Italy

A map of Italy with 81 territories. Suitable from 6 to 9 players.

http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q700/Photo_Bishop/Italia81_zps2f1e7936.jpg?t=1390080316

This is only a draft to study game-play. Provinces are 95% real, same for the river and the mountains. There are 4 seas with 3 ports each, I hope you like them. Corsica really is not part of Italy but the effect is nice, I guess and hope it can stay. The little blue region in the NW is 1 province only (Aosta) and it should be merged with the yellow one. Where I merge some provinces or regions I do it respecting the history of that area. I know it because it's my country, I hope you trust me.

Here another version with bonuses and some little optionable modifications: 2 small regions merged in the south and 2 short sea-connections added in the south.
http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q700/Photo_Bishop/Italia81-bonuses_zps84f2c2a1.jpg
I have also ideas about capitals... but still not ready. Then I think it's too much for the first show. First of all the deathmatch game-play... capitals later!

One more problem is the north-south height. I was thinking to draw it with a bit of deformation. Something like this:
http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q700/Photo_Bishop/provaritaglio_zpsd84246f4.jpg
Is that okay?

What do you all think?
Aero, do you like? Do you suggest some modifications?

I am going to snatch this away for Matty: ports. While ports are an easy way to fix connectivity on a stretched map, they also have a very specific thing to them that is not always "fun" for some people. Just saying that we already have Westeros for a map with ports. I would be more interested to see something without ports, but that is just my opinion.

Otherwise I have no clue about gameplay, so I can't give you a lot of feedback on that right now. Maybe I will look at a later version when I have more time.

I like it. I can get to work on this almost straight away.

With regard to ports, sometimes the territories are so untouchable across the land that ports are essential for fair play, I don't see that it is any different to a link line from one land mass to another, but that's just me!

As it is difficult to guess what you have in mind, it would help if you gave me your thoughts on what you planned to do next and what you want the finished product to be, in full description and allow me to sift through it all bit by bit.

I have other Italy maps as reference too, as well as Italian territory maps & voting maps etc.

Well, about ports you just wrote exactly what I think. I don't have a clear idea of the finished product so you can feel free to use the style you like best. By the way I think colors as they are in my draft are not so bad.

What to do next now is restart from zero drawing the outlines. That was a bad draft. Here is the file:
http://i1354.photobucket.com/albums/q700/Photo_Bishop/Italian_regions_provinces_zps73d82689.jpg
Originally it was a very detailed svg file. I ruined it a bit loading it on that image hosting site as a jpg. But I think it's still worth.

If you want I can do the 'lines job', then you will do the rest. But I need to know how thick lines should be. Also if you like better to draw the map in large size and then reduce it or if you like to work directly in finished size.

It must be 1024 pixels wide, from what I know. And height... as less as possible, to avoid annoying scrolls. Also, look my third link, it give me the idea it would be nice to make the map to looks like it is laid over a table, you know, giving the perspective. It would be a good trick to reduce the height and at the same time having a nice look.

Don't do anything with the outlines, I can do them in seconds with the "Stroke" tool.

JPEG's can keep all the high quality of a drawing, it must have been that you had file size restrictions in the place you uploaded. That won't be the case with my own server. When outlined, I will upload it to show you.

Yes I like the table layout version too.

It will be 1024 X ?

It's better to work 1 to 1 in size, you won't get any strange changes or un-readability then as you won't be reducing it.

I am not skilled at all in painting things with photoshop like things (I hope its clear in my wording how unskilled I am).

But I heard from quite a number of ppl that are better than me that it's a good idea to start with twice the size, and then resize the final version.



I know I regret making my guitar avatar exactly this size, but maybe that is because at some other places they require larger avatars.

Only a couple of things I can notice by just glancing at the map:
1.) Corsica is part of France, why is it part of the map territories? I don't think it's really needed....
2.) 4 port colors? That could confuse many!

I have a hunch why you would want to do a Italy map.... lol

The reason I would say work 1 to 1 in size, is in graphics there is one golden rule; generally you can shrink, but not enlarge an image, otherwise you lose the quality and so, even though you can take it from twice the size to the required size without many problems, it does mean that you have to shrink it to size before you do the text or (a) the text may be too small (b) the text may be totally unreadable. (c) lines & fine details become blurred instead of crisp.

The only way you can double the size of the image is if you double the resolution as well. That way, when you shrink it to the required size, it will be the size and resolution you need, but then you might as well have worked 1 to 1 if the finished image is going to be 1024 anyway, which is quite a big resolution for optimised graphics.

