A tentative question for Amon & Co...

[Amerelium]

...I'm just curious; We've seen the rendered (?) map of Istaria, with the eastern continent included. Is this part of the world modeled at all? Is there some far-off plan to include it?

I'd like to see it in, even if it's just empty land. It looks interesting, looking at the map. I'd really like to explore, take in the view...

[jerk-o]

Well, I'm pretty sure that if it is modeled, that it would take up a lot of server space to have in the game, even if it is completely empty.

[Amerelium]

Well, I guess no comment is better that a snowball-in-hell-chance-it's-gonna-happen reply..

[Dhalin]

I always wondered about that too. In a game where the entire world exists without instances or zones, you would think that you should be capable of circling the world, coming out on the opposite side.

The thing is though, is that huge empty area hits the far eastern part of the map, but yet the far western part of the map lacks any sort of land that would match the East Edge's IIRC.

What they ought to do, if they have no plans of including that area, is change the map so that there's ocean on the west and east sides of the map, and imply that the map is the entire world, and/or even code it to 'teleport' you to the other side if possible.

[AmonGwareth]

There are no immediate plans to open it. There really isn't a need either as there is plenty of tier 6 land and adventure to go around.

[Amerelium]

Ah, so it's there then

I hope I'll be able to admire the view from that massive volcano at some point...

[Shian]

you would think that you should be capable of circling the world, coming out on the opposite side.

What they ought to do, if they have no plans of including that area, is change the map so that there's ocean on the west and east sides of the map, and imply that the map is the entire world, and/or even code it to 'teleport' you to the other side if possible.

You're assuming Istaria is round and not flat? Have you never heard those terrifying stories we tell hatchies about 'the edge of the world'?

[awdz]

having fallen off the edge myself, i conclude that istaria is indeed flat

[velveeta]

i hope its discworld, myself.....

The Discworld is the fictional setting for all of Terry Pratchett's Discworld fantasy novels. It consists of a slightly convex disc (complete with edge-of-the-world drop-off and consequent waterfall) resting on the backs of four huge elephants which are in turn standing on the back of an enormous turtle, named Great A'Tuin (similar to Chukwa or Akupara from Hindu mythology) as it slowly swims through space. The Disc is heavily influenced by magic and while similar to planet Earth, it generally conforms to its own laws of narrative causality.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Discworld_(world)

[Shian]

That is an interesting theory. I suppose in Istaria's case, our world is on the back of a flying sheep? Or was it a flying cow? My mind has gotten a little rusty on the tales I've been told I'm afraid.

[AmonGwareth]

I'll lay it out for you... Istarian Cosmology 101, here we go. By the way, all of the Realms are essentially flat (they are not spherical worlds).

NOTE: The Server Merge story and the Novo are completely out of context with this. i.e. we do not use them in any context for determining future stories or lore. They are dead to us. :P

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The Planar Plateau - A 2-dimensional plane on which all of the realms orbit the Prime.

The Prime - The realm in which Istaria (Horizons) takes place. The Prime is the center point of the Istarian dimensional universe and the convergence point for all energies of all realms.

The Prime Ring - Another name for the Inner Realms, the Prime Ring are those realms that touch the Prime directly.

The Inner Realms - The realms known as the Inner Realms are also sometimes referred to as the Prime Ring. These realms orbit the Prime closely and are the most common elemental magics used throughout Istaria. Traditionally the realms of the Prime Ring are older, larger, more powerful and more stable than the Outer Realms. These realms include Fire, Water, Air, Earth, Life, Spirit, Blight and Energy.

The Outer Realms - The realms known as the Outer Realms reside far from the realm of the Prime and outside of those of the Prime Ring. Like the Inner Realms they orbit the Prime, but they are further away and traditionally are younger, smaller, and less powerful Prime Ring. These include Nature, Storm, Bounty, Expanse, Order, Chaos, Light, Shadow, Dawn and Twilight.

Realm of Void - Actually a misnomer, the Void is actually the space between the other realms. It is the emptiness in which the realms and the Prime exist. It is the absence of energy, of matter, of life, and of consciousness. The Dryad were able to somehow access this space and use it to hide their race and their city, Palmyra, from the advance of the Withered Aegis many years ago. The means by which they achieved this have not been revealed, nor has their city been returned to the Prime.

[Veruliyam]

Of course it's not flat.

There's the bumpy bits that make mountains and hills and holes for holding rainwater.

[Amerelium]

...and dragons rule it ALL

[Takora Drakan]

Of course it is flat! Shun the non-belivers! SHUUUUNNNN THEMMMMM!

[Shian]

I'll lay it out for you... Istarian Cosmology 101, here we go. By the way, all of the Realms are essentially flat (they are not spherical worlds).

NOTE: The Server Merge story and the Novo are completely out of context with this. i.e. we do not use them in any context for determining future stories or lore. They are dead to us. :P

Sorry for the rez, but this comment stuck out to me. I thought the novo machine was what created the Blight Anchors? Don't you kinda.. need that fact?

[AmonGwareth]

Sorry for the rez, but this comment stuck out to me. I thought the novo machine was what created the Blight Anchors? Don't you kinda.. need that fact?

Not even in the slightest.

[Vaz]

Not even in the slightest.

I guess it would be pointless to ask you to elaborate...

[AmonGwareth]

Its simple... in my original post I said:

NOTE: The Server Merge story and the Novo are completely out of context with this. i.e. we do not use them in any context for determining future stories or lore. They are dead to us. :P

Novo and Server Merge are not used as context for any content we write or reference. So, the Blight Anchors from our perspective have nothing what-so-ever to do with the Novo. They are simply constructs of the Withered Aegis.

In fact, the internal wiki we have contains this entry:

No one knows how they came to be, but since the early days of the invasions Blight Anchors have been a symbol of impending doom among the Living Races. Appearing from thin air, they are summoned into place by mysterious and dark magics to serve as an anchor for a Blight Maelstrom and as a gateway through which the Undead Hordes and other minions of the Withered Aegis may enter a region.

Blight Anchors are a massive construct of the Withered Aegis that are shaped like a massive crystal, colored a sickly green and black, and surrounded by the putrifying essence of the blight itself.

[neva]

Of course it is flat! Shun the non-belivers! SHUUUUNNNN THEMMMMM!

*cracks up laughing.*

That was good!

I use to fly to the edges of the map all the time way when. Found where the recall area was.. and use to know where on the edges of the map was the 'dead island' and where you could fly to what edge to get to the newbie zones and then with them, where to fly to each one to get to all four of them in a nice turn.

I did /way/ to much exploring way when.