Battle for the Spice Islands - 5/26/2013 - Version: 11 - Pg1

[vaughn03]

Battle for the Spice Islands - Updated 5/26/2013 - Version 11 - Page 10
Updated 4/26/2013
Number of Territories - 34 Regions/9 Fleets - 3 Armadas/10 Sea Passages/5 Ports/3 Major Ports/5 Continents/4 Spices
Special Features - Inset Maps, Navies, Spices, Ports
What Makes This Map Worthy of Being Made? - Historical significance based on Wallace Map of the Malay Archipelago 1869 and the Dutch East India Company, Special Game Play, Lack of Maps of this region of the world
NEW CHANGES: Could not figure out simple way for fleets to bombard troops so have dropped bombardment. PER SUGGESTIONS: Fixed names. Changed some copy in Legends. Fixed Borders. Dropped Cochin China and Hainan and added Dai Viet and China. Added 'dots' in effort to make attacks more obvious. I did NOT change the names to 'ships' as suggested, I feel that a 'fleet' more accurately portrays what it is supposed to represent with all 3 fleets making up the 'Armada' of a particular country. i.e. Dutch, Portuguese, Spanish.

The Dutch East India Company - Vereenigde Oost-Indische Compagnie or VOC, (United East India Company) Chartered in 1602.. It is often considered to have been the first Multi-National Corporation in the World and it was the first Company to issue stock. It was also arguably the first Mega-Corporation, possessing Quasi-Governmental Powers, including the ability to Wage War, Imprison and Execute Convicts, Negotiate Treaties, Coin Money, and Establish Colonies. Western European Powers Dominated the Malay Archipelago during this period relying on superior arms and naval power.

Made Fleets 1-Way Attack Ports to emphasize the Fleet's power in this part of the world, similarly with the exception of Burma and Malaka the Continents can not attack each other - without going to sea. You CAN leave a Port via a Sea Passage. Sea Passages are -2 armies per turn visa-a-via 'Napoleonic Europe Map' So if you have any armies over 1 you will lose 2, if you only have 1 army it will remain - this is intended to model the high cost and risk of open ocean voyage, Fleets do not receive bonus unless they possess a Spice as without cargo Fleets are expensive to maintain. 3 Fleets of same get +1 bonus to reflect naval might. Sea Passage 1 or SP1 has 2 spots on this map - by the Spice Islands in the upper or main map and in the lower right inset map of the Spice Islands, this is how I move between maps. Best I came up with... Victory Conditions can be reached by holding an Armada (3 Fleets of the same suit) Spice Monopoly (All 4 Spice Islands) and 1 of the 3 Major Ports outside the Spice Islands
Hopefully above information is reflected in the map - if any thing is unclear, I will attempt to clarify. Suggestions welcome.
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show: drafts

[vaughn03]

Hello -

I'm vaughn03 and I'd like to design a fairly sophisticated map of the Malay Archipelago. I'm a professional retoucher so I'm proficient in photoshop, but not XML.

The map is based roughly on Wallace's Map of 1869. If possible I would like to introduce some elements that I have not seen in other conquer club maps. (I've been told that everything has been done, but I have not seen what I have in mind but I've not played all the cc maps either...) Am also looking for suggestions regarding historical, geographical, design, game play - willing to change anything to improve look and gameplay.

Special Features I would like to incorporate if possible.

1. Pop-up map - Map in bottom right corner would change to 'active island'. - This allows more complex game play each island can have objectives, etc.
2. Moving Navies - transport troops, bombard ports.
3. Typhoons - randomly generated storms, can destroy ports, fleets.
4. Supply Lines - reinforcements based on contiguous supply lines being maintained.
5. Volcano Eruptions - randomly generated eruptions, destroy troops to neutral.

[tkr4lf]

Special Features I would like to incorporate if possible.

1. Pop-up map - Map in bottom right corner would change to 'active island'. - This allows more complex game play each island can have objectives, etc.
2. Moving Navies - transport troops, bombard ports.
3. Typhoons - randomly generated storms, can destroy ports, fleets.
4. Supply Lines - reinforcements based on contiguous supply lines being maintained.
5. Volcano Eruptions - randomly generated eruptions, destroy troops to neutral.

I'm no xml expert, but I'm pretty much 100% sure #'s 1, 2, 3 and 5 cannot be done with the current xml.

The map looks cool though.

[koontz1973]

tkr is right, some of those features are not doable at the moment. But it is a very nice looking map and hope you do not get discouraged and try to continue with it.

Some thoughts for you are...
The typhoons can just become killer neutrals and placed strategically around the map to stifle/open game play up. Example - Place one between Borneo and Java so a player can either go the long way around of have a short cut that kills troops.
The hexagons are very small. Remember, they need to be able to hold a name and the army numbers.
Here is a previous map similar to yours. viewtopic.php?f=242&t=160761 Maybe you can take some of the ideas away from this one.

[AndyDufresne]

The idea sounds alright (minus the undoable parts). Best of luck on developing your idea! I look forward to seeing a proper draft sometime.


--Andy

[nolefan5311]

I honestly think this is a very strong first draft...did you do it yourself vaughn, or is this a map from somewhere else? The only thing I don't like are the hexes, but otherwise, I can't wait to see this in the MFW.

