Fractured China - [Quenched]

by **natty dread** on Thu Mar 03, 2011 3:02 pm

Could you make the black strokes on the land/sea border a bit thinner? I think the thick black lines look a bit odd there.

The bonus area borders could also be just slightly thinner.

by **isaiah40** on Thu Mar 03, 2011 3:21 pm

Yep will work on it later!

by **Industrial Helix** on Fri Mar 04, 2011 11:19 pm

Maybe you'd do better for a more cartoony looking tree, something with a black outline?

by **natty dread** on Sun Mar 06, 2011 11:52 am

Also, the white glow around the land area looks a bit cheap with the spread effect. I'd suggest blurring it.

Now that I look at it, you could use some more contrast between the land and sea. Granted, there's not much of sea here, but it would still be better if it wouldn't blend together with the land that much.

Possible solutions: making the land area lighter, or the sea darker, or both. You can also try removing the glow and adding a drop shadow for the land, but I think offsetting the brightness levels would be a better solution.

by **isaiah40** on Mon Mar 07, 2011 7:10 pm

Industrial Helix wrote:Maybe you'd do better for a more cartoony looking tree, something with a black outline?

Well now I know you don't mean cartoony, but yea I can do something in the style of the mountians.

natty_dread wrote:Also, the white glow around the land area looks a bit cheap with the spread effect. I'd suggest blurring it.

Now that I look at it, you could use some more contrast between the land and sea. Granted, there's not much of sea here, but it would still be better if it wouldn't blend together with the land that much.

Possible solutions: making the land area lighter, or the sea darker, or both. You can also try removing the glow and adding a drop shadow for the land, but I think offsetting the brightness levels would be a better solution.

The white glow, yes I need to adjust it a tad bit, but I'm going to leave it basically the same as what is on Fractured America.

Land and sea contrast - can do.

by **isaiah40** on Mon Mar 07, 2011 8:35 pm

Okay some minor changes:

1) Sea was lightened a tad bit
2) All borders were reduced in thickness a tad
3) Some trees were redone over by Nepal (left side of map) Let me know how these are!
4) Added signatures FINALLY!! :lol:

To do:
Wait for more feedback and so on and so forth!

Click image to enlarge.

by **kengyin** on Mon Mar 07, 2011 9:21 pm

what font and size is the territory text? also how do you apply the glow around the text, using dodge or airspray or pen or what? im trying to learn a few things about graphics

by **RjBeals** on Mon Mar 07, 2011 10:41 pm

I don'tknow what that object is behind the title. Maybe define whatever it is a little better

You should keep the black outline on all the trees. It looks better with the outline.

The colors really don't feel like china imo. In fact, the bold red of china isn't on the map at all.

To make the mountains and trees look cooler, I would suggest a shadow. even something as simple as this

you know how anal we are about smooth borders. Some of yours look a little sketchy..

by **RjBeals** on Mon Mar 07, 2011 10:55 pm

one more thing i notice, instead of the standard arrows, why not put some depth to them? curve them with a bit of drop shadow, sort of like this example. Just a suggestion -

by **isaiah40** on Mon Mar 07, 2011 11:15 pm

Well RJ all good suggestions! Thank you! As for those borders, I guess i missed a few of them when I was redoing them. I'll get working on your suggestions soon.

Edit: Here's the new version with RJ's suggestions.

Click image to enlarge.

by **isaiah40** on Tue Mar 08, 2011 5:18 pm

A few minor changes here and there.

Click image to enlarge.

by **Industrial Helix** on Tue Mar 08, 2011 5:21 pm

Put some shading on those mountains and trees and you'll be looking good.

by **RjBeals** on Tue Mar 08, 2011 8:16 pm

looking good.

colors look much better

trees look much better

I honestly liked the old wall better. You just needed to close the ends, and maybe a shadow on it as well.

looks like you redrew all the borders - they loo good.

my only dislike are the arrows still. The way i did mine was in photosohp using the path tool. I then stroked the curved line so it was smooth. Then I used the shape tool and drew the arrowhead on it, and then rotated it to the direction it looked good. Then merged them together and added a glow and some ground shadow.

But, you could also just draw them in using your mouse. It may take a few tries. But the arrows now look like you used the warp tool, or the smudge tool or something.

overall - nice update.

by **isaiah40** on Tue Mar 08, 2011 10:44 pm

RjBeals wrote:looking good.

colors look much better

trees look much better

I honestly liked the old wall better. You just needed to close the ends, and maybe a shadow on it as well.

looks like you redrew all the borders - they loo good.

my only dislike are the arrows still. The way i did mine was in photosohp using the path tool. I then stroked the curved line so it was smooth. Then I used the shape tool and drew the arrowhead on it, and then rotated it to the direction it looked good. Then merged them together and added a glow and some ground shadow.

But, you could also just draw them in using your mouse. It may take a few tries. But the arrows now look like you used the warp tool, or the smudge tool or something.

overall - nice update.

Thank you Rj! Here are a few minor changes, so hopefully ya'll will like them!! I also have included color blind tests!!

Click image to enlarge.

Click image to enlarge.

show: Color Blind Tests

by **theBastard** on Wed Mar 09, 2011 2:58 am

looking realy good.

by **isaiah40** on Thu Mar 10, 2011 2:39 pm

A small change to the trees.

Click image to enlarge.

by **RjBeals** on Thu Mar 10, 2011 5:54 pm

a little highlight - very nice

by **isaiah40** on Thu Mar 10, 2011 8:10 pm

Thank you Rj!!

by **Industrial Helix** on Thu Mar 10, 2011 10:36 pm

That seems to work.... but now as I look at it, I would suggest using 'flatter' arrows, I hope you know what I mean. They've got this 3d effect on them whereas the rest of the map looks more like a cartoon format. Not that the map is cartooney, but you know what I mean. Coloring the arrows flat red would do suitably, imo.

by **isaiah40** on Thu Mar 10, 2011 10:51 pm

It just might look better when I take the drop shadow off them.

Doing update now will post later. I sure hope this is done soon, Gilligan is already working on the XML.

by **kengyin** on Fri Mar 11, 2011 1:10 am

kengyin wrote:what font and size is the territory text? also how do you apply the glow around the text, using dodge or airspray or pen or what? im trying to learn a few things about graphics

by **natty dread** on Fri Mar 11, 2011 2:29 am

kengyin wrote:
kengyin wrote:what font and size is the territory text? also how do you apply the glow around the text, using dodge or airspray or pen or what? im trying to learn a few things about graphics

No. Since you use GIMP, you do it by selecting the area of the text (go to the text layer, select Layer -> Transparency -> Alpha to selection), then grow the selection (Selection -> Grow) by 1 pixel, then feather the selection (Selection -> Feather) by 5 pixels or so. Create a new layer and put it under the text, fill the selection with white. Adjust opacity and layer mode as needed.

Also, you can get the layer effects script and use that.

by **The Bison King** on Fri Mar 11, 2011 2:03 pm

I really like the shadow you added to the Impassable elements. I'm not crazy about the tree's yet. I don't like that you can see the trunks o the tree's. It just looks silly to me, like they're giant tree's. I'd try keeping what you have but removing the trunks. Another thing you could try is replacing them with a representation of the karst type mountains and hills that dominate southern china. You know those crazy steep mountains and cliffs that look like they were taken straight out of Dragon Ball Z:

Iconic China.