Terra Luna: Abbandoned - free to a good home

Bodmanbod · Post by **Bodmanbod** » Thu May 10, 2007 6:04 pm

+ 8 you say? interesting...

anyone able to help me with the xml? i have done most of it with the exception of the coords for the small version but when i use the tester i allways get this error:

Code: Select all

<smallwidth>600</smallwidth> - Extra content at the end of the document 

Summary: 0 warnings and 1 errors detected

XML checking code provided by Jota

[/code]

KEYOGI · Post by **KEYOGI** » Thu May 10, 2007 6:08 pm

I quite like the direction this map is taking. There are a few little things that stand out to me straight away though. I haven't read every post in the thread so I apologise in advance if I bring up anything that's been covered.

You have a lot of dead space in your image. Perhaps bump up the size of the legend, but not too much becaues you don't want to crowd the actual map. I can't determine any order to the continents in the key, so perhaps if you arranged them from shortest to longest it would help with the curved space you have to work with. Another option would be include some images in the background, but I think that would hurt the style you have going now.

I think that perhaps the map needs some very faint stroke/outline around it to seperate it from the background. A lot of your borders around the edge of the map don't go all the way to the edge, a stroke around the map would help give these borders an end.

The font on the map itself isn't really ideal. It's probably a bit too small to start with and it doesn't fit with the rest of the image at all.

The one way borders do the job, but they do need to be a little more obvious. Playing around with highlights, outlines and shadows should be able to give you some sort of satisfactory result.

Keep up the good work Bodmanbod.

Gilligan · Post by **Gilligan** » Thu May 10, 2007 6:17 pm

I was thinking the small map is too small. Some territories don't have a lot of room for numbers. i.e. Zahia.

Bodmanbod · Post by **Bodmanbod** » Thu May 10, 2007 6:32 pm

KEYOGI wrote:I quite like the direction this map is taking. There are a few little things that stand out to me straight away though. I haven't read every post in the thread so I apologise in advance if I bring up anything that's been covered.

You have a lot of dead space in your image. Perhaps bump up the size of the legend, but not too much becaues you don't want to crowd the actual map. I can't determine any order to the continents in the key, so perhaps if you arranged them from shortest to longest it would help with the curved space you have to work with. Another option would be include some images in the background, but I think that would hurt the style you have going now.

I think that perhaps the map needs some very faint stroke/outline around it to seperate it from the background. A lot of your borders around the edge of the map don't go all the way to the edge, a stroke around the map would help give these borders an end.

The font on the map itself isn't really ideal. It's probably a bit too small to start with and it doesn't fit with the rest of the image at all.

The one way borders do the job, but they do need to be a little more obvious. Playing around with highlights, outlines and shadows should be able to give you some sort of satisfactory result.

Keep up the good work Bodmanbod.

yes the dead space is due to the fact i just removed things from the ledger :/ your idea sounds good though

a stroke around the moon itself is also a good idea

as for the font i have explained about that... but i will explain again

you see the font needs to be small so it doesn't cover up too much of the map, as it is many of the names cover borders already. the font i used is a pixel font and well you can't get much smaller than that and there is very little variation in pixel fonts! i am suprised you say it is too small though? it runs over the borders in many places. also as a general rule when i do type i allways ask myself afterwards if it could be half the size :wink:

as for the one way borders the currently have a faint outer glow but as you said it needs to be stronger.

Bodmanbod · Post by **Bodmanbod** » Thu May 10, 2007 6:34 pm

well there are rules about the size of the small map :wink:

but once someone helps me with the xml i will be able to find out if the armies will fit.

/hint

KEYOGI · Post by **KEYOGI** » Thu May 10, 2007 6:41 pm

On the font issue, it doesn't matter if a territory label goes over borders and into other territories as long as it's clear which territory it belongs to.

Bodmanbod · Post by **Bodmanbod** » Thu May 10, 2007 6:50 pm

yes well the the army numbers are a pixel font too, so when the map is in use the text will look more in place.

and well i may get away with a different font on the bigger map, but the smaller one wouldn't. o.0

Guiscard · Post by **Guiscard** » Thu May 10, 2007 7:52 pm

Bodmanbod wrote:yes well the the army numbers are a pixel font too, so when the map is in use the text will look more in place.

That's a very good point... I'll reserve further judgement on the font until we've got army numbers

snufkin · Post by **snufkin** » Thu May 10, 2007 8:18 pm

It is only the width of the large map that definitely exceeds the max for small maps, right?

