Eurasia Map [Old thread]

[isaiah40]

This!!

[natty dread]

Looked at it again, the stripes were a bit hard to see in nei mongol so made mongolia a bit darker.

Click image to enlarge.

Click image to enlarge.

ps. Thanks for stampage!

[natty dread]

So: Any graphical input? Anyone see any huge graphical flaws that need to be immediately corrected?

(if you have input, please specify - large/small version or both)

[The Bison King]

This!!

Ok now that we're in graphics the #1 thing that's been eating me is this: Why are the mountains see through (the color of the map) while the tundra and great wall are solid colors? It doesn't make much sense to me. I think you should make the mountains a solid mountain color, exactly like how you have them on your Mayan Nations map.

[natty dread]

Why are the mountains see through

It's mainly a stylistic thing. I've tried them with a solid colour at some point and it really didn't fit the style of the map, at all.

In fact, see for yourself...

Click image to enlarge.

Now, I'm only showing this version to show that I'm not just saying "I tried that already"... but I think it looks horrible, and I definitely want to keep the current mountain style - it's the one everyone is most satisfied with.

while the tundra and great wall are solid colors? It doesn't make much sense to me.

Not everything has to make "sense" - there doesn't need to be a higher purpose to every stylistic decision... sometimes things are the way they are because it plain looks better.

Furthermore - it's different for the maya map, because there's a consistent background colour on the land area, which the mountains can "blend" into... here, they just look out of place.

[AndyDufresne]

I think the blending in the mountains to the color actually makes for a really nice visual flow.


--Andy

[natty dread]

I got bored so I made the xml while I was at it.

download/file.php?id=509

[The Bison King]

Why are the mountains see through

It's mainly a stylistic thing. I've tried them with a solid colour at some point and it really didn't fit the style of the map, at all.

In fact, see for yourself...

Click image to enlarge.

Now, I'm only showing this version to show that I'm not just saying "I tried that already"... but I think it looks horrible, and I definitely want to keep the current mountain style - it's the one everyone is most satisfied with.

I don't know I don't think that it looks that bad. One thing you could try is copying the solid mountains, pasting them over the clear mountains (or not that might be a needless step) and lowering the opacity to around 50%. Just to give it a little more distinction while keeping the "flow"

[natty dread]

I don't know I don't think that it looks that bad. One thing you could try is copying the solid mountains, pasting them over the clear mountains (or not that might be a needless step) and lowering the opacity to around 50%. Just to give it a little more distinction while keeping the "flow"

Believe it or not, but I've tried that as well... or, the equivalent thing anyway. It didn't really work out any better, it just washes out the colours of the mountains and makes them look more pasted on...

Which is exactly the problem with the solid colour mountains in the first place, now that I think of it - the current mountains blend in to the land, they look like they belong to it, like they're just extensions or extrusions of the land, but the solid colour versions just look like they're slapped on... you know?

[Victor Sullivan]

I think the blending in the mountains to the color actually makes for a really nice visual flow.


--Andy

This (is my word).

-Sully

[The Bison King]

Ick yuck! Well I see I'm out voted though. I hate see through mountains, they're just triangles (not even, they're just angles!) they make me want to barf.

[gimil]

For what it is worth, I also like the the different coloured mountains.

[natty dread]

I hate see through mountains

They're not really see-through, they're just really good at adapting to their environment... they're like chameleons, or cuttlefish or something.

[natty dread]

Today, I noticed that for some reason, at some point, my monitor settings had been reset and the colour profile was all wrong... I don't know if someone has been fiddling with them or what, and I don't know how long they've been skewed, but this may have affected my perception of colours on this map, and maybe others in development as well...

So anyway, after correcting the settings, I tweaked the colours of the sea and the edges/legend, but I left the bonus colours as they are, since they're not really all that bad IMO.

- edit. see 2 posts down -

[The Bison King]

I hate see through mountains

They're not really see-through, they're just really good at adapting to their environment... they're like chameleons, or cuttlefish or something.

Maybe they'd be better if they just had more form, or weren't all identical and had some character. There's plenty of great maps like that. Look at the mountains on the middle eastern as one example. Or Unification of Italy. They're the same color as the map, but they look solid, more like an impasse, more like... mountains. Maybe it my imagination was just tragically destroyed when I fell down that staircase but I'm just seeing identical 80 degree angles. I think they can be better.

[natty dread]

Well, your opinion seems to be the minority here. I've tried different mountains, and every time people have told me "don't change them, the current ones are good!"

So I'm inclined to keep the current ones.

Besides, they're not just "two angled lines", they have shading too. Also, they aren't all identical. They already have plenty of variation in them.

[natty dread]

Had to make some further adjustment, the sea colour was coming on a bit too strong.

Click image to enlarge.

Click image to enlarge.

[natty dread]

So... apart from the mountains, which most seem to be satisfied with, are there any other graphical issues?

[pamoa]

you did a nice job
but
that colours
awful
why didn't you try B/W

just kidding
as you did graphics and gameplay together
every issue seems to have already been addressed

[natty dread]

why didn't you try B/W

Hey, it's not too late!

Click image to enlarge.

[The Bison King]

I would make Western Siberia a little less chromatic.

[natty dread]

Hm, you might have a point. Something like this?

[natty dread]

Ok, it's done. Also made East China a bit lighter to make it more distinct from Manchuria. Anything else?

Click image to enlarge.

Click image to enlarge.

[AndyDufresne]

West India and East India I think would benefit from a little more color differentiation. Of all the bonus zones with multiple colors, it is the only one that looks like it could use some extra clarity.

But aside from nitpicking, this is terrific. Great work.


--Andy

[natty dread]

Hm, I have to say it looks fine for me. But then, I have a TFT monitor with a decent colour contrast, and it may not look as good on a laptop monitor or such...