Lunar War [GP, G, X] files on p.1

[skello496]

ya, I understand about the size limits, I can still do this its just slightly difficult, but, as I said, no big deal. I just can't wait for it to come out.

[RjBeals]

Nat - this map looks awesome. well done.

Only thing I could ask would be to clear up the "Mission Objectives" box a bit. It took me a minute to match up bonus amounts to the correct text description. Maybe move the actual bonus number closer to the left to be beisde the bonus text description? No biggie really - Looks fun to play also.

Thanks beals. Is this problem on both versions? The small version is a bit short on space, so I'm not sure how to fix it there... How about dots connecting the bonus description to the number, like this:

Both landing sites of
the same country........+2

Each Helium-3 mine.....+2

Would that help?

Perhaps - if you feel up to it, maybe give it a try.

[natty dread]

Sure! It's a bit late right now but I'll try to get some legend-tweaking done tomorrow.

[natty dread]

Legend update

large [bigimg]http://img692.imageshack.us/img692/2680/lunar26b.png[/bigimg]

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[RjBeals]

that looks a ton better. Should be no question now about bonuses. You've kicked ass on this map Nat. Unique gameplay - great visuals. Well done.

[ender516]

that looks a ton better. Should be no question now about bonuses. You've kicked ass on this map Nat. Unique gameplay - great visuals. Well done.

I agree in general, but the symbol in front of each bonus value in the legend (a plus sign in a circle?) is not very clear. Perhaps an ordinary plus sign would be better.

[natty dread]

that looks a ton better. Should be no question now about bonuses. You've kicked ass on this map Nat. Unique gameplay - great visuals. Well done.

Thanks, but I can't take credit of the gameplay, that was mostly Isaiah's effort. But I'm happy you like the graphics... this map has been under lots of criticism and controversy. It seems that people either love it or hate it...

I agree in general, but the symbol in front of each bonus value in the legend (a plus sign in a circle?) is not very clear. Perhaps an ordinary plus sign would be better.

Yeah it's the font... this font has a weird plus sign. I guess I could do the plus signs on another font or draw them by hand...

[RjBeals]

keep the plus in the circle - I think it's obvious what it is. People know that's a bonus. It's not a negative symbol.

[natty dread]

Now that I look at it, it kinda looks like a crosshead screw...

[Industrial Helix]

Nice reorganization and I'm loving the little shuttles. The rules seem clear as day to me.

I'm glad you ditched the wavy flags (no wind on the moon )

Are the mines named after astronomers or something? It's be cool if they were.

And the small map font hurts my eyes. You're gonna have to bump it up a pixel or two.

[natty dread]

Nice reorganization and I'm loving the little shuttles. The rules seem clear as day to me.

I'm glad you ditched the wavy flags (no wind on the moon )

Are the mines named after astronomers or something? It's be cool if they were.

Glad you like it. The mines are named by the craters they are built on. The missile bases too, except for Roris base which is named after Sinus Roris, a "bay" of the Procellarum ocean.

And the small map font hurts my eyes. You're gonna have to bump it up a pixel or two.

No can do, sorry. I tried increasing it just 1 pixel and it cluttered the map way too much (see a page or 2 back). I'll try to make the text as clear as possible but it may be I'll just have to use a different font, although I'd like to avoid that if possible. I'm still hoping I can improve the small map text with some creative channel adjustment tricks.

[natty dread]

Ok here's the first shot at improving the small text. Is this any better?

[ender516]

Ooo, that looks nice and crisp. (Except you didn't do the names of the seas.... ??)

[isaiah40]

Are you able to increase the spacing between the letters a little to help the readability? Just a thought.

[natty dread]

Ooo, that looks nice and crisp. (Except you didn't do the names of the seas.... ??)

I did actually. It's just that they have a lighter drop shadow which makes it less noticeable on them.

Are you able to increase the spacing between the letters a little to help the readability? Just a thought.

Sorry but no. Paint.net doesn't support any kerning functions. That is actually the only thing I dislike about the software - the text tools. Perhaps I can convince someone to code a better text tool for paint.net for me... there are some fine coders on this site but unfortunately few are familiar with paint.net. It does support a realtime C# interface as a plugin so making the tool wouldn't probably be a big hassle for someone who knows his C... but I digress.

The short answer is, no, I currently have no viable means to adjust text kerning.

[natty dread]

Ok here's the first shot at improving the small text. Is this any better?

So, IH, and everyone else... does this suffice for the small text improvement, or do I need to work on it more? For the record, there are maps with even smaller text... *cough*Hive*cough* so text size can't be the only criteria here.

If it comes to that, I can change the font for the small version, but I really hope to avoid that solution.

[ender516]

Ooo, that looks nice and crisp. (Except you didn't do the names of the seas.... ??)

I did actually. It's just that they have a lighter drop shadow which makes it less noticeable on them.

Then I recommend that you use the same dark drop shadow to give them the same clarity. With that, I would be fine with the text, although the kerning would be nice. Say, do you (or does anyone within arm's reach) have font editing software? If so, your font could be edited to have just a smidge more space beside the letters. Probably more work than it's worth, even if it were possible.

[natty dread]

I can't change the drop shadow to be the same as the others because the drop shadow is what gives the text the colour. It's white text with light blue drop shadow. Although I could try changing it to darker blue on both versions.

I have been searching for a free font editing software. I found one called "font creator" which was supposedly shareware, or it was supposed to have a free trial period... but know what? In trial mode, the bastard wouldn't let me save any edited fonts! So that piece of crap didn't stay on my harddrive for long... shame really, it seemed like a nice piece of software which I might have considered buying, but now I never will, because it was made by a bunch of twats who seem to have much to learn about the definition of "shareware". Sheesh.

/rant

[natty dread]

Ok here's a shot with the tweaked sea names.

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[bigimg]http://img534.imageshack.us/img534/4459/lunar26c.png[/bigimg]

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[ender516]

Now the sea names seem to be different colours on the two maps. On the up side, I think their clarity on the small map has improved.

[natty dread]

The colour is actually the same. It's a trick of the eye.

[natty dread]

Also I've been thinking: is 100 years maybe a bit too pessimistic estimate of when we are able to mine Helium-3 in the moon? It might very well be feasible in 50 years already. Also not placing the events too far in the future could make the story of the map easier to relate...

Of course this would only mean changing the year to 2060 instead of 2110, although a minor change it would mean a lot for the theme of the map... What do you think?

ps. does the number 2060 write as MMLX or do I remember incorrectly?

[Teflon Kris]

I'd vote for not having a year - then it can fit whatever setting players (and TOs) imagine.

[natty dread]

I'd vote for not having a year - then it can fit whatever setting players (and TOs) imagine.

Far be it from me to belittle the significance of imagination, but on the other foot I feel that having a fixed year supplies the map with a point of reference...

[ender516]

The colour is actually the same. It's a trick of the eye.

I guess I will have to take your word for it, but as I was just watching my slow connection paint in both maps from blocky to detailed, there were definitely bluish-purplish blocks in the big map that were not there in the small.

And yes, MMLX is 2060. As far as changing the date goes, I think we might be back on the moon well before 2110, but I have watched the fusion industry tell us for decades that practical fusion plants are "just around the corner", so while we might be able to mine the He3 in 2060, I don't know that we will have a use for it, apart from making watch dials glow.