The CUBE

[paulk]

[natty dread]

Well, if that's the direction you want to take it, be my guest...

[ender516]

The new decorations on the orbs detract from their roundness. They don't look like spheres with swirls (which I presume you were trying for), they look like orbs that have been beaten, chipped, or hammered, in some cases flattened.

[natty dread]

Ok, I'd just like to know... do you still want me doing the graphics for the map? If you've decided to do the graphics yourself, I don't want to butt in...

[paulk]

The new decorations on the orbs detract from their roundness. They don't look like spheres with swirls (which I presume you were trying for), they look like orbs that have been beaten, chipped, or hammered, in some cases flattened.

You think? I think they give the impression of small lunar orbs, either with man-made patterns, or beaten by the elements to have scares. Either way, most of the orbs will be covered by numbers later.

Ok, I'd just like to know... do you still want me doing the graphics for the map? If you've decided to do the graphics yourself, I don't want to butt in...

What can I say, I got inspired by your development and started working on it and just kept going.
I think the light green -> green -> light blue -> blue rods harmonized perfectly with the dark side of the earth's colors so I wanted to keep that. Having it in one color only looks dull and makes it harder to navigate in my opinion.

I tried with both the orbs having circles in the color closest, but your version with just white worked better, so I just tried making the orbs a bit more 3D with swirl pattern on them to make them look more like something man-made with shapes or something beaten by the elements.

I tried with having shadow sides on the orbs, but that looked funny with the rods not having the same shadow, and it is close to impossible for me to in Photoshop try to make it look perfectly 3D, (if I wont sit for days and hand paint every pixel).
That is also why I hoped someone with a 3D program could make just the CUBE with shadows and everything.
So instead I made the orbs glow slightly so it looks like the rods visibility disappear in the light.

Honestly I didn't really jump up and down with joy when I saw your layer solution, but I had to admit it made a difference in visibility and made it easier to navigate. But I changed it to be a gradient in the same colors as the rods, going from light green -> green -> light blue -> blue.

I also tried making the territory numbers as invisible as possible and used a pixel font for both the layer names (layer 1, layer 2, layer 3, layer 4) and the territory numbers. I have to say your system with territory names was a strike of genius.
But I feel the smaller font makes it much easier to focus on the map and the navigation.

All and all, I was just inspired by your development and tried to improve your improvements. I would like to keep working together on this map if you don't mind. After all, the important part is to get it done so we can play it. I can give you the most recent Photoshop files if you like? Or do you prefer it in PNG layers?

[White Moose]

Just get it done! This will be a great map, no doubt about it!

[natty dread]

All and all, I was just inspired by your development and tried to improve your improvements. I would like to keep working together on this map if you don't mind. After all, the important part is to get it done so we can play it. I can give you the most recent Photoshop files if you like? Or do you prefer it in PNG layers?

Ah, I don't use photoshop (can't afford it right now... I work with Paint.net.) Anyway, I'd be glad to work to continue working on this map, and I'm glad you like my graphical solutions.

Tell you what... I have all the other graphical elements, so just send me the background, the legend, and the layer with the orbs on separate png:s (with transparency where necessary.) And all from the large version of course

[paulk]

With 888's

Click image to enlarge.

click here to download map contents as PNG files

[ender516]

I think I preferred natty's layer labels. The tiny text is unobtrusive but almost to the point of invisibility, while his digits shown in perspective leave little doubt as to the fact that they refer to horizontal slices into the depth of the picture.

[gimil]

I think I preferred natty's layer labels. The tiny text is unobtrusive but almost to the point of invisibility, while his digits shown in perspective leave little doubt as to the fact that they refer to horizontal slices into the depth of the picture.

I agree.

[paulk]

Click image to enlarge.

[natty dread]

What is the popular opinion on the orbs: which orb design should we be using, mine or paulk's?

[ender516]

I prefer your orbs, natty. The new perspective on the layer labels is an improvement and may be sufficient. The labels on the orbs in the latest image are VERY small, and may be illegible on some monitors. They clearly cannot be shrunk when the small map is created.

