[Abandoned] - Welcome to mars!

[gimil]

The year is 2193. solar rains have brought water to mars.
Man has moved to mars in search of hope and a better life
but has only brought more war, destruction and death.

Update 7 by oaktown
[bigimg]http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r76/ron_parodi/Mars/Mars09oak.jpg[/bigimg]

Update 6 by oaktown
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r76/ ... s08oak.jpg

Update 5 by gimil
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c64/G ... 7gimil.png

Update 4 by oaktown
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r76/ ... s05oak.jpg

Update 3 by oaktown
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r76/ ... Mars04.jpg

Update 2 by gimil
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c64/G ... copy-1.png

Update 1 by oaktown
http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r76/ ... Mars02.jpg

Original Image by gimil
http://i25.photobucket.com/albums/c64/G ... copy-1.png

Developers: gimil and oaktown
No. of Terrs: 42
no. of continent: 6
Gimmicks: none

[cairnswk]

Gimil, nice start and good idea I believe.
However, i find if hard to read that font.

[Industrial Helix]

It's also a bit dark.

[oaktown]

However, i find if hard to read that font.

We had the same conversation... perhaps keep the art deco on the map title/legend,but go with something easier to read on the territories?

[Optimus Prime]

It's mostly hard to read because the map is so dark.

[bryguy]

Great start guys


1) Overall, this map is to dark. Looks to me like Im viewing it while wearing sunglasses
2) The current font is a little hard to read
3) Names and borders are a little confusing for me
4) Lohse is a bit confusing


Despite the font readablility issues, I like it

What font is it?

[sailorseal]

I like the idea but the image is too dark. I can not quickly grasp the bonuses of this map and that might deter people from playing it. I think the Serum bonus should be cut in half.

[gho]

it doesn't look that martian (graphically). The water doesn't suit the map and i think the map should have more red in it. From a gameplay perspective isn't there massive volcanoes on mars (or is that some other planet). Maybe you could incorporate that into the map (killer neutrals and bonuses for the better soil or something)

[MrBenn]

The font is hard to read, and I'm finding it hard to match up the region names to the areas.

I'm sure the graphics will come with time - I'm not a fan of the land texture... it just feels a bit wrong

Gameplay-wise, things might be a bit clearer when I can properly work out which region is which

[lostatlimbo]

Nice start, but I think it needs something unique. If you take Mars out of the title, I wouldn't know the difference between this and one of the other fictional land maps in CC.

Mars is home to the largest mountain and the largest canyon in the solar system and is covered in massive craters. Realistically - if Mars suddenly received enough constant rains and melt water to create vast seas - the effects on the existing land masses would be catastrophic. You'd see massive river ways and erosion covering the entire planet.

Is there a way you could work these things into the map structure? I'm thinking something along the lines of a Global Warming map - where territories are more severely divided by the geography of the planet (beyond a simple lake or island). Illustrating such drastic geography would really do a Mars map justice.

Failing that, I'd at least like to see some effects of the War, Destruction and Death mentioned in your intro!

(PS - Here's a great photo from wiki: http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/c ... e-Mars.jpg )

[whitestazn88]

looks like a nice map, and i agree with all the previous posts saying its too dark and the font is hard to read.

on top of that i think the little blurb, although nice, is a little cramped up in that corner

and i like the graphics a lot, well.. not really right now, they can definitely be improved, but the style. you know what i'm sayin?

[theButterfly]

Sweet. I like what I see so far. Here are my suggestions:

-This map seems too small for an entire planet. World 2.1 seems like a good guideline for what a planet-sized map should look like. Mars is smaller than Earth, but not that much smaller.

-In order to improve the terraformed look, you might try adding in some green for forests that have been planted.

-How about adding some spaceports that work similar to the helipads on the Malta map? When playing on Malta, the combination of land, sea, and air attack routes makes the game feel more like a modern war with modern weapons. Other than that, I agree with the decision to stick with mostly classic gameplay.

And thank you for finally putting a Mars map into development. We could definitely use more science fiction themed maps.

[oaktown]

This map seems too small for an entire planet. World 2.1 seems like a good guideline for what a planet-sized map should look like. Mars is smaller than Earth, but not that much smaller.

-In order to improve the terraformed look, you might try adding in some green for forests that have been planted.

-How about adding some spaceports that work similar to the helipads on the Malta map? When playing on Malta, the combination of land, sea, and air attack routes makes the game feel more like a modern war with modern weapons. Other than that, I agree with the decision to stick with mostly classic gameplay.

When gimil approached me about working with him on this project we agreed that we wanted to do something classic-ish. We both have other maps going that are a bit more complex and/or specialized, so we wanted to keep this one straightforward and.

And thank you for finally putting a Mars map into development. We could definitely use more science fiction themed maps.

Indeed. I'd like to see more stylized sci-fi maps, which I think is what gimil is going for with the rusty land and the art deco font. I see this as a map of future mars, as envisioned in 1932. More Flash Gordon, less Jar Jar Binks.

