Map of The Baltic States [V8, P.5]

[iancanton]

lithuania is the biggest country by area, has the largest population and is economically the most important. however, it has the fewest regions on the map!

latvia is split into far too many regions. it's not good for the most difficult bonus to be the middle one of three, since it forces players to rush to the edges of the map. try cutting latvia to perhaps 2 bonus zones of 5 or 6 regions each (or 3 zones of 4 regions each).

http://circa.europa.eu/irc/dsis/regport ... tional.htm

ian.

[Scania N113]

I have a new update for this map again. Before posting the map, I have to reply iancanton.

At first I planned to group all the secondary subdivisions of a country to form a small continent in the map, which is a primary subdivision of the country in reality. But for Lithuania, there are about 60 secondary subdivisions, which is already too much for this map. For this reason, I have already grouped some of them together. Also, instead of breaking down Lithuania, I have tried hard to reduce the bonus a player gets for holding Latvia, and the method is to add impassables.

small map (632 X 571) (V1.0.06S)
[bigimg]http://www.freewebs.com/emacuwt/baltics_v6_1.jpg[/bigimg]

large map (822 X 743) (V1.0.06L)
[bigimg]http://www.freewebs.com/emacuwt/baltics_v6_2.jpg[/bigimg]

Changes made:
(1) adding impassables, which are forests in reality
(2) modifying the bonus to make it become average
(3) making the blurred place become clear

Just like before, please throw out some ideas and suggestions. Thank you!

[Industrial Helix]

Those trees look so plain... try spicing them up with trees that are more stylish and graphically appealing.

I think it looks funny with walls of trees on the borders. Might just be because of the graphics as well. You could try adding some impassable within the states as well to change up gameplay and make the trees look less out of place.

Also, you're going to have to move those names that are blocked by the trees. Some of the territory names are going to need to fit within the territory, so you might have to fudge the borders a tad.

What graphics program are you using, out of curiosity?

[Balsiefen]

Perhaps to increase the fluidity of the map capitals should connect to each other-atm pietus is a bit of a dead end.

I would also suggest changing where the impassables are but i think it would be easier if I download the map when I get time and draw them on roughly to show you rather than try to explain in text.

Edit: Alley-oop.
[bigimg]http://img200.imageshack.us/img200/7646/balticscania.jpg[/bigimg]
If I haven't drawn over the trees (in glorious mspaint) that means remove them

[Scania N113]

Firstly, I should thank you for giving me some tips where I should put the trees. However the main point of adding the trees is to pull down the bonus. If I cancel the trees and add the bonus back to the level I had before, then why do I have to add impassables? In this case, I really have to think about this.

Secondly, I have to answer a question which many people have asked. Which software I am using to make this map? Actually I used many softwares to make this map. For minor changes, I will use Microsoft Paint. For major changes or for detailed things, I will use Macromedia Fireworks MX2004 or Adobe Photoshop CS3.

For the next version of this map, I am going to modify the impassables because the ones I have right now look quite weird. Also I can add impassables not only along the borders of the three countries, but inside the three countries. Other than changing the appearance and the location of the impassables, I am going to make the map become more 3D by changing the appearance of the lands.

[NoirXephon]

It's looking pretty good so far.

Being Lithuanian, I guess I am a bit biased in my decision though...

[captainwalrus]

If you have photoshop and fireworks, why are you useing paint at all?
Also, pine trees, not the ones you have now.

[Scania N113]

Thank you for doing such changes for me. I use Microsoft Paint because it can load faster, and also I can do changes much more easily! Thank you for doing such changes for me. I use Microsoft Paint because it can load faster, and also I can do changes much more easily! I hope that I can post my next update on Monday (German time).

[captainwalrus]

Hi, I've been helping out Scania on this, so I wanted to see what people think of my version.
Note: I still have to put in accsents cause I can't figure out how to as of now.

[bigimg]http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt238/Captain_walrus/Balticstates10.png[/bigimg]

[Evil DIMwit]

Ooh, shiny.

