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[dragonflight288]

I don't know if this is the correct place for this thread, but I thought this would be a good place to discuss ideas on how Bioware...and this is constructive ideas, no flaming at all or pointless insults, could have used the three year gaps to show Hawke wasn't just sleeping. Hawke could have been traveling abroad, fending of suitors from the nobles, whatever.

I was thinking at the end of each act, have Hawke talk to his/her companions for not only more conversation and character development, but how those conversations go effect how Varic explains what happened in the three year gap to Cassandra and/or the effects we see in Kirkwall after the Act begins.

For example end of Act 1, Varic and Hawke could be discussing plans for the wealth. Does Hawke return to smuggling/mercenary work and hire them to do dirty work in the city or use them to help the Fereldens? Does Hawke invest in trade and end up owning businesses that give him/her a discount during Act 2? Is Hawke helping destroy or build up a Mage Resistance and is he/she helping plan a war with the Chantry, thereby making Cassandra correct that the Champion was spreading subversion?

Do these ideas sound plausible?

[phaonica]

For example end of Act 1, Varic and Hawke could be discussing plans for the wealth. Does Hawke return to smuggling/mercenary work and hire them to do dirty work in the city or use them to help the Fereldens? Does Hawke invest in trade and end up owning businesses that give him/her a discount during Act 2? Is Hawke helping destroy or build up a Mage Resistance and is he/she helping plan a war with the Chantry, thereby making Cassandra correct that the Champion was spreading subversion?

Possibly. But actions speak louder than words. Show, don't tell.

If Hawke has this conversation with Varric, it might be better if it then opened a quest whereby Hawke can travel to a location to make the arrangements s/he just told Varric s/he intended to make. Then that action would have to somehow be reflected later in the next Act.

[dragonflight288]

Or even have quests related to it in the next act. Have a small side quest in between the acts.

Just a thought. And yes, I do agree with 'Show, don't tell."

[phaonica]

dragonflight288 wrote...

Or even have quests related to it in the next act. Have a small side quest in between the acts.

Just a thought. And yes, I do agree with 'Show, don't tell."

I know there are a few existing side quests that only show up... I think it's if you let Grace go some mage underground quests open up, otherwise some bounty quests show up. (I think this is right, I've only ever gotten the mage underground quests, but the bounty quests show up according to the dragon age wiki).

Anyway, that's a good way to start, but these quests are so .. side-questy... for lack of a better word. They're so inconsequential. To me, they didn't make me feel like I was actually making a difference. I didn't even realize that they opened as a result of my choices, the first time I found them. I suppose just some side quests that opened up as a result, while being minor, is better than the feeling that nothing at all has happened.

[ReiSilver]

phaonica wrote...

dragonflight288 wrote...

Or even have quests related to it in the next act. Have a small side quest in between the acts.

Just a thought. And yes, I do agree with 'Show, don't tell."

I know there are a few existing side quests that only show up... I think it's if you let Grace go some mage underground quests open up, otherwise some bounty quests show up. (I think this is right, I've only ever gotten the mage underground quests, but the bounty quests show up according to the dragon age wiki).

Anyway, that's a good way to start, but these quests are so .. side-questy... for lack of a better word. They're so inconsequential. To me, they didn't make me feel like I was actually making a difference. I didn't even realize that they opened as a result of my choices, the first time I found them. I suppose just some side quests that opened up as a result, while being minor, is better than the feeling that nothing at all has happened.

But the mage underground does lead to one of the best moments in the game

[dragonflight288]

I know there are a few existing side quests that only show up... I think
it's if you let Grace go some mage underground quests open up,
otherwise some bounty quests show up. (I think this is right, I've only
ever gotten the mage underground quests, but the bounty quests show up
according to the dragon age wiki).

Anyway, that's a good way to
start, but these quests are so .. side-questy... for lack of a better
word. They're so inconsequential. To me, they didn't make me feel like
I was actually making a difference. I didn't even realize that they
opened as a result of my choices, the first time I found them. I suppose
just some side quests that opened up as a result, while being minor, is
better than the feeling that nothing at all has happened.

Then maybe have side-quests that have larger consequences and can even affect the main story quests if you do them beforehand?

Modifié par dragonflight288, 08 septembre 2011 - 04:04 .

[phaonica]

dragonflight288 wrote...

