RAIL USA [Quenched]

WidowMakers · Post by **WidowMakers** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 5:55 am

Here are some new backgrounds. They are free to use.

I like the top 2

cairnswk · Post by **cairnswk** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 6:16 am

WM....I'm sorry to be negative, but they do nothing for me. Others may see it differently though.

DiM · Post by **DiM** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 6:19 am

cairnswk wrote:WM....I'm sorry to be negative, but they do nothing for me. Others may see it differently though.

same here

KEYOGI · Post by **KEYOGI** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 7:03 am

I really don't see what's wrong with the version below:

Coleman · Post by **Coleman** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 7:04 am

KEYOGI wrote:I really don't see what's wrong with the version below:

Probably because there is nothing wrong with the version below.

KEYOGI · Post by **KEYOGI** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 7:06 am

So apart from mibi, is there actually anyone who wants a different background?

cairnswk · Post by **cairnswk** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 7:11 am

KEYOGI wrote:So apart from mibi, is there actually anyone who wants a different background?

I would put a different background on it if I was doing the graphics, but I can live with the current background.

mibi · Post by **mibi** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 8:51 am

[quote="casper"]pixels are so unrealistic...

I was under the impression, from the art deco style of the title that a rail map like this would appeal to people in the glory days of train travel, when these trains and routes had history, when the locomotives were iconic and train travel was something to experience. when pixel schedule boards didn't exist.

I am probably wrong tho, this map is probably is probably for the player who liked to invoke the standard lackluster, overpriced, Amtrak style train travel of modern day. my apologies.

you have a modern schedule board and a subway background, so i suppose i am way off base.

Here is the best image so far, from my off base point of view

Such a evocative locomotive blazing away under the full moon with nothing but a head light and a steady cloud of smoke. It had emotion and character, what the current versions lacked.

jako · Post by **jako** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 8:19 pm

mibi wrote:
casper wrote:pixels are so unrealistic...

I was under the impression, from the art deco style of the title that a rail map like this would appeal to people in the glory days of train travel, when these trains and routes had history, when the locomotives were iconic and train travel was something to experience. when pixel schedule boards didn't exist.

I am probably wrong tho, this map is probably is probably for the player who liked to invoke the standard lackluster, overpriced, Amtrak style train travel of modern day. my apologies.

you have a modern schedule board and a subway background, so i suppose i am way off base.

Here is the best image so far, from my off base point of view

Such a evocative locomotive blazing away under the full moon with nothing but a head light and a steady cloud of smoke. It had emotion and character, what the current versions lacked.

that really is the best BG i have seen throughout this thread, i relaly dont know y people are making such a big deal about the BG. i dont think anything else is gonna work best liek the once above imho

Coleman · Post by **Coleman** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 8:21 pm

Well both sides can't be right, and Andy & Keyogi are split over the issue so we can't really hope for much moderator sway. I guess it comes down to WidowMakers and cairnswk.

Maybe we could compromise? I love the way the bonus box is on the latest ones with the passenger train/subway look, and I could tolerate a background change. But I can't speak for everyone who doesn't want any change.

WidowMakers · Post by **WidowMakers** » Mon Aug 20, 2007 9:05 pm

I am going to try and use the old background (or a styled version like it) with the current legend. I hope to have it in a day or two.

So until then discuss the text and bonuses. The XML CairnsWK has done currently has different bonuses than the latest picture.
I used the excel file to approximate them. I took into account the change in borders the new XML has. Please, if anyone has any issue, I would like to get this in while I update the background.

Thanks

WM

steve monkey · Post by **steve monkey** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 2:53 am

sorry widowmakers, I know you want to close the background discussions, but I just wanted to say that I prefer the one with the steam train and full moon too. It's the most characterful of all the options.

WidowMakers · Post by **WidowMakers** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 5:49 am

OK. How is this?
I took out the little station icons because there was not a lot of room on the small map.

cena-rules · Post by **cena-rules** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 6:07 am

I love this map.

1 thing.

the seattle station is on the legend. It is worse on the small map but not to bad on the big map.

If this can be fixed thank because it bugs me.

