I feel that the graphics are too realistic overall. All of the regions look as if you took an image of a large field, or pare of a mountain, or a dessert and then used that as part of the map. The feeling that gives is not that of a map.
The solution? Use symbols. You used one for the castle. That looks not like a real castle you might find, but a representation of one. Same with the catapults and the windmills. For example, the trees. You took a step forward there.
Overall, I would like to see it look more like a "map." and look more handmade, than computer graphics generated.
pikkio wrote:but now i'm thinking that the mountains are too realistic compare to the rest of the map.. suggestions? opinions?
I have 3 suggestions:
Forest Borders destroy eyes
You can add some streets, you have a castle, you a bridges and then .....nothing . In this way all territories will be too similar to other in same continets.
I think that you have to left mountains as are now!
i found a free tile set for a program to make rpg games. i worked very hard for 2 days and now i can relase the version 8, with a complete pixel-rpg style!! ^_^
i think that this style it's perfect for a map with this theme, so i think that from now i will work only on details and this is the fixed graphic style. well, tell me what do you think about!!
version 8 [bigimg]http://img84.imageshack.us/img84/5952/mappacastello8bigdj4.gif[/bigimg]
Wow this is a vast, vast improvment from the last time I checked it! I looks like you are going for a kind of rugged flash RPG game or something, I like it.
The mountains are a paticularly cool looking thing. I have some suggestions to tweek some textures here and there, but I will leave those for another day.
I can still get you my texture files if you still want them, but I don't think you need them now, do you?
for this map i think i don't even need your textures, but if for you it isn't an hard work, i will like to have it, maybe i can use it in the future for another map or something else.
p.s. i will wait for the suggestions that you talked about.
"Field Tower" covers up the border between "Earl" and "Vicar" "Forest Tower" covers up the border between "Duke" and "Lord" "Bombard" is capitalized in the key — not saying this is necessarily wrong but I'd switch to lowercase "bombard" So, erm, how do we get into the Castle?
the.killing.44 wrote:Nicely done. Some quick thoughts:
"Field Tower" covers up the border between "Earl" and "Vicar" "Forest Tower" covers up the border between "Duke" and "Lord" "Bombard" is capitalized in the key — not saying this is necessarily wrong but I'd switch to lowercase "bombard" So, erm, how do we get into the Castle?
.44
The courts attack the towers, which in turn attack the castle.... and yeah I guess I do have some criticism.... the names of the towers cover up other names and even cover up territory boundaries.... they should be tweaked.
Oh, that makes sense — atm it looks like everything is blocked off. This might be annoying to change, but since the towers are in the same style as the wall it makes it seem like there's no way in …
I was going to suggest the addition of little doors to the towers.
WAIT A MINUTE. How about arrows that point to the towers? Wouldn't it be a cool gameplay addition if the people who enter the castle cant leave it? Kind of like Alcatraz... since it gives a bonus.
i will modify the tower's name position, i'm just thinking about it.
the towers can attack the castle (cause there is non walls between castle and towers border.. the wall is between tower and tower, and it's in different texture and colour), and the courts can attack the adjacent tower. instead of the tower-castle problem, i see the courts-tower problem.. for example, marquess and baron can attack desert tower, but i'm not sure it's clear to understand..
the other way i'm thinking about is to make the towers attackable from the castle but not from the courts. then the tower can only bombard the courts (and attack the castle) and the wall isn't an impassable border, so the castle and the courts may attack each others. what do you think about?
p.s. eagle, i'm not sure that i understand what you said.. you say that towers can attack the castle but the castle cannot?
EagleofGreenErth wrote:I was going to suggest the addition of little doors to the towers.
About this i think that's would be a good implementation...but i think if we put doors only courts with a door in that territory could attack/enter in tower... (E.g. Marquesas and Baron can attack/bombard the Desert Tower but only Baron could move armies to Desert Tower.)
EagleofGreenErth wrote:WAIT A MINUTE. How about arrows that point to the towers? Wouldn't it be a cool gameplay addition if the people who enter the castle cant leave it? Kind of like Alcatraz... since it gives a bonus.
