Asia Map Touch-Up & "Name Vote"

[AndyDufresne]

Ahoy Ahoy Everyone,

As some of you know, from time to time we update our older maps with "touch-ups" to fix, alleviate, solve issues that have persisted or annoyed over the years.

After a review of both forum topics and eTickets describing some issue with the Asia Map, our Team CC Cartographers have proposed the following alterations and changes to go live. TheNobodies80 has kindly produced an updated touch-up version of both the Small and Large maps.

Please note: There are NO GAMEPLAY CHANGES. Gameplay mechanics, bonus schemes, region borders, and the like all REMAIN the SAME and UNCHANGED.

Please review the following post for a comprehensive list of changes, and map images with those changes.


--Andy

[thenobodies80]

Please note the ONLY difference among the new versions is the Title Wording on the map. Each version is the same in regards to the points below.

Version 1 (large and small) --> Title: Asia

[spoiler=version1]
[bigimg]http://wcforums.org/foundry/asia/poll/Asia1L.png[/bigimg][/spoiler]

Version 2 (large and small) --> Title: Far East

[spoiler=version2]
[bigimg]http://wcforums.org/foundry/asia/poll/Asia2L.png[/bigimg][/spoiler]

For Reference, current version --> Title: Asia (Web Pages), Far East (On the Map)

[spoiler=current version]
[bigimg]http://maps.conquerclub.com/Asia.L.jpg[/bigimg][/spoiler]

Complete list of changes from the current version.

1. Redrawn unclear and pixely borders
   
   1. Pixely: mostly all of them
   2. unclear: Tadzhik - Sinkiang and Irkutsk - Sinkiang
2. Changed Font to increase readability
   
   1. Title Font
   2. Territories Font
   3. Legend Font
3. The Bonus Legend has colored and changed names
   
   1. Names with different colors to match them with the bonus regions
   2. Names changed to have more consistency and to solve the issues brought up in eTickets.
4. East Indies changed
   
   Removed Celebes for consistency (Borneo is already part of Indonesia (mostly) and changed the name of Indonesia to Java. No connections changes
5. Abbreviations for Soviet Socialist Republics
   
   Used abbreviations for Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan and Tadzhikistan, the space was tight there, added a legend for reference
6. Changed names of some regions
   
   Some names were changed for consistency:
   
   1. Maratha to Maharastra
      
   2. Burma to Myanmar
   3. Kweichow to Szechwan
   4. Szechuan to Tsinghai
   5. Sakhalin to Primorsky Krai
   6. Indonesia to Java
7. Improved one way attack
   
   1. One way attack from Inner Mongolia to Mongolia has a clearer and more visible symbol
   2. Added the symbol in the legend for consistency
8. Impassables listed in a legend
   
   1. Added impassables in the right legend, they weren't listed on the original version
9. Army Circles
   
   1. Replaced dark circles with white oval ones
   2. Army Circles are now only where necessary to increase visibility of dark numbers on the sea
10. Moved names and coordinates
    
    1. Several Names and coordinates were moved to not have numbers and names that overlaps during the game
    2. Circles are now under the names where they are still on the map
    3. 888s fits everywhere on the big and also on the small version
11. Small version enlarged
    
    1. The playable area of the small version was increased to fit all triple digits / color codes without compromise readability.
    2. The map was cut on the right side to stay within the 630px limit
12. Minimal cosmetic changes
    
    1. Moved demon art signatures under the compass
    2. Added chameleon with year 2011 in the top left corner
    3. Other small things i don't remember

[Victor Sullivan]

Nice! Glad to see the Far East and/or Asia is getting some love

That being said, aside from "East Indies", I'm not fond of the change in the bonus area names, as they aren't really proper names for some of those areas, and I hate using cardinal directions to name bonus areas. In addition, you call the red bonus area "North & West Asia" in the legend at the bottom-left, but seem to refer to it as "Soviet Socialist Republics" in the bottom-right legend.

-Sully

[koontz1973]

The bonus legend seems to be upside down. Any reason for this? but great work in making this map playable again.

[thenobodies80]

Nice! Glad to see the Far East and/or Asia is getting some love

That being said, aside from "East Indies", I'm not fond of the change in the bonus area names, as they aren't really proper names for some of those areas, and I hate using cardinal directions to name bonus areas. In addition, you call the red bonus area "North & West Asia" in the legend at the bottom-left, but seem to refer to it as "Soviet Socialist Republics" in the bottom-right legend.

-Sully

Just east indies doesn't match with the commmon definition of those areas (south east was splitted and part of it labelled like east indies to not change the gameplay). China is china (usually named east asia with japan and korea. Again we used the parts to not change the gameplay), north and west asia are north and west asia, south asia is south asia. The names were changed accordingly with the eTicket recieved plus researches on wikipedia, plus the advices of iancanton, who is a "names guru" and everyone here know this.
North and west is the name of the bonus, soviet socialist republics is just the list of abbreviations (point 5 of the list). If you prefer it can be changed to abbreviations, although i think it really sucks.

In any case the point of the topic is to give to the people the possibility to choose the name, since it seems it was one of the biggest issues through the years, the map is supposed to be a touch up , not a public revamp or this topic should be posted into the foundry proper, not in discussions.Remember that I don't have a psd file, so please don't make this an hell more than what it already was.

Damn, it's really difficult make you happy, i think we did a great step forward, but you never have enough!

The bonus legend seems to be upside down. Any reason for this? but great work in making this map playable again.