WidowMakers · Post by **WidowMakers** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 6:13 am

cena-rules wrote:I love this map.

1 thing.

the seattle station is on the legend. It is worse on the small map but not to bad on the big map.

If this can be fixed thank because it bugs me.

It needs to overlap a little. If it doesn't, the train will get covered more than it does now. Believe me I tried. I had to balance the graphics and I felt that was a trade-off I had to make.

WM

Kayla · Post by **Kayla** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 6:27 am

yay, another US map!! can't wait to play. I'm not picky so I'm not going to see what the picky people see.. so I'll just say it looks great and leave it at that

cena-rules · Post by **cena-rules** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 6:41 am

WidowMakers wrote:
cena-rules wrote:I love this map.

1 thing.

the seattle station is on the legend. It is worse on the small map but not to bad on the big map.

If this can be fixed thank because it bugs me.
It needs to overlap a little. If it doesn't, the train will get covered more than it does now. Believe me I tried. I had to balance the graphics and I felt that was a trade-off I had to make.

WM

ok. Ill take it as it is.

mibi · Post by **mibi** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 7:42 am

[quote="WidowMakers"]OK. How is this?
I took out the little station icons because there was not a lot of room on the small map.

much better!

casper · Post by **casper** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 11:33 am

*thumbs up* looks much better with the original nighttime background. can't wait to start playing soon!

jako · Post by **jako** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 11:41 am

WidowMakers wrote:OK. How is this?
I took out the little station icons because there was not a lot of room on the small map.

perfect, and im with cena on the Seattle station but its the best u can do, so no point wasting time complaining about something that cant be fixed.

best update ever. i really hope it can be quenched as soon as the bonus's and text are hammered out.

Coleman · Post by **Coleman** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 12:30 pm

Hope you are ready for some hardcore nitpicking here. And my apologizes.

Every station has what appears to me to be a clock tower. Many of them are consistent with the time zones on the large map if you assume it is noon or midnight on the east coast.

However some of them are not. Seattle should be 9:00 I think, but it looks to be three on the large map.

On the small map the clock hands are clearer but they all list the same time. Which is very unrealistic.

MR. Nate · Post by **MR. Nate** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 12:39 pm

Maybe you could move the actual map down and to the right, and move the text and sigs on the right to the northwest corner. You would have to make the font smaller (although I don't know how much smaller it can go, especially on the small) but it would get seattle off the legend.

Not important at all, but it may look better if you could somehow lighten the background behind the legend, so the shape is a little more clearly defined.

cairnswk · Post by **cairnswk** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 2:35 pm

Personally I don't have an issue with the clock tower hanging over the bonus board. This is an element of design and is quite common in most good design practices to overhang images on another image or outside/inside a border.

It will mean that the xml coordinates have to be reworked if the map is moved, however, I am happy to do that is it is absolutely necessary to move the map.

But please ask yourselves: is it really bothering you, or are you just nit-picking, afterall, there is no bonus text in that area where the clock tower overhangs.

Coleman · Post by **Coleman** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 3:35 pm

cairnswk wrote:But please ask yourselves: is it really bothering you, or are you just nit-picking, afterall, there is no bonus text in that area where the clock tower overhangs.

Well what is bothering me is that the times on the clock towers are either inconsistent or wrong based on the other clock towers around them in the same time zone and in others.

It also bothers me that the small map clock towers are more detailed then the large map clock towers.

cairnswk · Post by **cairnswk** » Tue Aug 21, 2007 3:57 pm

Coleman wrote:
cairnswk wrote:But please ask yourselves: is it really bothering you, or are you just nit-picking, afterall, there is no bonus text in that area where the clock tower overhangs.
Well what is bothering me is that the times on the clock towers are either inconsistent or wrong based on the other clock towers around them in the same time zone and in others.

It also bothers me that the small map clock towers are more detailed then the large map clock towers.

Thanks Coleman...the clock times can be fixed....but my concern was that a lot of work is involved on both our parts to move the map for the sake of simply a little overhang on the bonus board....that's all...i don't mean to offend anyone with my nit-picking statement.