So if it doesn´t work too good you always have the choice to, with some cutting+ clonetool whatever, fit the large moon on a small map?

ericwdhs · Post by **ericwdhs** » Thu May 10, 2007 8:56 pm

Guiscard wrote:
Bodmanbod wrote:yes well the the army numbers are a pixel font too, so when the map is in use the text will look more in place.

That's a very good point... I'll reserve further judgement on the font until we've got army numbers

Yeah, that is a good point. I don't see what at all is wrong with the font though, even if the army numbers didn't match. They just feel like they fit in my opinion.

I GOT SERVED · Post by **I GOT SERVED** » Thu May 10, 2007 9:13 pm

The only issue I have is that I can't really distinguish some of the one-way borders.

Other than that, nice job, and keep up the excellent work!

KEYOGI · Post by **KEYOGI** » Thu May 10, 2007 9:38 pm

Sorry to go off topic, but I laughed at I GOT SERVED's avatar. I have a photo of a road sign saying "children and horses drive slowly".

Fair enough point about the font Bodmanbod, I guess we'll just wait for XML before making a final judgement.

Bodmanbod · Post by **Bodmanbod** » Fri May 11, 2007 3:14 pm

Bodmanbod · Post by **Bodmanbod** » Mon May 14, 2007 10:19 am

can't get the damn coordinates right :/

anyway what do people think of the changes?

mibi · Post by **mibi** » Mon May 14, 2007 10:22 am

I don't think the pixel font is working very well with your map of antiquity.

t.e.c · Post by **t.e.c** » Mon May 14, 2007 10:25 am

the font is really difficult to read

RobinJ · Post by **RobinJ** » Mon May 14, 2007 12:39 pm

mibi wrote:I don't think the pixel font is working very well with your map of antiquity.

I would tend to agree with this. Nevertheless, you could do worse

t.e.c wrote:the font is really difficult to read

Are you blind? I think that plain font couldn't be made any easier to read, unless it was enlarged, in which case it would take up too much space

Guiscard · Post by **Guiscard** » Mon May 14, 2007 12:39 pm

Aww just realised you got rid of the directions! They were one of my favourite parts! Made it really nicely quirky, and steam-punk ish.

mibi · Post by **mibi** » Mon May 14, 2007 12:42 pm

RobinJ wrote:
mibi wrote:I don't think the pixel font is working very well with your map of antiquity.

I would tend to agree with this. Nevertheless, you could do worse

t.e.c wrote:the font is really difficult to read

Are you blind? I think that plain font couldn't be made any easier to read, unless it was enlarged, in which case it would take up too much space

the type doesnt have to be a strict horizontal. it could be larger and tilted or curved to fit the space better.

Bodmanbod · Post by **Bodmanbod** » Mon May 14, 2007 12:57 pm

Bodmanbod · Post by **Bodmanbod** » Mon May 14, 2007 1:04 pm

Guiscard wrote:Aww just realised you got rid of the directions! They were one of my favourite parts! Made it really nicely quirky, and steam-punk ish.

lol well you're the only person apart from me that liked them

i got a lot of stick about them being scientifically inacurate :/

anyway what do people think of the font now that i have a version with armies on it? i think the font ties the armies into the map more...

DiM · Post by **DiM** » Mon May 14, 2007 1:19 pm

the terit names are too hard to read. too small too white.

sully800 · Post by **sully800** » Mon May 14, 2007 1:32 pm

RobinJ wrote:
mibi wrote:I don't think the pixel font is working very well with your map of antiquity.

I would tend to agree with this. Nevertheless, you could do worse

t.e.c wrote:the font is really difficult to read

Are you blind? I think that plain font couldn't be made any easier to read, unless it was enlarged, in which case it would take up too much space

It's not just the size but the clashing colors.

I can read Rima and Atlast for example with no problems. The white font stands out well against the darker backgrounds.

But on the areas with lighter and busier backgrounds it is much harder to read (without getting a headache at least). Tycho for example and Prinz and many others.

mibi · Post by **mibi** » Mon May 14, 2007 2:01 pm

I think you should make the map bigger, bring the legend an inch closer to the moon and crop the right side.

Bodmanbod · Post by **Bodmanbod** » Mon May 14, 2007 4:40 pm

hmmm.... not sure about that :/

anymore comments?

Terra Luna: Abbandoned - free to a good home

Does this seem like a good map?