Rail Africa [Quenched]

by **cairnswk** on Tue Nov 24, 2009 2:15 am

I have split the small file into small and large maps.

There was an issue in the upscaling from the small to the large and this has been resolved so that there is no longer a one pixel border showing on the left or bottom of the large map.

The master files are now in .png format, but the tests 88s are in opn jpg.

I have also taken the XML to version 9 (AndrewB's last version was V8) now, and i think the centering is more complete now, although i'd like someone with really good eyes to cast that overview please.
KTM -> KRT (as per map) has also been rectified.

And hoping that we get an upload soon

, i think Forza AZ has checked the XML and is OK with that ??

by **cairnswk** on Tue Nov 24, 2009 2:16 am

Current Version 18

PNG Files

Click image to enlarge.

JPG files

Click image to enlarge.

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s282 ... a_V18S.png

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s282 ... a_V18L.png

http://h1.ripway.com/cairnswk/_rail_africa_v9.xml

by **iancanton** on Tue Nov 24, 2009 6:14 pm

there are a few spelling mistakes in the xml. the ones i've noticed are L'Algérian for l'algérien, N'djamena for N'Djamena, Kinshasha for Kinshasa and Capetown for Cape Town.

http://www.lepoint.fr/actualites/2007-1 ... 7/0/214873
http://www.cnrs.fr/cw/fr/pres/compress/ ... iongb.html
http://www.lefigaro.fr/lefigaromagazine ... roique.php
http://www.tourismcapetown.co.za/

as for the equatorial, i believe it's either l'équatorial or la équatoriale, but am not sure which.

ian.

by **ender516** on Wed Nov 25, 2009 1:51 am

iancanton wrote:there are a few spelling mistakes in the xml. the ones i've noticed are L'Algérian for l'algérien, N'djamena for N'Djamena, Kinshasha for Kinshasa and Capetown for Cape Town.

http://www.lepoint.fr/actualites/2007-1 ... 7/0/214873
http://www.cnrs.fr/cw/fr/pres/compress/ ... iongb.html
http://www.lefigaro.fr/lefigaromagazine ... roique.php
http://www.tourismcapetown.co.za/

as for the equatorial, i believe it's either l'équatorial or la équatoriale, but am not sure which.

ian.

I think you're right about those spellings, except that l'algérien should still be capitalized: L'Algérien. Similarly, as I mentioned a while back, it would be L'Équatorial or La Équatoriale, with the former being my preference. Also, it is not uncommon for capital letters in French to omit the accent, but it is not wrong to have it.

by **cairnswk** on Wed Nov 25, 2009 1:56 am

ender516 wrote:
iancanton wrote:there are a few spelling mistakes in the xml. the ones i've noticed are L'Algérian for l'algérien, N'djamena for N'Djamena, Kinshasha for Kinshasa and Capetown for Cape Town.

http://www.lepoint.fr/actualites/2007-1 ... 7/0/214873
http://www.cnrs.fr/cw/fr/pres/compress/ ... iongb.html
http://www.lefigaro.fr/lefigaromagazine ... roique.php
http://www.tourismcapetown.co.za/

as for the equatorial, i believe it's either l'équatorial or la équatoriale, but am not sure which.

ian.

I think you're right about those spellings, except that l'algérien should still be capitalized: L'Algérien. Similarly, as I mentioned a while back, it would be L'Équatorial or La Équatoriale, with the former being my preference. Also, it is not uncommon for capital letters in French to omit the accent, but it is not wrong to have it.

OK, i've made a decision....
L'Algérien will be final. <name>E: L'Algérian</name> in XML
L'Équatorial will be final. <name>I: L'Équatoriale</name> in XML.
I'll adjust the xml and the map, and hope the God I never have to do another French name again.

by **cairnswk** on Wed Nov 25, 2009 2:34 am

iancanton wrote:there are a few spelling mistakes in the xml. the ones i've noticed are L'Algérian for l'algérien, N'djamena for N'Djamena, Kinshasha for Kinshasa and Capetown for Cape Town

These should be final images, with adjusted ticket and xml request change as per above.

Current Version 18

PNG Files

Click image to enlarge.

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s282 ... a_V18S.png

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s282 ... a_V18L.png

http://h1.ripway.com/cairnswk/_rail_africa_v9.xml

by **iancanton** on Wed Nov 25, 2009 2:59 am

i've spotted two others and checked for more suspects, just in case: in the xml, we have swapokmund instead of swakopmund; laayoune is supposed to have a circumflex (â) on the second a.

http://www.swkmun.com.na/
http://www.football.fr/football/maroc/2 ... youne.html

cairnswk wrote:OK, i've made a decision....
L'Algérien will be final. <name>E: L'Algérian</name> in XML
L'Équatorial will be final. <name>I: L'Équatoriale</name> in XML.

the xml says L'Algérian and L'Équatoriale, which is different from ur decision.

the changes below ought to fix the french names.