This sound good, but i think that if i gonna to be attacked by 4 towers , i think that a +2 bonus is too few! If i understand what you are saying castle has 4 one way borders around it, who is in castle is in a sort of trap! Would you put yourself in castle if you know that you can't go out from here?It's probably great for assassin games (waiting with a +2 bonus is a good strategy) but for other i can't look a game without a little . And finally we have to discuss about +2 castle bonus because it would be an +2 autodeploy bonus in future, but not sure, could be that castle has +5/+10 starting neutrals, i have to ask to [player]pikkio[/player] about it.
i fixed the tower's names positions, and changed the texture of castle and towers, and of the bridges too.
version 8.1 [bigimg]http://img172.imageshack.us/img172/5302/mappacastello81bigok4.gif[/bigimg]
i'm thinking that it could be a good idea if the castle and towers are neutral at the start, and the castle gains automatically 2 army each turn, if it's neutral too. in this mode, it's important to conquer it early, and then, if someone bombard it and made it neutral territory again, it's important to re-conquer it early! and maybe the game will be winning only when a player hold castle and towers for 3 consecutive rounds..
for the little doors in the towers, i think that it's very difficult to draw it clearly, especially in the northern towers, that have a little part visible out of the walls.. draw doors in the walls it's the same, cause it's impossible to draw it in the east and west walls, cause of the prospective.. (keep in mind that this is the large map!) the only thing i can do for this idea, it's to draw only one big door on the front wall, and made an access to the castle only from baron and bishop. obviusly the catapults and the towers still bombard (but not conquer) the castle, but there are no passable connections from thoose territories.
the problem still remain is if the courts may attack the towers or not.. i mean, if it's clear which courts can attack each towers, or it's better to eliminate this connection and keep only the bombardament from towers to courts (all courts or adjacent courts or east and west courts..) but in this mode, the only way to conquer towers is by the castle.. what do you think? personally, i don't like this idea and i would keep the situation like now, cause i think it's quite clear that the courts adjacent the base of the tower can attack it and viceversa (if you look, the up of southern towers are adjacent only to one court, but i mean it's obviusly that you should look at the base to understand which court is adjacent.. i'm right or not?)..
i found another awesome tile set for rpg games, and i made a new version of the castle. i also find awesome bridges and few other details for the map. what do you think about?
sailorseal wrote:Maybe make castle bridges one way...
mmmm.. i don't think it's a good idea.. if it will be one-way from outside to inside, when you're inside you're blocked, and without the chance of conquerring the bridges, defend the court and the castle it will be too difficult.. make a one way from inside to outside don't have sense cause the outsiders cannot conquer the castle in this mode..
p.s. what do you all think about the idea to change the victory's conditions to "conquer the catle and the towers and hold it for 3 consecutive turns"? obviusly, at the start of the game, castle and towers are neutrals, and maybe the castle gains an automatic bonus when it's neutral too..
sailorseal wrote:Maybe make castle bridges one way...
mmmm.. i don't think it's a good idea.. if it will be one-way from outside to inside, when you're inside you're blocked, and without the chance of conquerring the bridges, defend the court and the castle it will be too difficult.. make a one way from inside to outside don't have sense cause the outsiders cannot conquer the castle in this mode..
p.s. what do you all think about the idea to change the victory's conditions to "conquer the catle and the towers and hold it for 3 consecutive turns"? obviusly, at the start of the game, castle and towers are neutrals, and maybe the castle gains an automatic bonus when it's neutral too..
Like the idea, these "old world" maps make great objectives
I don't know if the game engine supports "three consecutive turns," you should ask around.
Love the new graphics style! It looks like a Nintendo J-RPG! Congrats on a stroke of pure genius.
Having said that, the castle is a little 'busy' and distracting to me. Perhaps taking out the crosshatch detail and just making it white or tan would help.
Also, have there always been so few territories? It is a pretty small map, but maybe this site needs a small map with different game play.