South Africa 1885

[porkenbeans]

Hey is that 1550 font? Solid choice.

I think your version is bascially done on the graphic s side.pork is too over the top per usual.

And you are putting down everything I say, "per usual".

[jefjef]

Very nice work IH. Excellent look.

Only thing I would really nit pick are the 1's on the mini map. Looks more like columns than ones.

[theBastard]

this is beautiful, Helix. as each your work...

just, I can not see names of forts. will they be named only in register of territories as for example: Pretoria fort...?

[Victor Sullivan]

Better yet, you could call it "Transvaal Fort", since it'd prolly be doubling that bonus.

[Industrial Helix]

Very nice work IH. Excellent look.

Only thing I would really nit pick are the 1's on the mini map. Looks more like columns than ones.

Yeah, i know what you mean. Let's try something else...

@Sully and Bastard - they'll read "Pretoria Fort" or "Bloemfontein Fort" in the XML rather than Transvaal Fort or Orange Free State Fort... because if you capture Basutoland and the fort it will double the Basuto bonus.

[bigimg]http://img834.imageshack.us/img834/551/southafrica17small.png[/bigimg]

[bigimg]http://img807.imageshack.us/img807/8282/southafrica17large.png[/bigimg]

[Tisha]

I really like the water color feel IH has in his latest post. Perhaps if the non-playable land area was not as light as it is---color/intensity wise---and it was darker, it'd give a more cohesive feel. But I like what you've got going on up in this house.


--Andy

the unused/non-playable area is like BAM.. I feel darken it up a bit also..

[Industrial Helix]

Alright folks, what do we make of the latest version:

[bigimg]http://img237.imageshack.us/img237/8282/southafrica17large.png[/bigimg]

[bigimg]http://img714.imageshack.us/img714/551/southafrica17small.png[/bigimg]

[Victor Sullivan]

Lookin' good IH! The background is a nice improvement. Now, it seems to me we still have yet to get over the "colorblind test" hump. What are your thoughts for resolving this?

[Industrial Helix]

Lookin' good IH! The background is a nice improvement. Now, it seems to me we still have yet to get over the "colorblind test" hump. What are your thoughts for resolving this?

My thoughts are that I tackled this first thing before starting the watercolor map cause I didn't want it to bite me in the ass.
viewtopic.php?f=468&t=100667&start=210

But I think between the minimap and the distinctive bonus region borders, everything should be clear regardless of whether the colors match or not.

[bigimg]http://img80.imageshack.us/img80/9743/vcmuulaesim.jpg[/bigimg]

[Victor Sullivan]

Lookin' good IH! The background is a nice improvement. Now, it seems to me we still have yet to get over the "colorblind test" hump. What are your thoughts for resolving this?

My thoughts are that I tackled this first thing before starting the watercolor map cause I didn't want it to bite me in the ass.
viewtopic.php?f=468&t=100667&start=210

But I think between the minimap and the distinctive bonus region borders, everything should be clear regardless of whether the colors match or not.

I see. Yeah, it looks fine.

[The Bison King]

My only thing is that I still thing the west coast juts out to fast above the after the playable area.

[the.killing.44]

My only thing is that I still thing the west coast juts out to fast above the after the playable area.

There's a thing called, like, y'know, geography.

[Industrial Helix]

My only thing is that I still thing the west coast juts out to fast above the after the playable area.

There's a thing called, like, y'know, geography.

Yeah there is, but I kind of fudged it to begin with.

[theBastard]

like it. just could you do fonts in upper left corner and down right corner make less opacity, so they will match with fonts in map?

[Industrial Helix]

Ok, west coast fixed.

And I did as Bastard asked and made the fonts matching. Anything else?

[bigimg]http://img831.imageshack.us/img831/8282/southafrica17large.png[/bigimg]
[bigimg]http://img27.imageshack.us/img27/551/southafrica17small.png[/bigimg]

[Victor Sullivan]

Not that I can think of. Blue stamp?

[The Bison King]

The West coast was my only gripe I admire the simplicity that you have achieved with this map.

