SteamWorks

[DiM]

I prefer the new version slightly but don't think it is bad on the old version.

More importantly it doesn't hurt anything on the new version so if it is bothering other people, should probably just go with it.

i will go with the latest small version even though i'm not very fond of it. i like the text to be kept at a bare minimum as to not take away the beauty of the map. the text should be something that complements a map not something that takes it over and captures your attention right from the start even if that means it's not perfectly legible right from the start.
however since this is a game i do understand the necessity of having clearly visible in your face text that's legible at a glance. when playing freestyle speed for example text is the last thing that should stand in your way to victory.

[Coleman]

i like the text ... to not take away [from] the beauty of the map. the text should not capture your attention right from the start

Well crap, now the new text is bothering me and I had no problems reading the old text. Maybe another post from natty_dread on the subject is needed.

[zimmah]

i prefer the size 12 font with 2 pixel outglow.

but i agree on DiM if it endangers playability too much, the 12.5 should be considered. tho i don't think that 0.5 point is really going to matter.

//nitpick alert. Even tho the territory name is now officially Oxford Shire, it still sais hold oxford in the legend.

[DiM]

i like the text ... to not take away [from] the beauty of the map. the text should not capture your attention right from the start

Well crap, now the new text is bothering me and I had no problems reading the old text. Maybe another post from natty_dread on the subject is needed.

[DiM]

//nitpick alert. Even tho the territory name is now officially Oxford Shire, it still sais hold oxford in the legend.

damn i forgot to take out that shire. it was hiding right in my evil secret lair. sneaky little bastard. i'll liquidate it before the next update.


as for the font i'll stick with the 12.5 size. i believe perfect visibility comes before aesthetics in the map making guide. plus i think that those that want to enjoy the true beauty of a map always go for large. all maps look better on large.

[zimmah]

all maps look better on large.

can't agree more (i even played large on my iphone, scrolling the hell out of the map tho.)

that being said, i hope that some day, CC will introduce Small, Medium and Large sized maps.

Small being small, Medium being the current large, and Large being Supersized. (And ofc, supersized may still apply for rare ocasions).

the only downside is that the most boring part of writing XML is the centering of the territories (especially on maps with many territs) and for each map size, you need coordinates, so it's more work. and also for the mapmaker, as he has to make 3 maps instead of 2. and it will take more space on the CC servers. But it's still a good idea in my opinion.

[DiM]

all maps look better on large.

can't agree more (i even played large on my iphone, scrolling the hell out of the map tho.)

that being said, i hope that some day, CC will introduce Small, Medium and Large sized maps.

Small being small, Medium being the current large, and Large being Supersized. (And ofc, supersized may still apply for rare ocasions).

yeah, that would be awesome.

the only downside is that the most boring part of writing XML is the centering of the territories (especially on maps with many territs) and for each map size, you need coordinates, so it's more work. and also for the mapmaker, as he has to make 3 maps instead of 2. and it will take more space on the CC servers. But it's still a good idea in my opinion.

the coordinates aren't a problem. or at least not a big one. from what i remember there used to be a tool that gave you coordinates when you clicked it. so basically if you were accurate with the mouse you had perfect coords at the click of a button. then i think it's just a matter of multiplication. just multiply the coords in the small map by the size multiplication factor and you get the coords for the large.
for example if small map is 600*600 and terit A has coords 100*100, then for a large map of 900*900 the coords for terit A become 150*100 because 900/600=1.5
in theory someone with programming knowledge could even write a small app where you input the size of small, medium, large plus the coords for any of those and then at the click of a button all calculations are done and you get the xml
actually that could be really helpful even without the 3 map sizes. i wonder why nobody did it

edit// actually i just remembered. it was jota's tool map something was called. and i think it provided coords for both large and small just by clicking on the map. not sure though. i think i used it some 4 years ago so memories are kinda blurry

[lostatlimbo]

Nice looking map!

Nitpicks (since you asked):

Your legend text is clever, except the line "Having more Steam than Engines is bad" (mmmkay?)
I see you are tight on space there, but try something like:
Holding more Steam than Engines is fatal. Lose 1 troop per excess Steam per turn and forfeit all Engine bonuses.

