Is the new World Map... wrong?

[Naaren]

I was wondering recently, is the new World Map, well, wrong?

Shouldn't Pandaria be upside down, with Krasarang Jungle being NORTH and Kun-Lai Summit being SOUTH, since the whole continent is below the equatorial line?

Even assuming it's all still above the said line, then why both the Alliance and the Horde land on the (relative) south of Jade Forest in 5.0 and will land again in the again (relative) south of Krasarang Jungle in 5.1?

Discuss!

[Ethes]

I don't really understand what you on about. Map seems fine to me.

Maybe can you enlighten a little more ...?

[Sockmaster]

I don't really understand what you on about. Map seems fine to me.

Maybe can you enlighten a little more ...?

If Pandaria was south of the equator, then it would make no sense to have Kun-Lai Summit in the northern portion of the continent, and the jungle-y Krasarang in the south.
It should be turned around, with Krasarang being closest to the equator, and Kun-Lai being as far from it as possible.

[Vashi]

I was wondering recently, is the new World Map, well, wrong?

Shouldn't Pandaria be upside down, with Krasarang Jungle being NORTH and Kun-Lai Summit being SOUTH, since the whole continent is below the equatorial line?

Even assuming it's all still above the said line, then why both the Alliance and the Horde land on the (relative) south of Jade Forest in 5.0 and will land again in the again (relative) south of Krasarang Jungle in 5.1?

Discuss!

No. Find some pictures of Azeroth as globe. Easily can be invaded from the left side of Kalimdor and right side of Eastern Kingdom aka. hey there Pandaria from the south?

[Icebear]

Maybe, but this is Azeroth, not Earth. We have no idea how the magnetic field is.
If it was like Earths, shouldn't Isle of Quel'Danas (and Sunwell Plateau) along with all of Northrend be covered in snow?

[Matchu]

If Pandaria was south of the equator, then it would make no sense to have Kun-Lai Summit in the northern portion of the continent, and the jungle-y Krasarang in the south.
It should be turned around, with Krasarang being closest to the equator, and Kun-Lai being as far from it as possible.

You're presuming Azeroth mimics Earth's rotation around its sun.

Also, fantasy setting.

[beanman12345]

this topic is new and interesting.

OT-fantasy game.

[Noxina]

If Pandaria was south of the equator, then it would make no sense to have Kun-Lai Summit in the northern portion of the continent, and the jungle-y Krasarang in the south.
It should be turned around, with Krasarang being closest to the equator, and Kun-Lai being as far from it as possible.

Kun-Lai Summit is up in the mountains though, and everyone know that the higher up you get the colder it gets. (Can't recall the name now of the mountain in Africa that got snow all year.)
There is alot of stuff in the this world that should be changed to make it "correct to Earth" ways

[StationaryHawk]

Altitude also effects climate. You'd also have to assume that Azeroth follows the exact same orbit and rotates in the exact same manner as Earth.

It's also a fantasy setting.

along with all of Northrend be covered in snow?

To be fair, the portions of Northrend which aren't covered in snow (AKA Borean Tundra, Howling Fjord, and Sholazar Basin) are mostly tundras, or craters. The former two are also cold regardless of a lack of snow.

[Naaren]

I am indeed presuming this... since we have no other actual info, and pretty much everything else seems to point in that direction, i.e. Azeroth is a round planet that follows an orbit around a star like Earth.

I'm really only wondering if it's just something that's been over-looked, or if Blizzard consciously made it like this so that people won't freak out given the fact the vast majority of players are illiterate kids (see the second reply on this thread).

Keep it civil

[Matchu]

I am indeed presuming this... since we have no other actual info, and pretty much everything else seems to point in that direction, i.e. Azeroth is a round planet that follows an orbit around a star like Earth.

I'm really only wondering if it's just something that's been over-looked, or if Blizzard consciously made it like this so that people won't freak out given the fact the vast majority of players are illiterate kids (see the second reply on this thread).

Well, if it follows an orbit around a star like Earth, how does the sun rise at all places on the planet at the same time? Or rather, why is it the day in all places at all times?

