Israel (V3.0)

[pitrules88]

Map Name: Israel
Mapmaker(s): pitrules88
Number of Territories: 36
Special Features: Jerusalem starts as neutral 3 but auto-deploys +1!
What Makes This Map Worthy of Being Made: Israel is one of the most controversial and battle-fought pieces of land on Earth. It won't be easy to hold any of the bonuses because holding land in Israel has never been easy, just ask the Palestinians.

Click image to enlarge.

Click image to enlarge.

[jgordon1111]

I like it, no symmetrical look, good bonuses, easy to play and understand.

[natty dread]

Well, conceptually, this looks much better than your first draft.

Now firstly, I have to point out that you have several 4-way borders, ie. a "cross" of borders between 4 territories. You need to get rid of these, as they are ambiguous to players.

Additionally, you have some places where the borders are too small to be legible. It's ok to "fudge" the geography a bit, if it's done in order to improve the gameplay or gameplay clarity of the map.

The bottlenecked shape of the country is also a concern, I think you're going to need some routes between the ends to reduce the bottlenecks.

Graphically, you have a long way to go, to be honest... but my first map drafts didn't look any better, so don't let it discourage you. What software are you using?

[The Bison King]

This NEEDS to happen. The draft could use work, it needs impasses and it could use a sea route though I don't feel like it's too bottle necky except at the tippy top which isn't too bad. The graphics have a lot of ground for improvment as well.


but yeah, this site needs Isreal.

[ViperOverLord]

I would get rid of the water bonuses. Do ships even sail on the dead sea? I thought it was so salty that nothing really happens there. In any event, I don't think water would be a strategic matter in an internal Israel war.

[The Bison King]

I would get rid of the water bonuses. Do ships even sail on the dead sea? I thought it was so salty that nothing really happens there. In any event, I don't think water would be a strategic matter in an internal Israel war.

I suppose I agree.

[cairnswk]

To provide a sea route in the Meditarranean, you could check out this about Israel's fishing.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fishing_in_Israel
Food for thought

and it looks like highway 90-99 runs all the way on the eastern border from south to north - another way of cutting the through lineation of country.

[IcePack]

I agree - take the water out of it and use water / major travel routes instead. Love the idea of a israeli map tho.

concept great, like others said graphics can get worked on

IcePack

[natty dread]

I would get rid of the water bonuses. Do ships even sail on the dead sea? I thought it was so salty that nothing really happens there. In any event, I don't think water would be a strategic matter in an internal Israel war.

The Dead sea is almost dried out... I don't remember why but I think it had something to do with climate change. It is still a major tourist attraction though, people want to swim in it for the "health benefits" so they pay money...

[pitrules88]

I like the idea of adding barriors/impassables, that should stop territories from having 4-ways. I'll make it so the only 4-way is Jerusalem. The highway idea would be another great addition that I will look into. I'll also get rid of two of the waters, but I think I'll keep the Dead Sea and Lake Tiberias in play. Keep the ideas coming!

I'm using photoshop. My skills are passable, but not superior.

[natty dread]

I'll make it so the only 4-way is Jerusalem.

Jerusalem is the one marked by the star right? There's no 4-way borders in Jerusalem, Jerusalem is fine.

What I mean by 4-way borders are for example, the border between Hadera, Jamin(?), Nablus & Tel Aviv. There, the borders form a cross, which is ambiguous because players can't tell if Nablus connects with Hadera, or if Tel Aviv connects with Jamin. So those kind of borders need to go.

I'm using photoshop.

Hm, then perhaps you should ask for some tips from some of the Photoshop users here. Isaiah40 could probably help you get started a bit.

[pitrules88]

Updated version at the top of the thread.

[cairnswk]

What does the (star 3) represent...i take it Jerusalem, but that must be explained on the map somewhere.

[pitrules88]

Sorry it just means that I want it to start as Neutral 3, there's no meaning to the 3 other than that.

[Industrial Helix]

You got a point when you say Israel/Palestine is one of the most fought over pieces of territory. But I need to point out that Golan, Gaza and the West Bank are disputed territories and we want to avoid people getting angry at the foundry or CC because of touchy issues. So you should mention that they are disputed territories on the map... maybe throw in a decay or something if you feel like it. Also, the map is a little too small for the CC numbers to fit, so you might need to make things bigger.

Here's a link to the army number png file, which can help you out... you need room for 888 without crossing over any borders or names.
viewtopic.php?f=648&t=151232

One more thing, you need to specify where Jerusalem is on the map..I thnk i can find it because I'm familiar with the geography of Israel. But given how small the territory is a J. plus the star and something in the legend specifying J. stands for Jerusalem.

And the last thing, dark army circles aren't very good... white circles are much better for making numbers show up... or, you might not even need circles at all.

[tokle]

You got a point when you say Israel/Palestine is one of the most fought over pieces of territory. But I need to point out that Golan, Gaza and the West Bank are disputed territories and we want to avoid people getting angry at the foundry or CC because of touchy issues. So you should mention that they are disputed territories on the map... maybe throw in a decay or something if you feel like it. Also, the map is a little too small for the CC numbers to fit, so you might need to make things bigger.

Golan isn't actually shown on this map. I think that label might be wrong.

[Industrial Helix]

You got a point when you say Israel/Palestine is one of the most fought over pieces of territory. But I need to point out that Golan, Gaza and the West Bank are disputed territories and we want to avoid people getting angry at the foundry or CC because of touchy issues. So you should mention that they are disputed territories on the map... maybe throw in a decay or something if you feel like it. Also, the map is a little too small for the CC numbers to fit, so you might need to make things bigger.

Golan isn't actually shown on this map. I think that label might be wrong.

Well, the actual occupied Golan Heights area is much bigger but the territory labelled Golan, I'm pretty sure, is at least a little bit in that occupied area.

[pitrules88]

maybe I will just change the map name to "Israel & Disputed Territories" LOL! But I will try to clarify on the map that some of the territories are disputed, especially in Gaza. I think Golan is accurate in the placement that I have it in, maybe the borders are not exact but that is a part of Israel and there's nothing else all the way up there in the Northeast part of the country.

[natty dread]

I think you should redraw the map in a larger size. It's always better to create the large image first, and your current map is too tight for a large map...

Also, the shape of the map isn't very convenient, people don't like scrolling. Maybe you could rotate the map a bit to give it a more square aspect?

[tokle]

maybe I will just change the map name to "Israel & Disputed Territories" LOL! But I will try to clarify on the map that some of the territories are disputed, especially in Gaza. I think Golan is accurate in the placement that I have it in, maybe the borders are not exact but that is a part of Israel and there's nothing else all the way up there in the Northeast part of the country.

This is where Golan is:

[tokle]

What you call Golan is the Hula Valley. Or since you are using cities for your labels, Qiryat Shmona.

[Oneyed]

I like the idea, but folow the advices posted here by some guys...

Oneyed

[pitrules88]

Made the updates that was suggested in the posts.

I agree that members usually don't like scrolling up and down to see the whole map, but I really don't know how to make it more square. I also got rid of the circle around the army troop count, but I'm actually thinking about putting them back in with a white background because some of the colors don't match well with the background colors I have on the map.

[natty dread]

I agree that members usually don't like scrolling up and down to see the whole map, but I really don't know how to make it more square.

Like I said, rotate the map.

[pitrules88]

I tried rotating the map but it just didn't look right to me. So instead, I decided just to widen it. What do you think of this? Maybe I should possibly even widen it more?

Click image to enlarge.