<name>E: L'Algérien</name>
<name>I: L'Équatorial</name>

ian.

by **cairnswk** on Wed Nov 25, 2009 4:01 am

iancanton wrote:i've spotted two others and checked for more suspects, just in case: in the xml, we have swapokmund instead of swakopmund; laayoune is supposed to have a circumflex (â) on the second a.

http://www.swkmun.com.na/
http://www.football.fr/football/maroc/2 ... youne.html

cairnswk wrote:OK, i've made a decision....
L'Algérien will be final. <name>E: L'Algérian</name> in XML
L'Équatorial will be final. <name>I: L'Équatoriale</name> in XML.

the xml says L'Algérian and L'Équatoriale, which is different from ur decision.

the changes below ought to fix the french names.

<name>E: L'Algérien</name>
<name>I: L'Équatorial</name>

ian.

Bugger, i don't have much luck at times.
Ian, those should all be fixed now.

Thanks for your patience.

by **cairnswk** on Thu Dec 03, 2009 6:04 pm

Current Version 18

PNG Files

Click image to enlarge.

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s282 ... a_V18S.png

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s282 ... a_V18L.png

http://h1.ripway.com/cairnswk/_rail_africa_v9.xml

by **thenobodies80** on Sun Dec 06, 2009 8:17 pm

Some coordinates on the small version seem different from the others, i don't think that it is a real issue... (e.g. N-PRA / I-PTN)
Another small thing is the link between G-ACC and G-LOS, with the 888 the rail is complitely cover, but honestly the game isn't worth the candle.

Well done, this map is ready for the man with the bowler hat

Nobodies

by **cairnswk** on Sun Dec 06, 2009 8:42 pm

thenobodies80 wrote:Some coordinates on the small version seem different from the others, i don't think that it is a real issue... (e.g. N-PRA / I-PTN)
Another small thing is the link between G-ACC and G-LOS, with the 888 the rail is complitely cover, but honestly the game isn't worth the candle.

Well done, this map is ready for the man with the bowler hat

Nobodies

NB...
i checked the coordinates for:
1. N-PRA, M-PRA and J-PRA and the small map x coordinate is all at <smallx>428</smallx>
2. Both PTN I & J are <smallx>319</smallx>
3. I appreciate the 888 covers the rail at ACC, but since that is not a station where a large army might be lodged for protection, i don't think it will be an issue.

Thanks for the stamp.

by **MrBenn** on Tue Dec 08, 2009 4:53 pm

Are these the absolute final links?

cairnswk wrote:Current Version 18

PNG Files

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s282/cairnswk/RAIL%20AFRICA/_rail_africa_V18S.png

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s282/cairnswk/RAIL%20AFRICA/_rail_africa_V18L.png

http://h1.ripway.com/cairnswk/_rail_africa_v9.xml

by **cairnswk** on Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:01 pm

MrBenn wrote:Are these the absolute final links?

cairnswk wrote:Current Version 18

PNG Files

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s282/cairnswk/RAIL%20AFRICA/_rail_africa_V18S.png

http://i155.photobucket.com/albums/s282/cairnswk/RAIL%20AFRICA/_rail_africa_V18L.png

http://h1.ripway.com/cairnswk/_rail_africa_v9.xml

Yes MrBenn, thanks

by **MrBenn** on Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:02 pm

Thanks cairns ;-)

by **MrBenn** on Tue Dec 08, 2009 5:06 pm

Beta - Quenching

---The Final Forge period has concluded for the Rail Africa Map. All objections have had their time. The Foundry and I hereby brand this map with the Foundry Beta Brand. Let it be known that this map is now ready for BETA Play. After an extended period of time in BETA and once all quirks and issues have been resolved, the map will be put into Full Play (barring any Lack vetoes).

Conquer Club, enjoy!

by **captainwalrus** on Tue Dec 08, 2009 7:50 pm

Congrats on this and on Jamaica, Carnis!

by **AndrewB** on Thu Dec 10, 2009 1:27 pm

Hey, sweet, great job, cairns!

by **dolomite13** on Wed Dec 30, 2009 11:26 pm

a few spots open in this game come playtest with us =)

http://www.conquerclub.com/player.php?s ... gn=6184673

=D=

by **hzogpsk** on Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:47 am

The map looks great and eager to play.

One thing I noticed in my first game on the board is that there were 5 neutrals to start in a 4 person game.
http://www.conquerclub.com/game.php?game=6192502

by **hzogpsk** on Thu Dec 31, 2009 8:58 am

hzogpsk wrote:The map looks great and eager to play.

