Switzerland [MAP 2.7]

[DJENRE]

Ok, I'll start with those changes
TY

[DJENRE]

You need some contrast to the background. Right now all of your map kinda blends in together, with everything on the same level of focus, saturation and lightness...

First of all, that landscape image you have overlaid on the background (sure it's public domain? make sure) make it black and white (colors -> desaturate) and set the layer mode to multiply, with a low opacity.

Then, you could add a drop shadow to the land. Select all of the land area, create a layer below the land areas, move the selection down and right for about 3 pixels, feather selection (selection -> feather) by about 5 pixels and fill with black. Set the layer on soft light.

I would also recommend adding some borders to your territories. You have each different colour land area on it's own layer, right? (you should have.) Refer to my tutorial on how to add borders for them, except in this case, I would advise very thin borders.

Also, the cow and the bell images are really crappy quality, get rid of them...

1) I can't set it B&W, this is swiss flag so I need to keep a bit of colours! I change the colors and made it less saturated.
2) I made the land borders (shadows)
3) I added the texture
4) Some areas have been redrawn, some names, 88 or flags have been moved to fit the regions.
5) I dropped the two images

MAP 2.5

[natty dread]

1) I can't set it B&W, this is swiss flag so I need to keep a bit of colours! I change the colors and made it less saturated.

Not the flag. The landscape that is overlaid on the flag. Make that B&W and set the layer mode on multiply with low opacity.

2) I made the land borders (shadows)
3) I added the texture

These look very good. The borders may need some retouch later, but that can wait for now.

5) I dropped the two images

Good. The swiss flag "shield" you have, though... it could use some gradient overlay on it. Ie. Make a white>black radial gradient in shape of the shield, set it on top of the shield with "soft light" layer mode, adjust opacity of gradient to around 50. It'll make it look more natural. The shield could also use a drop shadow.

[DJENRE]

Good. The swiss flag "shield" you have, though... it could use some gradient overlay on it. Ie. Make a white>black radial gradient in shape of the shield, set it on top of the shield with "soft light" layer mode, adjust opacity of gradient to around 50. It'll make it look more natural. The shield could also use a drop shadow.

About the shield, it appears that a bilinear overlay set in center instead gradient on top give better results. Also a clear grey instead black for the shadow.
And I finally found how to curve tet myself.

MAP 2.6

[ender516]

The curve of the text should be more uniform, and in English, it is better to say "Welcome to Switzerland".

Do the lines running from the 88 in Bern mean that Bern only borders those four territories? It would be better to use impassable markers like rivers or mountains. Mountains in Switzerland, who would have thought of such things?

[natty dread]

It should be "Welcome to Switzerland".

Also... I'm not sure what size your 88:s are... but you should try making them 22x16 pixels, and see if they still fit - that way you'll know if regular size numbers will fit on the small version.

[kengyin]

looking much better, keep working on it

[DJENRE]

The curve of the text should be more uniform, and in English, it is better to say "Welcome to Switzerland".

Do the lines running from the 88 in Bern mean that Bern only borders those four territories? It would be better to use impassable markers like rivers or mountains. Mountains in Switzerland, who would have thought of such things?

I'll curve it better on next draw but I just started to learn how to do it
Yes, BERN starts neutral.
Like I told before, I don't want to set rivers or mountains if they're not true

I'll change "to"

It should be "Welcome to Switzerland".

Also... I'm not sure what size your 88:s are... but you should try making them 22x16 pixels, and see if they still fit - that way you'll know if regular size numbers will fit on the small version.

Thanks, I needed that info. It's actually around 17x13 but it seem it works with 22 x 16 everywhere. except a few so I'll change it in next draw

looking much better, keep working on it

TY

[natty dread]

Yeah, the actual number size is 16x12 (for two digit numbers) but it is the same for both size maps, so if you use 22x16 size numbers on the large map, you'll know that the actual size numbers will fit on the small map.

It's a trick that we pro elite mapmakers use

[ender516]

So you presume that the small map size is always 75% of the large map?

[natty dread]

So you presume that the small map size is always 75% of the large map?

