[Abandoned] - Ukraine & Moldova

[The Neon Peon]

Ukraine & Moldova

- 36 territories
- 8 starting points
- each territory gives a 1 troop bonus

Version 9:

Click image to enlarge.

Previous Versions:

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[isaiah40]

Here's some info I got:

There are 24 administrative regions and the Cremean autonomous republic in Ukraine, 2 municipalities: Kyiv (the capital of Ukraine) and Sevastopol' (the main military port of Crimea).

There is one major river that pretty much cuts Ukraine in half. You could use it as an impassable between eastern Ukraine and western Ukraine. For a map of the Ukraine you can go here http://encarta.msn.com/map_701511542/Carpathian_Mountains.html.

You can also utilize Chernobyl as an extra. Go here to see the radioactive area from the disaster http://www.unscear.org/unscear/en/chernobylmaps.html Maybe you could that as an impassable area?

Just a thought. Other than the above I say go for it!!

[RedBaron0]

Looks like Isaiah beat me too it... but he's right:

Click image to enlarge.

Click image to enlarge.

What you've got is a simple and good base for graphics, the glow is good. My advice though is to start with the larger image (max: 840x800) going from big to small is easier on the image than the other way around (learned that the hard way... ) Plenty of things you can add around the map to fill in space, the flag, the coat of arms, historic sites, etc.



You could also think about using some of these smaller rivers and some small mountainous regions in the extreme east and western section of the country for other impassibles.

Just because there are 24 political divisions shouldn't limit you to 24ish territories, use cities, use the Black Sea, add territory coming from other nearby countries. You can do a lot or a little, but considering the size of the country I wouldn't go too much beyond the Classic number of 42 territories, unless you really start adding in the surrounding regions or add in some different, unique bonus structures.

[The Neon Peon]

Thanks for the replies, I will get the complete draft up tomorrow unless something goes very wrong.

The reason I started with the small map was an attempt to see how many territories this could hold, so that I don't make a large map and find that reducing the size makes there be no room for the numbers/territory names. The English translations of names are so long... But thanks for letting me know, I'll follow your advice with the size change.

[RedBaron0]

Just use the Russian names then, as long as you have English characters you don't have to worry about it.

[isaiah40]

You could copy and paste the Ukraine names onto the map. I see this map going a long ways

[soundman]

Keep it up! I like the idea of using Chernobyl as a radioactive zone. Either as an impassable or maybe you lose armies there each turn.

[AndrewB]

Being the Ukrainian in the origin, I can help along with the names.

DO NOT USE RUSSIAN NAMES though. You will offend most of the Ukrainians in doing so.

There are several rivers to make for impassable - Dnipro (will divide it in the middle) Dnister and Buh in the east, Don/Donets in the west.

But it will be pretty tough to make a playable map out of this. Just 27 regions, and all so interconnected...

[RedBaron0]

And I didn't mean to offend by saying you should use Russian names... most of the world (including myself) doesn't realize that Russia and Ukraine have different cultures and languages.

[The Neon Peon]

Version 0.5:


Too many changes to list for this version. Thanks for all the responses, they were very helpful.

[isaiah40]

36 territories (capital starts neutral)
? Bonus
No unique gameplay (yet...)

Peon's Questions:
1. How do I make the river fit into the land more? (I am using photoshop and the stuff I know ain't workin')

River looks fine to me.

2. Could someone, perhaps AndrewB send me a link to a map with proper Ukrainian names? I was born in Ukraine, but being a Russian I prefer to spell Kyiv as Kiev and will probably make some other mistakes.

See what redbaron0 wrote...

Click image to enlarge.

Click image to enlarge.

Use these maps and you'll do fine.

3. Any fun gameplay features I should add?

You could use the radioactive around northern Ukraine (from chernobyl) as part of a territory but you lose X number every turn. maybe if you can find out if the different regions have their own flags, coat of arms etc. you can receive X men for holding them. Holding capitals, capitals attacking other capitals etc. The sky is the limit to your imagination (as long as teh XML engine can handle it). Think up some things and post them, we'll help!

P.S here are the two links I posted earlier to help:

http://www.unscear.org/unscear/en/chernobylmaps.html and http://encarta.msn.com/map_701511542/Carpathian_Mountains.html

[The Neon Peon]

Version 1:

Click image to enlarge.

Questions:
1. I played around a bit with the title and could not find any way I can make it look good. Any suggestions?
2. I am planning a 1 troop per territory bonus with each player starting with 1-2 territories. What do you think?
3. Any naming problems that you see?

[isaiah40]

Questions:
1. I played around a bit with the title and could not find any way I can make it look good. Any suggestions?

How about an outside glow - not too much - to make the title *pop* off the page?

2. I am planning a 1 troop per territory bonus with each player starting with 1-2 territories. What do you think?

Will they be starting with 1 or 2 territories or will it be randomly assigned? Are you planning any bonuses say like minerals from the mountains, fish from the sea, grain from the plains? Holding let's say any combination has a bonus of 3 (just throwing out a number here)?

3. Any naming problems that you see?

Change Kiev to Kyiv. Other than that I don't see any other problems.

Suggestions:
- Remove the inner glow and leave the outer glow.
- Maybe you could put in a couple of railroads (to add to the game)

Are your territories marking the major cities? Because I don't see where your territory borders match up with a map of the Ukraine.

Until the next post.

[The Neon Peon]

Questions:
1. I played around a bit with the title and could not find any way I can make it look good. Any suggestions?

How about an outside glow - not too much - to make the title *pop* off the page?

2. I am planning a 1 troop per territory bonus with each player starting with 1-2 territories. What do you think?

Will they be starting with 1 or 2 territories or will it be randomly assigned? Are you planning any bonuses say like minerals from the mountains, fish from the sea, grain from the plains? Holding let's say any combination has a bonus of 3 (just throwing out a number here)?

