If you look at real Ordinance Survey Maps, you will notice that islands that are off the map are sometimes brought into the map and placed in a box with information of where they really reside. Therefore you could bring in some outer islands if you wish and use them as extra non-bonus regions (stepping stones for connectivity / game-play).
There are lots of on line sites to download fonts, so if you want to use a Maori font for Aotearoa, go ahead and do so.
Remember it is not just 45 territories that are forbidden, it's 45 to 51, so if you are going to add any territories you have to add 8 at least.
I didn't want to get into graphics yet as I am still looking at the current game play, but 3D bridges are less preferred and harder to make nice and not cheesy. Most people tend to like the suggestion of a bridge with map like symbols, but in the case of game boards, we also colour them with the colours of what they connect, so if 2 different regions, the bridges will have 2 colours. Inland seas and lakes are preferred without water colour, normally just showing the background and rivers have a suggested requirement of being blue with white outlines, blended at the estuary and an even width, as narrow as possible (usually about 3 pixels) to suit the map scale.
I will make you some mountains for this map when you are ready for them. (I don't want a credit on the map, I acquired a good understanding of what works and will simply send you the semi transparencies).
Try to remember the invaluable aesthetics tip I gave you about map viewing angle and the brains perception of 3D instead of forced 3D. This is why 3D bridges are so difficult, they mess up the perceived viewing angle.
Take a look at the mountains on Italia, there are many ways to draw mountains on maps and the reason they took so long to get right was that I was constantly making mountains that were at the same angle as the map, i.e. 90 degrees to your actual viewing angle and although I was getting frustrated with how many hours went into each type and then got outright rejected, I always knew they weren't right, but couldn't fathom why. I eventually looked at 100's of old maps that traditionally used graphic depictions instead of the modern 2D symbols and I noticed everything graphic was drawn at a 30 degree angle (approximately). It was then that I realised how the brain sees these things and what it makes of them.
The early cartographers were very clever people and that is why old hand drawn maps are not just a page of mathematical & geographical genius, but a piece of art too.
We call ourselves cartographers, but have no part in the weeks, months and years of endless journeys, triangulation & mathematics as well as piecing it all together and creating an accurate model of land as seen from the air before flight was mastered.
We are simply copying from an endless supply of resources available at the click of a mouse button and making it into a nice looking game board. I recently went to lots of other risk sites to see where we are in the "cartography" scale and I can say without fear of contradiction that across the card, D12 recently became number 1. I also looked into their cartography systems and they have what looks like corporate set up's with teams of people brandishing very important sounding duties and they over complicate the whole system, taking an eternity to pass maps on from stage to stage and producing what can only be described as either child like or too flashy, renditions of maps. Where as, we have 1 Leader, 2 Game Map Makers (editors) & 1 Game-Play Analyst and we 'blow them out of the water'. The reason is, the boss lady Fendi and the main man Vexer know what standard and theme they want & expect and they have found what is currently the right team to make this happen. One day another -NoXoN- may arrive here and stay and the D12 cartography department will jump up a notch, but for now, we are it.
Sorry that was a bit long winded, but as this is still in Map Dabble, I see it as a learning place and wanted to share some of what I have learned.
If you look at real Ordinance Survey Maps, you will notice that islands that are off the map are sometimes brought into the map and placed in a box with information of where they really reside. Therefore you could bring in some outer islands if you wish and use them as extra non-bonus regions (stepping stones for connectivity / game-play).
There are lots of on line sites to download fonts, so if you want to use a Maori font for Aotearoa, go ahead and do so.
Remember it is not just 45 territories that are forbidden, it's 45 to 51, so if you are going to add any territories you have to add 8 at least.
I didn't want to get into graphics yet as I am still looking at the current game play, but 3D bridges are less preferred and harder to make nice and not cheesy. Most people tend to like the suggestion of a bridge with map like symbols, but in the case of game boards, we also colour them with the colours of what they connect, so if 2 different regions, the bridges will have 2 colours. Inland seas and lakes are preferred without water colour, normally just showing the background and rivers have a suggested requirement of being blue with white outlines, blended at the estuary and an even width, as narrow as possible (usually about 3 pixels) to suit the map scale.
I will make you some mountains for this map when you are ready for them. (I don't want a credit on the map, I acquired a good understanding of what works and will simply send you the semi transparencies).
Try to remember the invaluable aesthetics tip I gave you about map viewing angle and the brains perception of 3D instead of forced 3D. This is why 3D bridges are so difficult, they mess up the perceived viewing angle.
Take a look at the mountains on Italia, there are many ways to draw mountains on maps and the reason they took so long to get right was that I was constantly making mountains that were at the same angle as the map, i.e. 90 degrees to your actual viewing angle and although I was getting frustrated with how many hours went into each type and then got outright rejected, I always knew they weren't right, but couldn't fathom why. I eventually looked at 100's of old maps that traditionally used graphic depictions instead of the modern 2D symbols and I noticed everything graphic was drawn at a 30 degree angle (approximately). It was then that I realised how the brain sees these things and what it makes of them.
The early cartographers were very clever people and that is why old hand drawn maps are not just a page of mathematical & geographical genius, but a piece of art too.
We call ourselves cartographers, but have no part in the weeks, months and years of endless journeys, triangulation & mathematics as well as piecing it all together and creating an accurate model of land as seen from the air before flight was mastered.
We are simply copying from an endless supply of resources available at the click of a mouse button and making it into a nice looking game board. I recently went to lots of other risk sites to see where we are in the "cartography" scale and I can say without fear of contradiction that across the card, D12 recently became number 1. I also looked into their cartography systems and they have what looks like corporate set up's with teams of people brandishing very important sounding duties and they over complicate the whole system, taking an eternity to pass maps on from stage to stage and producing what can only be described as either child like or too flashy, renditions of maps. Where as, we have 1 Leader, 2 Game Map Makers (editors) & 1 Game-Play Analyst and we 'blow them out of the water'. The reason is, the boss lady Fendi and the main man Vexer know what standard and theme they want & expect and they have found what is currently the right team to make this happen. One day another -NoXoN- may arrive here and stay and the D12 cartography department will jump up a notch, but for now, we are it.
Sorry that was a bit long winded, but as this is still in Map Dabble, I see it as a learning place and wanted to share some of what I have learned.
Hyd yn oed er fy mod Cymraeg , dim ond yn siarad Saesneg, felly yr wyf yn gobeithio y bydd y cyfieithu yn gywir.
![[image]](http://oi60.tinypic.com/ouzkpd.jpg)
![[image]](http://oi59.tinypic.com/20ztcgk.jpg)
![[image]](http://oi62.tinypic.com/1z5kd91.jpg)
