And now back to the irregularly scheduled update...
The original idea was to use the classical elements as a framework, something to draw inspiration from for equipment, mobs, and areas. (For example, I had the idea to have equipment that didn't quite work right based on elements, boots with respiration for example. "You can breathe through your feet!")
But looking on this page on the classical elements, which led to this page on ancient Chinese elements, I thought, "Hey, perhaps I could use these instead of the typical trope! That'd be unique, right?"
It provides a framework for the areas that the player will go through, and since Chinese elements describe processes instead of pieces of a whole, it will be like the player is going through a journey through the realm of my map.
| Element | Season | Area |
|---|---|---|
| Wood | Spring | Forest |
| Fire | Summer | Desert |
| Earth | Mountains | |
| Metal | Fall | Village |
| Water | Winter | Swamp |
| ??? | ??? | ??? |
Just a thought as I actually start building this thing...
For some reason I never really liked the distinction between wood & metal. Not really sure why.
ReplyDeleteIt's kinda sad that earth doesn't get a season. Also weird that air isn't included. And wouldn't rains be more appropriate to water than winter? (Yes, rains is a season here.) Not to mention showing winter in a swamp maybe a bit weird.
Are you planning on making this an Eastern themed map because we honestly desperately need more of those. The single Eastern themed map that I've ever encountered is The Mysterious East. & to someone living in the East, it's painful to see my part of the world get neglected SO MUCH :'(
Wood/Metal is analogous to Nature/Civilization in a way...
ReplyDeleteEarth, at least according to the wiki page on Chinese elements, is the element of balance, so it doesn't really have a season... I'll be treating it as a "Late Summer" season, though it's a stretch... It's more connecting the map to the seasons, you start in Spring, not knowing your task, and concluding in Winter, when you are about to finish it.
(In other words, the seasons are a loose comparison, and likely will not persist beyond a metaphor within the map.)
And besides, around here at least, the seasons are "Pre-Winter", "Winter", "Post-Winter", "Road Work", and Winter *is* rain. Snow isn't too common this close to sea level.
The map likely won't be an Eastern themed map (sorry :( ) beyond adding some themes from Chinese elements... Partially because I don't know enough about the culture to do it justice, and I already have the elements in place story-wise for the map.
Re: wood/metal, Ah that makes sense :)
DeleteRe: earth & seasons, Since earth is balance, how about having it as a transition between summer & autumn (that is what you call as fall right?).
Also, I like the idea of seasons & elements as the cycle of life. I wonder if the protagonist will die at the end to signify that. In any case, approves greatly :D
You don't have to make it overly Eastern themed. The Mysterious East was centred around the theme. You can easily have like small temples or tropical looking trees or maybe some Eastern-ish castle architecture as subtle references.
But remember, if your story is awesome, nothing else matters & you shouldn't change anything :)
Fall and Autumn are the same, just depends on how formal you want to be. (It's like Spring and the Vernal Equinox, though I've never heard it called "Vern"...)
DeleteAnd using Eastern inspired builds Is a fantastic idea! (I'll just need to get some reference pictures to build from... To the Googles!)