The "Isle of Dr. DIM" is a smaller font than the rest and a little tough to read. Could it be the same size as the other territory fonts?

The ship (?) between Northwest & Northeast looks more like an old fashioned iron than a vessel. Increasing the size might help. Seems out of place compared to the other accouterments.

[DiM]

Nice looking map!

Nitpicks (since you asked):

Your legend text is clever, except the line "Having more Steam than Engines is bad" (mmmkay?)
I see you are tight on space there, but try something like:
Holding more Steam than Engines is fatal. Lose 1 troop per excess Steam per turn and forfeit all Engine bonuses.

i'm a bit concerned about rewording that phrase yet again. it's been done a few times and people agreed the current version is very clear and easy to understand. however i like the fatal part so i'll put that instead of bad

The "Isle of Dr. DIM" is a smaller font than the rest and a little tough to read. Could it be the same size as the other territory fonts?

yes it is a tad smaller and that was by request. initially it had the same size but people asked for it to be smaller as Oxford is the name and Island of Dr. DiM is just the explanation of that place.

The ship (?) between Northwest & Northeast looks more like an old fashioned iron than a vessel. Increasing the size might help. Seems out of place compared to the other accouterments.

i'll try and see if it can be increased.

[ender516]

all maps look better on large.

can't agree more (i even played large on my iphone, scrolling the hell out of the map tho.)

that being said, i hope that some day, CC will introduce Small, Medium and Large sized maps.

Small being small, Medium being the current large, and Large being Supersized. (And ofc, supersized may still apply for rare ocasions).

yeah, that would be awesome.

the only downside is that the most boring part of writing XML is the centering of the territories (especially on maps with many territs) and for each map size, you need coordinates, so it's more work. and also for the mapmaker, as he has to make 3 maps instead of 2. and it will take more space on the CC servers. But it's still a good idea in my opinion.

the coordinates aren't a problem. or at least not a big one. from what i remember there used to be a tool that gave you coordinates when you clicked it. so basically if you were accurate with the mouse you had perfect coords at the click of a button. then i think it's just a matter of multiplication. just multiply the coords in the small map by the size multiplication factor and you get the coords for the large.
for example if small map is 600*600 and terit A has coords 100*100, then for a large map of 900*900 the coords for terit A become 150*100 because 900/600=1.5
in theory someone with programming knowledge could even write a small app where you input the size of small, medium, large plus the coords for any of those and then at the click of a button all calculations are done and you get the xml
actually that could be really helpful even without the 3 map sizes. i wonder why nobody did it

edit// actually i just remembered. it was jota's tool map something was called. and i think it provided coords for both large and small just by clicking on the map. not sure though. i think i used it some 4 years ago so memories are kinda blurry

The Map XML Wizard is a tool no mapmaker should be without. You load the map images, point and click to set the coordinates, type the name, and your territories are defined. Autoconverting from one size to the other is a matter of a click or two (provided each size of your map is strictly laid out the same as the other with a simple magnification factor, which not all maps have). Adding continents is just as easy, and editing bonus values is a snap. I'm not sure you can define requirements/losing conditions yet, but once everything else is done, that is small potatoes with a text editor. The Foundry topic about this tool is here: viewtopic.php?f=466&t=105494

[DiM]

thanks for the info ender
i haven't bothered to check what tools came out while i was gone. i should have.

[DiM]

and here's
V22:
*larger font size for small map
*tweaked steam ship
*added army numbers for small and large maps
*moved around terit names and some icons to make room for armies
*changed bad to fatal in the legend

Click image to enlarge.

Click image to enlarge.

[Coleman]

i hope that some day, CC will introduce ... Large sized maps.

... Large being Supersized. (And ofc, supersized may still apply for rare ocasions).

the only downside is that the most boring part of writing XML is the centering of the territories (especially on maps with many territs) and for each map size, you need coordinates, so it's more work. and also for the mapmaker, as he has to make 3 maps instead of 2. and it will take more space on the CC servers. But it's still a good idea in my opinion.

In regards to the underlined problem I can't guarantee a time that I would be finished but I would be willing to do all cordinates work necessary for updating all current xml to include this feature. Also for many maps Medium & Large could be the same size. However, any further talk on this would be best in a new topic, I feel, as I don't want to derail DiM's map.