[Huegelkoenig]

looks great, even without the undoable parts

[vaughn03]

Are the parts undoable because they do not work with the XML Templet currently be used or they will not work in XML period? i.e If I had an XML guy who was qualified, it could be done?

That being said - I would be willing to develop for current XML with an eye towards improving with my ideas in the future - 'Ring of Fire II'...

I need to look at suggested map some more and see what I can garnish from that - it does look similar, more so than any of the active maps I've seen and making fleets and typhoons static is doable if not preferable...

My original idea was to use the inset map just for the 'Spice Island'. Then I thought why not make it a 'pop-up' and have it change to whatever island the battle was raging. So - for now - back to the original idea. I also like the idea of victory conditions perhaps with some combination of ports and resources being reached.

The 'hex' marks can easily be removed - I've thought the might work well and maybe not - more so if navies can move... So I can eliminate.

I'm a Studio Retoucher using Photoshop so this is all pretty easy for me and I try to set up my files to be as editable as possible.

I worked on the 'Mississippi Magnolia' map but the originator became frustrated when he could not super-size and abandoned the project. I'm probably more willing to compromise than he...

As stated before would love suggestions on game play and adding historical elements to the game play. I've spent time in this part of the world but still learning...

[nolefan5311]

Are the parts undoable because they do not work with the XML Templet currently be used or they will not work in XML period? i.e If I had an XML guy who was qualified, it could be done?

That being said - I would be willing to develop for current XML with an eye towards improving with my ideas in the future - 'Ring of Fire II'...

I need to look at suggested map some more and see what I can garnish from that - it does look similar, more so than any of the active maps I've seen and making fleets and typhoons static is doable if not preferable...

My original idea was to use the inset map just for the 'Spice Island'. Then I thought why not make it a 'pop-up' and have it change to whatever island the battle was raging. So - for now - back to the original idea. I also like the idea of victory conditions perhaps with some combination of ports and resources being reached.

The 'hex' marks can easily be removed - I've thought the might work well and maybe not - more so if navies can move... So I can eliminate.

I'm a Studio Retoucher using Photoshop so this is all pretty easy for me and I try to set up my files to be as editable as possible.

I worked on the 'Mississippi Magnolia' map but the originator became frustrated when he could not super-size and abandoned the project. I'm probably more willing to compromise than he...

As stated before would love suggestions on game play and adding historical elements to the game play. I've spent time in this part of the world but still learning...

As far as the XML is concerned, it's not that they can't be done at all period somewhere on the interwebs, it's just they can't be done with the current game engine on this site. I really hope you further develop this idea...I like it a lot. And the Foundry always needs more mapmakers

[vaughn03]

I'll go with the game engine and keep an eye out for an XML programmer. I'm looking for help with the XML from the game community but hoping I can pick it up some...

[nolefan5311]

I'll go with the game engine and keep an eye out for an XML programmer. I'm looking for help with the XML from the game community but hoping I can pick it up some...

There are a lot of people on the site who can write the XML for you, within the constraints of the game engine. However, the only person who can expand the game engine to allow XML updates is the site administrator.

[thehippo8]

Hello -

I'm vaughn03 and I'd like to design a fairly sophisticated map of the Malay Archipelago. I'm a professional retoucher so I'm proficient in photoshop, but not XML.

The map is based roughly on Wallace's Map of 1869. If possible I would like to introduce some elements that I have not seen in other conquer club maps. (I've been told that everything has been done, but I have not seen what I have in mind but I've not played all the cc maps either...) Am also looking for suggestions regarding historical, geographical, design, game play - willing to change anything to improve look and gameplay.

Special Features I would like to incorporate if possible.

1. Pop-up map - Map in bottom right corner would change to 'active island'. - This allows more complex game play each island can have objectives, etc.
2. Moving Navies - transport troops, bombard ports.
3. Typhoons - randomly generated storms, can destroy ports, fleets.
4. Supply Lines - reinforcements based on contiguous supply lines being maintained.
5. Volcano Eruptions - randomly generated eruptions, destroy troops to neutral.

Welcome vaughn - we are very lucky to have you interested in making maps. Your comments here are so interesting to me that I am going to go a step further and draft some suggestions by way of an article for the Dispatch newletter. Rather than double up - look out for the article and hopefully that will also drive some traffic back here!

[generalhead]

Very nice looking map. Nice detail for a first draft.

[thehippo8]

I wrote an article on this in the Dispatch Here's the article if anyone missed it:

Ring of Fire – doing the undoable by thehippo8

show

[cairnswk]

vaughn03. i was impressed by your graphics ability...
but not impressed by the first rule you broke in design anywhere, and that is...legibility.
I have to squint to strain to read what is written in those instructions. Sorry to be blunt.
Your typeset looks nice but without it being legible...it didn't cut the mustard.
I do however, encourage you to listen well to some of the more experienced foundry folk (not necessarily myself) in developing those workarounds for your xml.
Your ideas are great from concept, now you simply have to be creative in the execution to develop a workable map within the xml engine possibilities.
You've also taken on a subject of "Indonesia" which is great to see.
Nice start as a first concept draft...