Then maybe have side-quests that have larger consequences and can even affect the main story quests if you do them beforehand?

That would be awesome for anywhere in the game, not just to deal with the time gaps. 

[dragonflight288]

That it would.

[LadyJaneGrey]

dragonflight288 wrote...

*snips*
Do these ideas sound plausible?

I like those ideas, and it would certainly help to have the gaps fleshed out a bit.  The three year jump between Acts 2 and 3 felt very jarring.  What was Hawke doing all that time as the situation deteriorated?  Eventually I decided my "neutral" Hawke had fallen into a coma and just awakened, the poor dear. 

[LobselVith8]

LadyJaneGrey wrote...

I like those ideas, and it would certainly help to have the gaps fleshed out a bit.  The three year jump between Acts 2 and 3 felt very jarring.  What was Hawke doing all that time as the situation deteriorated?  Eventually I decided my "neutral" Hawke had fallen into a coma and just awakened, the poor dear.   

I think that's part of the problem - the narrative doesn't really accomodate the idea that Hawke has been doing anything. I don't know if DLC can change that effectively. There are areas that the story could have focused on - Hawke working for Athenril and surviving against the dominant Coterie if he chose to side with the smugglers, doing something constructive with his newly acquired wealth and status, dealing with the dictatorship that's taken over Kirkwall by supporting it or going against it.

[dragonflight288]

And that's why I started this thread, to hopefully come up with ideas should Bioware decide to do another framed narrative and learn from the mistakes of DA2.

[ThePhoenixKing]

Excellent thread idea, OP. I certainly would have liked to have more and better side-quests, as well as examine exactly what happened during the three year gaps, the latter I could see being taken care of in some DLC or whatnot.

As for specific ideas, here's one:

- During that quest in Act I where Isabela asks you help out her old friend Martin, Martin mentions that the raiders have some plans for Kirkwall, and that if they aren't a major problem now, they soon will be. Seeing a newly-titled Hawke raise an army to deal with the problem would be cool. If it's a more pre-emptive thing, then it would definitely show off some leadership skills and initiative on the part of Hawke; he or she is hitting the raiders before they can move against the city in force.

A sub-plot could Hawke having to deal with the mistrust and the prejudice of the old school nobles in Kirkwall; after all, Hawke's an adventurer who owes his or her fortune to a desperate gamble in the Deep Roads, and there are numerous occasions in Act II where it mentions that Hawke is considered a up-start who's ruining the neighbourhood. That would serve to further flesh out the story, and give Hawke an additional challenge to overcome; how can they beat the raiders without raising an army with the support of the Viscount and nobles?

Also, if Keldar was killed in the first act, his father could show up to hinder Hawke, even administratively. "Oh, what's that, Hawke, you have the money to move into your family's old mansion? Well, you forgot to sign the paperwork in triplicate, so the money you spent on it now belongs to the city, and you're back in the hovel." Something like that.

[dragonflight288]

- During that quest in Act I where Isabela asks you help out her old friend Martin, Martin mentions that the raiders have some plans for Kirkwall, and that if they aren't a major problem now, they soon will be. Seeing a newly-titled Hawke raise an army to deal with the problem would be cool. If it's a more pre-emptive thing, then it would definitely show off some leadership skills and initiative on the part of Hawke; he or she is hitting the raiders before they can move against the city in force.

That's possible. If Hawke was with the mercenaries in the beginning, he/she could easily hire them or lead them against the raiders. If he/she was with the smugglers, then they can easily work to deprive the raiders of any supplies and sell it to various mercenary groups or private soldiers under Hawke. That was something that could easily have been worked out.

A sub-plot could Hawke having to deal with the mistrust and the prejudice of the old school nobles in Kirkwall; after all, Hawke's an adventurer who owes his or her fortune to a desperate gamble in the Deep Roads, and there are numerous occasions in Act II where it mentions that Hawke is considered a up-start who's ruining the neighbourhood. That would serve to further flesh out the story, and give Hawke an additional challenge to overcome; how can they beat the raiders without raising an army with the support of the Viscount and nobles?

In banter, Varic mentions constantly that there is a lot of prejudice in the Guard for Aveline to work with. We see many Kirkwallers hanging out in the sewers and blaming Fereldens for all their problems. We know the Amell's were greatly respected, but many nobles were happy to see them gone. Many old families would hate to see a new noble not only revive the ancient Amell line, but also do well for himself with whatever...and that would take gold out of their pockets. Another possible sub-plot.