Damn, that just gave me a fantastic idea for this map...

[bryguy]

I'd like to see more stylized sci-fi maps, which I think is what gimil is going for with the rusty land and the art deco font. I see this as a map of future mars, as envisioned in 1932. More Flash Gordon, less Jar Jar Binks.

Damn, that just gave me a fantastic idea for this map...

Id love more sci-fi maps. Theres so many possibilities.... but I think we need more XML options before things really open up for sci-fi maps

right now if u ask about a sci-fi map with planets and such, people either want Star Wars, or they wonder why your asking for it, since we already have 2 space maps

I had a really good idea for one, but I cant think of what gimmicks to use, etc. or graphics. Oh well


when can we see V2?

[Nzen]

Hello. I have three questions.
* Is Hugyens connected to Zephyria/Hershel? I see the linking pattern is different from the other two, but it is dark enough to draw attention and doubt. If the watermark is a joke, perhaps rotating it farther from the lake's edges will clear the distinction.
* Is the central, bottom continent Promethei? The legend suggests its territories will be outlined in black. The bottom center country has almost the same color as Tyrrhenan. Deduction suggests it is Promethei, but the ambiguity confuses me.

I have not played on CC long enough to diagnose gameplay effacy of novel maps yet. However, to encourage debate on this aspect, I wrote the number of neighbors on each territory. I am surprised at the number of 6 neighbor territories, but - as I admit - I haven't studied enough game theory to make a real judgment.

[oaktown]

thanks for doing the above analysis, Nzen... next time I chat with gimil we'll discuss. I've even noticed some that you missed - like the Noachis terit down south.

As for how many territories something should border, I think much depends on the type of territory. Uranius and Meridiani are central terits within their regions, sort of like China in Classic - if played correctly China becomes the keystone to holding that part of the map. Ma'Adim is a border territory with multiple borders, so the role it plays is different - it can be used to hold the wolves at bay from either direction, like Ukraine or Middle East in the old classic game.

[oaktown]

Sorry to double post, but I had a silly idea... those of you who know and loved the old Classic map will get a kick out of this.

(Gimil is heading up graphics on this one, so if he hates it that will be the last word.)

[bigimg]http://i141.photobucket.com/albums/r76/ron_parodi/Mars/Mars02.jpg[/bigimg]

[reggie_mac]

One question, is this accurate?

In such i mean, if i got a DEM of mars and picked a Datum and filled it with water is this how the land-masses would look?

[oaktown]

One question, is this accurate?

In such i mean, if i got a DEM of mars and picked a Datum and filled it with water is this how the land-masses would look?

Why, yes. This map is based on theoretical images of Mars as it may have looked with water centuries ago, for example...



Gimil's creation is (wisely) centered on a different longitude to limit the amount of land that spans across the edges of the map. The territory names are also actual locations used by astronomers, though some liberties have been taken with geography to achieve the map we're trying to make. The map I used is this one...

[bigimg]http://www.astro.virginia.edu/~mnc3z/images/astro121/map-of-mars.jpg[/bigimg]

[reggie_mac]

Fantastic.... i love this map , kinda like this idea here .... the only problem i have with it is that i was going to try and do it myself. .. yoink..

But on a more serious note. I think the colour scheme needs be lightned/brightend, it feels a bit dark, i know mars is supposed to be a rust/ red colour, but i think it could be made a bit "happier"

Also, im a bit confused with the Lomse region, it looks liek its part of one area on the right, and part of another on the left, but i think this is only due to the different stroke around the text.

[MrBenn]

I'm sure the grpahics will develop in due course... what we really need is discussion about gameplay - not about the gimmicks that people think would work, but what people think about the way things are structured as it stands....

[bryguy]

1) I think Lomse could be a little confusing, being split to both sides of the map. Maybe if you added the same green glow on the right side as on the left? right now its a blue glow
2) The borders seem to disappear into the ice caps.
3) Can the spaceships do anything special? bombardment or anything? (i think you should make them into territories so they can bombard )

[mibi]

This is some unholy ugliness.

[icehack]

I'm new to the whole site, but I was thinking about a Mars map as well and I'm wondering why bother using a Mars with water at all? Present day Mars would work just fine if you treat the basins as seas and the elevated plains as land-masses, divided into the same territs you have now. Call it a sci-fact map if you want. Here's an image from Celestia that shows what I'm talking about. Dark areas are basins.

[bigimg]http://www.celestiamotherlode.net/catalog/images/screenshots/various/mars_16K_VT_Mars_Surface_Map_1__Jestr.jpg[/bigimg]

[oaktown]

I'm new to the whole site, but I was thinking about a Mars map as well and I'm wondering why bother using a Mars with water at all? Present day Mars would work just fine if you treat the basins as seas and the elevated plains as land-masses, divided into the same territs you have now.

Maybe because seas are prettier?