Yeah i know, I hate to admit the I was forced to put it "upside down", but let me say that the old one wasn't really placed with a logic. Anyway, to have it reversed i have to enlarge the map (now it is 630px), that is something we'd like to avoid.

[macbone]

If you're going to rename territories on the map, may I suggest these changes to come in line with their official pinyin names?

Shansi -> Shanxi

Sinkiang -> Xinjiang

Kwantung -> Guandong

Szechwan -> Sichuan

Tsinghai -> Qinghai

Fukien -> Fujian

Correct as is:

Hunan
Yunnan
Tibet
Inner Mongolia
Manchuria

[Dako]

I approve the name of the USSR republics. Nicely done.

[elbitjusticiero]

I like the current font...

[natty dread]

Well it's about time. The Asia map has been due a revamp for a while.

I think you should just call Southeast Asia "Indochina", since Southeast Asia is a wider definition which includes both Indochina & East Indies.

(I know this because I had to research this stuff for my Eurasia map... )

Also, South Asia -> Indian Peninsula or Indian Subcontinent?

Otherwise, great job, looks much better than the original, no more army numbers overlapping territory labels and such.

[Ffraid]

The bonus legend seems to be upside down. Any reason for this?

Yeah i know, I hate to admit the I was forced to put it "upside down", but let me say that the old one wasn't really placed with a logic. Anyway, to have it reversed i have to enlarge the map (now it is 630px), that is something we'd like to avoid.

I see why you had to put it upside down, but I would just like to point out that the old legend did have a logic to it. It was the largest bonus down to the smallest. It may not be a logic that you like, but it was a logic.

[MrBenn]

I always wanted its name changed to 'Asia: Far East'

[iAmHarryPotter]

I agree with the Chinese territory changes. The proposed changes ^refer to comment a few comments above^ are the correct spellings.

I do however want to point out that if we're going with "Far East" rather than Asia, we should not change the names since then we are viewing these territories from a colonial European perspective. And they did refer to territories by wrong names. (Just look at India -> East Indies)

[Robespierre__]

I think there is too much space between the legend text. That whole block should be 67%-75% more scrunched together IMHO.

[DiM]

while i understand and applaud the cosmetic changes i don't understand why the name is debated. leave it as it is.

PS: mountains look bad. redraw those too.

[natty dread]

while i understand and applaud the cosmetic changes i don't understand why the name is debated. leave it as it is.

Because the map is listed as "Asia" in the map browser, yet the map image says "Far East".

It should be consistent in both, either change it to Asia in both or Far East in both. I'd prefer keeping it Far East and changing it to Far East in the map browser.

PS: mountains look bad.

They could stand to look a bit sharper, yes.

[DiM]

ha ha

i never noticed it says far east on the map. i know it by the name of asia and i assume most of the people that play this map also know it as asia.
so i think it would be best to keep the asia name and change the graphics to also show asia. this way people that want to play this map won't have to search for far east.

[eagleblade]

get rid of this s***
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=358&t=1029&p=3514552#p3514552

that is the map that needs to be changed

[Gilligan]

I'm not sure why this map would be called Far East. Sure, that's what the map says, but everyone knows it as Asia. I see no reason to not keep it as Asia.

[grifftron]

hope the new revamped version goes thru the foundry, i wouldn't pass it as is if i was a foundry mod.

[DiM]

hope the new revamped version goes thru the foundry, i wouldn't pass it as is if i was a foundry mod.

just like any other map done backstage it probably won't pass through the foundry. however i hope at least the feedback posted here will be taken into account.

[Teflon Kris]

There was a bigger Asia map being put together a few months ago, covering a wider area, the 'true' extent of Asia - if that map makes a comeback in the foundry, or another similar, then it would be good for this one to be the 'Far East' .

[DiM]

IF that one comes back it can be called asia 2.0 or extended asia or something else.

[natty dread]

hope the new revamped version goes thru the foundry, i wouldn't pass it as is if i was a foundry mod.

Good point. All revamps should go through the foundry.

We're always told that "seasonal" maps get a pass from the foundry process because they aren't playable all the time, and the admin "doesn't want to spoil the surprise" or whatever, but this is a map that is in the regular circulation, it shouldn't get any special treatment just because it's the foundry foreman doing the revamp.


On another note, why is Kazakhstan abbreviated on the map? There's plenty of room for the full territory name. Abbreviations should only be used when the full name can't comfortably fit on the map.

[grifftron]

hope the new revamped version goes thru the foundry, i wouldn't pass it as is if i was a foundry mod.

Good point. All revamps should go through the foundry.

We're always told that "seasonal" maps get a pass from the foundry process because they aren't playable all the time, and the admin "doesn't want to spoil the surprise" or whatever, but this is a map that is in the regular circulation, it shouldn't get any special treatment just because it's the foundry foreman doing the revamp.


On another note, why is Kazakhstan abbreviated on the map? There's plenty of room for the full territory name. Abbreviations should only be used when the full name can't comfortably fit on the map.

ah.. well that makes sense for seasonal maps i guess, even tho some are just ugly as hell... but for other revamps in the past were they awarded an entire website shout out like this one? is it just for the name change? It just seems like all of this could be done in the graphic section of the foundry is all... no offense to nobodies of course but the revamp on this one looks too simple to just pass right threw, it deserves a better revamp then just making the colors stand out more on the map itself and some name changes, why not revamp the graphics all together? change the mountain, get that goofy looking dragon and compass out of there and replace it with a eye refreshing background? Hope so.

-griff

[eagleblade]

I think another asia is too much. Don't forget there is a nice Euro-asia map coming out that looks really nice