Sol System Map

No not mars moons, I know they are like asteroids.. I also know about different axis of planets, it's just that the perspective of each lateral & longitudinal line has to follow it's own planet's globe perspective.

The "Stroke" tool is at the bottom of the Layers Window, called Layer Styles.

I will send you a mini test pic if you like that has layers using the tool so that you can select the layer style on the layer itself and see where the tool is and what it and the other styles can do. I'll upload one in a minute and put the link here.
It should help a lot.

http://www.the-inkstore.co.uk/frame/Mini_Test_Layer_Styles.psd

You will have to download it as it is a PSD file with layers.

Will have to do later at home (at work now). Thanks though. I feel like I have a lot of frustrating re work ahead of me. And yeah, I was hopelessly optimistic thinking I was close to being done.

The color change of each region really hurts, as now the borders while on another layer, can't really be changed because the coloring on the planet layers now matches said borders. I think the ring split on Saturn needs to happen between Saturn's eastern edge and Uranus' Western edge, so that Eastern Rings isn't bordering 6 other territories.

Also considering a cross map (Russia to Alaska style) dotted line from Luna to Olympus on Jupiter to avoid the Jupiter border issue by conquering down to the territory "Mars".

aye
this aint workin on my mac
you gotta put it on imageshack or somethin'

http://www.bluemelon.com/photo/4675429.jpg
Try this. A bunch of the older versions have been deleted.

@Urgul, it's a windows Photoshop file. I can't do anything for Mac I'm afraid. It is for cbt711's personal use I must add.

I don't upload anywhere bar my own server.

@cbt711, the stroke border stays with the layer it is used on and when the image is flattened it stays also. You can recolour, reshape or anything you want and the border follows the outline exactly. You can even change the colour & thickness of the border.

Anyway, I hope it all helps you?!

If your map is in layers, I can reshape all the circles and recolour them basic & put the stroke outline on them for you in minutes. You would have to colour them, shade them and texture them how you want them from there. I would have to have the whole layered image as a PSD though?

Yeah I can get that to you! Sorry, I'm not proficient at this at all. I am great at editing manipulating pre existing images, but when you get to graphics, vector imaging basically, I'm lost. 

I can email it to you tonight. It's... uhhhh... lot's of fun? Some layers have the glow background permanantly on the layer (used old school photoshop skills intead of layer blending options, had to merge to shrink moons or Pluto) But Magic select and delete should get rid of the glow on those layers.

I saved a version that doesn't have colored splits I used for the mini map. I think Earth is still color split, but shouldn't matter being Earth and continents being static.

I'll send you both versions of the PSD's when I get home.

I really like the innershadow used on colored sections you did on Italy, I take it that's a pretty standard technique for these?

It seems to be favourable as it resembles old hand drawn maps that defined land with a slight shadow inside its borders.

I'll PM you the email now so you can send me the file.

I think everything pointed out by aeronautic is right but I am not sure that everything need to be arranged. I mean this map has been drawn by free hand like every map of the site (or almost). Aeronautic is the first to use the stroke tool, there are maps where the outlines are very badly traced by hand, like Mediterranean states. I did never say anything about that because it can be considered a style, not a mistake. It is a map, since it is a drawing, not a real country, but still I appreciate more when maps are more accurate, of course. Considering that I would say those are almost perfect circles but still visible that they are drawn by free hand!

I would say this map has a specially childhood style and I like it. It is not a realistic image of the Solar system, but also... doesn't exist any realistic image of it, neither in the best science book you can find whatever under the sun! That's just impossible. The whole map is based on an optical illusion that gives connections between objects that should be considered detached if you consider the image as a realistic image. But this is not, this is a drawing and it is visible. I surely prefer this, rather than other Solar System maps where everything is connected with dashed lines.

That was just to justify why I didn't comment on this subject until now but basically, everything suggested by aeronautic are smart improvements... geometric eye! Since the planets to be perfectly round, the longitudinal lines to be elliptical and coherent. But still I would like to preserve a bit the childhood style... I hope you can understand what I mean.

I have no problem with Western Belt territory touching Ganymede, there is already 2 dead-end territories (Red Spot and Titan), in the Classic map (for comparison) dead-end territories don't exist. The dividers between west and eastern Rings is not wrong but just placed in a bad place, I agree to move it to the right.

