Nordic Countries [Quenched]

[RjBeals]

So what exactly do you suggest then?

I think you've got a good coastline - I prefer more geographical maps.. But I really can't make a suggestion on what to do. You need to figure that out on your self - I just comment on what you display.

But the map above, I think is just not cohesive. the pixel city connectors look strange - the colors do not work. I don't know really. Maybe smoke a J and listen to some sigor ros and see how that insprires you. serious.

[natty dread]

Maybe smoke a J and listen to some sigor ros and see how that insprires you. serious.

[snufkin]

I agree that it looked better before pixel psychedelia took over... but then my own small attempt two years ago had a weird candy-coloured icecream fudge mountain theme so maybe I´m not entitled to have an opinion viewtopic.php?f=242&t=25539

Maybe smoke a J and listen to some sigor ros and see how that insprires you. serious.

no more hallucinogenics!! Abba and amphetamines I say!

[natty dread]

Ok how about this then? Fixed most of the issues: Smoothed out the pixelated parts. Changed the texture to something different & more subtle. Smoothed the edges of the territory connectors, which were pixelated. Oh, and also added some connections.

If people really want it, I can go back to the colour scheme of the earlier versions, but IMO this would just take us back towards the video game style, and I'm trying to move away from that.

I feel that the current colours give a nice & fresh arctic feel, with all that white in all the countries. Think of it as snow, eh? Although, I live in the area of this map, and it's now december and I haven't seen much of that snow yet... Global warming at work?

Anyway here's the map:

Click image to enlarge.

[AndyDufresne]

I think tropics and a fruitbowl. But this is just my opinion.


--Andy

[natty dread]

I think tropics and a fruitbowl. But this is just my opinion.


--Andy

How can the colour scheme remind you of tropics? I'm baffled.

[natty dread]

Ok I think I see now. The colours were too bright. How about this?

ps. the minimap still has old colours, for comparison.

Click image to enlarge.

[00iCon]

The new colours are much better!
Personally, I think the sea does not appeear cold enough. It's too dark and would likely clash with the colours srrounding it when played.

[natty dread]

The new colours are much better!
Personally, I think the sea does not appeear cold enough. It's too dark and would likely clash with the colours srrounding it when played.

Thanks. Although I have to say that Baltic sea is actually quite warm at summer, warm enough to swim in at least. If anyone would want to swim in water where the russians dump their toxic waste...

Anyway the water probably looks less cold now that the land colours are colder, thus creating less contrast (one of the major colour contrasts: cold-warm contrast (yes, I've studied art theory ))

I might tweak the sea a bit for the next release.

[isaiah40]

I like the new colors as well. The mountains still look like they are depressed into the map rather that looking like they are rising up from the map.

[natty dread]

I like the new colors as well. The mountains still look like they are depressed into the map rather that looking like they are rising up from the map.

Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to present: the first CC map with optical illusions!

I'm going to redraw the mountains though.

[Industrial Helix]

I like the improvement in colors but I still think you ought to go back to territories than dots and connectors.

[skeletonboy]

I like the new colour scheme but maybe put up a poll?

[natty dread]

I like the improvement in colors but I still think you ought to go back to territories than dots and connectors.

I know and I appreciate your opinion even though I don't agree with it.

However you may yet get your wish. If the map goes nowhere with the connectors I will try it with the borders, but as I explained earlier it would mean scrapping a huge part of the map and starting nearly from scratch, which I'm a bit hesitant to do.

I like the new colour scheme but maybe put up a poll?

Well, most of the opinions have been positive from what I see. I don't think every little question needs a poll...

[natty dread]

Version 18. Not that many changes in this one, that is because I didn't wish to develop this too much before a decision is made on the direction of development...

Click image to enlarge.

Territories connected by lines have been a subject of much controversy lately. So I decided I'd put it up to a poll: would you like to see this map re-designed with territories & borders instead of the current cities connected by lines?

e. To clarify: I would be preserving most of the other design elements, such as the graphics, maybe the capitals, sea connections, overall layout of territories... the gameplay and some parts of the layout might change though. Number of territories might change. Fonts will be changed anyway...

