the other foul creatures and the gaols already sufficient to explore the dreadful aspects of the eerie fortress?

[Fredius]

Fair point, I thought Dol Guldur fell before the Battle of the Black Gate, but just looked it up and the siege began 3 days after Sauron was destroyed. I will think about this when making the map, because I believe missions like these need an "antagonist" to spice it up, and Khamul is the perfect candidate for that. I might overlook the lore a tiny little bit in this aspect, since the entertainment factor is paramount in my maps .

[Walküre]

Of course, entertainment is well entitled to be put at the centre of all, if that is really the primary purpose of these scenarios.

Therefore, in this case, I think it's much desirable that the clash between Khamûl and Galadriel be one of the prominent aspects of the battle. I thus suggest the whole context be polarised at an extreme extent: Magic vs Magic. The fouler the magical defences of the fortress, the mightier the spells which will tear the walls down 

[Fredius]

It will be a bit difficult to achieve though, since Khamul uses melee attacks and not magic attacks like Galadriel. But I will see what I can do.

[Fredius]

Small preview of the second chapter of the Resurrection of Angmar series; the siege of Weathertop. Unfortunately, I will have to wait for the Misty Mountains to be released first before I can publish this map, because I will need some units from that faction:

http://www.moddb.com/groups/edain-community-content/videos/vaztumirs-speech#imagebox

P.S. this is a little story I had in mind while making this ending:

Imagine being a hillman from Rhudaur, living in poverty within a small hut in the hills all your life. You constantly hear stories from the elders about the glorious days, where they served under the Witch-King of Angmar, and lived a life full of happines and glory. But now, all of that is gone; you barely survive the winters, and you keep losing valuable family members and friends to the Dunedain. Your heart darkens, and revenge consumes you...

But then a mysterious man appears, bearing the banner of the Great Eye, and calling himself Vaztumir. This Black Numenorean promises to restore the might of the kingdom your people once served, and to bring justice to the people that put you in this misery. You suddenly begin to feel hope, and without further ado you joined this mysterious man in his noble cause. His army starts to grow; not just with Men, but with Orcs and Trolls as well. You managed to survive a great amount of skirmishes against the Dunedain, and in that process you lost some of your best friends. And now, you finally reach the old ruïns of Amon Sul; Weathertop.

After slaying countless of enemies by your own hands, fighting side by side with Lord Vaztumir, you finally succeeded in conquering this ruïned fortress. You listen to Lord Vaztumir's speech, and his words give voice to what you have felt all your life; grief and anger. You hear your comrades cheer, and in a sudden burst of frustrations and emotions you start to cheer and cry with them. A bright future finally lays in front of you...

[Fredius]

Some previews of my Dol Guldur map. The map lay-out is more or less finished, the only thing that's left is the scripting the siege .







P.S. Right click and select "Open Image on new tab" to see the screenshot in more detail.