[paulk]

the territories are in a pixel font that will show in the exact amount of pixels, unless your screen "bake together" pixels.
and if you take a look on the smaller map I made not long ago you see the pixel font is in the same size. I just moved it around.

second, if you figure out the system of the territories (layer 1-4 and then ABCD + 1234) you don't really need to look at the territories over and over again so if they are small you can concentrate on the internal structure of the cube (which is the real mind bender) much better.

third, I would like to hear a few more peoples opinion on the orbs.
we could make two versions and let people have their say, no problem.
natty, if you send me an orb I'll take care of it.

[natty dread]

I'll try to get my version finished soon... I have some new graphical ideas that I hope will look good...

[natty dread]

Agh, this is really giving me a headache... I can't seem to get the perspective right. I'm starting to think this map should be done with a 3d software...

[paulk]

Agh, this is really giving me a headache... I can't seem to get the perspective right. I'm starting to think this map should be done with a 3d software...

It would be good to have a 3D program to render light and shadows right. But it's not impossible to make it look good anyway.

[paulk]

Took away the colored layers and made the layers black(er) instead, while I in the same time made the starry background more intense.
Changed the orbs texture to regular plain with shadow.
Changed the outer glow slightly.

Click image to enlarge.

same as above but with a slight glow on the rods as well:

Click image to enlarge.

[paulk]

only rods glowing + visibly sticking into the orbs

Click image to enlarge.

[paulk]

As above, but changed the black layers to solid black, except for where the earth shows through where I made it more transparent. This to create a no-star-area effect where the layers are.

Click image to enlarge.

[paulk]

everybody stunned by the latest maps? no bells and whistles?

[natty dread]

Well I think you've done a good job getting the perspective look good... Only the blue grid looks like it should be just a tiny bit further away... but there's not much space to move it so perhaps it would be better to move the green & cyan grids slightly closer

[Dako]

Well, I think there are few problems with this map in terms of graphic.

• In the current perspective, this is not a cube but a зarallelepiped. The 4th vertical layer is shrinked.
• The space theme doesn't really fit with the cube. Why cube in space? In some place you see stars and in some places you don't - looks more that in places you see starts that they are unneeded. Yes, there is a need of a background, but not some white dots on black layer. Maybe an image or filled color will be looking better.
• Color of the rods... seems like they do not stack and do not look distinct. The color brightness is very similar, maybe try to adjust to different colors? Blue is very dark here and is getting lost on the black background. i guess you need to use softer
• colors. And try to look at the map without natural light (at night) - terrible experience.
• Computers with smaller resolution (netbooks) will be unable to read the regions names. Too small and bleak.

I like the map and will play it, but I think the colors are wrong here.

[MarshalNey]

personally I think the map looks pretty damn good and I'm frustrated that it isn't getting more support. There are some tweaks that I could see doing, but overall I like it a lot. As for the space theme, I think that's the idea that has had the most support, makes the most sense for me (let's face it, a cube set anywhere is going to be a little odd) and frankly has only seemed to be disliked by one person.

[paulk]

Thank you for your support MarshalNey! You are most welcome to rally up more support for it!

To answer Dako:
* The current CUBE is a copy of the one natty_dread made. It is perfectly CUBEish. No shrinked layers.
* The CUBE has tested a myriad of backgrounds and so far the space theme keeps coming back as the most liked solution. But of course, Dako or anyone else are welcome to come up with alternative suggestions. For that purpose there are transparent PNG's with only the CUBE in previous posts. If you have a better background in mind, please go ahead, because I have been bonking my head against the wall trying to come up with the best possible solution. This goes for anyone that believe they can find a better background, since this issue has been up before, and I don't mind at all as long as there not only are complaints.
* The colors of the rods are harmonizing with the background earths colors perfectly.
* If you have problems looking at the map without natural light (because of the black background) then turn on a light. It is bad for your eyes not to have surround light anyway.
* Computers (netbooks) with small resolutions don't display pixels as pixels? This is news to me. I see what I can do about making the region names clearer.

I am surprised no one has said what version of the latest map they preferred and why.