Photoshop overcomes a lot of shrinking & enlarging problems, but some programs just use the pixels next to a changed pixel on shrinking / enlarging to decide the colour, saturation & opacity of the pixel thus deciding the new look of the changed image.

Anyway, by my experience, if you are mixing text with graphics in 1024 resolution, it is always better to work on the scale of 1 to 1.

With regard to which provinces should be included in the Italy map, I would let The_Bishop decide, as it is his homeland and he will know what is historically correct and necessary.

I live in the UK in the sticking out bit of the South of the Yellow region on the GB & Ireland Map and it is certainly not in the county of Gwent as labelled, it is Glamorgan. I understand there can only be so many territories, but Glamorgan is vastly bigger than Gwent in the southern regions and covers the 2 main cities in Wales (Yellow Region) including the Capital city. I don't know where -NOXON- is from in the world, but if not from the UK, then consultation with a UK native may have been a good idea. This is all to stress my point that an Italian should have the say on the territories and districts in the Italy map.

Also the territory called Donegal actually is part of Ireland, not Northern Ireland that is a U.K. region... But who made that map evaluated it was better in that way as a game map. Also there are 2 maps of the United States, both are not including Alaska, more or less it's the same reason that I want to include Corsica in the Italian map.

Plus Corsicans speak a language very similar to Italian, that island has never been Italian, but well Italy was born in 1861, before that there was a lot of very little states and Corsica had in his history surely more relations with Sardinia, Tuscany and Genova (nowadays Italy) than France. Just to give you some more information.

It would be weird for me to have that territory in the middle of the map but non-playable. If I have to remove Corsica from the game then I would delete all the non-play area, I mean not drawing all the non-Italian land. But then it would be weird to put the names of the seas (that are related to the colors of ports) when the seas are not visible... Plus, it doesn't change a lot but I like a bit better the gameplay with the Corsica counted in. For example it give me the possibility to set a capital inside Sardinia (the island south of Corsica) with 3 ways out.

In few words... I already thought a lot about Corsica. For me it's better if it stays. My suggestion is to give it a grey color similar or equal to the non-play area. So it will be clear we are not stupid, we know Corsica is not Italian but for game reason we decided to include it. It cannot cause confusion because circles are there to show those territories are in play. I'm gonna ask also my brother what he think...

I forgot to say @ aeronautic. I'm going to send you an image with the names of the territories, just to avoid that problem you was speaking about. Where I merged 2 provinces I want the territories labelled with the name that is the most important for that area.

Hokay
I understand why you need to add in Corsica, but what about the 4 port colors? 4.... is quite a lot. Sure, Westeros has two different port colors, but that was because of the sides and everything.
Plus, this Italy map isn't as big as Westeros, is it? Westeros is like the largest or second largest on the site...
Also, when I look at the key, that says 'ports of the same color can attack each other', the bright green and yellow burned my eyes against the light green ocean.... no other map makes my eyes strain.

Yes, personally, I can see this map played on d12, and I congradulate you for starting one, but there isnt even a texture yet.... this map has a long way to go.

Finally:
Keep it up and dont stop working on it!

urgulllllll

There will be texture soon enough. The Port colours too will not only be toned down, but emphasised more in contrast. If 4 is the requirement by The_Bishop, would it be a problem to program? If not I will continue with the 4 ports that The_Bishop has designed.

Ports are no problem in programming, but personally I think making a dashed line from one territory to another over the sea with a tiny ship image in it look better, and be clearer.

That way you are actually also stimulated to leave out some of those lines over the sea, making stuff less over-connected.

It's not that big a problem if one side of the map cannot reach the other side in 4 hops or less....


But it's your map, you should do whatever you want of course.


I agree with Aero on Great Britain and Ireland (NoXoN is not from there for as far as I know), but to me it doesn't matter - it's an absolutely great map to play on, though the graphics (textures) might use a new touch here and there by now.

Back to Italy, I think corsica should be in, and can be given a different colour, even a bit similar to neutral, but be careful not to make it too similar.
First rule in webdesign: ppl are stupid and don't look properly at things, not even if it's a riskmap.

Well, sorry that was on another thread, delete it please

Cireon: done
Whoops, colours not working yet. I will work on that soon. Just pretend that text is red

I can't understand why you hate the 4 color ports idea but, okay I think is not a problem to change them as dashed lines.

Draft

Draft_bonuses

Always the same images, just repeated the links for the ease to see at them.