conquer crater (ARTIST NEEDED)

[mattosaurus]

I think making it concentric circles similar to a bullseye would make it more visually appealing and allow for funner gameplay. Making the bonus areas each circular level would make the Game have unique gameplay and kind of force people toward the center, achieving the desired rush to the center gameplay. That could also make it have a more 3-d feel. Right now it feels flat.
Point 2- maybe make the map itself round with side story stuff and legend in the corners. You could make it be different governments fighting to get a hold of the element before their enemies do.
I have other ideas, but I am still struggling to get them into workable words, so I'll post those later.

[sinctheassasin]

yeah, personally, I prefer symmytry, since that way you are assured equal drops.

however, the community seems to prefer clusters and just random placed spaces.

also, on note, freddie has quit, for the second time without doing anything...

[sinctheassasin]

I guess I will have to be artist. I can't draw that well, but I have access to photoshop now.

I am going to create two versions of the crater, one zoomed in and symetrical, and the other zoomed out and random. we will then discuss which of the two we like best.

[sinctheassasin]

hey, here is the new update, done by me. I started fresh with the astroid texture... tell me how you like it.
[bigimg]http://i559.photobucket.com/albums/ss36/sinctheassassin/crater.jpg[/bigimg]

[Sir Sinclair]

it looks cool

[sailorseal]

I can't think of anything to poke at in the way of game play, maybe touch up the outer territories look a little.

[sinctheassasin]

thanks for the comments, guys

In my next update, I plan to:

- touch up borders of city
- add more realistic details to the destroyed city.
- more realistic soldiers and jeep 1
- add more chaotic elements to the crater.(similR to burning jeep 2

expect this update in a couple if days. But keep posting suggestions =D

[captainwalrus]

One nitpick
A global civil war?
isn't that just a world war?
what makes it a civil war?

[sinctheassasin]

Well, not as many people seem as jumpy about gameplay now that we have a sort of mixture of zoomed out city and cIrcular organized territs.

Now, we must work on the graphics. What would you all like to see?

[sinctheassasin]

Ok, time to move forward, I got the checklist here:

I have done all of the first thread and
post And title requirements. Here is the rest:

1. A map should be ‘inherently unique either in gameplay, location, or theme’.
2. Gameplay features must be compatible with the game engines currently usable XML.
3. A maps content must be the original work of the cartographer unless consent to use copyrighted works is gained. This is your responsibility.
4. All sound advice must be followed unless a logical rebuttal by the cartographer or another member of the community is provided.
5. To proceed through the foundry the community must show a reasonable amount of interest towards a map.
6. Host the image using Photobucket.com, imageshack.us, or something similar. The type of image file must be PNG, GIF, or JPEG.
7. For a map to be used for live play the cartographer must agree to the Conquer Club copyright agreement*.
8. All maps should be posted using [bigimg] tags instead of the standard [img] tags when posting map drafts.
9. A map must work within the following map size restrictions:
1. SMALL MAP: WIDTH up to 630 px; HEIGHT 600 px
2. LARGE MAP: WIDTH up to 840 px ; HEIGHT 800 px.
3. SIZE DIFFERENTIAL: A large map must be noticably larger than their small map; 9% larger is required but 33.3% (1/3rd) is recommended.
4. NOTE: Mapmakers are encouraged to make their large maps smaller than the maximum size limits when possible to eliminate scrolling to attack/read the sidebar info.

so,
1: check, single central position that is powerless
2. Yes
3. Yeah
4. I guess that is up to you guys to decide.
5. Most of the people I talk to seem to like it
6. Yup
7.when the time comes, yes
8. Yes, once we get the stamps
9. Barely, but yes

ok, now for the draft guidelines

1)The map, first and foremost, must have some sort of clear plan of how production will go

2) Have a playable image. If we quenched it people should be able to play on it. This should included the following:
Territory names
Working legends
Speculative Bonuses
Tentative Border Divisions
3) The working image needs to be beyond rough draft state. This means that you must provide the following:
A working image done in some kind of graphic software. Pencil drawn images and images done on paint will not be accpected.
Two quality updates must be provided.
4) Have honest and interested discussion. Not just you and three friends.