[Industrial Helix]

Thanks Bison King.

So... anyone else have any nitpicks or complaints?

[Leehar]

I'm no expert on critiquing maps, but I'm just wondering why you can't fit the 'ern's for Northern Cape, Western Cape etc? It does look to me that there is enough space to fit that in if you wanted to, and I guess I just don't see why you wouldn't want to?
And then also, I read somewhere that you hedge the geography a bit? The whole map of SA does actually look a bit wonky for me specially considering I'm used to Northern Cape being considerably larger. I think Eastern and Western Cape are also shaped a bit more differently but I guess since this is a map of 1815 maybe that is how the boundaries go.
(I assume you've looked at: SA 1885)
I'm obviously looking at it from a biased perspective, so that map actually helped me avoid questioning some things, tho I'm still wondering if there wasn't any way for you to fit Jo'burg in somewhere? I think it'd be a shame for that to be excluded.
However, I guess you have probably done more research on this than me, so I guess it's incongruous of me to be doubting those things, hope you don't mind me mentioning my thoughts. There are maybe some other details I'm curious about but I guess some of them are more relevant in gameplay, while neither am I sure about how questioning the different border arrangements which I'm also curious about will have much relevance

[porkenbeans]

The warped text on the min-map looks good. It gives the feel of being hand drawn. It is a shame that the rest of the map is not like that.

[army of nobunaga]

i like how you went with the "old paper" look.
I think though it looks odd because you cannot tell the water is painted over the "old paper" ... this is hard to explain.

Well I guess like indian empire and age of merchants... their oceans still look like its on old paper.

The rest of this is a great work of art in my opinion.

[Industrial Helix]

Thanks for the comments Leehar! As for Western Cape, ect. I didn't put it in because I thought that was what they were called, West Cape rather than Western Cape... a little wikipedia confirms I'm wrong on that and I will gladly fix it.

Yeah, the perspective is a bit wonky because its looking at South Africa from a perspective which gives me room to fit names and numbers into places like Basutoland and Swaziland. So basically I tilted the map down a bit to make the middle region bigger at the expense of the southern regions. If you see any border discrepancies that can be fixed, let me know.

As for Johannesburg, well, in 1885 it wasn't more than a farmhouse and a dusty settlement. That year, 1885, gold was discovered there and that began the rush to what would later be, South Africa's wealthiest city. You mention the South Africa 1885 map and well, that's the one I blatantly ripped off and this is in fact supposed to represent South Africa in 1885, as opposed to 1815.

So anyway, i really appreciate your comments and corrections and if you've got anymore let me know. In the meantime, I'll update the thread with the updated map.

[Industrial Helix]

The warped text on the min-map looks good. It gives the feel of being hand drawn. It is a shame that the rest of the map is not like that.

... the rest of the map IS hand drawn. I did it... with my hands! Ironically, the text is not hand drawn and is via the computer.

Army... I kind of dig the ocean and its blueness. It really works with the rest of the colors on the map, I think. Are you suggesting it should be more like that brownish paper color?

[army of nobunaga]

no keep the blueness.. god this is hard to explain..

ok.. pretend you drew this on old paper, right? well there would be old tan colors at the edges, and like it would look like blue over old paper... let me see if I can find an example on google images.


maybe something like this is what im trying to explain



just my two cents man.. its a beautiful map, its jsut the old paper theme at the top doesnt really fit with the total vibrancy of the ocean.

[Victor Sullivan]

no keep the blueness.. god this is hard to explain..

ok.. pretend you drew this on old paper, right? well there would be old tan colors at the edges, and like it would look like blue over old paper... let me see if I can find an example on google images.


maybe something like this is what im trying to explain



just my two cents man.. its a beautiful map, its jsut the old paper theme at the top doesnt really fit with the total vibrancy of the ocean.

Ah, I see what you mean, bunga. Basically just tint the water with that same brownish color you used for the northern portion of the map. Am I interpreting this correctly, bunga?

-Sully