Also, if Keldar was killed in the first act, his father could show up to hinder Hawke, even administratively. "Oh, what's that, Hawke, you have the money to move into your family's old mansion? Well, you forgot to sign the paperwork in triplicate, so the money you spent on it now belongs to the city, and you're back in the hovel." Something like that.

I was actually expecting something like this when I killed his son during my first playthrough. I was expecting him to charge me with trumped up charges and try just as much to get me into jail as he did to keep his son out of jail.

[Quething]

I don't know how much new quests would really help. That's just more stuff that happens during the brief moments Hawke comes out of her coma.

The problem is that the game doesn't know what your Hawke would do during those years. So the solution is to find a way to tell it. You're dealing with both Qunari and the mage/templar issue as early as the first quests of Act I. The game even periodically lets you make a comment on it. When you send Feynriel to the Dalish, for example, he'll ask why you're helping him. You can say either that it's personal (because you or Bethany have been in his shoes), or that it's political (because you don't think anyone should be in his shoes).

So why doesn't the game remember that? If you tell Feynriel "nobody should have to live like that," then the game can say, "ok, Hawke is pro-mage freedom." And then the first time you talk to Anders in Act II, he can say "the money you gave the mage underground has really been helping, but Roderick thinks you need to be more public" and Hawke can respond with "Roderick has been saying that for two bloody years now," and bam! The player now has the impression that Hawke has not, in fact, been in some kind of weird coma, but has rather been helping the mage underground in an active regular way this whole time.

Or what if Hawke and Varric had had a brief conversation in the Deep Roads; instead of "what do you think we'll find," he'd say "what will you do with your share," and at that point Hawke can choose from the politics/money/family/Ferelden choices that she normally gets in his Act II opener. And her answer there governs a whole dialog in the act transition cutscene where Varric tells Cassandra about Hawke building her fortunes or gaining influence with the nobles. And then dialogs in Act II would reference the things Hawke did along those lines.

Exclusive quests that appear or resolve differently based on your choices would of course be awesome, and certainly important to the impression that Hawke isn't grossly passive and incompetent, but I don't think they're strictly necessary or neccesarily even that helpful to provide the illusion of the passage of time.

(Also, if your companions didn't act like it'd only been five minutes, that would make a difference too. I refuse to believe that Isabela hasn't been in your house or made a move on you in three bloody years, and writing her love scene as though she hasn't is a serious break in the plausibility of the timeline, just to name the most egregious example).

Modifié par Quething, 10 septembre 2011 - 06:00 .

[dragonflight288]

Nice thoughts. Work well and do provide character development. Especially if Fenris would also comment on Hawke helping mages out. That would prevent meta-gaming to get everyone friendly to a lesser degree.

[Monica21]

phaonica wrote...
Anyway, that's a good way to start, but these quests are so .. side-questy... for lack of a better word.

Yeah, they do. I didn't even know there was a different choice until I made a different choice. And the impact on the game is so minor that it's barely worth doing.

At this point, I'm just kind of assuming that Hawke bought the Amell manor between Act 1 and 2 and spent three years dealing with contractors before the meeting with Dumar. (Never mind that there's no mention of Mom meeting with him, but whatever.) Then, um, I dunno. Went on vacation to Ferelden for a few years to visit family and get the dog smell back in her clothes? Maybe took a trip up to Rivain and stayed in a beach house? 

[Macropodmum]

Quething wrote...

I don't know how much new quests would really help. That's just more stuff that happens during the brief moments Hawke comes out of her coma.

The problem is that the game doesn't know what your Hawke would do during those years. So the solution is to find a way to tell it. You're dealing with both Qunari and the mage/templar issue as early as the first quests of Act I. The game even periodically lets you make a comment on it. When you send Feynriel to the Dalish, for example, he'll ask why you're helping him. You can say either that it's personal (because you or Bethany have been in his shoes), or that it's political (because you don't think anyone should be in his shoes).

So why doesn't the game remember that? If you tell Feynriel "nobody should have to live like that," then the game can say, "ok, Hawke is pro-mage freedom." And then the first time you talk to Anders in Act II, he can say "the money you gave the mage underground has really been helping, but Roderick thinks you need to be more public" and Hawke can respond with "Roderick has been saying that for two bloody years now," and bam! The player now has the impression that Hawke has not, in fact, been in some kind of weird coma, but has rather been helping the mage underground in an active regular way this whole time.

