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Re: RAIL AFRICA

Postby cairnswk on Wed Jun 24, 2009 11:59 pm

john9blue wrote:I like the rail maps, but I think Australia was a step back. If you do this, I hope it ends up more like the first 2. 8-)

Once again, might be a little different from the first two to capture the flavour of the continent, john9blue.
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V2) - New Silhouette

Postby cairnswk on Thu Jun 25, 2009 2:15 am

Version 2.

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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V2) - New Silhouette

Postby cairnswk on Thu Jun 25, 2009 4:06 am

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Above is a two station xml result showing that the armies will fit in those stations, but i am thinking that they could be one pixel bigger. What do others think, bearing in mind that this will have an overall effect on the map of increasing the size of all the stations/terminals.
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V2) - New Silhouette

Postby Bruceswar on Thu Jun 25, 2009 4:37 am

Bigger is better. :) .. While these rail maps offer a different view to CC, and many do not like them , I say keep on going. :)
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V2) - New Silhouette

Postby cairnswk on Thu Jun 25, 2009 8:33 am

Bruceswar wrote:Bigger is better. :) .. While these rail maps offer a different view to CC, and many do not like them , I say keep on going. :)

Those stations have been upsized on Version 2, thanks Bruceswar :)
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V2) - New Silhouette

Postby captainwalrus on Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:23 pm

Does it have to be do dark and drab? I like how Africa is in a silhouette but the area around that is really dull too. It sort of seems like it doesn't have any attraction to the map. It is like almost as if it is just the rails and nothing else.
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V2) - New Silhouette

Postby cairnswk on Thu Jun 25, 2009 6:42 pm

captainwalrus wrote:Does it have to be do dark and drab? I like how Africa is in a silhouette but the area around that is really dull too. It sort of seems like it doesn't have any attraction to the map. It is like almost as if it is just the rails and nothing else.

So you just think that the drop shadow should be removed on the continent?
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V2) - New Silhouette

Postby el-presidente on Thu Jun 25, 2009 8:49 pm

cairnswk wrote:
captainwalrus wrote:Does it have to be do dark and drab? I like how Africa is in a silhouette but the area around that is really dull too. It sort of seems like it doesn't have any attraction to the map. It is like almost as if it is just the rails and nothing else.

So you just think that the drop shadow should be removed on the continent?

I agree with him, but just getting rid of the drop shadow won't fix that. The only colors in the background are browns or grays. I really don't know what is needed but something needs to be added. I am bad witih feedback, sorry.
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V2) - New Silhouette

Postby Night Strike on Fri Jun 26, 2009 12:35 am

el-presidente wrote:
cairnswk wrote:
captainwalrus wrote:Does it have to be do dark and drab? I like how Africa is in a silhouette but the area around that is really dull too. It sort of seems like it doesn't have any attraction to the map. It is like almost as if it is just the rails and nothing else.

So you just think that the drop shadow should be removed on the continent?

I agree with him, but just getting rid of the drop shadow won't fix that. The only colors in the background are browns or grays. I really don't know what is needed but something needs to be added. I am bad witih feedback, sorry.


Maybe a dull gold/brown with a very grainy feel would be good for this map since the Sahara is the most prominent physical feature of the continent. Putting pyramids on the map would also be nice.

Did you forget a couple of D army circles and a few others? If you want the stations to share the army circle, perhaps put the letters on each side of the circle rather than top/bottom. The top one looks empty with the top/bottom approach.

I don't know if having the letter identifications between each army circle is going to work on the hubs because I can see some major colorblind issues with it.

The DSM station on the right side looks horribly beefed: L should actually be a K and the colors are switched.

H and K lines have too similar of a color to stay together both in the hub and coming out of it.
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Re: RAIL AFRICA

Postby MrBenn on Fri Jun 26, 2009 2:38 pm

I know there's been some recent discussion about more maps of Africa, but I'm not really convinced that this is what people had in mind.
whitestazn88 wrote:i am not the biggest fan of the rail series, although australia is a really cool one that i actually like...i think your time could be better spent on other maps though.
el-presidente wrote:I have never really been that into the rail maps, and IMO, you should focus on your other 4 maps that are in production.
Bruceswar wrote:While these rail maps offer a different view to CC, and many do not like them , I say keep on going. :)
barterer2002 wrote:As someone who enjoys the Rail series Carins I'm looking forward to this one.

Some people like them, some people hate them - I think it's a bit like marmite...
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cairnswk wrote:It would really help me if you guys and others would get into the other four maps in production & give some feedback.

I'd rather see some of the other stuff make it ;-)
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V2) - New Silhouette

Postby barterer2002 on Fri Jun 26, 2009 2:47 pm

Much clearer cairns, thanks. I still think that H and K lines look almost identical in color and would prefer one of them to be a different color but with the clearer station markings I can certainly figure out what is what.

