Mapping Red Dead Redemption 2! Landmark Analysis Thread

[Doomageddon666]

It's a good work, but I am not convinced yet, it could easily just be a part of some mountains or a rocky terrain...

[Salinoc]

11 minutes ago, BretMaverick777 said:

I don't see a "match" at all, even with the map laid at a 45 degree angle (for whatever reason....?)     It's totally haphazard...you've got mountains right in the middle of Great Plains, Thieves Landing, Pacific Union Railroad Camp, etc..... Plus there's no rhyme nor reason to make part of the map black and part of it brown.  

 

It's a valiant effort, but honestly I don't see the resemblance.   Just like spotting castles in the clouds on a summer's day.  

Are you serious ? Just open the 2 images in 2 different tabs and jump from one to the other. And do not look at the black lines, only the light brown ones. It is a perfect match.

 

Edited October 7, 2018 by Salinoc

[Mach1bud]

1 minute ago, Salinoc said:

Are you serious ? Just open the 2 images in 2 different tabs and jump from one to the other. And do not look at the black lines, only the light brown ones. It is a perfect match.

 

I gotta agree with the others here mate, I don't see any of it matching at all. Like not even close.

[BretMaverick777]

1 minute ago, Salinoc said:

Are you serious ? Just open the 2 images in 2 different tabs and jump from one to the other. And do not look at the black lines, only the light brown ones. It is a perfect match.

 

Why would I not look at the black lines...?   Why would YOU not look at the black lines?    They're the single most dominant feature on the map.  

[Salinoc]

5 minutes ago, BretMaverick777 said:

Why would I not look at the black lines...?   Why would YOU not look at the black lines?    They're the single most dominant feature on the map.  

Why ? Because the brown lines do match. It seems that the map features 2 very different assets: the real map (light brown), and on top of it, black lines. I agree that it is strange that they don't seem to fit together, but if you can make the effort to look only at the brown map, you will see that it DOES match 100% with the old RDR map. I will try and make some animated GIFs to convince you but once you'll see it, I'm sure you'll agree.

Edited October 7, 2018 by Salinoc

[Nutduster]

1 minute ago, BretMaverick777 said:

Why would I not look at the black lines...?   Why would YOU not look at the black lines?    They're the single most dominant feature on the map.  

 

Because something is off about them.  Look at Salinoc's gif on the previous page. The light brown on the map matches almost identically to a small section of the old RDR map - same basic features everywhere in almost the exact same places, though a few seem to be very slightly adjusted.  If you look at the black marks though, they don't match at all.  Not only that, they don't appear to match the light brown parts on the SAME PHYSICAL MAP.  Just stare at it and notice how black marks that appear mountainous are crossing lines in the light brown drawing in ways that don't make any visual sense.

 

Just now, Salinoc said:

Why ? Because the brown lines do match. It seems that the map features 2 very different assets: the real map (light brown), and on top of it, black lines. I agree that it is strange that they don't seem to fit together, but if you can make the effort to look only at the brown map, you will see that it DOES ùatch 100% with the old RDR map. I will try and make some animated GIFs to convince you but once you'll see it, I'm sure you'll agree.

 

I'm with you and I see exactly what you mean.  If you just stare at the rolled map by itself and ignore comparisons to the RDR map entirely, you start to realize there is something off about those black marks  anyway. They cross what looks like rivers and lakes - it's bizarre looking.

Edited October 7, 2018 by Nutduster

[Mach1bud]

Well now I'm torn, I didnt see the gif on the last page, it does indeed match up there.

 

Hmm.

[Nutduster]

Just now, Mach1bud said:

Well now I'm torn, I didnt see the gif on the last page, it does indeed match up there.

 

Hmm.

 

The larger comparison is even more compelling but without the animation it's hard to see it. Salinoc must have eagle eyes. 

[SG-17]

I think all of this stuff with the image of the rolled up map is a stretch, a serious stretch.

[Red Dead Rebel]

It lines up perfectly.

 

[BretMaverick777]

6 minutes ago, Salinoc said:

Why ? Because the brown lines do match. It seems that the map features 2 very different assets: the real map (light brown), and on top of it, black lines. I agree that it is strange that they don't seem to fit together, but if you can make the effort to look only at the brown map, you will see that it DOES match 100% with the old RDR map. I will try and make some animated GIFs to convince you but once you'll see it, I'm sure you'll agree.

For your theory to even work, you're asking the viewer to turn the map at, what, a 45 degree angle?   To what end?   Is your average player going to know to do that?   Is there going to be something in the instruction manual, "Hey, check this out, it's the old RDR1 map!  Yay!   Now turn the map at a 45 degree angle, and just ignore those squiggly black lines, and...." 

 

It's a bit much.   Even for me. 

[Doomageddon666]

the brown lines actually do match up perfectly tho...

[DuPz0r]

I do see the resemlence in both my theory and Salinocs. My theory uses both brown and black lines, Sal's theory is that they've slapped the black lines over the top to hide the map underneath?

[BretMaverick777]

2 minutes ago, Doomageddon666 said:

the brown lines actually do match up perfectly tho...

Sure....if the earth met with a catastrophic axial tilt between 1899 and 1911

[SG-17]

For all we know that image of the rolled up map could be a placeholder. It seems unwise to jump on it as a smoking gun when we have much better sources. We know Armadillo is in, logically Hennigan's Stead and Theive's Landing must be as well.

[Salinoc]

Here you are. Once again ignore the black drawing and focus only on the brown map.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edit : didn't see that Red Dead Rebel already did a even better GIF. Good job mate !