1, ok:
for the next month, updates will be very quick, approx every two days, the quantity if the update will depend on how much feedback is received for the prevous update. After this
month, updates wil slow to one evry four or five days. Clear enough?
2. Personally, I think that this map is a working draft, it meets all of the requirements stated above
3. I use Photoshop cs 4 and 3.
4 I think you guys are interested in the map, right?

Ok,! That's the checklist, I hope we will be able to move into the main foundry, where we will receive more feedback and such. It's weird, the Portland map only had three pages and it got the advanced draft stamp! Very odd

[thenobodies80]

Hey sincthassasin!

Just to clarify , your map has met all the requirements to be considered a draft. ( the drafting room guidelines are here)
In fact the map isn't in the ideas subforum
Now, you're in the drafting room and quoting the guidelines:

While in the drafting room, it is expected that a mapmaker will demonstrate:

a. significant knowledge of graphics tools and techniques,
b. the willingness to consider and respond appropriately to critical feedback
c. the ability to make multiple changes based on ongoing feedback
d. a solid understanding of the Foundry standards and process.

A Draft will not be considered for promotion to the Main Foundry without the support of CC users. If a map is not considered by the Foundry community to offer something original and/or interesting in terms of gameplay, graphics, and theme, its production will not be encouraged.

Before being moved on to the next stage of development in the mapmaker must have a plan for the production of the map, and present key map information and updates in a manner that is user friendly and consistent with the foundry standards. Once these criteria have been met, the Working Draft will receive the first of the Foundry Brands

Maybe, you have been a bit unlucky with your previous graphics and for this reason i don't think you have to compare your map with others...
I think you have to demonstrate a bit more your knowledge of graphics tools and techinques, maybe work on borders,territories and legend as i have already suggested you in my PM could help.
Also you have to consider that i know what program you are using....maybe using a "real graphic software", i don't think you can finish your map in a month (if you're still using the 30 days trial )
If you can't buy PS, you can consider another software...for example gimp is free.

As i already pointed out (PM) ,helicopters seem to be taken from somewhere....copyright?....we had the same problems with catapults developing castle lands and i want to be sure that you'll not find yourself in bad waters in the next future
Textures on territories aren't so nice, maybe adding some destroyed or damaged buildings could help.
I can't find in your map the civil war setting that i expected to find reading your text...it looks like a gravel pit or something similar, except for the soldiers...
Another problem is that the "crater theme" isn't so clear, maybe expand a bit your view (as previously suggested) could be a good choice.
Names are difficult to read and in some text is a bit blurred.
For radiated zone, you could use a radiation symbol, look at this map:

show

maybe the same symbol , but larger with an high trasparency value should fit better then the red circle (obviously just an idea)

I know that you have a time limit now, but try to find a solution about your graphics software and work a bit more on your map.
Dont' hesitate to ask if you need more informations or suggestions

Looking forward your next update
thenobodies80

[sinctheassasin]

well, the next update will be tommorow! i will try to imply as much stuff as i can from previous suggestions, but the heli problem will have to wait until the one after...

like my new sig? i just got flash today, and i whipped it up! its better to watch from the beginning tho... (there is a five second white screen...)

[sinctheassasin]

i have a friend with an old laptop that has photoshop on it, that he is willing to let me borrow for a bit for this map (he is considering starting cc as well )

as for the helis, do you think a little bit of motion blur and ather effects would be able to make it different from the heli pics i got them from???

