In the works
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Vexer wrote:
From the head cartographers corner thread:

- Korea Japan - reviewing the gameplay and making changes. Territory names need to be reviewed as well. Making small changes like sharpening up the text.

More specifically I am changing the locations of the ports and checking that the territory names are correct. I had someone to help me do it but he resigned so it is taking longer than expected. I am also still busy looking at the westeros caps.

I have found at least one error in the territory names, could you tell me what font you used so I can fix it?
Thorpe wrote:
will look into it. From now on I will put the font name on my text layers, this should be for all mapmakers.
95.5% of the time you kill a players cap before your 2nd turn in... you fail or die next
The_Bishop wrote:
Ultra-connectivity is the death of the gameplay.

Notice that:
2 ports = 1 connection;
3 ports = 3 connections;
4 ports = 6 connections;
5 ports = 10 connections;
6 ports = 15 connections;
...
12 ports = 66 connections!

I think they should be halved or turned in 3 different colors.
«God doesn't play dice with the World» ~ Albert Einstein
Thorpe wrote:
Found the font
DomoAregato
95.5% of the time you kill a players cap before your 2nd turn in... you fail or die next
Leedog wrote:
I understand your were looking for a font to represent a Japanese look, but if I had to translate some of the words into a more clearable print... couldn't do it!!
Vexer wrote:
OK, while trying to redo the text to make it sharper I had a hard time making sure the right label was on the right territory because of inaccuracies in the map. I decided that the whole outline needed to be redone from scratch.

Now I understand part of why Thorpe stretched, skewed and move things around so that both countries would fit nicely on a map but the result made it really hard to get the territory lines correct. The new version has mostly the same overall shape but with more details and more accurate boundaries. Japan has been bent a bit, stretched and moved closer toward Korea (and downward quite a bit). The island Hokkaido was shrunk to make it fit better.

What I did was first make an accurate outline and territory boundaries and then distort them together instead of drawing a distorted outline first and then drawing the boundaries. Korea was stretched a bit to make each territory a little wider so that it would fit the territory label better.

The map now has 52 territories. If a few of the territories seem scrunched it's because I had to fit two more. The first result produced 50 usable sized territories but 50 is not allowed because it gives an unfair advantage to the player who goes first in 4 player games so a had to find a way to fit 2 more.

The game play is completely different and I think much better. There are more regions with fewer territories to defend.

The two regions in North Korea can be modified. South Korea can be split up but I like having it as 1 region with 9 territories and 3 borders to defend like North America on the world map. The regions in japan are mostly based on real regions and I would prefer not to change them. The exception is that the Chukogu region has been combined with the island underneath it. They can be broken up if needed. I'm willing to make minor modifications to territory boundaries to enhance game play but I would prefer not to because I spent a lot of time make this map as accurate as possible.

Ports can be added or taken away they are completely arbitrary.

You'll notice that the text is a little large. This was the smallest I could make it and still have it be clear with this font. If it's too much of a problem then we will have to try a different font. I do like the style of this font but I don't like how much space it takes up.

Thorpe is going to fix the texture layers and make the map look like it looked before.

The purpose of posting this stripped down texture-less version is to get the players to comment and focus on the game play first.

http://dominating12.com/forums/Map_Creation_Forum_Images/Korea%20and%20Japan%20Risk%20Map1.jpg
Cireon wrote:
The new gameplay looks pretty nice. It might be a bit hard to tell if Mie can attack Shizuoka, so maybe make the border between those countries a little bit larger to make it more clear.

The ports I am a bit unsure of. There are, if I count correctly, 7 ports, resulting in 42 (= 7*6) new connections on the map. That is a lot. I think there are currently a bit too many ports, so you could try and reduce the amount or limit the way you can travel between them (for example different coloured ports).

About the font: I live the style. I find it way more interesting than the previous theme you went with for this map. However, as you already said: it takes up a lot of space and I still find the names hard to read. So if you really want to go with this font, make it a little larger. Otherwise I am afraid you have to go for another font, though I would keep the style of the font.
“This is how humans are: We question all our beliefs, except for the ones that we really believe in, and those we never think to question.”
- Speaker for the Dead, O.S. Card
Thorpe wrote:
Why is there a territory line up in China..does it need a name?
95.5% of the time you kill a players cap before your 2nd turn in... you fail or die next
Vexer wrote:
Can't go any larger on the font. Nothing will fit.

I forgot to mention that the ports were chosen to be on territories that were already borders and had space to fit the port icon. If you make a suggestion for a port change then choose a territory that has room for the port icon.

I completely disagree with both The_Bishop and Cireon about there being too many ports. Your argument is that it makes too many connections. But why do you say that it's too many? What makes more connections bad? I don't have time to argue my point of view right now but I will later.

@Thorpe it's dead zone but it's not china. The part to the right of the line is Russia. I'm not sure it's a big enough chunk of land to require a label. But people familiar with the area will know why the line is there.
The_Bishop wrote:
I like this version better than the previous.

The geografical distortion is not very noticeable if you are not expert of that area.
52 is a good number of territories. Thanks Vexer, you are the only map-maker that let me know it in advance. Number of territories is an important element of the game-play.

I like the more defendable regions and the reduced ports. I would get rid of the one in Tokyo Bay, being alone on the ocean and even close to another port. I would move the one in Hyogo to Tottori for "regional" reasons... There is not room enougth I know, but maybe the name can stay on the sea? And also Miyazaky is not very necessary for me. 5 ports in total, but if you like 7, no problem for me.

@Cireon: I would say 21 connections with double direction.
n*(n-1)/2 = sum(1 to n-1)
«God doesn't play dice with the World» ~ Albert Einstein
Matty wrote:
I like the font exactly how it is now, and it will be really hard to improve it. Its readable well enough, and the style is absolutely lovely.

I think the bonus for Hamgyong (NW) should be two, because its safely away in a corner of the map, and by taking S. Pyongan only has two borders to defend.

I agree that the port in Tokyo bay is a bit lonely, but I like having an extra port somewhere over there. If it wasn't there, it would be difficultier to reach the other side of japan, especially if someone takes the Kansai region. If you have less ports, taking that region would be more dangerous, cause all kinds of mean ppl might decide to pick a route straight through it.

Oh, I liked Thorpe's graphics better xD - great job Vexer, thanks!


(And o_O Cireon, TheBisshop is right, its 21 connections, check your number theory)
"Strength doesn't lie in numbers, strength doesn't lie in wealth. Strength lies in nights of peaceful slumbers." ~Maria
Vexer wrote:
but matty it is not safe up there in the corner. it has a port so it can be broken from many places and in this case it should definitely be broken. Smart experienced players will know to place armies there to discourage someone from going for that region in the beginning.

@The_bishop, I chose to have a port in tokyo bay because it suits my strategy. I can take that small region and no others and not be viewed as a threat but when it's time to kill I will have troops ready to go on a port.

I'll show you what it looks like to move the Hyogo port to Tottori after thorpe gives us an update for the graphics. It is possible but not pretty.

I like miyazaki as a port because it give some real power to that small region. I want people to know that they must attack certain powerful regions to prevent that player from winning. I am trying to design the new maps to encourage attacking in order to prevent stalemates when the game is full of experienced players. I want many ports so that two strong players don't have an excuse not to attack each other. They can't say that they can't reach each other.

@Cireon, I will increase the border size between Mie and shizuoka.
Cireon wrote:
Border looks great, thanks!

However, at some places the background of the territories looks really dark, so you can't see the borders anymore.
“This is how humans are: We question all our beliefs, except for the ones that we really believe in, and those we never think to question.”
- Speaker for the Dead, O.S. Card