Sweden [13 Feb 2012] V6 p.1&3 Feedback wanted

[natty dread]

Ok, that seems reasonable.

There's still the issue of the map being too cluttered, and maybe splitting one more bonus area. After those are solved, I don't think there will be much issues with this map...

[Roberth]

Version 4:
• Added impassables to the legend
• Split Götaland into 2 zones, Götaland West and Götaland East
• Added 2 new cities, so each zone has two cities in it

Click image to enlarge.

[cairnswk]

Roberth...this is my second look at this map. Some suggestions if i may...
1. It is a little flat at present. Perhaps you could give the land some texture/bevel or similar to make it seem raised above the sea.
2. The bottom of the map (while i realise is probably more populated than the north) seems very cluttered. Stockholm is not quite clear as to where it is, not Arlanda Airport, and hence it is difficult to tell which territory borders which.
3. I think you could half or 3/4 the size of the city icon length wise or perhaps place it in front of the city name. That might help de-clutter the map a bit also
4. Mountains are always an issue...i don't know Sweden very much, but i guess there are some really high snow-capped ones as well as some alpine pastures. Perhaps give some contrast there and more space between them.
5. the title looks good as does the mini-map, although i would probably throw Southern Norrland +4 to the other side of the mini map - its eye real estate.
6. Gameplay wise - my main concern would be that Angermanland is a bottle-neck to both sides of it.
Good work though so far.

[natty dread]

The bonuses seem more reasonable now, but there's still the problem of the map being too cluttered.

I think you need to address this before anything else - I think rotating the map and then zooming in somewhat is the best possible option here.

[isaiah40]

The bonuses seem more reasonable now, but there's still the problem of the map being too cluttered.

I think you need to address this before anything else - I think rotating the map and then zooming in somewhat is the best possible option here.

I think one way to make it less cluttered is to remove the circles. I believe this will clear it up a bit.

[Roberth]

Roberth...this is my second look at this map. Some suggestions if i may...
1. It is a little flat at present. Perhaps you could give the land some texture/bevel or similar to make it seem raised above the sea.
2. The bottom of the map (while i realise is probably more populated than the north) seems very cluttered. Stockholm is not quite clear as to where it is, not Arlanda Airport, and hence it is difficult to tell which territory borders which.
3. I think you could half or 3/4 the size of the city icon length wise or perhaps place it in front of the city name. That might help de-clutter the map a bit also
4. Mountains are always an issue...i don't know Sweden very much, but i guess there are some really high snow-capped ones as well as some alpine pastures. Perhaps give some contrast there and more space between them.
5. the title looks good as does the mini-map, although i would probably throw Southern Norrland +4 to the other side of the mini map - its eye real estate.
6. Gameplay wise - my main concern would be that Angermanland is a bottle-neck to both sides of it.
Good work though so far.

Thank you for your comments!
I'll test adding textures to the land, but that might just make the map more cluttered.
Yes, the south is way more populated. I'll make the city signs smaller, about the same size as the airport sign.
I didn't put much effort into the mountains, just because I wanted to get impassables into the map and find their best position.
Do you suggest that I removed the mountains between Lappland and Jämtland in order for Ångermanland not to become a bottle-neck?

The bonuses seem more reasonable now, but there's still the problem of the map being too cluttered.

I think you need to address this before anything else - I think rotating the map and then zooming in somewhat is the best possible option here.

I'll try my best to make it less cluttered on this update. I agree and want the map to be clean looking.

I think one way to make it less cluttered is to remove the circles. I believe this will clear it up a bit.

That's a very good idea!! I'll try that.

[Roberth]

Version 5:
• Made the city icons smaller
• Clarified the "arrow" on the city icons that needed it
• Move "Southern Norrland" to the other side of the mini map
• Remove the circles and moved some names a little
• Moved the legend up a bit
Tested adding textures on the land, but that just made the map look more cluttered.

Click image to enlarge.

[Gillipig]

Just looking at those numbers gave me a small epileptic shock lol. Can't really find anything to add otherwise when it comes to graphics. Looks good ! Northern Norrland looks like a potential bottleneck. I would suggest removing the mountain between Lappland and Jämtland.

[Roberth]

Yea, I agree that those mountains should be taken away.

Ok, do you think it looks better with circles?

[ViperOverLord]

Did you personally do the art work for the coat of arms or is that a Sweden standard?

[Flapcake]

Did you personally do the art work for the coat of arms or is that a Sweden standard?

Thats the official one.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coat_of_arms_of_Sweden

[Roberth]

As Flapcake says, it's the official one.

I only used the Escutcheon, because the full Coat of Arms would be way to big for this use.

[Roberth]

Version 6:
• Removed the mountains between Lappland and Jämtland
• Moved some text on the mini-map

Click image to enlarge.

Is there anything more to work on in this map for it to move on?

[natty dread]

The borders of the playable area still look very crude to me. The sea routes are pixelated...

Also, I'm still concerned about the map being too cluttered. Remember that you'll have to do the small version as well. Removing the army circles was good, but even without them I fear some parts of the map will simply be too crowded on the small version.

[isaiah40]

Is there anything more to work on in this map for it to move on?

This ...

The borders of the playable area still look very crude to me. The sea routes are pixelated...

Also, I'm still concerned about the map being too cluttered. Remember that you'll have to do the small version as well. Removing the army circles was good, but even without them I fear some parts of the map will simply be too crowded on the small version.

My suggestion is to start doing the large now, in that way you won't have to redo the whole map while in graphics. You will need to do both while in game play to make sure that the numbers will fit for gameplay clarity. For now though do the large and work on that one. The large should be between 9 - 33% larger than the small.

If you have any questions, just ask!