Making Climate Sense – A redesign of climates and preferences
This mod is quite an extensive project of what I like to call "making sense of the climates of Warhammer 3", or specifically of the Immortal Empires map. The general premise for the mod is twofold, with on the one hand redefining the climate of various regions across the map and on the other hand, modifying the climate preferences of some races to both bring internal cohesion and more reasonable climate penalties. The basis for this redesign rests largely upon lore and common sense, freeing up some races to expand further, as well as to open up the Chaos Wastes to be less permanent in their Chaos nature.
The first part of this mod covers an extensive relabeling of the various settlement climates of the world, centered on the Northern/Southern Chaos Wastes, Norsca and Naggaroth. Norsca has been made to be consistently Frozen instead of Chaotic. The Wastes have largely been turned into regular Wasteland instead of Chaotic, with the odd Mountain and Frozen addition where geographically appropriate. The perhaps most significant redesign revolves around Naggaroth however, which has seen a drastic reduction in the amount of Frozen territory. From the borders of Lustria up to about Hag Graef, this continent has been made Temperate in its eastern coastlines. This makes sense from both game-geographical and lore-connected viewpoints. First and foremost, the visual climate of the region is certainly not a snow-covered tundra or the like, but the loreful description of Naggaroth in 8th edition is as follows:
"Further south, the thin soil is more fertile, allowing sparse pine forests to grow. Here, the Dark Elves maintain huge plantations to feed the cities worked by slaves of many different races who labour until they drop dead, their bodies left to nourish the barren soil."
Its hard to imagine massive food plantations being grown in a freezing climate right? Putting in a more temperate climate makes more sense and allows more factions to establish reliable footholds in the region. In the west, the Red Desert and Plain of Spiders have been fully converted to Desert climates.
The other part of this mod centers around an extensive redesign and "standardization" of the climate preferences of the various races, which follows a very common sense-like structure. Climates are now largely based on race-specific characteristics rather than faction-specfic. For instance, Frozen has been suitable for almost all human-based races, like the Empire, Cathay and Southern Realms. It makes no sense for Frozen to be compatible with the humans of Kislev, but be uninhabitable to the humans of Cathay or the Empire. The exception here is Bretonnia, who’s reliance on a peasant-farming economy would struggle in a Frozen climate and hence has been made Unsuitable. The opposite applies to Kislev, who will now consider Desert a Suitable climate. Another example is that it doesn’t make sense for the Empire to prefer Temperate, but be uncomfortable with Temperate Islands, or vice versa with the High Elves.
A further element of this is that, unless lorewisely validated, there is little variety in the climate preferences within the races themselves. For example, there is no justification for either Bregonne or the Marshall That Must Not Be Named to find Jungle climate Suitable while the rest of the race considers it Unsuitable. Just because they decide to unlorefully invade Lustria they don’t automatically gain a preference for Jungle climate. They are invaders, not natives and should have to make a serious effort to establish themselves on new uncomfortable shores. Likewise with Ghorst. Just because he has decided, against all logic, to set up show in a Wood Elf Magical Forest, he doesn’t magically grow an affinity for that climate. He is an invader and, like all the other Undead, Magical Forest will be Uninhabitable for him.
You will see exactly what has been done for what race in the pictures above. Enjoy!
