West Indies

Map creation
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Hoodlum wrote:
[image]

Here's my latest development of the West Indies map that I have been creating in the map dabble thread.

Gameplay

special gameplay (X marks the spot +2 bonus for claiming all 3 treasures).

Map size:Medium
Number of players: 3-6 players
Number of territories:42
Number of regions:6

Regions/Territories/Adjacents (click to show)

Hoodlum - Dec 31, 11:51 AM
Treasure Map (click to show)

A lot of combinations with placements tried, skull, title, special game play. 

Psymon makes a good point and it should be by the inset. Got rid
of the circa. Put a Black film over the whole image at 15 opacity to make it darker.

Perhaps some capital placements might help with knowing whether another connection is needed. From
a graphics point of view, it might look extra busy with the special game play re-positioned there.


Skull + Signature in the corner. Tried to keep the skull for themesakes, I think they work together.
PsymonStark wrote:
Another one, the X of East Florida could be mistaken with Bahamas. Plus in the minimap this X is displaced respect to the normal map.
Living proof that everyone can be a brilliant great good decent cartographer.
Hoodlum wrote:
Had a go at capital placements with Haiti + Bahamas connection added (Neutrals = adjacent values)
2-6 capital placements (click to show)

7-9 capital placements (click to show)
naathim wrote:
I think that looks pretty darn good Hood! Clean cut, easy to read. And I think darkening it up a bit made it look a little better overall. The background is where I notice it, and I think it gives it some more... oomph.

You might want to adjust the florida x upwards a bit just to make sure that it's clear that Florida is the territory you want to hold. Or move the Cuaca and florida x's so they're overlapping the continent outline. Just to make it a little more obvious.

Other than that, it gets my stamp of approval. Which is meaningless, but carries great spiritual weight with my dog.
PsymonStark wrote:
I have to try these caps because I didn't like too much some of what I see.

I would expect some more work on the frame. Make it more obvious as a frame or remove it. Otherwise in some spots it looks like a weird colour nuance that doesn't really goes well there (see Bolivar or Texas) or, in the background, that there is some slight frame in some places, and none in the rest. Plus the blur in the frame looks a bit unfitting. I'd make it independant of the rest of the map, right now some background colour blends into the frame, and makes it look different if it sits on the background or on a region.

Edit: Does everyone feel like the Bahamas-Haiti connection is good? I think that's a bit forced.
Living proof that everyone can be a brilliant great good decent cartographer.
aeronautic wrote:
Psymon is right about the map frame / rim, it blends with the map in places and needs distinction (not a shadow, a recolour or darkening).

There are a few things I think need to be altered slightly to give it the best look it deserves.

For now I will just mention the ship silhouette, the current one seems quite oriental (angled mast arms), so I made a transparent silhouette that's a little more galleon looking. Feel free to recolour & resize it and use it as your own.
[image]
Hyd yn oed er fy mod Cymraeg , dim ond yn siarad Saesneg, felly yr wyf yn gobeithio y bydd y cyfieithu yn gywir.
Hoodlum wrote:
Ez edits (click to show)

Nice easy edits. Just removed the frame.
Moved the E. Florida X up. Overlapping didn't look good since it has some transparency, which is how the colour was edited previously.
Replaced the pirate ship.
Capital placements aren't my expertise, but interested how I went with them. I tried to give each cap the same adjacent path numbers, with as close to even steps where I could.
aeronautic wrote:
This is a colourful and fun looking map, you've done a really good job here Hood.
None of the following is nit picking, it is final graphic / aesthetic refinement.
This is all about balance of power to the important aspects of the map.

To get the map and its required info' to the foreground, the ship in the background may need to be slightly less opaque.
The Sea Labels look to me like they are light grey and should really be the same colour as the background but darker, any tone of the same colour as the Land Labels is distracting.

The 6 & 2 on the mini map don't show the outer glow due to the light background, so you could make their glow whiter / more opaque to make the eye believe they are the same as the rest.

