Level Origins

Forrest Cameranesi and Dennis Taylor forwarded this to us from alt.games.myth

In article <cfool-ya02408000R1605981454380001@news.isomedia.com>,
cfool@mail.isomedia.SPAMMERSSUX.com (Cool Fool) wrote:

> Everyone knows that Bagrada is the first mission where you see Trow, right?
> But I doubt anyone knows what the name means. Here's the story:
>
> Back in the days of Jesus Christ, the empires of Rome and Carthage were at
> war. After years of fighting on the open seas, Carthage invaded Italy from
> across the Alps. Although the Carthiginian army was inferior to Rome's, the
> Carthiginians had a secret weapon: the elephant! The Carthiginians would
> sit a few men with bows on arrows on top, to turn the animal into a mobile
> firing platform. But the main advantage of the elephant was that it could
> go stomp people.
>
> The first time the Romans met the elephants was at Bagradas Pass in the
> mountains. The elephants actually inflicted relatively few casualties, but
> all the infantrymen were afraid of them, the more so after seeing a couple
> men squished to a pulp. See any parallels?

Good Work Cool Fool. The Elephants most likely parrellel the trow you must face at the end of the level. I know that certainly terrified MY infantry. =)

Tom Lusco sends us some clarification of the Bagrada Pass

"Bagrada is a river in Tunisia. There was a great and decisive battle there, between Hannibal (Carthage) and Scipio (Rome). Scipio won the battle decisively, earning the name Scipio Africanus. Alas, it was not nearly the first Roman-Carthaginian confrontation, and the presence of elephants is (to me) unknown."

It was also noted that this was not the first instance that elephants were used in battle. So, many of the parallels are lost, unfortunately.

Special Effects

Tyrfing just came running into camp bellowing that our scout's signal fire has gone out. That means trouble.

As you arrive at the scout's campsite you only find the smoking remains of their fire and some assorted bloody body parts. However, despite the horror depicted in the cutscene before this level, there was actually little loss of life. In fact, nobody died!

And how is this possible?

The game starts with four piles of body parts at the campsite. Each pile is set to spray up and out, leaving a bloody mess indicating the scouting party's demise.

Future solo map makers take note. This is unique way to add favor to your maps.

Markers and Statues

Here are the marker stones from Bagrada and the netmap Ground Zero. I had not realized that they were (mostly) the same images on the stones in both maps. But Kallikanzaros #CP#g of the venerable Clan Plaid sure did!

As he so succinctly put it:

During a dull afternoon I took these pictures... There are 3 different types of marker stones. All three can be found in Bagrada and GZ. In Bagrada they seem to mark the paths. Marker stone 1 (left) is found along the shortest path to the Trow. Marker 2 (center) seems to appear before dead ends. I'm not sure what the 3rd marker (right) signifies. In GZ one can be found near each start [position]. There is writing on them, but I can't read it.

So, after having my memory prodded, I closely examined each of the stones. Using a technique I learned from deciphering Marathon term pix, I was able to enhance the lettering on the Ground Zero markers enough to read them. You can see my efforts on the first marker on the right.

The other two markers were much more difficult to translate, but I was able to make out the word "Waterslide" on the second marker and "Ferris Wheel" on the third.

Omer Shenker adds:

"I think that the stones were placed there by the locals as markers. We know that to hold Bagrada takes at the least 30 groups like the ones we have on the level. (OK, I'll grant that the reinforcements could be another group joining up with you.) It must be really hard to get past, and markers to tell you which way to go would sure help. As to the meaning of the patterns, I see no real possibility beyond decoration or something which we'll only find out later."

Also, these big guys grace the snowy passes of Bagrada right where you start the game. Who are they?

Well, looking at the back of them may give you a clue. Notice the squares on the back? They sure remind me of the way the gold tiles hang from the back of a Journeyman.

Hmmm... where did I read something about Journeymen and Bagrada? Ahh, in this alpha screenshot right here.

Perhaps the Journeymen were instrumental in holding Bagrada during some long past battle?

Omer Shenker offers this theory regarding the statues.

"First, remember that Bagrada is an ancient site of 'battle since time immemorial'. The pre release screenshots show that Journeymen were fighting there since 1156 at the least. (Whatever that date means.) Bagrada (the level) seems to be full of strange things. Most obviously, the two huge Jman statues at the start of the level. Come on, those things must have taken organized effort to create, and it must have happened in a time of relative peace. Oh, and it happened after [Connacht] fell to become Balor and The Fallen came to cause havoc. Why? The Heron Guards didn't take on their nine gold tiles until Muirthemne was sacked by the dark. The Bagrada stones are obviously of "tiled" Herons.

It seems likely that these statues were erected in honor of the Herons but by who? It does seem likely that the markers were written to offer information such as dead end or correct way to get through the pass. Perhaps they were created so that in the future the light would have an advantage over the fallen by knowing where each path went.

Chris Stelnick also offers his opinions regarding the statues purpose.

"We all know that the City of Muirthemne was the seat of the Emperor, and the Journeyman, or Heron Guards guarded him. Well, the area known as the Barrier now was all apart of the Empire and perhaps the Bagrada pass was the only or most used way to get through the Cloudspine to the Empire. So, the Heron Guard statues signify your entrance into the Empire.

Or maybe, the Emporer himself is buried in Bagrada and the statues are there to guard his spirit and his grave? A symbolic way of guarding him, much like the Egyptians."

Journeyman are referred to as Heron Guards in their flavor text from the game btw, if you'll recall. This is all very interesting.