Thread:LOTRMod/@comment-29954640-20170223220430/@comment-26172435-20170303084058

Well I'll be damned ... thanks for responding here and sharing your view on this Mevans. :)

With your additional explanation and me digging deeper into the original plan I had back in the days when the SA server wasn't even in my sight ... I think I'm finally seeing the light as well. Basically, all the line changes I worked out for first age biomes can indeed be coded in the way Sinth & Mevans described and it may indeed be more convenient to code it in a separate submod structure. Yet, the work involved in identifying which biome base class (and derived classes) to use for which alternate world region and what to change and how, its still the same.

The way I see it now is that the biome structure as laid out in the mod is still leading as it provides a base platform with default settings that can be used for alternate purposes with all kind of override settings and instructions, in the same way that the mod now defines base biomes and derived biomes. The end of the tunnel became visible for me when I figured some of the derived biomes (sub-biomes) override many of the settings / terrain generation instructions of their 'mother' biome class. Submodding the way Sinth proposed would function in the same manner.

I think it's certainly worthwhile to forward this to the Eras of Arda modding team again and let's see if I can get that initial response overriden with this new insight.

If this can be done, and I do hope so, and both modding and ogre capacity are still available, this can mean all the First Age region redefinition work I did last year may not be in vain and much is still usable for a new attempt to create a First Age world with proper spawns en region generation and spawns of NPCs, structures, plants and beasts. And with adjusted faction relationships (which is also quite a laborious but doable redefinition/design task once a map and faction list is final). It's too late for the (current) Second Age Server, and I'm glad I decided not to spend much effort in redefinition of regions for that world at the time. But for the First Age it might still be an acceptable option, if time allows us.

The fact that it does take a lot of effort hasn't changed though. ... and the irony of it all is that I am awaiting a surgery in april and if that is succesful, I will be finally able to fully resume my work again and will no longer have the time I have now for such time consuming LOTRmod escapades.