[Abandoned] Classic Cities: Cairo

[koontz1973]

Cheers IH, it is one of the things that keeps stopping me on this one. I really want to make it but I just cannot get the right angle on how to do it. I saw your old one and thought about that, tried to go like Madrid but stopped that so I am trying to go down the Coptic Cairo route right now.

[Seamus76]

Cheers IH, it is one of the things that keeps stopping me on this one. I really want to make it but I just cannot get the right angle on how to do it. I saw your old one and thought about that, tried to go like Madrid but stopped that so I am trying to go down the Coptic Cairo route right now.

I wouldn't kill yourself too much on this one. The intrigue, novelty, and excitement will come from the conditional border gameplay. Just about everything else will be gravy, if you know what I mean, so don't let all the other stuff keep you from working on it.

[koontz1973]

I am not, it is just that to work on a map, I need to believe in it. Right now, the GP is pretty freaking sweet and is going to blow players minds, but graphics, are just not going the way I want them to. I wanted similarities with Jakarta but better and that is not happening right now.

[Seamus76]

I am not, it is just that to work on a map, I need to believe in it. Right now, the GP is pretty freaking sweet and is going to blow players minds, but graphics, are just not going the way I want them to. I wanted similarities with Jakarta but better and that is not happening right now.

Certainly understandable. It will come though.

[koontz1973]

Completely new map.
Resized the playing board to give more room to the middle.
Territs (not sure if this has worked) are now walled.
Added the six buildings and winning condition to these. Added a +1 bonus for them.
Worked out the conditional borders, I think I have them optimised now.

Click image to enlarge.

[generalhead]

Map is looking good. I like the raised earth affect.

Some of the water looks good, but then some of it looks like it has holes in it.

The raised earth under the water looks a little strange. I don't know if it would look good like the water or just not their

I think it would look good to have the edge of the water a little more pronounced.

I think the bridges look a little too plain and they look like the walls too much.

for the bridges it would be nice to see something completely different.

I see that you were trying to blend in the Cairo title, but I think it blends in too much. Maybe a little more color would look good.

I am not a big fan of the legend, it is a little too plain; here is something I came up with utilizing some Egypt coins.
You might not like it and it is not very good, but maybe it will give you some ideas.

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I love inspirational pictures

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[koontz1973]

Cheers gh, still trying to find the right way forward with this one. Might take me a long time to find the right approach though. Jakarta took 3 months to find the right way forward, Mags took the same amount. Not in any rush with this one. Looked at the coins earlier and did not like them. Not liking the buildings this time around.

The problem I have gh, is I look for something new. This is not new. The only thing new about this map is the borders but graphically I need something to stimulate me and Cairo at the moment is not. But I will get their in the end. Any ideas on a style this should be in?

[generalhead]

Cheers gh, still trying to find the right way forward with this one. Might take me a long time to find the right approach though. Jakarta took 3 months to find the right way forward, Mags took the same amount. Not in any rush with this one. Looked at the coins earlier and did not like them. Not liking the buildings this time around.

The problem I have gh, is I look for something new. This is not new. The only thing new about this map is the borders but graphically I need something to stimulate me and Cairo at the moment is not. But I will get their in the end. Any ideas on a style this should be in?

San Mairno is about the only thing out there that I liken this too.
I think we can do way better that that though.

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Here are a few map that will maybe spark some inspiration.
One of the city

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I like the foreground on this one

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another of the city

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I liked the background on this map

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The magnifying glass effect on this one was cool even though it is corny

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another of the city with long and lat lines

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Some of the colors on this one were cool

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I know these might not help, but you never know what will set off that spark.
Sorry I don't have any more input.
Maybe make the map a little more simple; you might be trying to go to an extreme where sometimes simple is better.
It might help fill in the map to add some no play zones also.

[koontz1973]

Thanks for those gh.

[generalhead]

This is just a thought and could be completely wrong.

I wonder if this game play would work better on a more creative map.
This being a Cairo I wonder if a more simple game play would work and open up more graphic options for you.
Is the game play holding you up from doing some thing different on this map?

I love the game play so I am not saying that. I am just asking if this is the map you want to use this awesome game play on
or should this map have a more simple game play and the uber conditional border game play could be used on a more creative map.

You could still have conditional borders on this, but maybe to just get in and out of the bonus regions.

A map like Vertex/ Austrum would have been a neat map for this game play (or some thing of that sorts).

Don't be mad at me.
Like I said I am probably wrong on this I just wanted to throw it out there.

[koontz1973]

I wonder if this game play would work better on a more creative map.

Never get mad, but creative is what I need and must have or the map will die.

[koontz1973]

Spent the last few hours getting creative. Nothing too fancy with this one. But should be a fun map to play.

Apart from the backing, a lot has changed. Territ names text needs to go and a new one found but that I can do over the course of this week.

Click image to enlarge.

[generalhead]

Now this is looking sweet.
two things. the area that has bridge land bridge in the north is missing a territory name.
The water looks like it has a peak in the middle.

