Japan - 日本 - Quenched

[sailorc]

I'm not an expert at gameplay, so I'll only talk about graphics for now. I think the water should have some kind of texture, but not as bold as the beginning. the land itself could also use some texture, too

it's coming along nicely

[RedBaron0]

The last few comments have been more on the graphical side, so I've made a graphical overhaul:

Click image to enlarge.

Went with the suggestions I got adding texture to both land and sea, and added the Japanese style boat(called a "junk") near the longest sea connection. I changed the direction of the blend to mesh with the background "wave" pattern. I've updated the kanji "Japan" to a calligraphy looking one.

Couple of tweaks to the playing surface, I did change the bonus value of Tohoku to 3; the other bonuses are the same from the previous version. I added a couple of mountains to the center of the Tohoku bonus, those 4 territories had a 4 corners thing going on that bothered the hell out of me.

Future versions may include the following as I spitball ideas to myself...

1 more territory to Hokuriku to better justify the 4 bonus value, I'd think about putting the territory Gifu back on the map which is currently merged with Aichi. I could then think about merging a territory in Tohoku (probably Akita or Iwate to Aomori) to keep the territory count down. Of course this may change bonus structure and basic gameplay.

Lets see what you guys think...

[GhostSniper15243]

Nice graphical start. Very nice. Maybe shrink the symbols a little bit. Not much, just a tad.

[Industrial Helix]

Nice update.

I think the mountains could use a little desaturation.

I take it both Rishorito islands are the same unit. I kind of looks like one mainland terr attacks one island and another up by Hokkaido attacks another. I suppose it would becleared up once the numbers are in the game.

I'd suggest editing the dotted line between Sado and Ishikawa so that the space in the line is between the distance of the two places. Same for Oki island and Izu-Oshima.

I think it might be better if the logo Japan and the Japanese written Japan were closer together for a single logo.

The words that are over the lighter bit of the ocean are kind of hard to read, such as Abashiri.

Nagasaki and Kagoshima are a tad difficult to read.

I think you could enlarge the fort or change it on the bodies of water to make it stand out or appear different than the playable terrs.

Tokushima is slighly difficult to read... maybe if you added a drop shadow to the word they might stand out a little better. And where will the numbers fit on the Tokushima terr.?

Otherwise, great update.

[oaktown]

Hi again red,

In case folks aren't aware this map has been chosen to be a subject in our first Map Incubator, so hopefully you'll be seeing the same few faces pop in here weekly.

I'm glad you've removed some of the decorative elements for now - basics first. A good trick for making words and numbers more readable against a colored background is giving them a light outer glow or stroke that will contrast with the surrounding colors. Some of your territory names and region values are lost against the land, so a soft black glow will make them pop out.

[sailorc]

nice update. I like the water and land textures much better than before. I also like the "junk". maybe something similar could be done to other empty spaces in the water, like other things related to Japan. the text should clearer in some places, like where text goes over a border.

[RedBaron0]

Click image to enlarge.

Sue me... I have nothing better to do today.

This should satisfy everyone's concerns, I may need to touchup and add to the text highlights, but I've added a question for the Incubator crew before I go any further on that front. (on 1st page)

The ship I've changed from black and white to color. I merged the Title with the Kanji text to form a singular title. The mini-map is moved up higher into the corner to fill in the space where the title used to be. The mountains has been desaturated and the land texture is now behind the mountains too. I think it looks really good, compared to the green before, thanks Helix!! I may want to smudge some the mountain edges in spots to for a more seamless look.

nice update. I like the water and land textures much better than before. I also like the "junk". maybe something similar could be done to other empty spaces in the water, like other things related to Japan. the text should clearer in some places, like where text goes over a border.

The dragon I had before is what I'm hoping to add somewhere, although its a fire dragon... I may want to look for a water dragon moving in and out of the water perhaps? Or how about Godzilla? (Toho Studios would most likely never give me permission anyways)

[oaktown]

re: your text question, i think the white text looks good against the map... the map uses light colors to begin with, so go with it. Not sure I'm a fan of the shadow behind the text, as it makes the top half of the text readable but not the bottom.