Or what if Hawke and Varric had had a brief conversation in the Deep Roads; instead of "what do you think we'll find," he'd say "what will you do with your share," and at that point Hawke can choose from the politics/money/family/Ferelden choices that she normally gets in his Act II opener. And her answer there governs a whole dialog in the act transition cutscene where Varric tells Cassandra about Hawke building her fortunes or gaining influence with the nobles. And then dialogs in Act II would reference the things Hawke did along those lines.

Exclusive quests that appear or resolve differently based on your choices would of course be awesome, and certainly important to the impression that Hawke isn't grossly passive and incompetent, but I don't think they're strictly necessary or neccesarily even that helpful to provide the illusion of the passage of time.

(Also, if your companions didn't act like it'd only been five minutes, that would make a difference too. I refuse to believe that Isabela hasn't been in your house or made a move on you in three bloody years, and writing her love scene as though she hasn't is a serious break in the plausibility of the timeline, just to name the most egregious example).

Really like these ideas!

[Foolsfolly]

- During that quest in Act I where Isabela asks you help out her old friend Martin, Martin mentions that the raiders have some plans for Kirkwall, and that if they aren't a major problem now, they soon will be. Seeing a newly-titled Hawke raise an army to deal with the problem would be cool. If it's a more pre-emptive thing, then it would definitely show off some leadership skills and initiative on the part of Hawke; he or she is hitting the raiders before they can move against the city in force.

That would have been cool. A nice leadership moment for Hawke. And proving that Hawke did more things for Kirkwall than beat a ox-headed guy in a duel or sell a woman into slavery for his Champion title.

Plus raising an army to fight a pirate army! How cool does that sound!

That's possible. If Hawke was with the mercenaries in the beginning, he/she could easily hire them or lead them against the raiders. If he/she was with the smugglers, then they can easily work to deprive the raiders of any supplies and sell it to various mercenary groups or private soldiers under Hawke. That was something that could easily have been worked out.

Even if you went smugglers you have Aveline as guard-captain who's extremely pro-active will likely have no objections to sending some of her guard to bolster the militia. And there's the fact that there's a lot of out of work Fereldens going hungry in the street.

As is Meredith has the only standing force in Kirkwall (it doesn't make sense to me, the city-state should have it's own army for defense but they don't and that's part of the reason Meredith's so powerful). Maybe even before the threat is removed Meredith and her Templar come into it and start bullying Hawke around. Talking about how any militia is like a rebellion against the Knight-Commander's authority or some garbage.

Then you fix another problem: the fact that Meredith comes into the game with 4 quests remaining before you've beaten the game. Here you get to meet her, coddle her in some way, or have her shut you down. Either way the militia serves its purpose by showing Hawke as a leader.

Too bad we don't have time machines.

[The Xand]

I suppose they're going to fill the gaps with DLC, like Legacy which happened between one of them. Tbh I didn't much mind them because you can't have expected Hawke to have been running around heroing every last second of the day. He's a hero that rises to the occasion, and if there's no occasion to rise to then there's not much to do but kick back and enjoy life.

Modifié par The Xand, 11 septembre 2011 - 04:24 .

[ThePhoenixKing]

Foolsfolly wrote...

That would have been cool. A nice leadership moment for Hawke. And proving that Hawke did more things for Kirkwall than beat a ox-headed guy in a duel or sell a woman into slavery for his Champion title.

Plus raising an army to fight a pirate army! How cool does that sound! 

Indeed. It would also have the added benefit of being able to work out one' frustrations related to the various Pirates of the Caribbean (sp?) sequels in the process.

Foolsfolly wrote...

Even if you went smugglers you have Aveline as guard-captain who's extremely pro-active will likely have no objections to sending some of her guard to bolster the militia. And there's the fact that there's a lot of out of work Fereldens going hungry in the street.

As is Meredith has the only standing force in Kirkwall (it doesn't make sense to me, the city-state should have it's own army for defense but they don't and that's part of the reason Meredith's so powerful). Maybe even before the threat is removed Meredith and her Templar come into it and start bullying Hawke around. Talking about how any militia is like a rebellion against the Knight-Commander's authority or some garbage.

