OK, now, if you thought the posters for The Hobbit 2: The Desolation of Smaug I posted up earlier were cool… wait until you see this. You know how Google has mapped out our entire planet through Google Earth, made it totally interactive, searchable and scroll-able? Well, it seems that the Google Earth team have run out of things to do and are now mapping out fantasy worlds in very much the same way!
Note: I should probably point out that it’s not that the Google Earth team have nothing to do, this project has been a joint marketing venture by The Hobbit 2 marketing team (to promote the new movie) and Google Earth marketing team (to showcase what their new version of Google Chrome can do – although it works on all other browsers?). I point this out because I don’t want Google mad at me… they’re set to rule the World one day, right?
Check this video out for an example of what’s on offer:
I know that looks all fancy, but actually it starts off very much like the normal ‘Google Earth’. You start off in a zoomed out state and then search for or scroll to a location that you want to explore. You then zoom in as far as you like and explore the various areas. In total there are elven areas to explore, with Rivendell, Trollshaws forest, and the ruined fortress of Dol Guldur all able to be explored at a deeper level.
Yes, I know many of you are probably saying, “but doesn’t The Lord of The Rings and The Hobbit already come with maps? And the answer is: ‘yes they do’, but… but guys, this is fricken awesome: IT’S INTERACTIVE!
Still not enough? Well, as the video above shows there is an option to see the World through a Hobbit’s eyes that somewhat resembles – but is even better than – Google Street View. Yep. That’s right, you can shrink down a little and walk the landscape, getting a Hobbit eye-view as you go. Watch out for trolls though… they seem to wanna smash you (or maybe they just had a thing against me?).
The good news is that although there are only 11 areas to explore right now, Google plan on adding to the map over the coming weeks building up to the film’s release in December. Here’s the link to check it out. Bookmark it and keep returning, people!
Geoff Matthews
Julia Kitvaria Sarene
Oh, this is awesome! I could probably spend a good chunk of my day playing around with it, for fun! Thanks for the link, and for all the lost hours of productivity I know it’s going to cause! :p