 

 

Edited October 7, 2018 by Salinoc

[Nutduster]

Just now, Doomageddon666 said:

the brown lines actually do match up perfectly tho...

 

Exactly. Why is it rotated at a 45 degree angle, and why are there non-matching black lines that look topographical overlaid on the map in a way that makes no sense? Who knows - but that brown map underneath is definitely the RDR map, it matches way too completely to not be.

 

My first guess would be that that isn't the real map, but a weird thing they made quickly in Photoshop for the ad pic. In which case, this is all a pointless rabbit hole.  They just overlaid some random topography on the RDR map, rotated at an angle to make sure nothing lined up, and printed that.  It was intentionally done to obfuscate any real information that might get out.  My second guess is what Salinoc is saying - that they rotated the old map to fit better with the new map into a comfortably square-ish play space, and the topography marks are something else, like a local area treasure map drawn on top of the full map, but not fit to the map and not to scale maybe.  Like a detailed drawing of a smaller area sort of thing.

 

It could be both too - the underlying (brown) map could be accurate but the topographical overlay could have been messed up just to throw us off.

[ScriGno]

I agree with Salinoc, Everything matches.

Also if you notice, on the bottom there's no brown map, while on the top there's more brown map so I think that we're getting some new map over NA but no adds in NP

[DuPz0r]

What if we were both right? Imagine that for a second?

 

The black lines could be where i placed it, and the brown lines where Sali placed it. They just layered them together to make a none-sense map for display...

[SG-17]

7 minutes ago, Nutduster said:

 

Exactly. Why is it rotated at a 45 degree angle, and why are there non-matching black lines that look topographical overlaid on the map in a way that makes no sense? Who knows - but that brown map underneath is definitely the RDR map, it matches way too completely to not be.

 

My first guess would be that that isn't the real map, but a weird thing they made quickly in Photoshop for the ad pic. In which case, this is all a pointless rabbit hole.  They just overlaid some random topography on the RDR map, rotated at an angle to make sure nothing lined up, and printed that.  It was intentionally done to obfuscate any real information that might get out.  My second guess is what Salinoc is saying - that they rotated the old map to fit better with the new map into a comfortably square-ish play space, and the topography marks are something else, like a local area treasure map drawn on top of the full map, but not fit to the map and not to scale maybe.  Like a detailed drawing of a smaller area sort of thing.

 

It could be both too - the underlying (brown) map could be accurate but the topographical overlay could have been messed up just to throw us off.

In my opinion, knowing personally how graphic design for marketing works, this map is just a placeholder. Its not final, its probably just something they had in the archives from the old game, and I doubt that they would show even a hint of spoilers in a promo image for preorders. Hell, I bet they only just started production on the actual maps.

Edited October 7, 2018 by SG-17

[Mach1bud]

Inb4 the map is actually translucent so when it's rolled up you can see through to the next layer.

[ScriGno]

2 minutes ago, DuPz0r said:

What if we were both right? Imagine that for a second?

 

The black lines could be where i placed it, and the brown lines where Sali placed it. They just layered them together to make a none-sense map for display...

In any case Rockstar trolled us for months! Lol

[Red Dead Rebel]

 

[Baked English Beans]

I'm with Salinoc. The brown lines are a perfect match. No idea about the black lines but the brown I'm sure is West Elizabeth/Nuevo Paraiso.

[Nutduster]

Just now, DuPz0r said:

What if we were both right? Imagine that for a second?

 

The black lines could be where i placed it, and the brown lines where Sali placed it. They just layered them together to make a none-sense map for display...

 

Very possible.

 

Here's another gif I made from Salinoc's images. I did what I could to get rid of the visual noise, by making the topographical (black) marks semi-transparent.  Significant and obvious feature matches are in the red boxes at the end.  It's easiest to see it with rivers and lakes.

 

[SG-17]

Even if the map is accurate it adds nothing to what we already know. West Elizabeth, Cholla Springs, and Hennigan's Stead are in the game. If it showed something from Rio Bravo or Gaptooth Ridge or Punta Orgullo in addition to new stuff I'd believe it. But if we are only seeing RDR1 locations on this map its probably just a reused asset for marketing.

 

[DuPz0r]

Yeah there is no denying that they match up. I think we should look at just the dark lines and see where exactly that matches up to now...

[LegacyKillaHD]

2 minutes ago, SG-17 said:

Even if the map is accurate it adds nothing to what we already know. West Elizabeth, Cholla Springs, and Hennigan's Stead are in the game. If it showed something from Rio Bravo or Gaptooth Ridge or Punta Orgullo in addition to new stuff I'd believe it. But if we are only seeing RDR1 locations on this map its probably just a reused asset for marketing.

 

That would be lazy and I doubt they would do that.

[Nutduster]

Just now, DuPz0r said:

Yeah there is no denying that they match up. I think we should look at just the dark lines and see where exactly that matches up to now...

 

Agreed. Although if we find that they do match something on the old map, the reliability of this image as a source of info about RDR2 is severely called into question.  In my mind, it's actually called into question no matter what.  I think the most likely scenario is that the rolled map image is phony and was mocked up using map-like assets they had on hand, overlaid haphazardly on each other.  Because it doesn't make a lot of visual sense to put non-matching topography on top of a rotated map IMO.  The more I think about it, the more I'm convinced that this is not the map we will actually receive.

[Mach1bud]

7 minutes ago, SG-17 said:

I doubt that they would show even a hint of spoilers in a promo image for preorders.