Then you fix another problem: the fact that Meredith comes into the game with 4 quests remaining before you've beaten the game. Here you get to meet her, coddle her in some way, or have her shut you down. Either way the militia serves its purpose by showing Hawke as a leader.

Too bad we don't have time machines.

That's a very good idea. It would serve to further highlight Meredith's influence and its effects over the city, show Hawke taking on more of a leadership role, and generally given a firmer grounding to the climax of the third act. And you're right, I get the feeling that's exactly how Meredith would react to the existence of a private army created by someone outside of her control.

Had another idea for an inter-act DLC as well, this time focusing on the Grand Tourney and taking place between Acts II and III. After all, at this point, Hawke is the Champion of Kirkwall, and defending the honour of the city in a contest of strength and skill is exactly the sort of thing a Champion would do. This would offer some cool storytelling and social possibilities, as Hawke encounters spectators and fellow competitors from around Thedas (maybe some Orlesian challengers could shed some light on what's going on there, for example). You would also have some options on how to approach trying to win the Tourney, a more ruthless or amoral Hawke, for example, could improve his or her odds through intimidation, sabotage or outright murder to eliminate the competition before the actual challenges.

Beyond trying to win the Tourney, Hawke would have to deal with various factions attempting to use the spectacle of the competition to mask their own schemes (perhaps the Mage Underground is taking advantage of such a diverse range of travellers viewing the Tourney to help smuggle out some more mages, or the revanchist faction of the Orlesian court is meeting with some generals to plan a new invasion of Fereldan). As well, given that you are representing the city, those factions whom you have displeased over the course of the game to that point would show up to bedevil you. For example, if you've been pro-mage (or at least opposed to Meredith), then the Templar Order would put forth their own challenger.

Just some ideas. Sound interesting?

[Fylimar]

ReiSIlver: I agree about the goat-scene ('and howls...very loudly' :-)) - that was a very funny moment. And I had Anders and Fenris with me, too - who made the scene even more hilarious with looking so stern.
About the three years gap: the ideas here sound interesting. I would have loved to see any of that -to show, that Hawke made a difference. The second three years gap was a little stupid. One year would have been enough to show the tension between templars and mages rise - and a half destroyed city would have been the right backround for that story.
I also would have loved to see Hawke & Co exploring the rumours about the veil thinning - something X-files relatetd maybe. And then trying to convince the Chantry or the templars to do something about that and/or help Orsino and the other mages escape (would have been a better ending than Orsino turning mad and become Cthulhus little brother)

[Gervaise]

I think the gap between Act 1 and 2 can largely be explained by the amount of time it takes to actually get the estate back and Hawke probably being engaged in a lot of palm greasing and noble hobnobbing. Still a short interactive scene, a little bit along the lines of the introduction to the nobility scene in Awakening might have fleshed this out a bit and had Hawke making alliances that could link into future plotlines - so a noble commenting that they've heard Hawke is a mage supporter, which Hawke could either deny or confirm and then establish where that noble's sympathies lie (this happens very late in the day in Act 3) or a noble acting all superior and muttering about foreigners, which ties in with a theme running all through the story.

As for the gap between Actd 2 and 3, that could have easily been solved by ensuring that the DLC could not be undertaken until that point, so Hawke was off engaged in Legacy quest or the new Mark of the Assassin. Given who the bad guy in Legacy is meant to be, it really doesn't make sense that Hawke and company would be able to take him on until quite high level. Also you can see Hawke thinking, now the Qunari have gone, I can finally get round to dealing with those annoying Carta dwarves. And it ties in with the Grey Wardens being in the area on some business that was even more important than the situation in Kirkwall. Anyway I have just assumed that to be the case - which is why Varric doesn't mention it at first - because he thought Cassandra was asking about events in Kirkwall and what caused the mage/templar war to kick off. Mind you I think Corypheus ' underlying influence was an important element in what went on but I suppose you could argue that he'd been there for around 1000 years without a mage/templar war materialising. so his contribution to that probably was minimal.

[ThePhoenixKing]

Just had another idea for a DLC, as inspired by the Wild Mass Guessing section of DAII's page on TVTropes (http://tvtropes.org/...WMG/DragonAgeII). Here's the idea in full, at time of posting.


