59 réponses à ce sujet

[Icy Magebane]

Thedas could have retrograde rotation. We don't know.

Yeah, but unless they tell us otherwise, I think it's safe to assume that they didn't decide to follow a bizarre design that is the exact opposite of Earth... what would be the point of that?

[Dermain]

Yeah, but unless they tell us otherwise, I think it's safe to assume that they didn't decide to follow a bizarre design that is the exact opposite of Earth... what would be the point of that?

 

It's entirely possible for a planet to have retrograde rotation. In our universe Uranus is the only planet that orbits in a different direction than the rest of the planets.

[Icy Magebane]

It's entirely possible for a planet to have retrograde rotation. In our universe Uranus is the only planet that orbits in a different direction than the rest of the planets.

I didn't say it was impossible, I asked what the point of designing it that way would be.

[Fidite Nemini]

I didn't say it was impossible, I asked what the point of designing it that way would be.

 

You are assuming they went as far as to design it specifically in any way that related as opposed to simply creating a world with hot, moderate and cold areas without more thought into the dynamics of what makes areas hot, moderate or cold.

 

Remember that the setting is a device and used to create environment and not a living entity that requires specific parameters to function that aren't "we decided we wanted it that way".

[Icy Magebane]

You are assuming they went as far as to design it specifically in any way that related as opposed to simply creating a world with hot, moderate and cold areas without more thought into the dynamics of what makes areas hot, moderate or cold.

 

Remember that the setting is a device and used to create environment and not a living entity that requires specific parameters to function that aren't "we decided we wanted it that way".

Maybe you should re-read my previous posts because I never said that.  I said that in order for the world to be a backwards version of Earth, it would need to be designed that way on purpose.

[Dermain]

Maybe you should re-read my previous posts because I never said that.  I said that in order for the world to be a backwards version of Earth, it would need to be designed that way on purpose.

 

Or retconned that way to annoy lore nerds... 

[Icy Magebane]

Or retconned that way to annoy lore nerds... 

lol whatever... if you can't back up any of your statements, then don't post.  This all started because you put words in my mouth.

[Fidite Nemini]

 

You are assuming they went as far as to design it specifically in any way that related as opposed to simply creating a world with hot, moderate and cold areas without more thought into the dynamics of what makes areas hot, moderate or cold.

 

Remember that the setting is a device and used to create environment and not a living entity that requires specific parameters to function that aren't "we decided we wanted it that way".

 

Maybe you should re-read my previous posts because I never said that.  I said that in order for the world to be a backwards version of Earth, it would need to be designed that way on purpose.

 

 

Okay:

 

 

Maybe, but the maps of Thedas are all presented as stretching from south (Ferelden) to north (Par Vollen).  I can't imagine the game designers and artists would intentionally create upside down maps.  It's probably a reflection of how the planet is actually set up with regards to their sun.

 

 

Right there it is. Satisfied?

[Thandal N'Lyman]

The directions (names and orientation) are arbitrary, only their relationship to each other is not.  That we usually place North at the top of maps is purely a convention. Tolkien, for example, said that all Dwarven maps place East, (the direction of the rising sun) at the top.  And see the bit about the Organization of Cartographers for Social Equality in the "West Wing" episode: Big Block of Cheese Day. 

 

That said, we do know that Par Vollen is referred to as being "in the North", and that it is placed "above" Rivain when the location is depicted.  So maps in Thedas must be drawn using the same orientation as ours.  (Or rather, the names of the directions have been assigned appropriately to allow the player to immediately understand the directional relationships.)

 

And even were the planet's daily rotation "retrograde", (compared to ours) that wouldn't have anything to do with conditions being generally warmer nearer to the equator and colder nearer the poles.

[In Exile]

On what basis can we call that reverse? All calendars are fundamentally arbitrary.

 

Even if something is arbitrary, there's nothing wrong with taking our own experience as a default comparison point. Conversations are easier with common points of reference. 

[Navasha]

Based on the game descriptions, yes.   I have always imagined it existed in the southern hemisphere of its planet. 

[caradoc2000]

For all we know, Thedas could be flat.

 

Earth was flat until they retconned it - stupid scholars

[Sylvius the Mad]

Even if something is arbitrary, there's nothing wrong with taking our own experience as a default comparison point. Conversations are easier with common points of reference.

I think it's valuable for the conversants to be aware that their points of reference are arbitrary.

[In Exile]

I think it's valuable for the conversants to be aware that their points of reference are arbitrary.

 

I agree. I just think it's unlikely you'll get that realization from most. 

[Maria Caliban]

Yeah, but unless they tell us otherwise, I think it's safe to assume that they didn't decide to follow a bizarre design that is the exact opposite of Earth... what would be the point of that?

What's the point of having Thedas in the southern hemisphere?

It's simply something that someone thought was neat while they were constructing the world.

[Setiweb]

As an aside:  So when Morrigan says ...beyond Thedas and beyond the fade... she could just be talking about a different part of the planet and not off-world?

[Icy Magebane]

What's the point of having Thedas in the southern hemisphere?

It's simply something that someone thought was neat while they were constructing the world.

By "bizarre design," I was referencing retrograde rotation.  Sylvius was saying that the world might rotate in the opposite direction as Earth, and I asked what the reason for something that strange could possibly be.  I suppose the designers could have simply thought the sun rising in the west was neat, but it's very unlikely that the planet actually works that way.  A lot of things are possible.  That doesn't mean they are probable.

 

If Thedas was meant to exist in the northern hemisphere, it stands to reason that they would have simply put it there.  That would have been a lot less complicated than having the world rotate backwards and be flipped upside down, such that all the maps we see are inverted and intentionally misleading... again, what would be the point of going through that many steps?  It's possible, but highly unlikely.

[Sifr]

It's entirely possible for a planet to have retrograde rotation. In our universe Uranus is the only planet that orbits in a different direction than the rest of the planets.

 

I think you meant rotate, not orbit in that last part. All planets in the Solar System orbit in the same direction.

 

But you are right that all planets rotate in an anti-clockwise direction, except for Venus and Uranus, which rotate clockwise.

[In Exile]

As an aside:  So when Morrigan says ...beyond Thedas and beyond the fade... she could just be talking about a different part of the planet and not off-world?

 

I think it depends on how the developers think of "Thedas" (i.e., whether it's the "known world" or "the only setting of the game we ever considered"). I think in that case it had its original meaning: The Dragon Age Setting. 

[Maria Caliban]

She probably means the entirety of the mortal world. There's no specific term for it.

[Icy Magebane]

Right there it is. Satisfied?

No, because none of that implies any design other than the default understanding of Earth that 99% of humans would have when siting down to write a story about a fictional world.  Actually, maybe that is satisfying in a way.  It proves that you misread my posts.

[Ron Brugal]

maybe the world is tidal locked

[Thandal N'Lyman]

@Ron Brugal;  And...?  How would tidal lock affect whether "North is North"?  (Which seems to be where this thread has gone.)

[Ron Brugal]

increases the desert side or the play ground with a mid range of forest zone and very little ice until you are extremely close to the poles.  idk Im not a programmer

[Killdren88]

The equator is north in the world of Thedas.

 

Think of Europe, then flip it upside down.

 

Hard to imagine England with a Mediterranean climate  and Italy with a colder rainy one.