[natty dread]

the most boring part of writing XML is the centering of the territories

Don't you know we have the XML Wizard now?

Centering coordinates is a breeze. I made the whole XML to my latest map in 30 minutes, coordinates and all.

[zimmah]

all maps look better on large.

can't agree more (i even played large on my iphone, scrolling the hell out of the map tho.)

that being said, i hope that some day, CC will introduce Small, Medium and Large sized maps.

Small being small, Medium being the current large, and Large being Supersized. (And ofc, supersized may still apply for rare ocasions).

yeah, that would be awesome.

the only downside is that the most boring part of writing XML is the centering of the territories (especially on maps with many territs) and for each map size, you need coordinates, so it's more work. and also for the mapmaker, as he has to make 3 maps instead of 2. and it will take more space on the CC servers. But it's still a good idea in my opinion.

the coordinates aren't a problem. or at least not a big one. from what i remember there used to be a tool that gave you coordinates when you clicked it. so basically if you were accurate with the mouse you had perfect coords at the click of a button. then i think it's just a matter of multiplication. just multiply the coords in the small map by the size multiplication factor and you get the coords for the large.
for example if small map is 600*600 and terit A has coords 100*100, then for a large map of 900*900 the coords for terit A become 150*100 because 900/600=1.5
in theory someone with programming knowledge could even write a small app where you input the size of small, medium, large plus the coords for any of those and then at the click of a button all calculations are done and you get the xml
actually that could be really helpful even without the 3 map sizes. i wonder why nobody did it

edit// actually i just remembered. it was jota's tool map something was called. and i think it provided coords for both large and small just by clicking on the map. not sure though. i think i used it some 4 years ago so memories are kinda blurry

yes i know i'm using that, but still i edit them by hand to perfectly fit where i want to, and doing that for 100's of territories miving them pixel by pixel to be in the exact perfect spot can be a PITA. If it doens't matter if they are 1 or 2 pixels off from the center then it's easier, but if they are in army circles, it will just look very ugly if you misclick, and since i just don't have the physical accuracy with mice, i have to edit the exact place by hand if it has to be perfect.

[zimmah]

*tweaked steam ship

lol, it actually ís a ship, i always thought it was ment to be an iron.

[ender516]

... since i just don't have the physical accuracy with mice, i have to edit the exact place by hand if it has to be perfect.

One trick I use when seeking pixel accuracy is the MouseKeys feature of Windows. (It is likely available, perhaps under another name, under other OSes.) It is part of the accessibility package, and it turns your numeric keypad into a mouse simulator. With that active, you can move the cursor a pixel at a time in any direction, and click and drag and so on to your heart's content.

[natty dread]

Or just use the damn wizard, since it allows you to move the coords by the arrow keys if you want anyway.

I don't think the XML wizard is getting advertised enough... yesterday I made another XML, took me about 20 minutes...

The XML wizard not only allows you to adjust the coordinates for both map sizes, it allows you to create the whole XML with an easy-to-use web interface.

[DiM]

any graphic nitpickings?
i already noticed i have Oxford Shire in the small version and Oxford in the large and i have changed that so don't mention it.
anything else?

[isaiah40]

You have Oxford on the Large and Oxfordshire on the small.









JK. I don't have anything at the moment.

[gimil]

Derby and Nottingham terr names feel a little to close together, would you be able to give a little more of a buffer between the two?

[DiM]

I don't have anything at the moment.

that's good, right?

[DiM]

Derby and Nottingham terr names feel a little to close together, would you be able to give a little more of a buffer between the two?

spaced them a bit apart on both small and large. and i also moved Surrey a few pixels to the right on the large map.

[gimil]

Derby and Nottingham terr names feel a little to close together, would you be able to give a little more of a buffer between the two?

spaced them a bit apart on both small and large. and i also moved Surrey a few pixels to the right on the large map.

With those done I am happy to say that I have no more to add

[DiM]

Derby and Nottingham terr names feel a little to close together, would you be able to give a little more of a buffer between the two?

spaced them a bit apart on both small and large. and i also moved Surrey a few pixels to the right on the large map.

With those done I am happy to say that I have no more to add

music to my ears