That is very, very often the case... I can name at least 2 reasons:

- 75% is a nice amount that scales easily. 16 pixel goes to 12, 12 -> 9, 8 -> 6 etc.
- the size limit for large maps is 840x800. The size limit for small maps is 75%. So if your large map is at the limit for either dimension, the small map becomes 75% out of necessity (unless you can make it smaller... in which case, your large map is needlessly big )

[DJENRE]

Yeah, the actual number size is 16x12 (for two digit numbers) but it is the same for both size maps, so if you use 22x16 size numbers on the large map, you'll know that the actual size numbers will fit on the small map.

It's a trick that we pro elite mapmakers use

So you mean that I should use size 20 when I write numbers? What police (characters)?

[natty dread]

Nah, just use the rectangle selection & scale tools to scale your current numbers so that they are 22 pixels wide and 16 pixels high.

The numbers don't need to look pretty, since they're just used for testing purposes. In fact I suppose you could just use 22x16 pixel rectangles instead of numbers.

[Mad777]

Ok...lets see! I read the complete thread about this Swiss map, I'm Swiss, born in Geneva...

I will try to have a neutral critic lol ....

I like the way the region are separated, you were able to keep the actual geographical areas.
I guess you should add moutain as impassable between the both Wallis countys and Bern.This will also protect this group of county and may be reduce the bonus to +1
Make the connection between Val Meso and Val Brega more dark.
About the "Grisons" group in teal, why the bonus its so high? Could +3 work?
Now as far adding chocolate,cheese or whatever bonus seems to me not very good as I join the comment about having this running close to a standard
Having a 2nd map with railroad and highway, including foreign city as a "cul de sac" should a second map very interesting.

Other than, from my opinion, I'm very proud to see MY country part of CC map soon.....Thanks DJENRE (if you need any help with this country let me know, but looks like you did very good "mon ami" )

[DJENRE]

Ok...lets see! I read the complete thread about this Swiss map, I'm Swiss, born in Geneva...

I will try to have a neutral critic lol ....

I like the way the region are separated, you were able to keep the actual geographical areas.
I guess you should add moutain as impassable between the both Wallis countys and Bern.This will also protect this group of county and may be reduce the bonus to +1
Make the connection between Val Meso and Val Brega more dark.
About the "Grisons" group in teal, why the bonus its so high? Could +3 work?
Now as far adding chocolate,cheese or whatever bonus seems to me not very good as I join the comment about having this running close to a standard
Having a 2nd map with railroad and highway, including foreign city as a "cul de sac" should a second map very interesting.

Other than, from my opinion, I'm very proud to see MY country part of CC map soon.....Thanks DJENRE (if you need any help with this country let me know, but looks like you did very good "mon ami" )

Thank you for this beautiful post. It help me a lot and be sure I will add those suggestions in next map.
I'll surely need more advice from you soon. I'll let you know.

About mountains, in valais/wallis, please note that Bern (not Berne) is a neutral territory only reachable with the "roads".

[DJENRE]

New title
Passage throught Vals darker.

MAP 2.7

Click image to enlarge.

[Mad777]

About mountains, in valais/wallis, please note that Bern (not Berne) is a neutral territory only reachable with the "roads".

Sorry, I didn't realize those roads....this void completly my comment about it...

[natty dread]

I think you should add a slight white glow with low opacity around the territory names, to help their readibility where they are hard to fit in the territory, like Nidwald & Val Müstair.

[DJENRE]

I think you should add a slight white glow with low opacity around the territory names, to help their readibility where they are hard to fit in the territory, like Nidwald & Val Müstair.

Yes, good idea, I gonna do that.

Maybe I gonna redraw thos territs bigger and that will avoid the problem. Can be done for Nidwald but not sure for Vals

[thenobodies80]

Some thoughts:
- Bonuses names aren't displayed on the map.
- The lower left legend. I read 4 languages but you have listed only 3 bonuses, the concept seems a bit lame to me. And also you really need all that space used to explain percentages?
I also think that with those language bonuses, the players will be tempted to move towards the edges of the map instead of the center. This is not a good thing to have a funny map.
- You have some small territories (you should consider you need also a small version). Instead of having all that space used for the title and legends you can increase the playable part.
- Powered by ?
- Bern is a no bonus? and is impassable or what else?
- Those dotted lines throught bern conncet bern with the other regions? Are those the only way to attack Bern?
- You need some impassables. (e.g. Switzerland has big mountain ranges, then draw them on the map to do your impassables).
- Your bonus values are random? Did you used a formula or something else? They looks weird to me...

