ViceMan

Yeah it makes sense to me. They've been very secretive with the desert and the only reason I can think of is it's in Mexico, if it was an entirely new area i'm sure they'd want to showcase it. As always leave it to the Dutch to say fuck it to the rules. "Shorry guysh, we got a little bit crayshee over here. Harharhar!"

I think we'll get Mexico, can't see where else the desert area could go TBH. I've still not forgotten my crazy west-northwest of the mountains theory though.

I know most R* games have a "if you can see it you can get to it" thing going on, but RDR was/is a continuous landmass, GTA games are usually islands floating out in an endless ocean. There has to be a cutoff somewhere, bordered by impassable mountains or rivers. My current guess based on what i've seen is that shot is NA side of the river, somewhere in Hennigan's Stead looking southeast towards Manteca Falls and the Mexican southern map border. At first it didn't make sense because Diez Coronas is at that end of the map, but you've got the rise up to Torquemada and the Butter Bridge, which I think would be off screen to the right of this shot. The mountain does match up pretty well with the one I posted above, but that shot was taken near Crooked Toes which is at the other end of Mexico, it is looking east though so perhaps they are the same. Pretty much that Dup, just a bit more south I think. Was looking at this on Reddit; https://old.reddit.com/r/reddeadredemption/comments/9kz817/its_waiting_for_us/?st=jmsyls23&sh=91a94535

Yeah I looked at that but it wasn't conclusive, it's too hazy to properly make out and from what I could see they aren't a close match. That would make the most sense at this point though. I also considered the far side of the Lannahechee river but that's getting a bit far away, the map would be really wide and it makes more sense to fill in other areas like that northern portion of Mexico first before crossing that river. (Even though it is across that river.) I found a screen on that ResetEra forum, page 3 if you're interested; https://www.resetera.com/threads/red-dead-redemption-is-native-4k-on-xbox-one-x-screenshots-thread.35346/page-3 Right hand side mountain is a close match, there's that ridge in front that seems separate though.

And so it begins - how much of an insignificant fragment of the map have we seen so far? looking good anyway, puts it all into perspective. Just change Lone Mule Steed to Lone Mule Stead and we're good.

Same, the time for abstinence is fast approaching. When the time comes, you gotta run and don't look back... this is over. It's going to be difficult not reading anything, but i'll just get my info from here as I always have. Look at the screenshots, maybe speculate a bit. I think a week before release i'll purge myself of everything i've learned, then be totally giddy when the map turns out to be four times larger than we expected.

Could that screenshot be the Haitian island? Probably not, i've looked and looked and... I gots nuthin'.

Yes a lot of people on Reddit were complaining of spoilers, luckily I haven't (and won't) read any more articles.

Dunno, that part of NA is more swampy around Thieves Landing, it doesn't look like Cholla Springs (but that's what i'd go for out of the three) and Gaptooth Ridge/Rio Bravo had more of a reddish colour to them. It could be looking directly south over Flatiron to the Nuevo side, but i'm sure the desert didn't extend up that far or you'd have seen it from Blackwater, not that that side of the lake was very detailed IIRC. Once again we need someone with RDR to take a look.

Yep, I think i'll be going into hiding in a dark corner and putting my fingers in my ears very soon to avoid spoilers. "Into exile I must go, erection I have."

I just read on Reddit that the entire original map has been confirmed by R*. https://old.reddit.com/r/reddeadredemption/comments/9ks3e1/entire_map_of_rdr_to_be_in_red_dead_redemption_2/?st=jmrzgtgf&sh=c114707d That doesn't look like anywhere in NA to me. Hmmmm.

I'm still on the fence after looking at this image again - I think we're both half right Dup, i'm still certain that river that runs into the lake isn't the Roanoke, it's too small and goes in the wrong direction. I still think i'm right in that it meanders down into Flatiron Lake past Dewberry Creek. The Roanoke to me must be that tiny bit of water you can see above the shocker, and i've always believed the shocker is west of the river. But that screen definitely shows the whole Lemoyne peninsula out to St Denis and Rhodes. Also that railway intersection is bugging me since it doesn't match up with the map, the nearest would be the line that runs up and down west of Siltwater Strand and Merkins Walter(?), but it could've changed from the draft I guess. I'm not even sure if i'm happy with this theory in regards to the shocker rock location; it's too far south. I feel it should be north of where i've put it here. But this theory is quite a bit of guesswork based on the shape and geology of that rocky outcrop which seems to form a natural course for the Roanoke river and is roughly the right shape.

I just shuddered, I heard a voice in my head saying "IT'S HEEEERBERRRRT MOOOOON!" Any plans to do interactive town maps Fitty? Put a player icon on the map where screenshots are. Or too much effort for not enough reward? I found most of those myself but it might help others. There are still people on Reddit saying Dupz and the leaked map are fake.

If you look just above your Balsam Rise and below the lighthouse there's a slither of water, perhaps that's the Roanoke river. Also i'm assuming that's a railway junction left of the lake? Too big and sweeping to be a road junction, doesn't match up with any rail on the map though.

Eh I can't take credit for that. I think the thing that's making me think the whole shocker rock and the forested ridge is further west is the colour distinction between the Roanoke and Heartlands areas. To me that means a change in landscape, vegetation etc. and the forested ridge would be the divider between those two areas, then the river valley east of it, then another rise before the Lannahecee (I guessed at that spelling and apparently got it right.) But it seems i'm wrong.

Oh that's the back of shocker? Nice. Your theory is looking more likely now but i'm still not fully convinced.

I'll just play Vice City (and possibly SA,) pretty much the same thing.

If anything i'd move my shocker rock orange marker and the forested ridge purple line further west since they seem closer to that lake. Guess that's it now until release or somebody leaks the game, might hold off on looking at leaked gameplay though, don't want to spoil too much. I might have to go radio silent in a week or two just in case I accidentally see too much. Still, we have this video to dissect. Seen most of the locations before though, just getting new angles on them now.

Here's my take; Should've extended the purple line a bit further south on the map but you get the idea.

That does make sense, but I just have a hunch the shocker isn't that far east and therefore everything else must move west accordingly. (I didn't even realise the gameplay vid dropped, thought it was tomorrow tomorrow. Not today tomorrow. Stupid American times.) And that's certainly similar to Armadillo, definitely has a more western desert town feel to it like Armadillo does.

Nah I still think you are way too far east. The shocker rock to me is around Clingman, north of there, then you have that forested ridge extending out southeast beyond it, with the Roanoke river east of that.

That right there is your Roanoke River methinks, with the lake on the right being the same one where I said Emerald Ranch would be. I think you can very faintly make out the path of a narrow river on the right, running into the lake. This would be pretty close to the shocker rock.

That's an interesting screenshot, looking south directly towards St. Denis... or is it a garden fence rather than buildings far away?

Yeah the first bank is definitely St Denis... unless Blackwater has its own streetcar system, there aren't any other cities big enough to feasibly have them (that we know of.) There are slight differences in those posts, they seem to jut out slightly from the overall balcony in the first pic, also there are no street lamps. It probably is the same building though, perhaps on another side of it, the blue theme seems pretty consistent.

So basically we're going to make the choice whether Arthur dies at Dutch's side or rides off into the sunset (and dies.)