****************************************

The third story-based DLC will be warrior-based.
- I confess that I took this idea from someone else, though I can't remember who. Legacy was mage-based (final boss is a powerful mage and the entire plot revolves around the use of magic in some form) and Mark of the Assassin was rogue-based (extra rogue party member, rogue final boss, has a Stealth-Based Mission, and the plot revolves around deception). The third DLC will involve something more warrior-oriented, like say, Hawke and company getting involved in a Big Badass Battle Sequence.

****************************************

For a third DLC, how about we have Hawke defending Kirkwall from an invasion by an outside force? Not like the Qunari attack, which was essentially a smaller battle that served as the climax of years of growing tensions, but an actual campaign waged by Hawke and Kirkwall to protect the city from foreign invasion.

One of the things that's mentioned a bit within the lore is that the states of the Free Marches are constantly feuding with each other, either through open conflict or political machinations, and each is wary of the power of the others. Throughout the entirety of Dragon Age II, Kirkwall isn't exactly doing so hot; Dumar is hobbled by the templars and when he's killed, Meredith enacts her police state, the nobility are constantly backstabbing each other and are too self-interested to really unite much for anything (except when Meredith takes power), and at any one point, the city faces a potentially hostile population of either blood mages or Qunari.

Moreover, Kirkwall is a prize worth taking; it's a major trading port, and right across the sea from a Blight-weakened Fereldan, and it's the likely target of any invasion from Orlais (Celene has intentions on expanding the empire's borders, after all, and even if she doesn't plan to invade Kirkwall, the cabal of Orlesian revanchists who oppose her would not be content merely with reclaiming Fereldan.) In short, Kirkwall is capable of being conquered by a determined and powerful force, if given the opportunity.

So who would be the antagonists of this DLC? I'm thinking that several of the Marcher states (say Tantervale, Ostwick and Markham) join forces to take the city. No matter the act, they would have a possible pretext for invasion; from Hawke's arrival in Kirkwall until the Qunari attack, they could claim to "liberate" Kirkwall from the Qunari and the nobility who permit their presence; between Acts II and III, the potential of a mage uprising could led them to march their forces against the city to pacify it and prevent the disorder from spreading. Maybe Starkhaven too, an attack by them upon Kirkwall would add another dimension to the Exiled Prince content and Sebastian's decision.

Hawke's role could also vary depending on what act you play it in. In Act I, Hawke is a relatively minor member of the army raised by Kirkwall in its defense, given a mid-level officer position due to prior military experience and/or charisma/leadership skills, which in turn gives him/her the opportunity to eventually lead the army as time passes. In Act II, Hawke serves as Dumar's advisor and his second in command on the battlefield, while by Act III, Hawke is the Champion, and defending Kirkwall from foreign invasion is kinda the shtick of the Champion.

As well, this would give the player an opportunity to possess greater agency, shape Kirkwall's defense and feel like a real badass. Whereas the previous story-driven DLCs were focused on Hawke leading a small party as usual (for the most part), this one could give the player an opportunity to influence things on the strategic level, and determine what tactics shall be employed to defend the city.

For example, Hawke could order the Kirkwallers to employ scorched-earth tactics, destroying vital resources to deny them to the enemy, but risk weakening the city's own forces and potentially causing civil unrest. Recruiting heavily from Kirkwall's population of elves and Fereldan refugees might alienate the nobles funding the defense, while investing in a core of well-disciplined, highly-trained and powerful troops would give you some elite backup, but risk being completely outnumbered. Quests could also be structured in a similar fashion; what will you do with the resources and time you have available? Destroy bridges to slow the enemy advance? Raid their corrals and stables to steal their horses, thus limiting the number of hostile knights and calvarymen? Hijack supply convoys both to better equipped your own forces and reduce the effectiveness of the enemy?

Besides deploying with your party as per normal, it would be cool if you could send out your other companions to complete missions by themselves, a la Assassin's Creed: Brotherhood (Merrill could use her Keeper lore to cause the forests to grow and block the path of the enemy, Isabela could assassinate enemy leaders, etc). 

Of course, eventually, you'd have to engage the enemy openly. I'd imagine something akin to the Battle of Denerim; you can summon contingents of various allies to help you, and fight lots of opponents in large maps. Throw in some fall or winter themed maps for variety (it would be nice to see some more environmental effects in the engine, or just see what the Free Marches looks like when it's not sunny.)

Okay then, that was quite a lot of text, but what do you all think? Am I on to something here?