[Abandoned] - Gettysburg

[cairnswk]

Minister X, those region names that are to the right of the army numbers...
particularly on the small map...players will have trouble with their idenification if they have 10+ armies and they decide to use the colour coding i.e. r15.
Is there any way you could move them to the left of army placements so there is no issues there?

[Minister X]

I thought the numbers grow leftward as they get bigger. Yes? No?

[gimil]

The background is indeed terrain (hills) - it was decided that was better than not having them.

I suspected that, in that case I think the background needs more geographic features. Are there any rivers, forest etc? I think right now it doesn't feel like terrain.

[isaiah40]

I thought the numbers grow leftward as they get bigger. Yes? No?

No, when you have either r4/44 or 888 they are centered between the first and second digits. Even if you have 8888, they are still centered between the first two.

[cairnswk]

I thought the numbers grow leftward as they get bigger. Yes? No?

No, when you have either r4/44 or 888 they are centered between the first and second digits. Even if you have 8888, they are still centered between the first two.

...and thus r44 would run over the names.
I always do name placement SSE, S, SW, W, NW, N, NNE of the army numbers depending on other grx elements thereabouts, but in your case there should be no issues with W placement (although up to you)

[Minister X]

I had it all backwards and on all my maps have been working under the wrong assumption. I hope the fix won't require too much of a re-draw. I'll get to it soon.

[RedBaron0]

Here's a map with all the terrain features, rivers, forests, etc. There isn't much there, it's mostly farmland all around the area, but it's something.

Click image to enlarge.

[Minister X]

I admit that it looks strange to have the hills shown but no forest or streams or orchards or swamps - it makes it seem like the battle took place in a desert. But I haven't the foggiest idea how to incorporate full terrain elements with any accuracy whatsoever and end up with a readable map. (The map posted above is deceptive: there was much more forest than shown. Also many orchards, and in lots of cases it was small patches of one then the other.) I suspect that getting rid of the hills is the way to go - and then to roughen up the surface a bit more with parchment-like texture. I'm open-minded and willing to discuss all this, but if you want full terrain details (which I don't think any CC map has) I'll need a volunteer to take over this project who has better skills than I. I have some nice forest graphics and tried to incorporate them; I can't get it to look good. At best I could have some lonely patches here and there, which would be totally inaccurate and not even look very good.

[DiM]

actually it's pretty easy to create forests like the ones in redbaron's image.
just take an appropriate brush chose 2 foliage colours for background and foreground (a brown dark green and a yellow light green) then adjust the jitter/scattering/hue/size of the brush and paint your forests. then just add a drop shadow and depending on what you want add just a little bit of bevel. just a hint.

and the hills in redbaron's image are also easy to create. just take a brush and draw the general shape of the hill. then ctrl+click to select that area create a path from that selection. next stroke the path with a brush made of horizontal lines. then you can fiddle with it to get what you want. adjust the hue/saturation, or use a nice grunge brush to delete parts and bits, or add some speckle and noise.
just experiment.

[Minister X]

Please show me a CC map that has that much background detail. The closest is Austerlitz, which has just 32 terts and shows no forest - just hills and streams. I have 79 terts. The issue isn't how to make hills and trees in Photoshop (though the hills idea sounds awesome), it's how to get that much stuff under what I've already got and still have a readable map. I will NOT sacrifice 80% of readability to get a 20% gain in prettiness. Please show me an actual map I can emulate, if one exists, and then maybe I can go somewhere with this complaint. Imagine trying to add all the CC stuff on top of the map posted by RedBaron!

[DiM]

Please show me a CC map that has that much background detail.

click on my sig.

also never limit your creativity to what's already been done. always go a step further. it's a great feeling to be the first that does something.

[Minister X]

I'm sorry. That's not a look I'd care to achieve. I'm allowed my version of good taste; if it doesn't accord with the CC community's then I'll take the hint.

[cairnswk]

You don't just gain 20% of prettiness by trying to emulate RBO's map appearance. You gain 100% more than what you have already, not that what you have isn't already good, but i beleive you can do better. Up to you, but i'd give it a go to lift your map, the way you have lifted Rome. I'd certainly like to see some relief on this map, it looks rather flat right now.

Here are some examples where relief effects have been used relatively well apart from Austerlitz

show

What does this mean?

I'm allowed my version of good taste

[DiM]

What does this mean?

I'm allowed my version of good taste

that Knights and Warlocks is crap and it's not a style he aims for.

[RedBaron0]

Moved]

It would appear that development of this map has stalled. If the mapmaker wants to continue with the map, then one of the Foundry Moderators will be able to help put the thread back into the Foundry system, after an update has been made.