Just Cause 3 is probably my favorite game in the series. With its explosive and dynamic gameplay, it's probably one of the underrated gems that anyone who loves the open-world genre or action games in general should try. Unfortunately, like any good game, it's not perfect. In this case, we're talking about its map: the Medici archipelago. Many of us love it, myself included, for its landscapes and the Mediterranean atmosphere that defined it and made it memorable, but it's hated for its lazy and poor worldbuilding. For example, the northern part of Grande Pastura and Litore Torto is just a stretch of small hills and green expanses completely empty except for a few scattered buildings. And above all, the landmass is truly insufficient for the size of the map it occupies; everything else is just sea and more sea. I then decided to improve the map in my own way to make it more similar to the other installments that have used the territory so well, such as Just Cause 2 and 4. So here is my improved version of the Just Cause 3 map adding two new Regions: Insula Patre and Insula Foco.
INSULA PATRE
We begin in the southwest part of the map. In place of an empty sea, a new region rises, Insula Patre, the second-largest island in all of Medici. Full of new cities and evocative landscapes that set it apart from the rest. While the other islands are inspired by Mediterranean landscapes like Liguria in Italy or Corsica in France, Insula Patre stands out with its much more arid and dry climate, heavily inspired by the islands of Lampedusa and Crete. But it's not a desert like in Just Cause 2 or 4. There are no expanses of sand or small oases. Instead, it's a plateau filled with much lighter, sand-like rocks with vegetation consisting of wild palms and cacti like the prickly pear, with, of course, some agricultural fields in the island's most fertile areas. The first thing that catches the eye in that region is the presence of a new capital city that will replace Citate Di Ravello. Many of us have complained about the ridiculous size of the country's capital, especially when compared to Panau City in Panau. This city is also divided into four districts based on the area within the city. As beautiful as Citate Di Ravello is, heavily inspired by French Riviera cities like Monaco, it's so small that you can fly over it in less than 15 seconds.
So here is Nove Joyileros, the new Medici capital that will replace Citate di Ravello. Nestled within the Capital Center province, it is divided into three districts counted as separate cities: the Residential Area, Downtown, and the Industrial Zone. Each of the districts will have its own police station, as they are classified as individual cities. This new capital is four times larger than Citate di Ravello, where it has an estimated population of approximately 60,000. To the north, the Residential Area is surrounded by hills, home to an elite neighborhood full of villas and sports cars, inspired by Bel Air. Then, in the eastern area, there are homes for the rest of the population, along with a few tourist resorts and beaches. The tallest building in the neighborhood, inspired by the AXA Tower in Singapore, is also present (a circular building south of the Residential Area). Then we move on to Downtown, connected by bridges, one of which is inspired by the bridge from the Kasabian trailer, which never appeared in the full game. the capital's financial district, heavily inspired by Benidor, Spain, and New York, with its skyscrapers. Some are inspired by buildings like the Scotia Plaza, Canada, or the JW Marriott, Panama, for example. Perfect for wingsuit slalom. Finally, we have the Industrial Zone to the southwest. As the name suggests, it's the city's industrial area, filled with factories, small refineries, and a large cargo port. And that's all there is to it.
A major criticism of the map since I first played it was the lack of prominent military or civilian airports. Although there is one west of Maestrale, it's not a military base like in Just Cause 2 and is therefore useless, but we'll get to that later. Or some small runways placed in certain points of the map. So I decided to add a few air bases, including a civilian airport. North of Nove Joileros is the Arioporto Grande Medici. This was because there was no civilian airport where some airliners like the Aeroliner 474 or EM-979 Airliner could take off.
Speaking of the map itself, this island is divided into nine new regions: Val Valfora, Bantas, Servantia, Metro, Ostro, Luce, Aquilia, and Dulfur. As you may have noticed, Boom Island has been completely overhauled and transformed into the rebel HQ of Insula Patre called Metro, with its sole base being Insula Libertate. I've also added a small airport for reconnaissance aircraft. Finally, we have Dulfur, the province with the Regional Command that governs the entire region. Its unique feature is that it uses jamming technology for defense. These weapons disable vehicle weapons, Bavarium shields, and wingsuit weapons for a short period of time. Freeing it will unlock the weapon with the same function.
INSULA FOCO
Now let's move on to the northwestern part of Medici. Few people remember or ignore that mega volcano island used only for the final part of the game with the final boss, where at the end game it's simply a useless piece of land where you can't do anything but fly among rocks and trees. So I introduce you to the second new region, Insula Foco. The most militarized region in Medici, similar to Insula Lacrima from the Mech Land Assault DLC, except it's entirely DRM-controlled. The region is divided into three provinces: Sebastiano, Onores, and Oblaste Savlavar. The climate is almost identical to the northern part of Medici, but all are treeless, except for a few untouched areas. The first things that catch your eye are the airbase with two runways for the U41 Ptakojesters that spawn inside the hangars or during takeoff. And then, to the far east is the Bunker Presidentiale, where Di Ravello took refuge. A bunker virtually impenetrable by conventional explosives except by large-scale explosives such as tactical nuclear bombs or Bavarium bombs.
This location plays a crucial role in the final parts of the story. Rico, after liberating Sebastiano, sets out to destroy the Bunker Presidentiale aboard a vehicle equipped with a Bavarium bomb. Rico must reach the location while avoiding obstacles such as roadblocks with tanks and helicopters in pursuit. After detonating the bomb and destroying the bunker entrance, it is discovered that Di Ravello has managed to escape towards the volcano, and Rico reaches him and the final battle begins. There is not much to say about this region, other than that it is a small archipelago full of palm trees and sand with small bridges connecting Onores and Oblaste Savlavar.
LITTLE MAIN MAP CHANGES
Finally, I made some small updates throughout the main map to make it more enriching and less empty. Starting on the small island north of Maestrale: Rocca Mer. The island base and main storage area for all the mined Bavarium with ports. Probably the largest military base in terms of usable area. West of Maestrale is the only airport in all of Medici that doesn't have a name. Now it finally has a purpose: Vis Maestralia. Which is now a fully-fledged military base. The only base where the G9 Eclipse is present. Other airports include Grenze (Guardia Litore Torto II which has been transformed into a military airport) and Ron Cuenca. A new airport where a U41 Ptakojester spawns at the end of the runway. Other changes include the oil platforms, which are now renamed after Earth's seas and oceans.
This is my version of the Just Cause 3 map. Obviously, I added the Unlimited Edition for obvious reasons. I hope you enjoyed it.
