Jewel of the Empire coordinates & xml (new xml?)

[fireedud]

I like the jewel in the corner, but I think you should change it to the hope diamond; it came from India and it's more famous.

[Contrickster]

Nineth draft.



I'm going to leave the Desert and Mountains for now. (If you have any ideas for them though, still listening to suggestions!)

Remove the jewel at the top.
Change the green hills. Not easy to see.
Make the font at the bottom right stand out a bit more from the ocean.
Calcutta / Brahmaputra place more obvious.
Just me, but I don't like the alternating sea route dots.

Removed jewel, made font brighter, with background. Don't know how much more I can do with the position of Brahmaputra and Calcutta within the horizontal style.

prefered floating look

Don't think I can reincorporate clouds back into the design. Anyone else want the clouds & floating look back? There has been a serious move toward Asian landmass in comments.

-i like the straightened names
-id say ditch the jewels in the title, maybe if you want a jewel do a more cartoon or drawn version? which kinda matches the pastel/cartoonish feel of the map....it seems out of place.
-id change the light blue bonus area so it isnt so similar in color to the ocean, it almost looks like a lake or river or something...light blue is ok, just vary it a little more...
-legend looks much more readable...does 'mugals' have a blur on it though? it seems harder to read than the rest of the legend...

Jewel gone. I'm a crummy artist...
Changed Himalayas to gold/yellow.
Mugals didn't have a blur but it did look blurry - changed legend to make it more visible.

i wish the Ganges river was i there, it is after all, a hindu goddess.

River would clutter up the map as it's not needed for a border. I've alluded to rivers and geography with the names of some territories.

I like the jewel in the corner, but I think you should change it to the hope diamond; it came from India and it's more famous.

What do you think of the Indian elephant instead?

[Evil DIMwit]

Personally, I like the dots. Plus now it looks like you can go straight from Calcutta to Diu to Ceylon, etc.

[mibi]

the new texture is definitely not an improvement! also I cannot red the white on yellow text at all. i also preferred the dots. The new colors are burning a hole in my eyes. This map has gone backwards!

I like the elephant tho.

[boberz]

Thanks for the comments, will update later.

prefered floating look

I could take away the jewel image and return the clouds which would give a birds-eye-view look.

i really did like floating look but if nobody is with me

[Contrickster]

Personally, I like the dots. Plus now it looks like you can go straight from Calcutta to Diu to Ceylon, etc.

Good point.

I prefered the dots too. Anyone else prefer the dots on this map?

[Contrickster]

the new texture is definitely not an improvement! also I cannot red the white on yellow text at all. i also preferred the dots. The new colors are burning a hole in my eyes. This map has gone backwards!

I like the elephant tho.

Texture and font can be changed. Do you like the new yellow colour for Himalayas?

[fireedud]

I think you should make the elephant more visible.

[Contrickster]

Tenth Draft - two options (I would do a poll but I don't have that option from my first post...)

[Neilhouse]

I think I prefer the no clouds map and I don't care much for the mountains. Also, I miss the elephant.

Though, like I said, I'd probably play the map as it was in the first draft if the game play was good. Keep up the good work.

[Contrickster]

Thanks Neilhouse. Thought your comment warrented another update!

Elephant back on Himalayas. Removed the cloud and going with the look I prefer.

NOTE There was bug in the way I have previously saved to JPG. On this version the text should not look blurred and it should look sharper overall! Enjoy

[Evil DIMwit]

Quite a nice map, I must say. I particularly like this slightly crinkly, but otherwise flat style.

That said I think the look would be improved if the mountain and desert barriers fit better with the solid-color-crinky-bold-outline style, or at least covered the border they were on rather than standing on the territories themselves.

[unriggable]

I hate that elephant at the top.

[Contrickster]

Is a mod able to put a poll up for the Elephant?

Quite a nice map, I must say. I particularly like this slightly crinkly, but otherwise flat style.

That said I think the look would be improved if the mountain and desert barriers fit better with the solid-color-crinky-bold-outline style, or at least covered the border they were on rather than standing on the territories themselves.

Next update I'll put them all on the borders. Not sure what you mean by "fit better with the solid-color-crinky-bold-outline style"... you mean give the features a texture?

[johloh]

-I think the mountains/deserts just arent cutting it...i think you need to try a new technique or style than you have been trying...something totally different...
-i like the dots for the sea routes
-I think you could do more with the black background on the legend...just doesnt look very 'finished'

[Evil DIMwit]

Is a mod able to put a poll up for the Elephant?

Quite a nice map, I must say. I particularly like this slightly crinkly, but otherwise flat style.

That said I think the look would be improved if the mountain and desert barriers fit better with the solid-color-crinky-bold-outline style, or at least covered the border they were on rather than standing on the territories themselves.

Next update I'll put them all on the borders. Not sure what you mean by "fit better with the solid-color-crinky-bold-outline style"... you mean give the features a texture?

Well, if you look at the map, nothing's really three-dimensional. All the territories are just solid color, with the black or white outline, and that texture. The mountains, on the other hand, are all 3D-ish gradient triangles, which doesn't quite flow with the rest of the map.

[Teya]

Tenth Draft - two options (I would do a poll but I don't have that option from my first post...)

Ask keyogi or andy to delete the current poll if you want another one.

[Contrickster]

Here's some line borders...



I feel out of ideas now and feel I'm going round in circles. There has been no discussion of the borders and game play at all. Does this mean it is great as it is? Or does it mean it's rubbish? Obviously I don't want to go through all this hassle over presentation if it's going to be rejected on gameplay.

[boberz]

now the legend looks really stupid

[Contrickster]

now the legend looks really stupid

I agree.

I hate this map now., too I don't seem able to get the presentation above a certain standard. It's just different grades of crap.

I'm going to have tostart again.

Does a map maker have suggestion on what techniques I may not be using that would this map's development?

How about shadow? I use Fireworks/GIMP.

I've a problem with using Fireworks on this computer though, it can only handle about 8 layers before slowing to a crash. What I have done is transfered files to GIMP which can handle many layers. Should I be doing this? Is any data lost in the process? Going from png > xcf and then to jpg?

[Contrickster]

12
mistake bbl

[Contrickster]

What do you think now?

[fireedud]

THey look okay, but I think they should be curved, not straight, and what happened to the elephant?

[Neilhouse]

I like it. Simple but obvious.

[Guiscard]

Background is pretty dark. I preffered the last one in terms of visuals, but i don't actually think it should be free floating, as it were. I'd rather see the actual land.