Baltic Crusades

[thenobodies80]

my wife's birthday today,

Happy Birthday to your wife!

(It's hard to get enthusiastic about recentering coordinates after all the work I did with theBastard's images.)

Yeah I know, it was also hard for me to decide to autostrip the graphics stamp and go back in the map production, but sometimes the end justifies the means. We're almost there mate, keep it on.. the time is a mapmaking enemy.

Nobodies

[Gillipig]

I've wanted to play this map for many months. When do you think you can send it to beta?

[ender516]

Sorry to be slow with this. I barely got into it on the weekend, as I had some baseboard to install in the basement. All part of the redecorating to be done before the new couch shows up for the rec room. I will keep trying to fit this map in.

[thenobodies80]

The turtle is infecting the tech dept with his "S.P."virus?

[ender516]

Well, here it is at last -- the version of the XML with the small map coordinates updated to suit
http://www.wcforums.org/foundry/BalticCrusades/baltic5.4s.png:

http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/11/9/2644838/Baltic_Crusades/Baltic_Crusades_1.16.xml

Please note that I have centred the troops on the hulls of the ships consistently, but this slightly obscures the label of Visby ship (and to a lesser extent, Danzig ship). I suggest that the labels be moved a bit to clear this up.

[thenobodies80]

Nice!
I'll test it tomorrow. Thanks ender

[thenobodies80]

Changed as requested and submitted for the official check!

[Nola_Lifer]

Where are yall at with this one?

[natty dread]

A few graphical suggestions:

- Remove the forest between Nadruvia / Samland. It serves no gameplay purpose, and it partially obscures the border, potentially causing some confusion.
- Move the border between Nadruvia / Sudovia to the right a bit at the upper edge, so that no one will mistakenly think that Ragnit borders Sudovia.

[thenobodies80]

After some discussion behind the scenes we agreed about re write the xml to have random drop on everything except for ships,castles,towns and cities that have to start neutral.

Ender can you change it accordingly ?

[ender516]

Yes, I can. Here it is, with the 33 cities, towns, castles, and ships set to neutral:

Baltic_Crusades_1.17.xml

With a total of 59 territories, that leave 26 territories up for grabs in the drop, which is an acceptable number.

[natty dread]

http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/11/9/ ... s_1.17.xml

Is this the official xml now? The one that should be checked?

[ender516]

http://www.fileden.com/files/2009/11/9/2644838/Baltic_Crusades/Baltic_Crusades_1.17.xml

Is this the official xml now? The one that should be checked?

I sure hope so. I didn't post in the official XML check topic with this version, because I didn't do it before. I thought I would leave it to tnb80 again.

[natty dread]

A few graphical suggestions:

- Remove the forest between Nadruvia / Samland. It serves no gameplay purpose, and it partially obscures the border, potentially causing some confusion.
- Move the border between Nadruvia / Sudovia to the right a bit at the upper edge, so that no one will mistakenly think that Ragnit borders Sudovia.

Any comment on these?

[ender516]

A few graphical suggestions:

- Remove the forest between Nadruvia / Samland. It serves no gameplay purpose, and it partially obscures the border, potentially causing some confusion.
- Move the border between Nadruvia / Sudovia to the right a bit at the upper edge, so that no one will mistakenly think that Ragnit borders Sudovia.

Any comment on these?

Well, I agree, especially since they don't involve XML changes.

Speaking of which, the latest XML version (1.17) should be put in the first post.

[natty dread]

Ok, one thing... there seems to be several bonus areas that have one territory that is not a part of the bonus area, but gives an extra bonus if held... yet, looking at the map, these territories are in no way distinct from the rest of the bonus area - this can and will confuse players, who will be angrily posting "why is player X getting a bonus despite not holding the entire area!"

In Napoleonic Europe, these "extra territories" are marked with stripes... perhaps something similar could be done here?

[thenobodies80]

If you're referring to the white regions, they were on the map, they were removed under isaiah's suggestion because it's explained in the legend (that is enough also for me) and because people found them confusing.
I hate stripes on maps and tbh napoleonic europe is not a map that can be used as example for clarity (sorry kab)

[natty dread]

If you're referring to the white regions, they were on the map, they were removed under isaiah's suggestion because it's explained in the legend (that is enough also for me) and because people found them confusing.
I hate stripes on maps and tbh napoleonic europe is not a map that can be used as example for clarity (sorry kab)

But the current arrangement is even less clear. It's not instantly clear that certain territories aren't required for the bonuses - the information is hidden in the legend...

Now I wouldn't want to quote the Foundry Guidelines to the Foundry Foreman, but they do say: "Any information you need to know to play a map should be easy to gather by looking at the map itself. "

Ok, so you don't want to use stripes, you could still mark the territories in some way so that it's obvious they aren't part of the main bonus areas. Maybe colour them gray or something.

[thenobodies80]

Yeah I know....i'll find something, just I'm really grumpy these days.

[ender516]

Just put the pale areas back in place. (I can hardly believe I didn't notice they were gone.) I don't see what is confusing about them. How many people were confused? Have they ever played World 2.1?

[thenobodies80]

I'm abusing of my CA power to move this map on vacation for the time being. I have more urgent things to do than spend time on this neverending map....


[Moved] on vacation

[koontz1973]

A real shame.

[thenobodies80]

A real shame.

That I put it on vacation or that after 27 months is still considered not good enough?
I had to leave it die when I had the occasion....ah ah ah - ih ih ih (psycho-crazy laugh)

[koontz1973]

A real shame.

That I put it on vacation or that after 27 months is still considered not good enough?
I had to leave it die when I had the occasion....ah ah ah - ih ih ih (psycho-crazy laugh)

That another map that has passed through months of foundry scrutiny falls at the last hurdle because a point has not been made earlier when in the gameplay and graphics stage [twice now].

I hope you find time later to finish it like cairnswk did with Rail Asia.

[Falkomagno]

this map is awesome! adopt some resolution and launch it. I really like it!. Is much better than others already released