Out of curiosity, what software are you working in?

[sailorc]

nice update. I like the water and land textures much better than before. I also like the "junk". maybe something similar could be done to other empty spaces in the water, like other things related to Japan. the text should clearer in some places, like where text goes over a border.

The dragon I had before is what I'm hoping to add somewhere, although its a fire dragon... I may want to look for a water dragon moving in and out of the water perhaps? Or how about Godzilla? (Toho Studios would most likely never give me permission anyways)

you could always use some type of Japanese monument. or a water dragon (although I've never heard of a dragon breathing water, not fire )

[lancehoch]

Just wanted to say I like the look. This is also my first time commenting on a map, so I am sorry if the comments come off a little less than what you are used to. Is Tochigi supposed to be a border territory or not? To me right now, I am seeing a pass between the mountains to Niigata and also, I am not sure if Fukushima is supposed to connect. If it is not supposed to connect, I would suggest moving that last mountain to the right about three or four pixels and adding another one into the chain.
I think that the border between Chugoku and Hokuriku is a little strong. I think you toned down a lot of the other continent/zone borders when you added the color and texture, which looks great. This one border happens to look like the island is getting cut in half. Also, the connection between Hiroshima and Nagasaki got a little blurred in the last update.

Again, I am sorry if the comments are not what you are used to, this is my first time commenting on a map.

[oaktown]

Godzilla would be nice, but I can think of something that would be even more Japanese.

[ender516]

Oaktown, your version would have been perfect for Cutesy Club.

Seriously, though, kudos to RedBaron0. I saw this thread early on, and have just tuned back in. The graphics are much more appealing. I can't say I miss your dragon, but the idea of a water dragon is intriguing. I also see that a lot of discussion of bonuses has taken place, and I will trust the judgment of those more experienced in deciding such matters. Overall, this map is shaping up nicely.

[RedBaron0]

MY EYES! @ oaktown

I'm using Gimp, the newest version, 2.6 I think it is. The little bit of black I put behind the text is a line drawn with a fuzzy circle with the opacity toned down to about 75% normal, I haven't used a lot of the script-fu's or filters, I look into that for the next update. I'll hold off another day or 2 before getting into another update to let the incubator crew do their job, and get some more feedback on the current revision.

As for another Japanese accent I've looked around and using monuments should be easy enough to do, I'll list a few, see which ones you like best. A dragon I think would be best to add somewhere though. It'd be tough to find another one that is copyright free though, so that might nix that idea right off the bat. sailorc, there are tons of different types of dragons in mythology, in most Asian cultures they aren't as destructive as their European counterparts. Dragons in Asia tend to be a more elemental, and benevolent force, in fact dragons of the Orient have more to do with water than fire.

Click image to enlarge.

Famous Monuments of Japan:

Great Buddha of Kama
Kofukuji Temple
Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion)
Miyajima Torii Gate
Mt. Fuji
Lake Saiko Dragon Shrine
Godzilla Statue in Hibiya Park

No worries Lance, that's the idea, right? The more perspectives I get, the better. I'll tone down that continental border and get another mountain in there. There isn't supposed to be a border there between Tochigi and Fukushima.

[sailorc]

I didn't look up the pictures, but if my memory serves me correctly, the Torii Gates look very Japanese. So do temples. I think adding monuments commonly related to Japan will add a Japanese-y (adjective) feel to the map, if u know what I mean

[ender516]

As for another Japanese accent I've looked around and using monuments should be easy enough to do, I'll list a few, see which ones you like best.

Click image to enlarge.

Famous Monuments of Japan:

Great Buddha of Kama
Kofukuji Temple
Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion)
Miyajima Torii Gate
Mt. Fuji
Lake Saiko Dragon Shrine
Godzilla Statue in Hibiya Park

The Miyajima Torii Gate or Itsukushima Shrine could look great standing in your ocean background.