I really the the color and shading of the water
land looks good, I really like the texture
territory borders look really really good

Game play
This is a super unique game play and I love it.

[nolefan5311]

I haven't read the whole thread, so forgive me if this has already been answered, but when a border becomes "blocked", does that break the chain of connected territories? If so, that is going to be a nightmare to code and I don't even know if it's possible. Either way, I think you should mention that somewhere on the map.

[koontz1973]

two things. the area that has bridge land bridge in the north is missing a territory name.
The water looks like it has a peak in the middle.

No name for that island as it is not one, but will make it clear it belongs to one or the other. The water is dipped, not peaked.

I haven't read the whole thread, so forgive me if this has already been answered, but when a border becomes "blocked", does that break the chain of connected territories? If so, that is going to be a nightmare to code and I don't even know if it's possible. Either way, I think you should mention that somewhere on the map.

Borders will become impassable like a mountain so yes, when one becomes blocked, it breaks the chain. Yes to placing it onto map to make it super clear. As for the nightmare to code, I do not see it as too big a problem. Normal continents with 4 large ones with required and override tags should sort this out.

[koontz1973]

Added the text about bonuses being blocked.
Removed offending bridges.
Top territ has been removed as it is not part of Cairo, I just used it to get around but added more bridges to allow this.
Brought territ names out more till I find a font I will use.
Bridges still need to be redone.

Click image to enlarge.

[nolefan5311]

two things. the area that has bridge land bridge in the north is missing a territory name.
The water looks like it has a peak in the middle.

No name for that island as it is not one, but will make it clear it belongs to one or the other. The water is dipped, not peaked.

I haven't read the whole thread, so forgive me if this has already been answered, but when a border becomes "blocked", does that break the chain of connected territories? If so, that is going to be a nightmare to code and I don't even know if it's possible. Either way, I think you should mention that somewhere on the map.

Borders will become impassable like a mountain so yes, when one becomes blocked, it breaks the chain. Yes to placing it onto map to make it super clear. As for the nightmare to code, I do not see it as too big a problem. Normal continents with 4 large ones with required and override tags should sort this out.

I trust your ability code it, lol...like to see if you can make it work.

Also, I think the Nile should be more prominent in the gameplay here. We're talking about one of, if not the most, important river in the history of civilization and it's not even labeled on the map. Perhaps add a winning condition about holding a certain amount of consecutive territories along the Nile, or increase the bonuses, or something?

Regardless, I think this is probably ready to be moved over to the MFW, so I will go ahead and sticky it for a couple of days.

[koontz1973]

Cheers nole, what sort of WC did you have in mind. I have the bog standard one now but do you have anything creative to add?

How about the multiplier in the new xml feature? Hold all Nile territs and double the bonuses?
Or
How about using the burial urns to attack the underworld (symbol between the figures) and have that as a multiplier?
Or
As you said, hold all Nile territs to win. This would then become the only WC and have the urns as the auto deploy only?
Or another idea:
Only allow the Nile to be crossed if you hold a certain amount of territs. You hold 15 and you can jump across the Nile. 14 or 16 you cannot. Or a range like that?

[ManBungalow]

Out of interest, who sticky'd this thread?

[nolefan5311]

I do like the multiplier idea, that would be interesting, and the winning condition of holding all of the Nile territs, or 8 consecutive, or something like that. The Nile crossing idea might be too much to deal with lol.

Out of interest, who sticky'd this thread?

I did.

[koontz1973]

Will change the winning condition and the multiplier.

Out of interest, who sticky'd this thread?

Not me, not allowed to.

I did.

Blame him, I normally do.

[koontz1973]

I know I will disappoint some with the graphics on this one. Not that their is anything wrong with them, but they are just boring and doing a complete city again is getting old, I promise to make the next one far more interesting. But I do believe that the game play is going to knock the socks of some players.
Has anyone got any idea on how to do the bridges? I am at a loss with them.
Also, the image under the legend was to over powering and made the text hard to read so will not put one there.

Click image to enlarge.

[nolefan5311]

I still think you need to actually label the Nile. And holding ALL regions adjacent to the Nile is damn near impossible...from my count, that's 21 regions.

[nolefan5311]

Went ahead and moved this though (and forgot to leave the shadow topic in place...my apologies)

[Seamus76]

I really like the border. I think you need to bring out "Cairo" more at the top, as well as include some label of the Nile as mentioned previously. Nothing to bold though. I also like the "Egyptian" pic, but I feel like it has a little too much empty space. Needs some glyphs in the back, like most images seem to have. Also, what does the text say at the bottom right? "Seamus76 rules"?

Also, burial urn in the legend should be hold ANY, not AND right?

Has anyone got any idea on how to do the bridges? I am at a loss with them.

What do you think of this? Might need to be scaled down just a bit, but it's a Seamus76 original, and I would be happy to throw it your way.

Click image to enlarge.