A map on rails!
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aeronautic wrote:
In 7p Neuchatel is kind of isolated to a couple of Caps it can reach in a few steps.
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Perhaps a more even distribution would be move:
Wassen to Martigny
Locarno to Bellinzona
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Martigny would only have 2 exits, but Locarno currently has that and would still make 1 Cap with only 2 exits, but it would make a more even distribution and access for all.
For 8p then return them back to Wassen & Locarno as you have them.
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I like the fact that you have used a German/Swiss type font, but I think this one is too blocky and has no relief, could you try to find an alternative or open up the letter spacing, but I think that would make it too big for the Mini Map. I will try to look for a slightly thinner font in a similar style, when I get a chance.
For reference (click to show)
Caps 2-9 (click to show)
Caps 4-6 (click to show)
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PsymonStark wrote:
The font is the same of the original board game (well an open version of that one), which I'd like to keep if possible. I could space it a little bit to improve looks.
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PsymonStark wrote:
Spoiler (click to show)

Corrected text spacing. Better or worse? Maybe too much?
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naathim wrote:
I think that looks good. The 'g' is a little hard to read, but that's just cause it looks funny lol!

I think that it's a very readable font and the spacing is just fine in this latest version. Makes it very clear. (although the kerning on anything that ends in 's' seems very narrow! I hate when fonts do that!)


aeronautic wrote:
Yes that is better, they were just too melded to each other before.

Did you have any thought on the 7p Caps I mentioned above?

This map is very busy with things to see, so I think it might be better to have a darker outline just around the playing area of the map to keep the natural focus there.
Hyd yn oed er fy mod Cymraeg , dim ond yn siarad Saesneg, felly yr wyf yn gobeithio y bydd y cyfieithu yn gywir.
PsymonStark wrote:
Ok, will try a darker brown for map outline later.

I agree on your 7p caps. 1 1/2 brains think harder and better than only 1/2!
Living proof that everyone can be a brilliant great good decent cartographer.
PsymonStark wrote:
svi08 (click to show)

Gave some prevalence to the playing zone.
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aeronautic wrote:
That is better Psymon, but the borders of countries in the non playing area are still actively joined and because there wouldn't normally be any borders used for countries in the neutral areas, these should really be over shadowed by the Swiss outline and should be more into the background image and its colours.

Aesthetically, the joining of those borders is actually spoiling the map.
Hyd yn oed er fy mod Cymraeg , dim ond yn siarad Saesneg, felly yr wyf yn gobeithio y bydd y cyfieithu yn gywir.
PsymonStark wrote:
Yes, I figured that out myself but had no time to fix it. Expect something in a couple of minutes.
...
It's already a couple of minutes later.
svi09 (click to show)
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aeronautic wrote:
Yes, yes, yes, what a difference!!! Switzerland now looks in the foreground.
Hyd yn oed er fy mod Cymraeg , dim ond yn siarad Saesneg, felly yr wyf yn gobeithio y bydd y cyfieithu yn gywir.
4960epic wrote:
This map looks interesting, will it offer play similar to oregon cities?
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PsymonStark wrote:
Not necessarily, as the connections are quite different from those in Oregon Cities. Actually the only way to know it's testing it.
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aeronautic wrote:
Here's what I think about the map as it is;
In normal maps the land is separated from the rest of the map, be it sea or neutral territory, and we normally have a different colour & different texture for the sea and we normally grey-out the neutrals.
This map uses the same texture for the land map / playing area as the background, which in this case is all neutral land, not sea.
I think the game area needs complete distinction from the neutral land.
This could be in the way of a dark outline all around the play area and a different texture, or a more subdued background and possibly featureless, but still with a dark outline around the game area. There are many things you can do to differentiate it more.

The regions colours could have an inward fade instead of a solid line & a pale colour spray across the rest, this would make the colours pop out a bit more and distinguish them more from the outlines. Right now they look like coloured outlines that are hard for the eye to easily identify.

I understand why you went for a mid grey for the region borders, because you needed distinction for the rail tracks, but because this map is P2P, we don't use intuitive territory dividers for connection and so you could darken all the outlines and borders and cut them out at a set size where track passes over them (like the border beneath the Schwyz circle). I think all the outlines and borders are too thick as well.

Personally, I would get rid of the lakes, geographically accurate or not, they play havoc with the borders and are more confusing than anything.

In a nut shell, I think it requires a different texture for the game area or the background, a wider inward spread of the region colours, darker & thinner outlines and region borders, cut outs where the tracks cross borders and no lakes.

I know it is a lot of things to work on, but I don't think as it stands it has enough distinction and being the first full P2P map we will have live, we need to help the players as much as we can by at least making things less busy on the eyes.
Hyd yn oed er fy mod Cymraeg , dim ond yn siarad Saesneg, felly yr wyf yn gobeithio y bydd y cyfieithu yn gywir.
Virtuosity98 wrote:
This is an improvement in my opinion. Not so sure about the colour of the Zentralschweiz region though.
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