Let me said that's certaily better than the cheese version.
Continue in this way

Nobodies

[Riskismy]

Some thoughts:
Let me said that's certaily better than the cheese version.

pft. The cheeses were great!

[OliverFA]

I know I am a newcomer to the map, but there are some things I would like to provide feedback about.

First, if I was Swiss, I would not like seeing the French and Italian flags. If you want to represent the different languages of Switzerland, I suggest drawing all the territories belonging to a language in a colour, and then use different variatons of the same colour.

Second, I disagree with your proposed bonus areas. As far as I know, Switzerland is structured at three levels, Federation, cantons and municipalties. It seems to me that those bonus areas do not match any real political/geographical division. I would just use the linguistic areas as the bonus areas. If you want to have additional bonus areas, then use the cantons as additionas bonus areas. Small cantons can be one territory continents. Big cantons can be several territories continents.

Third, It's a personal opinion, but I would use existing Swiss divisions as the territories. For example, use administrative divisions of Bern as territories, forming all of them the bonus region of Bern. Small cantons would be just one territory, such as Geneve. And what about using zoom areas for representing areas with small cantons? I think the 23 cantons deserve to be represented. Maybe not the half cantons, but at least all the cantons.

[Danyael]

About mountains, in valais/wallis, please note that Bern (not Berne) is a neutral territory only reachable with the "roads".

Sorry, I didn't realize those roads....this void completly my comment about it...

not really nothing explains the roads

so you really think that going with a languages theme is suited for a cc map j'amie mange dans la poubelle? yes just got a bonus army

[FarangDemon]

This is looking really good DJENRE! Can´t wait to play it. I am in Lausanne now on vacation and got to visit Fribourg, Bern, Vaud and Geneva on this trip.

Great advice from OliverFA. I will just add a few of my own further suggestions to what he said.

I know I am a newcomer to the map, but there are some things I would like to provide feedback about.

First, if I was Swiss, I would not like seeing the French and Italian flags. If you want to represent the different languages of Switzerland, I suggest drawing all the territories belonging to a language in a colour, and then use different variatons of the same colour.

I agree you should ditch the flags. Swiss is the nationality, they only fly that flag. Plus, Swiss is not a language, so I´m not sure what the Swiss flag is supposed to represent if you are using the flags to represent languages. If you do want to use the Swiss flag somewhere I think it would make the most sense on the three founding cantons, Uri, Schwyz and one other one.

One thing you could do apart from color coding for languages (as that would interfere with the regional bonus color coding) is to replace the flags with a box containing "Fr" or "I" or "D". Like the icons that Windows uses to tell you the current input language. If you want to get tricky, you could make Fribourg be both "Fr" and "D" as it is a bilingual canton. However maybe it´s better if you only limit these language icons to those cantons that are unilingual - it may get too cluttered otherwise. I can´t remember now if the icon is usually "Fr" or "F".

Third, It's a personal opinion, but I would use existing Swiss divisions as the territories. For example, use administrative divisions of Bern as territories, forming all of them the bonus region of Bern. Small cantons would be just one territory, such as Geneve. And what about using zoom areas for representing areas with small cantons? I think the 23 cantons deserve to be represented. Maybe not the half cantons, but at least all the cantons.

I also agree with splitting Bern into subregions. Bern is a large canton and has many different subregions: Berner Oberland, etc I don´t know all the names. I think it kind of impedes things to have a very large neutral in the middle of the map.

[tokle]

I know I am a newcomer to the map, but there are some things I would like to provide feedback about.

First, if I was Swiss, I would not like seeing the French and Italian flags. If you want to represent the different languages of Switzerland, I suggest drawing all the territories belonging to a language in a colour, and then use different variatons of the same colour.

I agree you should ditch the flags. Swiss is the nationality, they only fly that flag. Plus, Swiss is not a language, so I´m not sure what the Swiss flag is supposed to represent if you are using the flags to represent languages. If you do want to use the Swiss flag somewhere I think it would make the most sense on the three founding cantons, Uri, Schwyz and one other one.

Actually they do use the foreign national flags for personal use in Switzerland. In the French and Italian areas it is pretty common to see French and Italian flags.