[Herecius]

Just because a place is fairly far to the south doesn't mean the whole place is freezing. Look at the southern tip of South America if you need a real life example. It's as far south as part of Greenland is north, but the climate of the southern part of South America is many times warmer than Greenland. It's not about latitudes as much as it is about ocean currents and humidity.

[StationaryHawk]

given the fact the vast majority of players are illiterate kids (see the second reply on this thread).

I'm not sure what's got you in such a bad mood, but I really don't see why insulting people who don't agree that there's anything off is necessary.

Regardless, we'd need much more information in order to prove that there's something wrong with the layout of Pandaria.

[Reubane]

I like how you bring up that the 2nd guy is an illiterate kid. This is a fantasy game, so let me ask you who the bigger idiot is? They can make the world however they see fit.

[Ethes]

Ah, I see what you're on about now.

To awnser the question:

Maybe, but if we look at our actual world map you will find the it is the equator where the jungles mainly are (Brasil, Indonesia, middle part of Africa). So from that PoV maybe the equator is at the southern part of the island. Secondly, the world of warcraft world map doesn't give us an equator. Therefore we can only assume where it is and in fact it might be south of the island or on the southern part of the island.

The last thing, mountains are formed by two parts of the earth that are pushed towards eachother. Maybe the summit of Pandaria is at the place where to of those earth plates were moving towards eachother and created high mountains at that place. We can't be sure! How land is shaped is a complex process with many factors and a lot of those factors are not visible on warcraft.

Finally to give an example to my rambling, look at the Himalaya. North of it are still great deserts which are way warmer than the mountains. Yet they're further from the equator.

We can't be sure about any of this in warcraft, but many explonations are possible why the land has been shaped that way. Next to that, it's a fantasy game. Don't let it bother you too much! Im sure you'll be able to find a lot of "unrealistic things" in the older worlds as well!

[Falrinn]

Climate can be affected a lot by factors other then latitude. Even here on Earth, things like elevation and ocean currents can have enormous impact on climate. There's a reason Europe is a lot warmer then it's latitude would suggest if you compare it to North America, and I don't think I need to explain why mountains tend to be colder then low-lying areas right next to them. With Azeroth you get the added complexity of magic, which is explicitly the reason why many zones are the way they are.


As for Pandaria specifically, there are several explenations. It could be benefiting from a warm-water current, it could be a lot closer to the equator then the game map implies, or it could be benefiting from the waters of the vale. Kun-lai Summit is only cold due to it's extreme elevation, and the Zouchin Province shows that the region is quite capable of having a pleasant climate.


Now for the question of why the Horde and Alliance arrived on the southern shores in 5.1, I'm thinking that Krasarang was simply the most practical location. The western shore is swarming with Mantid, the Jade Forest is covered in steep cliffs, and landing in Kun-Lai Summit would demand trekking through steep mountain passes in order to get anywhere.

[Chrysia]

Physically, Pandaria is about level with the southern tips of both EK and Kalimdor, so it's base climate should be similar, where Northrend is clearly farther north.

There is also the vast amount of info that points to Azeroth not having much of a normal weather pattern. Kalimdor is pretty much temperate from north to south, minus Winterspring which has a higher elevation, and Tanaris/Uldum/Silithis, which are deserts.

[Ethes]

I'm really only wondering if it's just something that's been over-looked, or if Blizzard consciously made it like this so that people won't freak out given the fact the vast majority of players are illiterate kids (see the second reply on this thread).

Thank you very much for that. I actually found this interesting but was confused what the OP was talking about. But again, thank you for your faith in other people. Not everybody got up on the wrong side of the bed you know!

[Cybran]

Maybe, but this is Azeroth, not Earth. We have no idea how the magnetic field is.
If it was like Earths, shouldn't Isle of Quel'Danas (and Sunwell Plateau) along with all of Northrend be covered in snow?

Magnetic fields do not cause the colder weather on the poles... the Angle of the light from the Sun determines the climate on the poles.

The reason Kun-Lai is covered in ice is because it's a really high mountain.


I think the only way what you are saying would work is if...





I do not think this is the case, but it could be.

[Naaren]

Ethes: that's very true, at my age I lost every faith in other people long time ago. Thank you for proving me wrong this time around.