Official: Central America Competition - complete!

[wcaclimbing]

I voted for #3 (but changed my vote to #5.)
I like the simplicity of #5. 3 is good, but there is too much going on visually, I think.

[oaktown]

...I wish everyone was given a chance to edit their maps.

We were pretty flexible with the last competition - instead of letting two maps into the final rounds as stated we let three, and the changes made before the final round of voting made a significant difference in the outcome. If people vote for the map that they think has the most potential to be a great map, we can give two or three weeks to make a second draft based on the feedback we give this week. And of course changes can and will be made in the foundry after all voting is over.

[edbeard]

what you've just stated makes the case for everyone being able to make changes

"the changes made before the final round of voting made a significant difference in the outcome"



HEEELLLLOOOO!


/thoughts on this

[Natewolfman]

voted 3 for the uniqueness of it, we have plenty of color based graphical maps, but 3 with some small tweeks i think has the most potential

[ZeakCytho]

3 is just too illegible for me to even consider playing on. The perspective is a cool idea, but function should come before form.

Is there going to be an announcement on the main page for the competitions?

[oaktown]

what you've just stated makes the case for everyone being able to make changes

I didn't disagree with you. It's extremely hard to make a map in a vacuum - I'm so used to making maps publicly and getting feedback with every step that the when I present a competition entry map I have no idea if it is a piece of shit or not. I think it's a good idea to run a map past at least one or two other sets of eyes and solicit feedback before the deadline, and nothing stopped any mapmaker from doing so.

Note please that the rules of this competition do not specify how many maps will go on to the final round... this was a deliberate omission. Maybe out of the five maps we have here, there are clearly only two that people would like to see worked on. Or perhaps the feedback and voting will suggest that there are three. Or all five? Those maps that show a significant level of interest should be given the chance to tinker and improve.

Just as nothing was stopping a mapmaker from showing his/her map to others, the rules didn't bar anybody from asking another CC user to post his/her map a week ago and solicit feedback. The next time we do a competition (and I truly hope we do more!) we can certainly encourage mapmakers to find a buddy to post early versions of the map, or we could even come up with a system of anonymously displaying the maps a few days before launching the vote... it just means extra work for whoever is hosting the maps and starting the thread. Had this been suggested a week ago, instead of an hour ago, we could have done it this time around.

[RjBeals]

1: It's okay. Very clean look with the dark green land & black borders. I like the cool blue outline around the beach areas against the dark blue ocean. I would rather have seen the territory names on the map, rather than the key listing. Overall - nice, but not my vote. I think what people like are the mountain reliefs blended on the the terrain, and the brownish / yellowish areas on it. Makes it feel like a real satellite map. Nice - but not my vote.

2: More vibrant colors (i like them). The font style could use some work, and the title is really bad. A gradient fill and drop shadow don't make a good title. The compass rose sort of doesn't fit either. Also - I'm not a big fan of the bevel on the land. Good effort - but not my vote.

3: I love it. what a unique style! It reminds me of an old school conquer club map. I like how the map is sort of skewed so it's more vertical. I love the dot texture background. Very nice. The fonts are a bit hard to read, and I really don't care for the shaped army circles, but that stuff could be sorted out in the foundry. Great colors, great style, great title, and a great Central American feel that stands out from the rest. Well done - This Has My Vote !

4: A good clean map that I'm sure would get little complaints if won. The crest symbols beside the region names are cool. The ocean pattern is cool and the minimap in that oval is a nice touch also. I always like the minimaps. The title is boring (search some free font pages for a cool font, then add your own touch to it). That very light inner stoke on the borders is also nice. But overall, a little bland.

5: I like the pastel colors (;)) I would almost think you don't need army circles with colors this light. The ocean is a little boring. The borders on this map are excellent. Somebody knows the potential of the pen tool. Territory font could be worked on a bit - and again the title is just boring. Good base map that has potential. If this doesn't win, whomever the maker is should use this style on a different project. Nice work.


Great work on all the entries. I was hoping for more than just 5 entries, and a little more variety - but at any rate, I'm happy with what we have. My vote is for #3. I think another valuable take-away is what the 5 cartographers learned from creating their entries. No matter who wins, we've got 5 potential map makers who have honed their skills just a bit more.

[cairnswk]

2 and 5 use very similar compases!???

i like the clarity in 5, and the colours of 2....

but my heart lies with 3....once again a 3D production, i very much like the theme of this although the texture is slightly harsh in its present form particularly the sea.

[wcaclimbing]

I changed my vote to 5.
I like how simple it is.
#3 just had too much happening visually for me. Still a good map, but not my favorite.

[WidowMakers]

3,4,2,5,1

But 3 is by far the best. A new style and look. It easily separates itself. But with that, the colors are to BOLD and as said before, they HURT your eyes.

I say cleanup the borders, soften the color and texture.

WM

[The Neon Peon]

I changed my vote to #2, making this a temporary tie.

I can see the beauty in 4, but it just is not my style for a slightly-RISK-inspired-game map. The person who made it did very well with the textures and they look very nice, but I just can't imagine playing CC on that.

[the.killing.44]

Well I posted before but I voted #2 …

I like #3 but as many times said before it's just too much on the eyes IMO. It's hard to read the territory names, the territories themselves seem very squished and the texture is a lot to behold. I absolutely love the title, though.

[ganguscalm]

map # 4 is by far the best !

[Mr. Squirrel]

I voted for #3

I agree completely that it needs some major tweaking in terms of colors and legibility, but I think it is by far the most original and has the most potential. All of the other maps look just like any other map you see made on CC. #3 truly stands out as a great effort, and with a little fixing up, I can see it being a great map.

[WidowMakers]

I like #3 but as many times said before it's just too much on the eyes IMO. It's hard to read the territory names, the territories themselves seem very squished and the texture is a lot to behold. I absolutely love the title, though.

The finalists have two weeks to tweak the map. These issues of color saturation, border visibility and font legibility can all be addressed and looked at.

#3 is by far the most creative and different of all 5.
It at least deserves the chance to address these issues and currently is in the voting lead so it looks like it might get a shot at it.

However, if it does make it to the finals and does not fix these problems, I would vote for another map.
WM