{"id":1079,"date":"2026-02-11T20:21:10","date_gmt":"2026-02-11T20:21:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/?p=1079"},"modified":"2026-02-12T11:38:46","modified_gmt":"2026-02-12T11:38:46","slug":"mythic-map","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/index.php\/2026\/02\/11\/mythic-map\/","title":{"rendered":"Mythic Map"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-gallery has-nested-images columns-default is-cropped wp-block-gallery-1 is-layout-flex wp-block-gallery-is-layout-flex\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"800\" data-id=\"1078\" src=\"https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/MythicMapScreenShot2-1024x800.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1078\" srcset=\"https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/MythicMapScreenShot2-1024x800.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/MythicMapScreenShot2-300x234.jpg 300w, https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/MythicMapScreenShot2-768x600.jpg 768w, https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/MythicMapScreenShot2.jpg 1088w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"754\" data-id=\"1077\" src=\"https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/MythicMapScreenShot-1024x754.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-1077\" srcset=\"https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/MythicMapScreenShot-1024x754.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/MythicMapScreenShot-300x221.jpg 300w, https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/MythicMapScreenShot-768x566.jpg 768w, https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/MythicMapScreenShot.jpg 1108w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Run straight away in Owlet &#8211; click below&#8230;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<div class=\"wp-block-buttons is-layout-flex wp-block-buttons-is-layout-flex\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-button\"><a class=\"wp-block-button__link wp-element-button\" href=\"https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/mythicmap\">Run Mythic Map<\/a><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>\ud83e\udded Mythic Map \u2013 Essential How to Play Guide<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Objective:<br>Find the Iron Crown, hidden somewhere in the ruins or buildings of a procedurally generated 20\u00d720 world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You begin in the centre of the map with 50 supplies. A yellow @ symbol shows your player position when you view the map.\\<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83c\udfae Controls<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">N \/ E \/ S \/ W \u2014 Turn to face a direction<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">T \u2014 Travel forward one tile (in the direction you\u2019re facing)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">M \u2014 View the map<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">G \u2014 Generate a new world<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Q \u2014 Quit<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">You always move forward \u2014 turning changes your facing direction.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\udc40 What You See<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each turn, the game describes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Your current location<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What lies immediately ahead<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What lies further in the distance<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>What can be seen on the horizon<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Occasionally important features to your left or right<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Think of it as surveying the landscape from your position.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83e\udd7e Supplies &amp; Survival<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Moving consumes supplies.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rough terrain (forests, hills) costs more.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Roads may cost less.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Some terrain is impassable.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>If supplies reach 0, the game ends.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83c\udfe8 Replenishing Supplies<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Find a Coaching Inn (marked as C on the map).<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>When you step onto an Inn:<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>You automatically rest.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Supplies +10<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Plan routes carefully \u2014 Inns are your lifeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83d\uddfa Map View<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Press M to see the full map:<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Terrain types are colour coded.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Your position is marked with &#8220;@&#8221;.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Inns are shown as a  Magenta &#8220;C&#8221;<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">\ud83c\udfc6 Winning<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Locate the hidden quest location (in a ruin or building) to recover the Iron Crown and win.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Explore. Conserve supplies. Use Inns wisely. Survey the land before moving.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s all you need to begin.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-larger-font-size wp-block-paragraph\">Development and High Level Code Walkthrough<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">There\u2019s a very deliberate lineage behind Mythic Map.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Years ago I was fascinated by the way The Lords of Midnight by Mike Singleton handled scale and perspective. It showed you what you could see from your position \u2014 mountains looming in the distance, forests rising beyond hills \u2014 all rendered through clever layered graphics on very limited hardware. You&#8217;ll see from one of my earlier projects in this Stardot subforum post &#8220;<a href=\"https:\/\/stardot.org.uk\/forums\/viewtopic.php?t=28104[\">Landscaping<\/a>&#8221; is a very simple version of this.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Mythic Map takes that same core principle \u2014 but applies it to text.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Instead of scaled bitmap landscapes, we now generate &#8220;scaled&#8221; narrative description:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Immediate foreground (1 tile ahead)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Mid-distance (2 tiles)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Horizon (3 tiles)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Side scanning for \u201cimportant\u201d landmarks<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It\u2019s essentially using the idea of Landscaping from The Lords of Midnight, distilled into MODE 7 prose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Design Philosophy<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The key idea:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The world is not just where you stand. It is what you perceive.