Renicaire (My 1st Map)

[I8Strudel]

Well, I've made a rough draft for a custom map (I'll probably have someone else do the final graphics because my drawing skills are lacking). I wanted to make a large, pangea-type map for Assassin or Doubles/Triples games and something with a lot of bonuses that weren't on single spaces.

Click image to enlarge.

Backstory: The once happy continent of Renicaire is in turmoil. The entire continent used to be under the rule of King Andrew VII; a benevolent and wise king who peacefully unified the many races and inhabitants of the area. Now that he has mysteriously passed away, the different peoples have become violent between one another and have hastily made new kingdoms and providences with greedy (and often corrupt) tyrants ruling them. Now, new armies have risen, vying to reform the land and unite all of the countries under one flag again. This is where the battle begins!

Is that what you ment by backround natty_dread?

Obviously enough, the thick brown lines are mountains and the blue lines are rivers (they will be easier to see in later drafts; I just wanted to get the idea out). Anyways, I just want opinions on gameplay right now (I'll focus on graphics later). What's good and what needs to be fixed?

[natty dread]

This is a map of what? What is Reniciare? Some more background information would be useful.

[I8Strudel]

This is a map of what? What is Reniciare? Some more background information would be useful.

Oops, sorry. I'll put that up in my first post.

[Industrial Helix]

Wouldn't a Balkans map on the break up of Yugoslavia be a more recognizable topic? Sorry... this Communism Map Pack has me thinking all things red...

You need to make the story fit into the map somewhere as everyone looking at it is going to have no idea what it is and no incentive to read the thread.

[I8Strudel]

Wouldn't a Balkans map on the break up of Yugoslavia be a more recognizable topic? Sorry... this Communism Map Pack has me thinking all things red...

You need to make the story fit into the map somewhere as everyone looking at it is going to have no idea what it is and no incentive to read the thread.

Ok... This is my first time doind this, so it's taking some time for me to absorb it all completely.

Can I think a little bit before updating it?

[natty dread]

Ok... let me just get this straight... This is a completely fictional continent, invented by you?

[I8Strudel]

Ok... let me just get this straight... This is a completely fictional continent, invented by you?

Yes. Was I supposed to mention that before?

[TaCktiX]

Which image program did you use to make this map? It looks a little heavy on the Paint. Also, the gameplay is VERY similar to maps like Haiti or Cairns Coral Coast (excellent teams map, that one). What distinguishes Renicaire from maps that have gone before? You might have to rejigger the gameplay a lot to establish uniqueness.

[natty dread]

Ok... let me just get this straight... This is a completely fictional continent, invented by you?

Yes. Was I supposed to mention that before?

Well yeah... it's always good to know. Some newmapmakers come with suggestions of maps about copyrighted material, and they fail 99% of the time since they can't acquire the permission to use that material. And since I didn't know where this idea was coming from I thought it better to ask.

Anyway... now you have a background story for a fictional continent... but not much content yet. You need to work on the theme, the map should reflect the story somehow... For example, your story says this continent has fallen to chaos due to sudden passing of it's ruler, but the gameplay doesn't really reflect this. You need to figure out some ways to make this map more than just a random collection of territories and bonus areas... know what I mean?

For example, you could have revolting peasants as territories with decay, or castles of competing nobility who fight for the control of this land... that kind of stuff, but it's up to you to work out the details.

And the story itself needs some work, too. It seems a bit hastily written... like you did the map first and then thought out a background story for it? Usually it's best to go the other way around... Anyway, questions you should try to answer are: what is the time period this is happening? Is this medieval times, pre-modern, modern, futuristic? What kind of world does this continent belong to? Is it similar to our world?

And once you have all that figured out, you need to think how to best reflect that story with the gameplay of your map.

[Industrial Helix]

Wouldn't a Balkans map on the break up of Yugoslavia be a more recognizable topic? Sorry... this Communism Map Pack has me thinking all things red...

You need to make the story fit into the map somewhere as everyone looking at it is going to have no idea what it is and no incentive to read the thread.

Ok... This is my first time doind this, so it's taking some time for me to absorb it all completely.

Can I think a little bit before updating it?

Feel free to do so. If you're looking to get into mapmaking at CC you might want to try with something a bit more recognizable. By no means am I saying do a country or historical war, but not having to work on story ideas while working on graphics and gameplay would be to your benefit. You can always return to Renicaire when you've got a little more experience under your belt.