[The Neon Peon]

For this, I would much prefer standard borders and territories.

The reasons that I liked their use in the world cities map:
1. The army circles, names and lines are small and do not interfere with the map
2. sully used the non-necessity of coloring in territories to add natural colors and texture to the land

If you are going to stick to the lines, please... reduce their size a lot, and make the army circles the required 22px in diameter (I did not measure, so my apologies if they are that size)... and please, make the land green and brown, and whatever other colors it is supposed to be.

[natty dread]

If you are going to stick to the lines, please...

I will do as the poll results dictate, and so far it seems like a redesign with territories is coming...

I didn't put the poll up for shits and giggles you know

[cairnswk]

I've already given some feedback on this one natty...i like the colours immensely, i think you've done very well there.
But i too would prefer to see territories with borders for this geaographic map, although keep the colours you have. I don't think a country has to have green, brown, yellow standards for a topographic map.
If you stick to the line connections...i think there are too many to too many places and they need to be reduced somewhat.
Very nice though...hope you keep going.

[natty dread]

I've already given some feedback on this one natty...i like the colours immensely, i think you've done very well there.

I should hope so... If you look at the first post and all the versions, you can see how the colour scheme evolved. It's been 18 versions of which the last 10 or so mostly tweaking the colours and texture... Glad I did something right

But i too would prefer to see territories with borders for this geaographic map, although keep the colours you have. I don't think a country has to have green, brown, yellow standards for a topographic map.

Agreed. I will start working on the version with territory borders, and I'll give the poll a few days to run but then if the opinion still leans towards the borders it will be final...

If you stick to the line connections...i think there are too many to too many places and they need to be reduced somewhat.
Very nice though...hope you keep going.

I will, thanks.

[ender516]

I just posted my preference for cities and lines. I sometimes get tired of tracing the edges of a territory in order to determine what other territories border on it, and then occasionally missing one (or even seeing one that is not there). With apologies to Dr. Suess:

I've said it before, and I'll say it ag'in,
A connector's a connector, no matter how thin.

[natty dread]

Wow, thanks ender... just when I spent the last 3-4 hours redesigning the map based on territories!

Anyway, the poll results seem quite obvious by now... but let's keep it open for a few days still...



Anyway 2: Here is version 19 - With Borders, and a brand new gameplay design! Moar territories! Moar carnage! Moar EVERYTHING!

Click image to enlarge.

PS: Could someone be so kind as to run this through the bonus calculator? I'm a bit tired after working on the map for several hours...

[ender516]

Wow, thanks ender... just when I spent the last 3-4 hours redesigning the map based on territories!

No problem, I spent quite a while catching up on this thread (I was months/pages behind.) Who knows, maybe the example with territories will swing the vote back to connectors!

Anyway, the poll results seem quite obvious by now... but let's keep it open for a few days still...



Anyway 2: Here is version 19 - With Borders, and a brand new gameplay design! Moar territories! Moar carnage! Moar EVERYTHING!

Even Moar spelling mistakes!

Click image to enlarge.

PS: Could someone be so kind as to run this through the bonus calculator? I'm a bit tired after working on the map for several hours...

I think someone else mentioned (and I agree) that having the map show through the mini-map/legend, even as slightly as it does, is less than desirable. Perhaps if the black square were 100% opaque, it would do the trick. (I'm guessing with regard to how you have put your drawing file together.) Also, the text on Iceland and Denmark seems a little foggier than the text on the other countries, though a closer examination suggests that the fog occurs on most text west of Oslo's meridian. East of that, generally things look clear, but the font may need reconsideration, because to me, the "ð" looks like a tallish "a", and the "ø" has such thin sides that it almost looks like a "z".

[Peter Gibbons]

I like this a version a lot, but do have a few suggestions:

1) I think the divisions between north/south Norway, Sweden and Finland need to be MUCH clearer visually. Until I looked over at the mini-map, I forgot they were separate bonuses at all. And then I had a hard time figuring out exactly where the divisions were supposed to be.

2) I think Denmark needs a very different color to distinguish from Sweden (and even Norway). Yes, anyone with geographical knowledge certainly would know Copenhagen is part of Denmark--but the map has to be made for the least knowledgeable. Perhaps some sort of "cool" orange that makes it stand out but not totally upset the scheme?