[PepeAtila]

I almost didn't read, to take the first idea of the map and I cannot see how troops are deployed on the map....
about graphics I think for the land would be better something like a moon terrain, with some craters (that is the reason of the name) I will try... in a while
well not very successful ... but perhaps you like some idea
[bigimg]http://img195.imageshack.us/img195/6720/crater2.jpg[/bigimg]

[sinctheassasin]

thats a big contribution for somebody elses map. thanks!

however, i think logically, more people would bother rushing to it if it was in an accessible place like a city, if it was on the moon, we would have to come up with an entire system of spacecraft from earth, which would be hard to do since we are focusing on out to in gameplay.

btw, hold tight guys, this next update is almost here, and i think that you will like it

[sinctheassasin]

[bigimg]http://i559.photobucket.com/albums/ss36/sinctheassassin/craterreborn.jpg[/bigimg]

here is version 8! told you it was coming

updates- made the borders clearer and neater
took out the helis (copy right issues)
edited the radiated zone


next update for sure will include:
more wrecked unique buildings in the wrecked city surrounding the crater

[megadork]

theres alot of improvement from last time I saw it, its going good but I still have a few complaints


1. is 2 bonus rly the most you can put imo you should have at least 1 place with a few more
2. I dont get which places can attack the middle where making that abit more clear would be nice
3. the outer territorys are abit plain but that kind of minor

other then that i like where this map is going

[Thyrfa]

At least Capitolize Markets in the Blue zone

Also, I think the trucks look a bit like rhinos and the orange plane near drone 2 looks like a toddlers toy other than that, I like it

[Hopscotcher]

The words are extremely blurrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrryyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

[sinctheassasin]

Hmm, I'll try to either do the trucks better or do another jet instead.

As for confusion of boundries, I really didn't want to use any more lines than I need to, would moving tank two more to the right help? Maybe I should as some colored markers yto the units and in the instructions say they may attack the closest zone of their collor.

As for blurry text, if I turn the outer glow down a touch, it would be easier to read.

Thanks for the feedback

[sinctheassasin]

hey, here is 8.5
i havent gotten to adding more destroyed buildings and chaotic elements.
i still need more suggestions for making the vehicle/RZ borders
[bigimg]http://i559.photobucket.com/albums/ss36/sinctheassassin/craterreborn2.jpg[/bigimg]

[megadork]

a few slight problems

first of all the area around the radiated zone is realy choppy and so it the area around the whole map

most of the complaints I had last time are alot better like blurry text but im still abit unhappy with the bonuses just try to find a map that gives you less I dont think you can and on maps like greenland the same size regions give you about 5

if there is a reason you do not want to do this please tell me

[sinctheassasin]

a few slight problems

first of all the area around the radiated zone is realy choppy and so it the area around the whole map

around the radiated zone, and the entire map??? i dun understand!!!!!!!! and how is it choppy, radiation burns the land, doesnt it?

most of the complaints I had last time are alot better like blurry text but im still abit unhappy with the bonuses just try to find a map that gives you less I dont think you can and on maps like greenland the same size regions give you about 5

the difference between greenland and conquer crater, is that greenland is a standard map, without any special features besides the autodeploy on the ice cap, the reason that it has such a big bonus (as do most standard maps) is because the area is the most appealing part of the map to conquer. on this map, large bonuses around the edges would encourage players to just sweep around the edges and eliminate players for that five bonus you are suggesting.

the focus of the map is the center, not the outer edges, this is why i was opposed to the idea of a zoomed out city view to begin with, it drew attention away from the center. the center is suppossed to be so weak, so useless, so hard to get too, yet so valuable and essential. if it was easier to just win by getting the bonuses, then using your effort to capture the center, nobody would go for the center, see what im saying, so for this idea, i have to refuse to put it into the map unless the entire community mobs me

[megadork]

a few slight problems

first of all the area around the radiated zone is realy choppy and so it the area around the whole map

around the radiated zone, and the entire map??? i dun understand!!!!!!!! and how is it choppy, radiation burns the land, doesnt it?


look right at the bottom of the map above where the story is and the same thing just around the radiated zones and if you still dont know what im talking about then imm crop it out and show u

[sinctheassasin]

ahh, the sherman quote, hmmm

i kinda thought it looked torn up, but i guess i can put a burn on it instead, ill get to work

thanks for specifying