Germany

It is now beta-playable (except for Capitals gametype). Thanks Dima for the 2 lists above, they were helpful.

I think to set the capitals like this for 2,3,4,5,6 players: [spoiler=Capital placements][img]https://i.ibb.co/gLtDxMK3/Germany-Caps.jpg[/img][/spoiler]

[spoiler][img]https://i.imgur.com/Rgp24i4.jpeg [/img] [/spoiler] as,long as this map is being tested, i woud like to change the outlay. i think this outlay is better than the current one. more focus on gaming area, everything is bigger, minima is bigger and has region names. gonna look later how i continue this.

[quote=Dima][spoiler][img]https://i.imgur.com/Rgp24i4.jpeg [/img] [/spoiler] as,long as this map is being tested, i woud like to change the outlay. i think this outlay is better than the current one. more focus on gaming area, everything is bigger, minima is bigger and has region names. gonna look later how i continue this.[/quote] [spoiler][img]https://i.imgur.com/YGpNEAd.jpeg [/img] [/spoiler] this is how far i came today with the new draft/outlay. gonna redraw the lines later and continue the design and details also oater. but i must say this version is better thqn the previous one.

[quote=Dima][quote=Dima][spoiler][img]https://i.imgur.com/Rgp24i4.jpeg [/img] [/spoiler] as,long as this map is being tested, i woud like to change the outlay. i think this outlay is better than the current one. more focus on gaming area, everything is bigger, minima is bigger and has region names. gonna look later how i continue this.[/quote] [spoiler][img]https://i.imgur.com/YGpNEAd.jpeg [/img] [/spoiler] this is how far i came today with the new draft/outlay. gonna redraw the lines later and continue the design and details also oater. but i must say this version is better thqn the previous one.[/quote] alright, this is what i did today during breaks. main version, my fav so far: [spoiler][img]https://i.imgur.com/I83vqUA.jpeg [/img] [/spoiler] gray water variation (gonna experiment later a bit with borders and opacity): [spoiler][img]https://i.imgur.com/DYhU4m5.jpeg [/img] [/spoiler] flag variation: [spoiler][img]https://i.imgur.com/gC5Qlam.jpeg [/img] [/spoiler]

okay, done! [b]Map Update – New Version[/b] I reworked the map because I was not satisfied with the previous version. The decorative images around the map felt distracting. They did not look like a natural part of the design and seemed forced. Another issue was that the main map itself was too small. The new layout is meant to fix both problems. The main game map is now larger and more prominent. The design is cleaner and more focused. There are no unnecessary elements around the map that distract from the board. The game board is clearly the main focus now. [b]Minimap[/b] The minimap is now larger. This allows me to include both: bonus information region names. This should help players communicate more easily about specific regions. Since the regions do not have very clear colors (like pure red, blue, green, etc.), having the names should make identification easier. I would appreciate feedback on the Fraktur font used on the minimap. Is it readable enough, especially the first large letter of each region name? If the first letter is difficult to recognize, I can easily change the lettering style. Planned small improvements (for later) These will only be done after this design is accepted. The regional and territorial border lines will be redrawn. Currently they are just copy-pasted and therefore not in the best quality. Some text elements are slightly transparent, which is easy to fix. There may also be a few other small adjustments later. [b]Gameplay[/b] The gameplay itself has not changed. The only difference is that the second minimap with the additional bonuses has been removed. Those extra bonuses never seemed to matter much to players. I originally added them only because they fit the previous outline design. [b]Decorative elements[/b] There are still some decorative images, but far fewer than before. They are not overwhelming and do not cover the whole map. They give the map some character and visual style. Their proportions match well with the minimap. Together they help fill the empty space on the right side of the map. I think the balance works well now, and I do not plan to add more decorative elements. [spoiler][img]https://i.imgur.com/DiY8ucJ.jpeg [/img] [/spoiler]

like it. if looking at anything that might bug me, it would be the display of [i]Mini Map / Bonuses[/i] wording, how it is overlapping the frame. perhaps it could sit above the frame. i know u probably wouldnt want to cover over the background image, but i think you could do some repositioning of that to make it work better, or optionally dismiss the wording. good job

[quote=Hoodlum]like it. if looking at anything that might bug me, it would be the display of [i]Mini Map / Bonuses[/i] wording, how it is overlapping the frame. perhaps it could sit above the frame. i know u probably wouldnt want to cover over the background image, but i think you could do some repositioning of that to make it work better, or optionally dismiss the wording. good job[/quote] thanks! yes, i know about this problem, its easy to solve and i ll do it, but first i wanted some general feedback.

Perhaps it sounds trivial, but there are many uncolored spots to fix.

[quote=The_Bishop]Perhaps it sounds trivial, but there are many uncolored spots to fix.[/quote] yep, i know, i jist fixed the mini map and bonuses writing. gonna re draw the lines properly in the next days and then fix the uncolored spots, then it is ready to be re uploaded.

Brace yourself for some personal opinions Dima :) Overall opinion: Very very nice as we would expect from such a fine craftsman! Other things: - Not a huge fan of the font. Some of the letters are a bit ambiguous to read, and the blockiness doesn't help. It's fine I guess just personally don't love it. It does give German vibes though! - The lake in the south looks like it was stuck on as an afterthought. It needs to feel more blended as part of the map or background texture - one or the other because at the moment it feels like neither. - On that note, the whole playable area feels extremely flat, juxtaposed against the very detailed texture in the non-playable area. Even some vague or faint elevation texture layer over the playable area would alleviate this aesthetic in my opinion. If you look in the map thread for Anchor Bay, you'll see there was a similar problem with that map (although there it was much more noticeable). - I feel like the art above the minimap could do with some blending with the rest of the image. It feels like it needs a subtle border, or maybe a drop shadow, or a slight fade, or a grainy merge with the background or something. Can't quite put my finger on it! - As Bishop pointed out, there are a few spots without colour, both on the map and minimap. The lake on the minimap is a different shape to the one on the main map. - The letters on the compass are very unclear, is there a way to sharpen them or bring them into prominence? - As Hood said, I agree that the Mini Map / Bonuses Text needs a home, or removal altogether. - Stuttgard needs changing to "Stuttgart". And Schleswig-Holstein needs the hyphen. I haven't checked the other words but I did notice those two. Please double check the spellings :) Of course, a few of those points are just my personal opinion! Let me know what you think. Great stuff as always Dima :thumbs: P.S. I love the large Berlin label! Very nice touch :)

Just another thing, as I quickly gloss over the map. again, im not really personally that fussy on graphics, and i don't nitpick that much but i do like to make sure the basic stuff is working. Similar to what i mentioned before about the minimap/bonus text. The title of the map is doing the same, it is crossing over an outline of the map. which is fine I guess, but not at opacity where the outline bleeds through the title. so, a reposition or a no opacity works for me. (easy fix)

[quote=Virtuosity98] [...] - On that note, the whole playable area feels extremely flat, juxtaposed against the very detailed texture in the non-playable area. Even some vague or faint elevation texture layer over the playable area would alleviate this aesthetic in my opinion. If you look in the map thread for Anchor Bay, you'll see there was a similar problem with that map (although there it was much more noticeable). [...][/quote] Yes I agree, I noticed the same thing, but I couldn't find the words to explain it. "Mini Map / Bonuses" is unnecessary, unless one wants to fill an empty space, but in this case there's nothing to fill. @Dima: As explaineded by Hood, when you want to reduce the visibility of some text try to work on brightness & contrast, rather than drastically reduce the opacity. Or simply relocate the title so that doesn't overlap that black outline in the North.