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That\u2019s why PROCLook is the heart of the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">I\u2019ll stay deliberately high level here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">[b]1. Setup &amp; Data Structures[\/b]<br>DIM M%(19,19)<br>DIM N$(6,5)<br>DIM VOC$(9), VAGUE$(6), PHR$(3)<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">M%(19,19) \u2013 The world grid (20&#215;20).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Each cell encodes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Terrain type (tens digit)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Subtype \/ progression stage (units digit)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">N$() holds terrain names.<br>VOC$() adjectives.<br>PHR$() distance phrases.<br>VAGUE$() horizon descriptors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is lightweight but powerful: small data tables, combinatorial output.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>PROCMakePath<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The world is procedurally forged in layers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Base terrain (woods vs hills)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rivers carved with a directional path<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Roads laid similarly<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Ruins &amp; buildings scattered<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Quest location hidden in valid terrain<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is intentionally fast and replayable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Notably:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Rivers and roads use staged progression (STP%) to simulate widening.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Impassable terrain is encoded in subtype 5.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Supplies introduce pressure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This creates:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Movement constraints<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Resource tension<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Directional decision making<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>The Core Innovation \u2013 PROCLook<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This is where the \u201cLords of Midnight principle\u201d lives.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">FOR DIST%=1 TO 3<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">We scan outward three tiles in the facing direction.<br>Each distance band:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Has different descriptive richness<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Uses rank filtering (FNrank)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Adds side scanning for significant landmarks<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The rank system is subtle but key:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>DEF FNrank<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Mountains, keeps, impassables = higher importance.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Trees and low features = lower importance.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This prevents descriptive overload while preserving drama.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The result is sparse but evocative and atmospheric!<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Travel &amp; Survival<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">PROCTravel handles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Movement vectors based on facing<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Impassable checks<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Supply drain<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Rest at Inns (+10 supplies)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Proximity tension message<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Victory condition<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This creates the gameplay loop:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Look \u2192 Decide \u2192 Travel \u2192 Consume Supplies \u2192 Repeat<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Map Rendering<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><br>PROCPreRender builds colourised MAP_ROW$ strings.<br>It uses:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Character tables<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Colour tables<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Special overrides (e.g. Inn = &#8220;C&#8221;)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This means:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>The map draws instantly.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>No recalculation during display.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>What\u2019s Working Well<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The perception-based viewing model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Distance layering.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Importance ranking (I think)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Procedural naming of rivers and roads.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Resource pressure loop.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Clean modular procedures.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"has-large-font-size wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Where It Needs Work<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The English descriptions are functional \u2014 but not yet mythic.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Examples:<br>&#8220;Directly ahead, ancient a Forest awaits.&#8221;<br>&#8220;On the horizon, dark shapes can be seen.&#8221;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They work mechanically.<br>But they lack rhythm, cohesion, and narrative tone\u2026.so if there&#8217;s enough memory I think these could be improved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">What we need:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Better grammar flow (for sure)<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Perhaps less repetition.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Stronger atmosphere?<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Even occasional surprise phrases.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>Maybe even variation in sentence structure.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Run straight away in Owlet &#8211; click below&#8230; \ud83e\udded Mythic Map \u2013 Essential How to Play Guide Objective:Find the Iron Crown, hidden somewhere in the ruins or buildings of a [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_hide_footer_widgets":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":"","_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[27,19],"tags":[24],"class_list":["post-1079","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","category-basic-programming","category-bbc-micro-b","tag-bbc-micro","entry"],"featured_image_src":null,"featured_image_src_square":null,"author_info":{"display_name":"Paul Bussey","author_link":"https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/index.php\/author\/paul-admin\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1079","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1079"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1079\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1084,"href":"https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1079\/revisions\/1084"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1079"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1079"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/retrorendezvous.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1079"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}