I think I would disagree with those who want to change the coloring substantially in the backgrounds. The tradition of the rail series has been the starker backgrounds. Each of the other three are solid grey/black/brown type maps. I much prefer this background to the one in Australia which I find a little difficult to read (I'm not suggesting to do anything with that one-just comparing the two) and I find this grey to be easier on the eyes that Europe also.
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V2) - New Silhouette

Postby cairnswk on Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:53 pm

Night Strike wrote:Did you forget a couple of D army circles and a few others? If you want the stations to share the army circle, perhaps put the letters on each side of the circle rather than top/bottom. The top one looks empty with the top/bottom approach.

No i haven't forgotten the D army circles, those stations are shared.
We have gone over this before in other maps, and the preference is to place them on top, on the right they get covered by the army numbers, and on the left the width becomes too wide to fit stations in certain places. Thus the vertical placement is preferred.
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V2) - New Silhouette

Postby cairnswk on Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:55 pm

Night Strike wrote:I don't know if having the letter identifications between each army circle is going to work on the hubs because I can see some major colorblind issues with it.

Yes i thought about that also. I will see what other design is appropriate there, but something with the silhouetted style of Africa.

H and K lines have too similar of a color to stay together both in the hub and coming out of it.
:oops: i'll fix.
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Re: RAIL AFRICA

Postby cairnswk on Fri Jun 26, 2009 5:58 pm

MrBenn wrote:...
I'd rather see some of the other stuff make it ;-)

thanks MrBenn for your comments. Let's see how everything pans. ;)
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V2) - New Silhouette

Postby cairnswk on Fri Jun 26, 2009 6:19 pm

barterer2002 wrote:Much clearer cairns, thanks. I still think that H and K lines look almost identical in color and would prefer one of them to be a different color but with the clearer station markings I can certainly figure out what is what.
Colour changed next version to a brown

I think I would disagree with those who want to change the coloring substantially in the backgrounds. The tradition of the rail series has been the starker backgrounds. Each of the other three are solid grey/black/brown type maps. I much prefer this background to the one in Australia which I find a little difficult to read (I'm not suggesting to do anything with that one-just comparing the two) and I find this grey to be easier on the eyes that Europe also.

Yes i thought it was easier on the eyes given all the different colours on it that are reflective of the different African cultures. :)
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V2) - New Silhouette

Postby cairnswk on Fri Jun 26, 2009 6:21 pm

Night Strike wrote: Putting pyramids on the map would also be nice.

As in silhouettes?
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V3)

Postby cairnswk on Sat Jun 27, 2009 3:53 am

Version 3.

1. Removed the dark drop shadow on the continent.
2. Fixed those incorrect station identities
3. Changed the colour on the Inlander Line to brown
4. Inserted a B & W print of the Nairobi Railway Stations in the back ground
5. The legend will probably go for a simple railway type sign as it is very big.

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Last edited by cairnswk on Sat Jun 27, 2009 8:33 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V3)P3 -New Background

Postby captainwalrus on Sat Jun 27, 2009 9:53 am

I like this much better. IS there a bonus for holding the main hubs? Why not?
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V3)P3 -New Background

Postby SultanOfSurreal on Sat Jun 27, 2009 10:46 am

the slats on the rail connections need to be much thinner or the connections be turned back into solid lines. as it stands now, they look like checkerboards.

title needs work too... that is seriously cliche and not very compelling, but i understand not mussing with it now.

really loving the lotus flower-like hubs. great idea.

overall this is looking promising. I've never played the other rail maps but they are interesting, and seeing the concept expanded is exciting.

when are we getting rail antarctica?
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V3)P3 -New Background

Postby gimil on Sat Jun 27, 2009 12:38 pm

Just a small thought cairns.

Why not colour code the part of the legends that decodes territory names with the example you give? Sort of like this:

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Obviously better colour it than I did but you get the idea.

Oh, and your image is a few px to big ;)
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V3)P3 -New Background

Postby captainwalrus on Sat Jun 27, 2009 1:30 pm

The viper (J) is marked as I in a few places.
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V3)P3 -New Background

Postby cairnswk on Sat Jun 27, 2009 3:53 pm

captainwalrus wrote:The viper (J) is marked as I in a few places.

thanks cappy...fixed next version
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V3)P3 -New Background

Postby cairnswk on Sat Jun 27, 2009 3:54 pm

gimil wrote:Just a small thought cairns.

Why not colour code the part of the legends that decodes territory names with the example you give? Sort of like this:

Image

Obviously better colour it than I did but you get the idea.

Oh, and your image is a few px to big ;)

All fixed. Thanks Gimil :)
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V3)P3 -New Background

Postby melech14 on Sat Jun 27, 2009 8:03 pm

this looks like a great map. nice bright/highly contrasting colors - and the black rails - and the white background on territory markers make this easier to read.

if the white territory markers were a bit larger than the number text, then it would be even better.

any idea when this map will be done?
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Re: RAIL AFRICA (V3)P3 -New Background

Postby cairnswk on Sat Jun 27, 2009 8:25 pm

melech14 wrote:this looks like a great map. nice bright/highly contrasting colors - and the black rails - and the white background on territory markers make this easier to read.

if the white territory markers were a bit larger than the number text, then it would be even better.

any idea when this map will be done?


Thanks Melech14 for commenting. We have to get it out of Drafts first, before it even looks like becoming a map.
Version 4 shortly.
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