Connection lines need to be a little darker / more opaque to distinguish them from the island separators and also not to be lost in a web of background lines.

Other tiny things could also make a difference, such as the "+ 2" being too separated on the key under the mini map as well as the "+" looking too small, it would look and read better as "+2". The text could also be darker and preferably bounded by an additional box under the mini map.

The "X's" could really be about 10% or 15% smaller, which would distract less, remain noticeable & fit better. They should also be removed from the mini map.

The Palm Tree in the title is a nice touch, but seems to shout its own perception of map theme, which is not as Pirate like. Could you reduce it's size so that it is just a title letter replacement gimmick which people are used to seeing in all forms of advertising titles, not right down to normal letter size, just not so overbearing?

Overall, if you try to imagine the map in 2 layers of importance, all the required game info in the foreground and all secondary unrequired detail in the background, you should get the map to come alive more and be even more inviting than it already is.
Hyd yn oed er fy mod Cymraeg , dim ond yn siarad Saesneg, felly yr wyf yn gobeithio y bydd y cyfieithu yn gywir.
Hoodlum wrote:
aesthetic refinement (click to show)


aeronautic wrote:
Thanks Hood.

Almost there, just a few tweaks!

The Sea Labels look far better in the same colour as the background and no longer distract.

The title looks great now.
_________________________________________________________________

The connections are a bit better, but I think they can afford a tiny bit more darkening for distinction from the island dividers.

I don't see any difference in the ship's opacity, did you decrease it? It is still more of a feature than a secondary background image.

The box around the Bonus Key is too small, it needs to be big enough to give a nice gap above & below the text Capital Letters and the "X's" within it or it looks false.

In the mini map, the "2" still needs more brightening on the glow & the "6" is over a bright patch of background making it stand out more, so it needs to be moved onto the brown of Mexico a little bit more to allow the outer glow to show a little bit (even with extra brightening, it remains mostly invisible) and this will also make it look less bold compared to the other numbers.
Try to get at least half of the "6" over the land if you can.
Hyd yn oed er fy mod Cymraeg , dim ond yn siarad Saesneg, felly yr wyf yn gobeithio y bydd y cyfieithu yn gywir.
aeronautic wrote:
One more thing, I apologise for not being so active on this map when there were graphic changes, so I missed a crucial change that I really should have commented on...
I think the map colour balance looked better in Post #1 before it was suggested to darken it. The brighter colours made it look more inviting & fun.

However, I see that the Purple region was a bit clashing and understand why that needed altering.

Just put the first image from Post #1 and the above image in separate tabs and flick between them.
When I do it, I get a better mood from the first one.

Sorry if this causes a set back Hood, but if you want, when you've made the refinements, send me the source file by email and I'll colour enhance it?
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:
For me, a couple of extra things.

Some suggestions concerning label positions. Coahuila and San Luis Potosí labels should move a bit left if possible. Venezuela a pixel or two up and Zulia and Boyacá a few pixels down, centering in that space. Also, Puerto Rico a bit southeast.

Fully agree with the connection opacity. I'd make it a bit darker. Otherwise even the compass line projections could be mistaken with a line. Also, would reduce the bend in El Salvador-Costa Rica.

Also agree on the galleon opacity, the rest of decorative items are not that visible.

Make sure that the circles aren't on the biggest islands in Lesser Antilles, otherwise it will be tough to see where it belongs.

The palm tree is a bit blurry compared to the letters. Could you try a version where the letters are similarly blurred than the palm graphic? I'd say it would be more fitting too.
Living proof that everyone can be a brilliant great good decent cartographer.
Hoodlum wrote:
Tweaked

Tried a version with blurry letters in the title, blurred at the minimalist blur allowable. blurry version in the spoiler inside the spoiler

tweaks (click to show)
Hoodlum wrote:
3 versions here.

Hoods submitted version (click to show)
Psymons edits (click to show)
Bishops edits (click to show)