Well, let's see:

Flat trees look out of place with the 3Dfied territories
The capital markers are missing now
The sea and empty land could be decorated a bit

Definitely a big step in the right direction, though.

[captainwalrus]

Ok, I will try to do some sort of shadow thing with the trees, and I will lively up the water.

[Scania N113]

Hello! I have a most updated version here (thanks for captainwalrus)!

small map (625 X 565) (V1.0.07S)
[bigimg]http://www.freewebs.com/emacuwt/baltics_v7_1.jpg[/bigimg]

large map (822 X 743) (V1.0.07L)
[bigimg]http://www.freewebs.com/emacuwt/baltics_v7_2.jpg[/bigimg]

Change made:
(1) making the small map smaller in order to meet all the conditions
(2) linking Saare and Talsi
(3) changing the bonus
(4) making the map become more 3D

Please throw out some more ideas to me, and also to captainwalrus as well.

[colton24]

yeah the bigger bonuses were a good idea eh?

[captainwalrus]

yeah the bigger bonuses were a good idea eh?

The smaller bonus reagons got smaller, but the country ones needed to get bigger, or else taking the whole country gave you less territories.

[sailorc]

Do Bauska and Gizkraukle(?) in Dienvidi border each other? They're in the same region but it doesn't look like they border each other.

Maybe you could take the sea border away from Saare and Talsi, and making Laas worth 2 instead of 3. So then there'd be a 2 bonus on each side of map. Laas to me doesn't look like it should be worth 3, but it's too hard to hold to be worth 2. (I'm no expert on gameplay. Just my thoughts)

[RjBeals]

copyright 2009? Seriously?

[captainwalrus]

Are the impassibles better?

I only fixed the one, just to see if it was OK.
Also, I tried out some new texture on the northern part of the ocean.
[bigimg]http://i615.photobucket.com/albums/tt238/Captain_walrus/Balticstates11.png[/bigimg]

[Evil DIMwit]

Maybe you want to make the tree shadows a little shorter so they're not so intrusive, but they do lend a nice 3D look. The texture in the sea is looking good.

[Scania N113]

I am now discussing with captainwalrus on this map. I hope that the next version of this map can be published this weekend (12/9/2009).

[captainwalrus]

Do Bauska and Gizkraukle(?) in Dienvidi border each other? They're in the same region but it doesn't look like they border each other.

They do not, that will make it harder to take the bonus.

[Balsiefen]

A lot of graphical improvement-well done.

Graphics
Your font is currently not very readable, I would find something to change it to.
Perhaps a different colour and more texture for the non playable area would be nice
Minimap and comments box need a bit of a touch up-gray and pixely font isn't really working
Sea texture is nice but I think it needs to be continued right down to the bottom of the map
I would lose the ship-too pixely
Perhaps get a nicer graphic for capitals.

Gameplay
Cutting off bauska from the rest of dienvidi is a really bad move in my opinion. No-one is even going to attempt getting that continent-especially as it is already central and is going to be taking all the north-south traffic.
Perhaps the total Lithuania bonus should be a little higher as well. (17?)

[Industrial Helix]

Hmm... seems to have come a long way since i last checked. I like where the graphics are going, but they need some work still. Ditch the sailboat. I think the tri-flag is cool, but I'd rather see all three. Maybe cut out some photos of the three flags in the wind or something? I can not read the font, but I'm glad you're going towards something with a little more style. Some trees have drop shadows... I'd work on making the drop shadow a little more closer to the trees, so its like a shadow beneath the tree and not that the sun is setting. Keep it up!

[Scania N113]

I have just discussed with captainwalrus lately. And hopefully I think that the next update can come very soon. The focus on the next update is mostly on improving the graphics.

[colton24]

Ok lemme wipe the sweat off my brow.Whew! I was worrying.

[captainwalrus]

Yeah it is comming along. The tree shadows and resizing the text took a while, but it is almost done.