Hi Folks. I was brought on recently to help build a new team working exclusively on Atlas! I know there's been a lull in development lately, and we've actually got several things that are in development that we are going to be rolling out over the next couple months. I want to address a few design topics about this map.
We wanted to get people moving around the world more. This map lays some of the groundwork for that, and aligns with some of the systems we're rolling out in the next couple months that we will have details on soon. What's shown here is the plant and weather biome layout, which dictates what type of plants an area contains. We've separated the mineral layer and the edges of those mineral biomes do not line up with the plant biomes. The areas in the middle of the map are densely populated with islands and are closest to the most diverse selections of plants and minerals. The outer areas of the map have less access to rich diversity of resources, and they also use the claim system. This is intentional. The outskirts are safer and less rewarding.
In the short term, we expect more conflict in the center of the map around the Golden Age Islands. We're also introducing new systems for Trading that we will dive into soon. This should provide opportunities for both cooperation and conflict. What's a pirate game without the opportunity to pillage trade routes? More on that in the weeks to come.
