The Map

Map - JavaScript

Under "Settings" the user can choose between displaying the map with JavaScript or Java. The default setting is JavaScript. A major part of the game takes place on the map. Here you can see your fields and the bordering regions. The visibility range into bordering regions is 2 fields; lighthouses are an exception - they may provide sight up to 7 fields far. On the map you can also move your ships, armys and spies. The total size of the map is 300 x 300 fields; but not the whole map is accessible at the beginning of the game. The game starts in the middle of the map and the mapsize is increased at the 4 outer borders when new players join. The starting site of the players are at least 5 fields apart from each other (this means 3 fields between 2 castles). Every player starts with at least 15 fields of land surrounding the castle.

The following components are visible on the JavaScript-map:

1. By clicking on the points of the compass, the displayed range in the JavaScript-map is moved by three fields. If the overall map-border is reached, then the displayed range cannot be moved any further. When new players register for the game, the map "grows" in all four directions.
2. Here the coordinates for the upper left corner can be entered, if those coordinates are within the accessible range of the map.
3. The zoom of the map can be adjusted with these two buttons.
4. Here the size of the displayed range of the map is entered. A smaller view is constructed faster. A large view may lead to an error in the browser on some computers.
5. The clock displays the time left until the next tick. The current tick is shown to its right. During the tick all calculations are performed, armies are moved, fights take place, and so on. The results are then shown under "Events".
6. Neutral fields belong to no particular player and are only defended by militia formed by farmers. When you conquere these fields, you may lose honor, depending on your points (see diplomacy).
7. Fields that belong to you are labeled with your flag. You can upload a self-made flag to the server under "Settings". If you are member of an alliance, the alliance-flag is also shown. This alliance-flag can be changed by the head of the alliance.
8. Armies are identified on the map by an picture showing the kind of unit with the highest number of members on the field.
9. Similarly, ships or fleets are shown on the map.
10. Your spies are shwon in blue on the map; spies from allies are shown in violet.
11. On fields that are developed the building level is shown. This blinks green if a building is under construction, red if it is being teared down.
12. The header shows name, rank, score, honor and available ressources. After the current amounts the income or loss in this turn is displayed in parenthesis. The ressources display changes between the raw products and the end products when the mouse pointer hovers over the ressources display.

When a player hovers with the mouse pointer over a field for a short time, a small popup is displayed that shows additional informations about that field. This facilitates the selection of fields to attack without the need to click on each field individually. If a player clicks on a field, the area selection is shon in a new page with more detailed information about the page as well as information about armies, spies and ships on that field. Alternatively, this area selection may be opened in a new window or tab by using the middle mouse button or click the left mouse button while pressing the "SHIFT" key. This has the advantage that the map is not closed.

Map - Java

Players may switch from the default JavaScript map to the Java map under "Settings".This setting is saved on a per-computer basis in a cookie. Cookies have to be enabled in your browser to allow the saving of this setting. This allows players to use the JavaScript map on one computer (for example at work) but the Java map on another computer (for example at home). In genereal, the Java map works similar to the JavaScript map described above. However, there are a few differences that make the Java Map more comfortable in use.

Differences to the JavaScript map:

1. selection slider for army, spy or ship
2. selection slider for own, enemy, allies or neutral units
3. selection slider for castles, Harbours, castle ruins, harbour ruins or neutral fields
4. selection slider for own or allied buildings
5. The map can be focussed on a specific field by entering its coordinates in this input fields and pressing "Go".

zoom slider

1. slider to adjust the scroll speed of the map while scrolling using the mouse wheel. The map is scrolled vertically by using the mouse wheel in a regular fashion; when the "Shift" key is pressed during the use of the mouse wheel, the map is scrolled horizontally.
2. To access the field information and army information popup, the right mouse button (or left button for left-handed mice) needs to be clicked.
3. The map always shows the complete map currently available in the game - at maximum 300 x 300 fields. So players always know exactly how much of the map is currently accessible and where one field is situated with respect to the rest of the L&L world. To scroll the map easily and seamlessly players may simply use the horizontal and vertical scrollbars.
4. To open the area selection for a specific field in an separate window or tab, players may press the middle mouse button or the left mouse button while pressing the "Shift" button.

The unit and field sliders (Options 1-4) allow the palyers to focus the map on a specific unit or field. Not all options are available at all times; the available options depend on the units and fields present in your realm. So they only become available when the player, his allies or his enemies have the particular unit or field type. However, every player starts with a starting army. By clicking and dragging the blue slider under the army-picture, the map is focused on this starting army. The other colored sliders focus on the units of enemies, allies and other players, respectively. Of course there is no slider for hostile spies. These comfortable sliders are only available for players with a premium account.

Fog of War

All fields that were visible at one time, but are not in the area-of-sight currently (for example explorations by ship), are displayed as gray fields indicating the basic field-type (gray sea, gray mountain, and so forth). Only the basic types are shown; there is no further information about buildings or owner accessible. You can choose between this new map-data-engine or the old map-data-engine under Settings -> Mapdataengine. If you don't not have activated the FoW, the Fog data are stored, but are not indicated.

Map Graphics

With settings you can choose between two different styles of graphics: L&L vintage or L&L new. In the manual you see the vintage style in the left column, in the right column the new style.

Technical remarks

To see the JavaScript map, JavaScript has to be enabled in the browser. For the use of the Java map a current version of the Java Runtime Environment (JRE) is needed; it can be downloaded from [1]

The map data are transfered just once for each tick from the serevr and are then cached in your browser. When the browser is closed or the map ism opened in a new window, the data need to be transferred again. The construction and drawing of the map takes place locally on the player's computer. This means, that the speed of the map is solely dependend on the players' computer! The map size that can be displayed comfortably in the JavaScript map is therefore limited by the users' computer. A big map may freeze or shut down the browser. Browsers based on the mozilla engie are markedly faster than Internet Explorer. We recommend to use FireFox or a similar browser for a fast map construction. The game has been tested with current versions of Internet Explorer and Firefox and is playable on both.

Firefox can be downloaded for free from: [2]