Conquer Club

DoomYoshi -

You are amazing. That is EXACTLY what I'm looking for. Thank you so much.

OK - Here it is: Version 4.

Small

Large


Changes: Fixed flag background so red didn't look pink, redid bonus borders and removed outlines on army circles to fix pixelation, and FINALLY figured out how to add landmark illustrations - many thanks to DoomYoshi for that last.

Have you thought about making the background look more like a waving flag, like ?

I think it adds a nice little touch to it.

I have, actually, but I went about it the wrong way when I tried it, so I gave up.
Now that I think I know how to do it, I'll try again.
V4.1 to be posted shortly.

HERE we go.

Version 4.1:
Small

Large


Changes: Replaced flag background with WAVING flag background.

At the risk of sounding impatient (which I am ), about how far is this map from its Draft stamp?

For the flag, I think it would look better and cleaner if you do what Flapcake did with the Danish flag on his Denmark map.

My whole idea has been that the French flag would be the background for the map. I can't use water like Flap does - Paris is landlocked, and it's not like a country or a state where it borders 4 or 5 other places - Paris has a LOT of suburbs, and they all have fairly long names (Issy-les-Moulineaux, for example).

I think the three big issues right now for me are these...

The current flag background is not very nice, isaiah40 idea of using the same thing as Flapcake on Denmark should really bring the map to life.Not with the water or on a small scale, but covering the whole of the maps background. (Look at the style)

The images you have for the landmarks are so so. None of them fit the map as it is, all of them have different orientations and all are drawn different ways.

The amount of text for such a small map is overbearing. Try to cut some if not half out. Should be able to do that simply.

koontz

Oh! My apologies, isaiah, I misunderstood you. I'll find a better flag.

The images were the best I could find. I'll look some more and find better ones.

I'm assuming you mean the text at the top? Aw, I liked it. I thought it was funny. Oh well. I can cut it.

koontz1973 wrote:isaiah40 idea of using the same thing as Flapcake on Denmark should really bring the map to life.Not with the water or on a small scale, but covering the whole of the maps background. (Look at the style)

No, I meant on the small scale like on Denmark. If you do have it covering the whole background, then you will need to subdue it so that it is barely visible. Just enough that you can see it, and just enough that it doesn't detract from the playable area.

sempaispellcheck wrote:Oh! My apologies, isaiah, I misunderstood you. I'll find a better flag.

Look below.

The images were the best I could find. I'll look some more and find better ones.

Why not draw them yourself. That way you do not have copyright to deal with.

I'm assuming you mean the text at the top? Aw, I liked it. I thought it was funny. Oh well. I can cut it.

Thats right, the text. Some of it can stay and some you will need, but see what can be cut without losing the flavour.

isaiah40 wrote:

koontz1973 wrote:isaiah40 idea of using the same thing as Flapcake on Denmark should really bring the map to life.Not with the water or on a small scale, but covering the whole of the maps background. (Look at the style)

No, I meant on the small scale like on Denmark. If you do have it covering the whole background, then you will need to subdue it so that it is barely visible. Just enough that you can see it, and just enough that it doesn't detract from the playable area.

Did not mean to put words into your mouth. But you are right. A barely there map would be best. Why not something like nattys London with an image as well?

koontz1973 wrote:Why not draw them yourself. That way you do not have copyright to deal with.

Because I can't really draw. I could try, but they would be barely recognizable, if at all.

isaiah40 wrote:If you do have it covering the whole background, then you will need to subdue it so that it is barely visible. Just enough that you can see it, and just enough that it doesn't detract from the playable area.

Meaning reduce the opacity? I can do that.

koontz1973 wrote:Why not something like nattys London with an image as well?

Because it would make the landmark illustrations redundant.

Or should I scrap the landmark illustrations and go with that?

I like the layout, not sure about the flag in the back gound when there are random bright colors on the map. Also, the wording on the top is hard to pay attention to. Maybe the flag could be lighter, like the state flags in the "Great Lakes" map (flags are more muted but still seen). Also, maybe fix the legend on the side a lil. Great job so far though

happy2seeyou wrote:the wording on the top is hard to pay attention to.

Yeah, I've cut a lot of it. I put it in because I thought it was funny, but it's not really necessary.

happy2seeyou wrote:Maybe the flag could be lighter, like the state flags in the "Great Lakes" map (flags are more muted but still seen).

I'll try that in my next update.

happy2seeyou wrote:Also, maybe fix the legend on the side a lil.

How? Can you be a bit more specific?

happy2seeyou wrote:Great job so far though

Thanks!

sempaispellcheck wrote:

happy2seeyou wrote:Also, maybe fix the legend on the side a lil.

How? Can you be a bit more specific?

ND with the auto bonus doesn't need to be explained that it is not apart of any other bonus. If you figure out your background flag, you can have the legend without an eyesore of a large white box. Also, you could make their fonts in the legend more bold with the font being the appropriate color of each bonus (Africa, London, Montreal, San Francisco..) OR... have a mini diagram with the bonus numbers large on them (Japan, Kingdom of Denmark, Land and Sea..)

Make the fonts less like you are typing a paper for a report.

Do something cool with your name on the bottom and get rid of the "mapmaker:", if your name is on it, they know who made it.