One thing I noticed in my first game on the board is that there were 5 neutrals to start in a 4 person game.
http://www.conquerclub.com/game.php?game=6192502

I checked another game that just got started. Three of the same regions are neutral: ATV-O, TUN-E and CAI-C. I've checked a few other games and it seems to be the same case with those three defaulted to neutral at the start. Is that supposed to be the case?

by **cairnswk** on Thu Dec 31, 2009 9:36 am

hzogpsk wrote:
hzogpsk wrote:The map looks great and eager to play.

One thing I noticed in my first game on the board is that there were 5 neutrals to start in a 4 person game.
http://www.conquerclub.com/game.php?game=6192502

I checked another game that just got started. Three of the same regions are neutral: ATV-O, TUN-E and CAI-C. I've checked a few other games and it seems to be the same case with those three defaulted to neutral at the start. Is that supposed to be the case?

Yes, it is to balance the drop so no-one gets the upper hand in the first round/s on small bonus lines.
Thanks for asking....and Happy New year.

by **ender516** on Fri Jan 01, 2010 12:45 pm

Well, I'm enjoying my first game on this map: Game 6196012. Of course, dropping all 5 Cape Town stations has been a tremendous boost! One of the other players was also muttering about 4 of my troops withstanding 11 attackers, so I guess I'm holding my horseshoes just right today. I don't want to jinx it, but if I can go on and take this from two lieutenants, it will make me smile.

by **natty dread** on Tue Jan 05, 2010 2:56 pm

Sorry if this has been mentioned already... but has anyone noticed that 5 player games start with 15 territories each? This makes it a bit unfair: the first two or so players will almost inevitably start with more troops, if they both conquer a territory from one of the last three guys.

Although, this is just a minor glitch, and if there is no convenient way to correct it, then just let it be. But I just thought I'd mention it.

Again, I'm terribly sorry if this is irrelevant, or has already been mentioned. I just wanted to help. Don't hold it against me... please.

by **cairnswk** on Tue Jan 05, 2010 3:23 pm

iancanton wrote:
cairnswk wrote:does the Ivory Coast Express bonus increase from 3 to 4 or stay the same?

with consecutive non-border stations, this will be the only bonus that resembles the archetypal rail usa bonus. +3 is perfectly good, though i'm happy with +4 too if u prefer that.

cairnswk wrote:Towards starting positions....answer these for me please....assuming there is a drop where nobody benefits from bonuses
1. If you have 26 stations for 2/3 players, how many does the first player get?
2. If you have 19 stations for 4 players, how many does the first player get?
3. If you have 15 stations for 5 players, doesn't someone lose out as soon as they loose a territory?

26 stations gives 8 to deploy, 19 gives 6 and 15 gives 5. 15 stations each isn't a good number, but 5-player is one of the least popular formats, whereas 6-player, for example, is the only number possible for someone who wants to gain a triples medal. i've just checked the similar-sized forbidden city, which has 85 finished 5-player games compared with 281 4-player and 167 6-player games; neither of the latter formats is well-served by having only 74 non-neutral stations.

cairnswk wrote:If ian and nobodies want start positions, where do you want them placed, because to my way of thinking they have to be very strategic in order to stop any first players losing bonuses as a result of the first round assaults.

if we have ATV-O neutral (because la madagascan is the easiest bonus to hold) plus 78 starting stations, then how about LYN-E with CAI-C for start position 1 and TUN-E with PSN-C for start position 2? i don't like TUN-E with CAI-C so much because that combination becomes strong if BGZ happens to drop in this player's favour. in 1v1, it's not easy to conquer 3 of ur opponent's stations on turn 1. in 3v3, conquering 2 stations on turn 1 is also against the odds. in 2v2, player 1 has maybe a 60% chance of being able to conquer 2 stations to reduce player 2's deployment to 5 troops while rolling sensibly, but there's not much we can do about this unless we have 80 non-neutral stations (and we're already pressed for room in the most likely locations).

is there a different abbreviation that u can use for khartoum, perhaps KRT? i always find myself thinking kathmandu when i see KTM, but maybe that's just me!

ian.

natty_dread wrote:Sorry if this has been mentioned already... but has anyone noticed that 5 player games start with 15 territories each? This makes it a bit unfair: the first two or so players will almost inevitably start with more troops, if they both conquer a territory from one of the last three guys.

Although, this is just a minor glitch, and if there is no convenient way to correct it, then just let it be. But I just thought I'd mention it.

Again, I'm terribly sorry if this is irrelevant, or has already been mentioned. I just wanted to help. Don't hold it against me... please.

please refer to the discussion above between myself anf iancanton.

by **grunion** on Fri Jan 08, 2010 6:29 am

New to this thread. Looks like a great map, looking forward to playing it. I think the text "ABA-O connects only with DSM-M" is confusing - doesn't it connect with ATV-O? If you mean to explicitly state no connection to DSM-K then I think it should be stated that way. If there is indeed no ABA=O to ATV-O connection (?!) then erase the rail line between them.

Thanks for the work on this, I like the rail series and this looks like the best one yet.