“You have traveled over the ocean to a land that is rumored to be full of opportunities for those who know how to seize them. The land is inhabited by Men and Elves who live peacefully side by side, though for some reason the Elves are leaving in their boats and ships. Apparently, the Oracle has announced that the land will soon perish because of an unknown force. The Mages of the Seventh Circle have also stated that strange stars can be seen above the land: a sign of bad times. Are the Elves leaving because of the rumors and the "bad signs"? Is there any truth to these omens?”
This is a two-player RPG that I found long ago that I have always held in high regards. This map has been criticized for its slow gameplay, incompleteness, unimpressive terrain, and sketchy storyline. However, it has many quality aspects and boasts respectable editing. The notable features of this RPG include:
- 22 playable Heroes, each with 3 abilities that can be leveled to a max of 25 and 1 normal ability
- A level 100 Hero level cap
- A “Repick Hero” function
- Heroes may learn more abilities by purchasing lessons
- Hundreds of customized items
- Certain features are randomized at the beginning of each game
- Many customized creeps
- An innovative trade skill system
- Secrets and hidden details are numerous
- Balanced experience gain
- Basic AI
- Well-attempted realism
The author of this map is known by two alias, the more predominant one being MercyfulJester, the other being MinusHuman. It would seem that he is no longer active in the WarCraft community, although I could be mistaken. He has these things to say about the map:
“This map is my first. I was basically just learning the art of mapmaking when I made this map and the learning continues still. That should tell you the reason for the poorly made triggers, balancing issues and just plain stupid ideas.
The map took about 5 months to do. I could have made it in a month if I had known what I was doing and if I hadn't taken 5-10 day breaks every now and then. The basic idea for this map was to make an open-RPG with lots of things to do besides fighting and lots of different variables and constantly changing events and such so that it could be played several times and have a new and unique experience every time. I'm quite pleased with this map. When I began to make Dying Lands, I was afraid that I couldn't really make anything, because I didn't really have a lot of experience with coding or mapmaking in general. I still don't, but I guess I could say that I could make a pretty neat WarCraft III map….
…I have a lot of ideas and I hope I can make something out of them. Until my next map, farewell.”
Another map that you may recognize that MercyfulJester has done is Simple Living.
I hope that you too can enjoy this RPG for what it’s worth.
(Supposedly Version 1.6, which is the seventh release)
Keywords:
RPG, Role Playing Game, Trade Skill, Epic, Dying, Lands, Large, Big
Approved