3) I know it was my idea, and I still like it, but I think Faroe Islands needs to be explained a bit more AND have a distinct color. As it stands, it's not on the mini-map by itself and it has a color somewhere between Iceland and Denmark. I think that could lead to a lot of confusion. I think it needs to appear on the mini-map somehow (and I realize this is tough since it's an auto-deploy) and there needs to also be a note on the map... something along the lines of "Faroe Islands not part of any other bonus region." I'm really not sure, but something will definitely need to be done.

All in all, very good update, though.

[natty dread]

Who knows, maybe the example with territories will swing the vote back to connectors!

...Just what are you implying, mister?

I think someone else mentioned (and I agree) that having the map show through the mini-map/legend, even as slightly as it does, is less than desirable. Perhaps if the black square were 100% opaque, it would do the trick. (I'm guessing with regard to how you have put your drawing file together.)

Meh... I kinda liked it transparent... gives it a high tech feel, with transparent windows and all... But if that is so then I guess I'll make it opaque.

And since you're interested, the minimap and the black square are in the same layer, which is set with a very slight transparency...

Also, the text on Iceland and Denmark seems a little foggier than the text on the other countries, though a closer examination suggests that the fog occurs on most text west of Oslo's meridian.

Well, I tried to colour-code the text outline according to the country colours. That might explain it, it may not work as well in every section. I guess I'll adjust them a bit... I hope I can do it with a simple contrast adjustment.

East of that, generally things look clear, but the font may need reconsideration, because to me, the "ð" looks like a tallish "a", and the "ø" has such thin sides that it almost looks like a "z".

Yeah I know. I'm thinking of just rewriting them as o:s and a:s and then adding the extra stuff on them myself... And maybe I'll just draw the ð myself. I don't want to change the font though, I spent a long time finding a font that fits the map, and this one was perfect IMO...


Also I'd like to know: how do you feel about the glacier territory? It has a -1 decay now, but I could also set it to -2... or a killer neutral even, although then it wouldn't be a part of the iceland bonus. Or I could just remove it and have the glacier be an impassable.

What do you think would be ideal for the glacier?

[natty dread]

I like this a version a lot, but do have a few suggestions:

1) I think the divisions between north/south Norway, Sweden and Finland need to be MUCH clearer visually. Until I looked over at the mini-map, I forgot they were separate bonuses at all. And then I had a hard time figuring out exactly where the divisions were supposed to be.

Agree. Maybe reducing the opacity on the territory borders or increasing the opacity of the bonus area bevel could do it... I'll try tweaking them for the next version.

2) I think Denmark needs a very different color to distinguish from Sweden (and even Norway). Yes, anyone with geographical knowledge certainly would know Copenhagen is part of Denmark--but the map has to be made for the least knowledgeable. Perhaps some sort of "cool" orange that makes it stand out but not totally upset the scheme?

Orange is not wanted on the colour scheme, sorry... I tried it before and it didn't work.

I don't see the problem, besides. Copenhagen is marked as a capital, sweden already has a capital so logically it must connect to denmark. Also since it is connected to the nearest swedish territory by a sea connector it should be obvious that it can't be connected to it otherwise.

3) I know it was my idea, and I still like it, but I think Faroe Islands needs to be explained a bit more AND have a distinct color. As it stands, it's not on the mini-map by itself and it has a color somewhere between Iceland and Denmark. I think that could lead to a lot of confusion. I think it needs to appear on the mini-map somehow (and I realize this is tough since it's an auto-deploy) and there needs to also be a note on the map... something along the lines of "Faroe Islands not part of any other bonus region." I'm really not sure, but something will definitely need to be done.

All in all, very good update, though.

A note on the map, sure. Will do for next v. Putting it on the minimap though, why? This would be even more confusing. The minimap only shows bonus regions. Since Faroe is not a part of any bonus region it's only logical that it doesn't show up on the minimap.

Anyway, Thanks for your feedback. I'm glad you like the map.


...So, is anyone willing to get crackin' on the bonus calculator? I'd be soooo grateful...