I would say even the asteroid Belt it's a bit strange, after passing behind Mars it get immediately so narrow. Plus I don't like how it has been cut on the right side, behind the Moon. and I really cannot understand that whole there.

I am not a fan of the supposed connection between Moon and Jupiter... Do you want to circumnavigate the Universe?? No... that's too much fictional for me! I would prefer to merge Olympus and Zeus. In case, you can even evaluate to slow the count down to 40 territories. Still nobody has made a map with 40 territories where we can set a game with 4 or 5 players and no neutrals.

It seems like Cbt711 is a bit tired. I'm sorry but these are the standards here. Maps are not approved until they are not perfectly looking. In case you can consider to make a break and wait for more feedback, it can be useful to don't waste time doing wrong things. By the way I really like this map and I wish you can finish it shortly... But usually the path is long! Hopefully aeronautic will help you to make it to look better.

I think I can move the line or the moon so that Ganymede touches Western Belt and Jupiter Minor.

Titan can border Saturn North, what should be "Saturn South", and come down to touch Callisto. Then Red spot would be dead end only, and could even be moved to touch Eastern Belt.

Luna can be one territory and Red Dot can be removed for an alt 40 territory version.

That being said, we should get this into a playable state soon. I love picking apart the thing, but game play will show the big needs, more than guessing here.

As for the asteroid hole, it was random when throwing the asteroid graphics together, an asteroid or two can fill it. The belt narrows behind Mars as perspective takes it behind the sun. The belt going away behind the moon, Luna, is needed to avoid confusion, erroneous playable areas. Same with Saturns rings in the background not being there. Like I said, gameplay first, everything else second.

I still see an issue with Occupying Jupiter, then working down to "Mars" the territory, this reduces 3 borders of Jupiter down to 1.

I have done a little base work on the map to allow more manipulation of colour, size or position, especially if you are talking about new connections etc.

I have handed it back to cbt711 for his use.

I agree with the Bishop, that this is a childish map. I guess that's part of why I love it.
For example all the colours of the map are very bright. Usually I prefer them a bit more saturated, but on this map it seems to add to the overall feeling.

I miss the back part of the saturn ring a bit, and don't think it was very confusing. Other maps have islands between two region, but since they don't have a territory circle, it's not confusing at all.

I like the connection line between luna and poseidon, just for the gameplay part of it. Neptune already is soo powerful a region.

On the mars thing, I think that can be fixed by making Ares border Mercury. (So for the 2 border thing he would have to conqueror part of mercury - but by that time it will be occupied already. If not, than he practically won anyways

The Bishop also is right on the asteroid belt. I like the idea of it getting thinner for perspective, but from the sun it seems to get thinner when coming closer to mars. And when it gets closer to mars from the other side, it seems to get wider just before it reaches mars.

Oh, maybe the text on the minimap should get some background glow as well - to comply with the style of the rest of the map.


I think this map is close to completion, but then it's the last part that takes the longest

aeronautic's help has been amazing. I don't mind the high standards when the community is so supporting at the same time. Sorry I was frustrated earlier, as I'm sure it happens to anyone making these time to time.

So the looks and text will be worked out later tonight, thanks largely to aeronautic.

For gameplay, I can't increase Mars' borders any more (already 4 of 7 are borders) so splitting territories on the Mercury border would be very hard to do. 

I could move the Mars / Rover line so that it splits Phobos. So you would have to occupy Mars to defend against Mercury and also hold either Rover Territory to defend against Phobos, or Phobos to defend against Main Asteroid Belt. Even if you advance into the Asteroid belt, you have to hold Main Asteroid Belt AND Mars and Callisto at a minimum. I like that. Anyone else?

Gameplay to do:
1. Eliminate all dead end territories (Red Eye will border Eastern Belt, Ganymede will border Western Belt, Titan will rotate down to border Easter Rings and Callisto - this also takes care of the "missing rings" problem)

2. Split Mars along Phobos border to keep Jupiter power at bay.

3. Move Rings / Eastern Rings border to the right between Saturn and Uranus to nerf Eastern Rings attack points.

Who needs a testing phase? /kidding

Don't remove ALL dead ends. They are nice to shut in a player and make sure that no one can kill them unless they plough through you.
Only titen (for as far as I can see) is really annoying, as its a 2 hop dead end.