South Africa 1885

[Industrial Helix]

Thanks for the history lesson Ahuatl, it kind of sheds some light on some of the areas of the map.

To me this map serves as a precursor to the Union of South Africa and it reflects the tumultuous times before the British finally emerged as the dominant player in the region. I dunno, perhaps the standard gameplay of conquer would be adequate for this map. I think Andy makes a good point in saying its unique enough in gameplay and location.... I mean we have Egypt, Madagascar and Africa which address the continent of Africa.

[captainwalrus]

Yeah, I kindda think standard is the way to go. A map doesn't need to have fancey bells and whistles in order to be unique.

[Industrial Helix]

Ok, made a few of the graphical suggestions on the map.

I dropped the sea from the legend and I'm not sure if I like it.

I also moved the borders inside the mountains and I don't know how I feel about it... it looks good on the cape colonies but places like Basutoland just aren't all that cool. I'm going to give it some time before I decide on what to do.

[Industrial Helix]

I was wondering why nobody was commenting on this... I forgot to post the image...

Click image to enlarge.

[natty dread]

Looks good. But the anchors are still kinda out of place. Make them thicker, so it looks like they're drawn with the same pen as the other lines.

The mountains look better now, although you could smooth them a bit in some places, there's some pixelation showing.

Also there's still some colour going over the mountain in the south. Could you make it so that the colour border goes around the mountain like you've done elsewhere? I realize there's not much space there, but it's better that the colour goes over the territory names than on the mountains.

[AndyDufresne]

If you are disliking the legend---you can try to differentiate it a little more---I.E. darken/lighten the non-playable area so it doesn't just bleed outside of the box containing it into the gameboard non-playable area. You can always try to spruce up the visuals of the legend, a more decorative border (though I think the relatively simplistic style you have now is working pretty well).

The title seems out of place---probably because everything else is "drawn" while it feels like an image pasted. Why not try a line drawing of the shield and spears? Something more simplistic/minimalist might work better.


--Andy

[jefjef]

Just drop the legend box. Have it as a drawing instead of an insert.

Andy is correct for sure on the title.

Amatongaland might oughta be worth 2 considering all the port connections.

[lt_oddball]

I like the map choice.
Have to look into detail lateron.

For now I only have a problem with the thick stift colours in combination with the handwritten font.
Makes it sometimes illegible.
But I'm sure that is something for later.

Also I think some territories are a bit small..
You mentioned you find this map "too cluttered", then think about merging the smallest territories into others..
(Thaba, natal , motito are particularly tiny)

[Industrial Helix]

Thought I'd give this thread a bump.

How does everyone feel about cutting some territories and making this a smaller map?

I'm think removing 1-2 territories from Natal and The Orange Free State and pulling Malmesbury from West Cape.

Either way, I don't think this map can past the Melting Pot until 13 Colonies is quenched... but it would be nice to get it in shape while we're waiting.

[natty dread]

Nooo, there are plenty of small maps already...

Although it might work as well. But if you need to cut back territories I'd rather suggest merging Stellaland.

[MrBenn]

If you're going to drop any territories, you should only drop 1, to keep 44 (which is an optimal number). Either that, or I'd suggest adding a couple to see if you can get up to 52/53 terrs...

[Industrial Helix]

I need a little help...

Does anyone know what warriors or soldiers were called in Lesotho (Basutoland), Amatonga or Swaziland? Or even what the word for soldier or warrior or army is. It's a stretch but figuring there's a few people on these forums from those parts there's a chance. I guess I'll continue to research on my own until i find something.

[Industrial Helix]

Nevermind, I found the answers I was looking for But it wasn't easy.

So, I ditched the minimap... seemed like too much to me. And with this new key, you can get an idea of the different peoples and cultures in South Africa.

I also added a border to liven things up.

I lost the texture on the land, which really clears things up in my opinion and I went with ship wheels instead of anchors.

I also moved zululand's borders a little north to connect it to Swaziland and seal off Amatongaland, which, as it turns out, were all zulu peoples though not of the same political union. Zululand frequently raided these areas, so it seemed logical that they connect to me.

One graphics question I have is whether or not the country indicator color should go under the terr. names or not. With Zululand this is difficult because the dark green makes it hard to read, so I cut it. Maybe a glow around the letters?

Click image to enlarge.

[natty dread]

Wow, that looks amazing! Really a big improvement.

The mountains fit the map well now. Although you could also try them with just a bit lighter shade, just to see how it looks?

[ender516]

Yes, this is impressive. With regard to colour behind the text, I think a white glow around the black text might give the contrast you need to put it on any background colour.