Future of BP-BGT-Worldmap

[Roberciiik]

Hello,

Along with @Weigo, @p_zombie, @paladin84 and @JohnBob, we are trying to update BP-BGT-Worldmap mod to extend the north area of IWD, so there would be more space for icons and new locations here.

And we came up with a question: do we still need a small version of Worldmap? Maybe the "huge" one is sufficient nowadays. We understand that both EET and BGT ships their own versions of Worldmap. So BP-BGT-Worldmap is no longer a must for most modifications.

What are your experience with BP-BGT-Worldmap? Do you use the smaller one, or just install the huge? Depending on this survey, we will decide if we still want to support both version.

PS. Of course, since SHS is down, I posted this question here.

[Graion Dilach]

33 minutes ago, Roberciiik said:

We understand that both EET and BGT ships their own versions of Worldmap. So BP-BGT-Worldmap is no longer a must for most modifications.

There's a difference between these shipped worldmaps though. BGT's included worldmap has very little room outside the BG1/BG2 map. It doesn't have the wide margins EET's own worldmap offers and AFAIK, the BP-BGT Worldmap is more relevant on classic than on EEs due to this regard.

Edited September 25, 2023 by Graion Dilach

[TotoR]

1 hour ago, Roberciiik said:

do we still need a small version of Worldmap?

I play with a custom size map, created from the base that is shipped with bp-bgt-worldmap. It is smaller than the small one because with oBG the map viewer is really small and having a "huge" map is harder to handle.

Of course BGT map would normally suffice, but it doesn't support mods like drizzt saga or secret of bonehill; maps from bp-bgt-worldmap does.

Anyway, thank you all for taking the time to update this mod!

Cheers!

[Weigo]

Quote

 

I play with a custom size map, created from the base that is shipped with bp-bgt-worldmap. It is smaller than the small one because with oBG the map viewer is really small and having a "huge" map is harder to handle.

 

That is the advantage of the EE map, you have a larger section.

One possibility would be to include a small map version for the BGT users, perhaps also similar to EET.

[Gorionar]

About the world map based on EEt and BGT, they were only created for passing the trilogy without unnecessary mods.

What do I think about the small world map? It should just be left in history, since it was mainly used for 32-bit platforms, as I understand it. And finally, move to support for one world map and which will support a large size. In fact, it will be good to support most mods that require their own location on the world map.

[WithinAmnesia]

Can we have some pictures? I have not played ~BGT related stuff in a while and I'm not sure what the current versions are. What are these maps? Perhaps its better to share them side by side to review them better too like everything on the table / cross reference?

[WithinAmnesia]

https://github.com/SpellholdStudios/BP-BGT-Worldmap#components + https://spellholdstudios.github.io/readmes/worldmap-readme-english.html

https://forums.beamdog.com/discussion/86539/bg-ee-worldmap-give-unnamed-wilderness-areas-a-name

What ~BGT world map versions are we talking about?

[Roberciiik]

We are debating about a need of below large version of BP-BGT-Worldmap.

There is also the huge version with will be extended even more to the north:

You pointed out the current EET worldmap:

 

I cannot link to BGT worldmap as SHS is down. But I am referring to native map from this mod: https://github.com/SpellholdStudios/BGT-WeiDU

Edited February 2 by Roberciiik

[WithinAmnesia]

Who makes these wonderful world maps? There might need something like the huge map but with the western islands and more of Faerun / Toril in general? Can the current EET world map be expanded with the same amount of detail to be close or bigger than the huge world map to make a colossal world map of all the places in Toril from BG+IWD; e.g. Hexxat's crypt quest goes to Kara-Tur https://forgottenrealms.fandom.com/wiki/Ki_Chin_Sang?

[Graion Dilach]

There's no reason to extend the EET Worldmap. BP-BGT works on the EEs and it should keep the role of providing a bigger map if an install grows out EET's own.

Keep in mind that EET Worldmap is installed early as part of EET, so every mod adding areas to the worldmap with native EET compatibility would need an update to ensure their map icons end up in the proper place in an extended EET Worldmap. That's absolutely not guaranteed to happen and that would hurt the community more than whatever potential benefits would be shown. Keep in mind that EET Worldmap's preview is outdated and a lot has been changed since 2020 or when it was last updated, with ideas like CtB adding the BP-BGT Hlondeth cutout to the bottom left corner of an EET Worldmap.

Meanwhile if BP-BGT gets extended, it's still a lesser issue because BP-BGT has a way to override a mod's own BP-BGT worldmap icon position and can contain all the shifted icon positions in itself, regardless if the source mod which would add the area was updated to go along with it or not.

Additionally, EE 2.0 allows worldmap switching (a feature we got from IWDEE), which I find more appropriate for Secret of Bone Hill on the EEs than adding a cutout to another worldmap, considering you can't leave the continent during the act and acts as it's own campaign anyway.

[WithinAmnesia]

What options are there for bigger world maps then? If a GemRB like engine is getting Diablo 2 style procedural generation infinite tile area making old BG+IWD will need a bigger map, a much bigger map. If a traditional world map would work at all as we know them.

Edited September 30, 2023 by WithinAmnesia