Thanks for all your thoughts mate, I will certainly take them on board.
waauw wrote:I think You should completely colour the background map. The real life map you used is just too detailed in my opinion.
Yeah, it is too detailed, maybe total colouring, or I might try two or three textures.
Maybe apply a slight gaussian blur to the black line encircling the map, too make it less edgy.
Aha, thanks for the suggestion, I'll have a try, something is needed, especially on the left.
Little territory circles, should probably become somewhat wider. Requirement is at least 3 numbers can fit in.
Hmm, well, I'm not so sure. If it is a rule then its totally ignored on other maps. Often there are no circles at all. I copied the circle exactly from some guide-type page in this forum somewhere. If it were law, its probably like laws for businesses compared to laws for citizens - nobody cares, even mentions and nobody enforces.
I like the scrolls idea, but somehow I feel that it leaves too much open space. If you could find anything as ornament...
Yeah, I might try and have a feint Zeus or Poseidon embossed into the background parchment, but prob later on. The space can be spare for now I hope
Some of the texts in scrolls, especially the 2nd and 4th on the right, are difficult to read
For sure. So far, I have imported some text and then shrunk and adjusted - I find Gimp goes totally mental with text layers (e.g. I can no longer use the font I have for territory names for some reason, either when trying to edit or adding a new text layer). Perfecting the text is therefore more a long-term thing in my head. However, I can quickly improve some of the scrolls now that I have more space.
[*]I agree with Manbungalow, the different icons somehow don't fit. Making one universal icon could help make the map cleaner and easier to understand.
I agree too which is why I thought I'd started to try and address this with the different-coloured circles. I read his point as referring to the legend. The icons aren't universal, and how could they be, aborigines, american indians, egyptians, celts, persians, .... they are different and that's cool .... the multitude of cultures is the whole point of the map and this brief moment (of opportunity) in world history. I think MB was suggesting that the icons fade into the background more on the main map. Maybe there might be a way to
stylistically adjust the icons (e.g. colorise them a little and adjust brightness)? And / or, have fewer, such as in the inset, many of the cities would have had similarities (so a couple of 'stronghold' icons as opposed to a range of shields, cities and pyramids)and fewer village icons (teepees and huts instead of 4 types). I am attached to the elephant and pyramids though!
For starters, I'll look at a smaller Ayers Rock in Australia, maybe with one digeridoo guy, and the more standard village icons.
..... if you start small and enlarge later, some images might turn pixelated. Though however you want to tackle your project is up to you of course.
Yeah, but less work than totally restarting the project because there isnt room on the small map. You're above point about background detail is even more important if I start small though, I started with larger icons and stuff so have them saved etc., larger text (after lots of Gimp-cursing), no problem, but a larger background will need some work (to de-pixelate), so, yeah, better to have less detail on the small version I will be enlarging.
Another thing I was thinkingMaybe I have symmetrical OCD but I wonder if the map would look better with the underworld underneath the Med inset. If I move the Med inset up close to Bantu 2 / Madagascar then there would just be room (also using the bit of space at the tope of the map). It kind of makes sense for the underworld to be at the bottom anyway (technically I could make it a 3-region zone with maybe the Palace of Hades and Tartarus - they could all have decay and the min objective could become 'Hold the Underworld or both Olympus + Atlantis'), although I'll leave this idea to one side just now (there is already enough of a Greek-bias on the map, this idea would make it even more so, given that the underworld concept belonged to many cultures).
It would take a little time so I'll wait for some opinions on this first.
To-Do List - Soon
Improve text on scrolls where it is least clear
Consider moving things around a little so the Underworld is below the Med inset
Background colouring / texturing
Gaussian Blue for black line of main map (plus tiny edit of circle surrounding inset on the main map)
Work reducing the number of different icons to some degree and consider further feedback
Maybe try different shapes instead of army circles for 'Strongholds' and 'Villages' (like the 'Holy Lands' and 'Great Sea' 'circles')
To-Do List - Further Ahead
Pay a politician so the circle size doesn't matter / enrol Sepp Blatter as my lawyer
Background ornaments - Zeus / Poseidon / Egyptian Gods etc.
Large Version - do lots of work after enlarging with the background and some other aspects.
Treacherous 
