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

[Contrickster]

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.

Sorry, no, needs to be dark. Without a dark background I cannot use light font for text, I'd have to use black. I'd also have to have black territory borders. Light font and borders look better.

With a light background I can't have light territory colours, they need to be dark, otherwise the font and borders won't stand out from the background. Black font on a dark background won't show up clearly enough either.

I've got to plump for one, I've chosen the light borders/text option because it looks better, particularly with the coast.

With 7 continents remember it's quite difficult getting good range of colours that look different from each other. You can't have some dark and some light because then you'd need to do dark and light font, and I'd prefer to keep it more simple than that.

I'm not sure if I mind whether there is landmass or not. If you look through the thread there are strong calls either way. For now, I'll keep it floating. It's not really much of a big deal is it, compared for example to background colour, as it's not part of the playing area?

The title doesn't fit with the design, I'll change that for the next update. This affects the whole look.

NB: Sorry, I forgot the elephant. Next update

[Aries]

It's a good map If it does, I'll play it a soon as it comes out

[Contrickster]

New title & elephant. Shifted the whole map north and moved the Legend and features note down - it was cramped there, think it looks better with more space.

To answer the question about the sea route lines - not curved. I prefer the scientific/map feel you get with right angles. With curves an dots your eyes are drawn down, distracted. The square shape has the effect of framing Indian landmass above.

[darkmagus]

It was the Sikh empire that held jammu & kashmir. Twenty years after the confederacy was dissolved.

Now it´s probably going to annoy me a little bit to play the map knowing the confederacy never ruled most of the area called by that name.

since you don´t call the continent "sikh empire" anymore... is it possible to change it to that or something else?

[Evil DIMwit]

To answer the question about the sea route lines - not curved. I prefer the scientific/map feel you get with right angles. With curves an dots your eyes are drawn down, distracted. The square shape has the effect of framing Indian landmass above.

In my opinion, the scientific light blue right angles are a sort of digitalish late 20th century style that betrays the colonial feel. When I see them I think Cold War monitor, not British Empire. But if you're adamant, it's your map.

The mountains and desert are much improved over the old gradient triangles, however.

[fireedud]

contrary to what he said ^, those mountains don't look like mountains at all.

[Contrickster]

It was the Sikh empire that held jammu & kashmir. Twenty years after the confederacy was dissolved.

Now it´s probably going to annoy me a little bit to play the map knowing the confederacy never ruled most of the area called by that name.

since you don´t call the continent "sikh empire" anymore... is it possible to change it to that or something else?

Not opposed to that change. I chose "Sikh Confederacy" because I liked the name. At that time it made sense because I had Sikh Empire for the continent name.

The Sikh Confederacy also would more accurately be closer to the Punjab area. It is acceptable usage in the Risk tradition...

Sikh Empire was actually much larger area than the area allotted to Sikhs - it went as far south as Sind, for example. I'm not certain it would be a greater historical inaccuracy to call that area "Empire" when the real empire was much larger?

In my opinion, the scientific light blue right angles are a sort of digitalish late 20th century style that betrays the colonial feel. When I see them I think Cold War monitor, not British Empire. But if you're adamant, it's your map.

That comment wins a prize. Which is an update with curved sea routes.

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Am I right that I feel I'm getting closer with the title? Will listen to suggestions before for my next update.


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Fireedud - they're not supposed to look like mountains. They are barriers. There is a precedent for line barriers. I don't want the featues to be messy. One advantage of line barrier is uniformity including maintaining the top-down look, rather than mixed-perspectives of three-D mountains and 2-D everything else.

[Contrickster]

unofficial update -

Old sea route



New sea route



Problem with the curved route is the pixilated line was very craggy so I had to blur them heavily.

A way around that might be to double layer them... which I've not done here.

[Evil DIMwit]

Yay, prize. That does look better. The pixelization isn't too noticeable unless you look closely. Except for the big Ceylon-Goa route. And the top half of the Goa-Diu route. And... actually, maybe the pixelization is too noticeable.

[Contrickster]

Yay, prize. That does look better. The pixelization isn't too noticeable unless you look closely. Except for the big Ceylon-Goa route. And the top half of the Goa-Diu route. And... actually, maybe the pixelization is too noticeable.

If I do two layers - two or even three blurred layers - that should round off the pixilation because the blur smoothes out while the colour can't get blue-r than the blue. So pixilation shouldn't be a problem.

Anything else??

(The above is only a rough effort, anyway, next time I'll do the lines in Fireworks.)

[DiM]

i really liked the version bellow. since the seventf draft the map has lost some appeal. i think this one is the best. i love the clouds the colours and everything (except mountains which need more consistency)

[Contrickster]

i really liked the version bellow. since the seventf draft the map has lost some appeal. i think this one is the best. i love the clouds the colours and everything (except mountains which need more consistency)

More like this?
Note: I've started to use bold font for the text. Not deliberate, I think unbold would be better.

[fireedud]

That looks good, but I think the clouds should be blurred more.

[Evil DIMwit]

Thr curves look much better (and "Ocean passage" is a nice touch")

The clouds do look a little angular at some parts, which is peculiar for clouds.

[Contrickster]

Clouds blurred. Bold font removed. Old colours restored (eyedropper is a useful tool). New title. Legend colours changed to reflect territory colours. Mountains and desert edges blurred.



Here's it with the other territory colours

[DiM]

the new desert and mountains represented likelines are not so good.
the old desert is much better and the mountains are good too but try putting more for consistency. i mean take a mountain and copy/paste it around untill there's no visible borders. at the moment there's a mountain space mountain space mountain space and so on. put mountains in those spaces. i don't know how to explain this better

[Contrickster]

the new desert and mountains represented likelines are not so good.
the old desert is much better and the mountains are good too but try putting more for consistency. i mean take a mountain and copy/paste it around untill there's no visible borders. at the moment there's a mountain space mountain space mountain space and so on. put mountains in those spaces. i don't know how to explain this better

I get what you mean. That helps. Bunches of mountains, no spaces.

[DiM]

the new desert and mountains represented likelines are not so good.
the old desert is much better and the mountains are good too but try putting more for consistency. i mean take a mountain and copy/paste it around untill there's no visible borders. at the moment there's a mountain space mountain space mountain space and so on. put mountains in those spaces. i don't know how to explain this better

I get what you mean. That helps. Bunches of mountains, no spaces.

exactly

[unriggable]

i really liked the version bellow. since the seventf draft the map has lost some appeal. i think this one is the best. i love the clouds the colours and everything (except mountains which need more consistency)

Agree completely

[Contrickster]

[DiM]

yep that's the idea but you made the map lighter and you also changed the desert. it looked better in update 7.

[Contrickster]

Update seven received many comments so I don't think I can return to update #7 because that would be to ignore everyone else but you, DiM. However I think can improve the desert and mountains.

BTW did you prefer the black or white text? I like both, used white this time to be different from last time.

[DiM]

white text is better.
ofcourse i don't want you to follow onl my suggestions, i'm just staitng my opinion. it's yor choice to chose what you want to do.

[Contrickster]

I value your comments DiM

Desert and mountains are most urgent. From a criticism earlier, the mountains should be larger. The desert should be larger.

For those who liked the image of the Elephant, I really don't think it suits this map. We're back on the Jewel in the Empire fantasy theme. Will have to find another image, if have one at all. Perhaps Taj Mahal.

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Note: My layers are arranged such that I can make changes pretty much everywhere without much problem. Don't be frightened to go against what other people are saying here - if it is nagging you, it's probably a good criticism and will help improve the map!

[Contrickster]

Quite significant development. Positive? Negative?