Map Ideas

I'm working on our map.  This is… a little disorganized, so bear with me xD

To start, here's a few links.  Remember to read the description of my deviantart submission.  And keep in mind, this doesn't need to be complicated, and we don't need to make any big changes yet.
There's also a link to FKMP's territory page, and the videos shows how mobs have changed territories over time.

http://www.kalahari-meerkats.com/fkmp/kmp-meerkats/territories/
http://pancakeshiners.deviantart.com/art/Kalahari-Central-Map-387194374
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wDoYOKHZqBs

We were thinking of coming up with landmarks - like KMP does (farmhouse, dunes, riverbed, etc) to make the area more interesting.  I've already designed one, fortunately.  We can modify it however we'd like.  The only thing I'd like to change is saying the mountain is just some kind of higher basin, since meerkats don't live by mountains xD
Remember that the green areas aren't forests, just areas where there are more trees.  Meerkats would freak out in forests.
Also, we could potentially say that meerkats could be killed outside the reserve.  They don't appear to be protected.
We could also name the town, roads, I want to put more detail into the descriptions... and I can add rivers, lakes.  The little things make a big difference.

KMP's landmarks also have different advantages.  For example, the riverbed has more protection from predators, as it can support more boltholes, but the dunes have better foraging.  We could think about that, and which areas get more rain.  I could do that, myself.

It also says that meerkat territories on KMP's map show the main burrow areas used by the group in a particular time period.  Group territories often extend beyond that, as they change foraging grounds to allow areas to recover.  Which burrow they're staying at determines their foraging areas, and often, the territories overlap.  That's why mobs that seem apart are fierce rivals.  That might offer opportunities for most mobs to interact with one another.  Naturally, we'd need a simple way to work with all of this, but especially position and shifts in territories.  (And also makes it easier to add new mobs.)

Do I have you so far?

I understand we're just now making a transition.  Now isn't a time to integrate new ideas.  We can still give territories, and just play as we usually do... and bring them in later once we've adjusted.  Try a little at a time.  We'll start just by trying different settings based on territories.

Someone wanna help me make sense of all that? I don't want to confuse or overwhelm anyone with this, but I would like feedback on my idea.  I only have a few hours, not enough to write something organized.

I love this idea!

Leaders also could (as an option) circle places where they feel their mobs are at any given time. Imagine telling everyone to circle a place where they think their dominants would lead the mob to for the season, and any results that accidentally overlap trigger an in-roleplay battle or something xD

Just a thought though

Hey, yeah!

You and me could handle the complicated stuff so no one is overwhelmed.

Yeah xD

We could each approach a mob leader privately and ask them to point out where the mob will be led for the wet/dry season, and then look over the results together.  Anyone whose chosen spots overlaps = an RP day where those two mobs encounter one another.

Something like this actually wouldn't be too complicated for the two of us to handle, methinks~

How many seasons does the Kalahari see, actually? It's just the two, right? Or does it cycle through more quickly than that?

Yeah, there's only two, wet and dry.  One is colder than the other, too.

Ahhhhh I totally forgot to add this! It's in the first post now, but here's a link to FKMP's territory page.

http://www.kalahari-meerkats.com/fkmp/kmp-meerkats/territories/

Cool cool, so technically speaking, we could just do things like this twice an (in-roleplay, not real-life) year.

And not just for the two seasons, but when environmental disasters happen! Like forest fires, droughts that are particularly bad in isolated areas on the map, floods, etc.

I'm getting a bit ahead of myself but I'm just throwin' out thoughts |D

What kind of areas would everyone want to play in? Any ideas?

I can see mobs seeking the higher ground due to its possible seclusion from rivals, as well as preferences for the forested areas when prey is low.  Bodies of water could also provide for areas of conflict.  Even if meerkats don't require that kind of thing to survive, it's always a nice guarantee of hydration, cleanliness, and grubs hiding in the bank.  Just for starters.

Also, I just noticed the scale/distance key on the map. How many miles does a mob's territory generally span, anyways?

*pops in*

Wow. I never knew that meerkat territories moved around so much. That video was very interesting to watch.

I love the idea of having landmarks and such, and I think that having mobs interact with each other based on where the player of each dominant says that their group will be that day is a really great idea.