3. Any naming problems that you see?

Change Kiev to Kyiv. Other than that I don't see any other problems.

Suggestions:
- Remove the inner glow and leave the outer glow.
- Maybe you could put in a couple of railroads (to add to the game)

Are your territories marking the major cities? Because I don't see where your territory borders match up with a map of the Ukraine.

Until the next post.

I will post the title with the glow in the next update, it still seems a bit inadequate but you are right, it is a step forward.

Each player will start out with 1-2 territories, I was thinking of having no other bonuses other than the 1 troop per territory for the unique gameplay it would give. However, I am open to other ideas, the railroads are a good one.

Will change Kiev to Kyiv in next update.

My territories take the provinces and several of them are split up into 2-3 territories for gameplay. This way, I have 36 territories instead of 24. I admit that I took some of the major cities that had 12-20 character names and replaced them with smaller cities nearby. Is this allowed in maps? I was just thinking that
1. 15 character names for half the cities won't fit on the map
2. I don't think names like that for half the territories will make people want to play this

[isaiah40]

I will post the title with the glow in the next update, it still seems a bit inadequate but you are right, it is a step forward.

Each player will start out with 1-2 territories, I was thinking of having no other bonuses other than the 1 troop per territory for the unique gameplay it would give. However, I am open to other ideas, the railroads are a good one.

Will change Kiev to Kyiv in next update.

My territories take the provinces and several of them are split up into 2-3 territories for gameplay. This way, I have 36 territories instead of 24. I admit that I took some of the major cities that had 12-20 character names and replaced them with smaller cities nearby. Is this allowed in maps? I was just thinking that
1. 15 character names for half the cities won't fit on the map
2. I don't think names like that for half the territories will make people want to play this

Not too much of a glow on the title. 36 split 8 ways is 4 territories per player, that will work. Although if add in a couple of RR's that will increase the number of territories, and also add in a couple of bonuses. Yes you are allowed to use smaller city names, there is nothing that says you have to use major cities. Take a look at my map (just click on my sig below) and I've used small town names in the bonus Quebec Republique for the territory names. Its your map. Just make sure they are in the proper language.

[RedBaron0]

Yeah, don't worry too much about names as long as they make sense to being there. Using shorter names for territories is one of the mapmaker's tricks. One of the territories I had making Japan was a territory called "Tokushima" that was able to shorten to a nearby city named "Naruto" and from that I was able to gain enough space for another territory on a fairly small island.

Another thing you'll have to worry about is the territory count of 36. In 2 and 3 player games each player will get 12 territories which gives a big advantage to the player going first because they only have to take 1 enemy territory to drop the other player(s) to a lower reinforcement income.(4 to 3) I strongly suggest you bump your territory count up to at least 39 or lower it to at least 35.

For the map itself, is there going to be 2 territories where Kiev(Kyiv) and Cherkasy are? If those are only 1 territory a piece, erase or drop the opacity of the river going through those territories. You're looking good otherwise, get to work on those bonuses and then you should be looking at a preliminary review pretty soon.

[The Neon Peon]

Version 2:

Click image to enlarge.

Changes:
- outline of the map changed
- glow around title
- title font changed
- reduced opacity of parts of the river
- Tirastopol name moved

As for the 36 territories, I had been planning to make Kyiv start as neutral, although I probably should have posted it in a better spot. I don't think anyone noticed it in the first post.

[isaiah40]

Changes:
- outline of the map changed
- glow around title
- title font changed
- reduced opacity of parts of the river
- Tirastopol name moved

As for the 36 territories, I had been planning to make Kyiv start as neutral, although I probably should have posted it in a better spot. I don't think anyone noticed it in the first post.

Looks good. Do you have any gp ideas? Here is a link to railroads of the Ukraine http://www.brama.com/travel/pics/ukrmap2.gif. It would make the map a little more interesting. Or how about doing an inset of Kiev with some of the major buildings? Like the train station, capital buildings, and stuff like that.

Where do you plan on putting your legend for game plat instructions and bonuses? Bottom right corner and the top left corner for another inset?

Would like to see more on the map on your next revision.

[captainwalrus]

There was an attempt at an Ukraine map a little bit ago that didn't get that far, but you might want to look at it for bonus regions or whatever. I don't know how accurate it was or what it was using to devide it up, but just throwing it out there.
http://i395.photobucket.com/albums/pp31 ... nmapv2.jpg

[The Neon Peon]

Version 3:

Click image to enlarge.

Changes:
- Added a river
- Added bridges
- Added a legend
- Added Farms
- Moved some names around

[Evil DIMwit]

Hey, cool. I like the farms. Would make for interesting gameplay. The problem I see is that even if they're evenly distributed at the get-go the first player pretty much has his pick of other players' farms and everyone else gets a big fat disadvantage.

[The Neon Peon]

Hey, cool. I like the farms. Would make for interesting gameplay. The problem I see is that even if they're evenly distributed at the get-go the first player pretty much has his pick of other players' farms and everyone else gets a big fat disadvantage.

Sorry, I should have put this somewhere, but the farms start out neutral...

Will edit that in with version 3.1

[The Neon Peon]

Version 3.1:

Click image to enlarge.

Changes:
- Title greatly improved
- Legend box has a glow which fades it into the background slightly
- Everything moved to the left to make room for the new title
- Added Moldova as part of the title since it is part of the map

[The Neon Peon]

Version 3.2

Click image to enlarge.

Changes:
- Removed the drop shadow on the Ukrainian coat of Arms (it was bothering me )

[Evil DIMwit]

How many neutral troops do the farms start with, then?