Do you really have to state what places start as a neutral?

Try making the bridges better, instead of a straight line use a thicker curve.

I'll leave you alone for now.

happy2seeyou wrote:ND with the auto bonus doesn't need to be explained that it is not apart of any other bonus.

happy2seeyou wrote:Do you really have to state what places start as a neutral?

I did that so that people in the foundry would know, but I guess I can just put that stuff in the first post.

Good suggestions, man. Thank you for those - I should have some fun working on them.

sempaispellcheck wrote:

happy2seeyou wrote:ND with the auto bonus doesn't need to be explained that it is not apart of any other bonus.

happy2seeyou wrote:Do you really have to state what places start as a neutral?

I did that so that people in the foundry would know, but I guess I can just put that stuff in the first post.

Good suggestions, man. Thank you for those - I should have some fun working on them.

Anything that doesn't really need to be on the map but you want the foundry to know can just be posted in your first post.

I look forward to seeing your updates

Version 5:
Small - 600x540

Large - 800x720


Changes: Better flag background with reduced opacity, cut unnecessary text (even though I liked it ), revamped legend (bye bye, white box), cool new sig (people may not get it, but that's OK), and new landmark illustrations.

Still to do: Experiment with fonts (I've been using GIMP's default (Sans) for convenience, but apparently that's too academic). Any advice on this would be GREATLY appreciated.

Hi sempaispellcheck

You have a solid concept to work on for now, but it seems like you having to many balls in the air at same time, you need to focus and get the holeness rigth.

it's pretty obvious that your flag is a photo you've tried to adapt, I do not think it's pretty good, too vague and poor colors, a flag is something a nation are proud of and you certainly have to make it as nicely as possible to give it the credit it deserve.

I have created a flag (you can use it as it is if you want or remodel it, its yours for free) just to give you an idea on how smoot you need to make your images, im also thinking about your icons/sigths.

You have as i pointed out, a good bace and a nice concept, and I hope you keep it up and work on it, you are on track and have good support for your map to make it through.

Flap

Flapcake wrote:it's pretty obvious that your flag is a photo you've tried to adapt, I do not think it's pretty good, too vague and poor colors, a flag is something a nation are proud of and you certainly have to make it as nicely as possible to give it the credit it deserve.

OK, starting to feel like I'm being pulled in different directions here.
I used the photo because I don't know how to create that effect in GIMP.
My idea was to make the flag the background for the map, but isaiah told me that if I did that, it would have to be barely visible (as it is now) so it wouldn't detract from the playable area.
Do you think it would be better if I just put the flag across the top, like you did on Denmark? That's what isaiah initially suggested instead.
BUT - if I do that, what should I use for the rest of the background? Paris is landlocked, so I can't put water there, and it's bordered by about 50 different banlieues (suburbs) with really long names, which would clutter up the map if I put them all in.

Flapcake wrote:I have created a flag (you can use it as it is if you want or remodel it, its yours for free) just to give you an idea on how smoot you need to make your images, im also thinking about your icons/sigths.

How do I do that?
Please keep in mind that this is my first attempt at anything with graphics software, so while I am doing my best, I might need slightly more specific advice than some more experienced mapmakers.
Should I just leave the graphics to someone else? I REALLY want to do this myself, but if you guys feel it would be better to have someone else do it, I could be OK with that.
I'm just getting a little frustrated.

sempaispellcheck wrote:Should I just leave the graphics to someone else? I REALLY want to do this myself, but if you guys feel it would be better to have someone else do it, I could be OK with that.
I'm just getting a little frustrated.

Never leave the graphics to anyone else. Believe me, it gets easier over time and in the end, the satisfaction of playing a map you created is far better than all of the hours put into your first one.

A couple of things for you then first. Have you read nattys gimp tutorials (both parts)? If no, then do so.

Secondly, if you need to know anything about GIMP, post specific questions and I will try to answer them for you as clearly as I can.

Keep at it. You do have the makings of a map here, just not the know how, right now to pull it of.

koontz

My one suggestion would be to not worry about the small map for now, just concentrate on the large. In this way you don't have to do major changes to both maps, thereby making it easier for you in the long run.

sempaispellcheck wrote:
OK, starting to feel like I'm being pulled in different directions here.

Im sorry, It was not my intentions. It was only a suggestion on how to make the bagground, maby you have to find anohter way to do, maby like isaiah40 suggested, its all up to you.

English is not my first language and I have to get google to help me with spellings, so im not the bedst to explain how to use the tools in graphic programs, but how im working is with filters, effects and the opacity for those, its about adding layers of effects, not to many and not to few use the blur/finger tool to smoot edges, add outerglow/drop shadow to ancor/integrate the icons/images in the base, so its kind of flow together.

the flag it did like this. start new layer in size of the map, select a vertical box in a third of the area the the left, make new copy of layer, fill with blue, do it again for the red. merge the 3 layers together, add "wave" effect from patters overlay and work with the waves size to find the setting you like. make copy of the layer and add a "dusty" effect from patters overlay, last I added from filter "twist" to make it kind of "zig zag" down the middel.

I like your idea of a giant flag for baground, but your current choice of flag I dont like.

Flap