Conquer Club

This is my first attempt to make a map. Since it was sort of a test, I didn't base it off any real land, but instead made up a fake island.

I'm using a mix of photoshop and Blender3D (a 3D modeling program). It's not completely done, I have yet to make a few changes.



I'm not sure how mapping the troops for each region and the whole XML thing works, so I'll need somebody's help in that way.

Oh! And if anyone has a really good idea for a map but doesn't have the right graphic programs, you can PM me and I could try and make a new map. I'm terrible at coming up with ideas or getting a good location for a map so if anyone wants to help me that would rock.

this looks great for a first map!

You dont need to worry about not make a real place, it is fine if it is not real(a fantasy map).

I dont know if you have read the 'how to make a map hand book', but if you have not i think you should(and if you have i think you should read it agian)
http://www.conquerclub.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=40463
specifically, you should look at the size limits(which this is over)

i will be back later
tlane

my first critique is that there are only 3 bonus regions, and they are rather large, there should probably be more than 3

yeh split some of the territories up

Nice first draft! You surely have some graphic skills. I'll just spit out a couple of things...

1) You're height is too large. Max large dimensions are 840x 800 pixels. I don't think it will be to tough for you to fix though.

2) Fantasy maps are good, but they still need to have some sort of theme to them. Maybe work on your title / legend some to give it a certain feeling.

3) Your textures look great. Both water & sea. Nice

4) The villages/towns... need to pop more. I would like to see them beveled and 3d raised.

5) The territories are really large. Maybe split some of them up a little? I count 21. You have room for at least double that if you wanted.

This is a really nice looking first draft. The image is above the size restrictions, and feels a bit too big too.

Abstract maps tend to struggle in the early stages of development, but I'd focus on getting your gameplay grounded out first. Perhaps consider making the map bigger (ie more territories), and add more regions to make the map more suitable for larger numbers of players.

It's good to see fresh faces in the Foundry - I hope you stick around for a while, you clearly have some talent

edit: fastposted by RjBeals

LIKEY, LIKEY, LIKEY.

@ tlane; Oh, no I haven't read it yet, I will now. I thought it might have been too big. Also I finished another draft this morning, I might have added too much contrast, but I went ahead and split up two territories and added one in each region, which now makes overall 24 territories. I'll split up more.

RjBeals wrote:1) You're height is too large. Max large dimensions are 840x 800 pixels. I don't think it will be to tough for you to fix though.

Yes, I didn't realize that, and I just fixed a few things this morning. I'll fix it in my next draft though.

Thanks everyone else for the complements/tips!

this draft looks nice, but i have a few ideas for you to change:

1. I would make the attack routes dotted

2. Could you take some of the texture off of the mini-map and also make it a little bit bigger, but not much

3. I would work on the title and key, they can change the feel and style of the map, and i think you need to be a little more set on what you want the them to be

hope that helps,
tlane

the terts are definetly to large split them into smaller terts..u could use this as a bonus map maybe though...

Update: New draft.

I haven't had much time to work on it lately but I got it cropped to fit the requirements. I added a new region and split up the blue region, but the green region only has a troop bonus of 2.




Any more ideas/tips? And which terriories should I split up? (I'm thinking Thelm, and maybe Shanmar and Dharmin)

i think that dotted lines would look better than the lines you have going now:

http://graphicssoft.about.com/cs/photos ... ebrush.htm

First, i find your bonus numbers very low for my taste, and i would want more chokepoints so i could more easily defend the teritory i took. I'd also want more bonus regions.

Nothing wrong with your map, just a few things i prefer to a map, and you asked

good luck, i like your textures.

i have a problem with your settlements placing, one bonus has 2, 2 bonuses have 1, and one bonus has 0. you should space all of your settlments around all of the bonus

your towns: you only have 3 towns, one in every bonus except one bonus, which doesn't have any, i would suggest putting another town on your green bonus.

your dark green bonus is not very valuable at all.

Great Start to the map Len...

Love the start to the Graphics.

How many territories do you have?

I like the idea of resources - but they seem a bit arbitrary at the moment... Perhaps make a farming continent and a Connurbation continent or something.

C.

For future reference, can you take a look at the Map Making Handbook:

Information Requirements on the first post of a maps thread
1. The number of territories currently on the map.
2. The number of continents. (If this makes sense for your map)
3. Descriptions of any unique features or areas.

Also, posting the latest update there. Thanks

Graphically — incredible job there . I have no quarrel with the island nor the water, although you cold increase the size of the title. Something I do worry about is the color — seems very ominous for the colorblind folks 'round here, so I'd suggest either making a larger line splitting the continents (probably not the greatest, as they might stand out too much detracting from the beauty of the map); and/or making the colors more pronounced, which is something that'll need to happen along the way anyway.

Umm, small things that I pick up. Most importantly, I think you're symbols are too small. Affecting gameplay is the main worry there, and they look great as well so either adding a glow, enlarging, or both of those (recommended) would help a bunch. Another thing that would probably look nicer on the minimap, as well as make the colors a bit easier to translate, is taking the territory borders off 'em, and just keeping the regional borders. Also, the stroke on the army circles you have stands out too much. Lowering the opacity of that, or even the overall circle (er, shape) would look best. The dashed lines do look better, but I think circles in place of the dashes would look better (SEE: Charleston. Those look nice, probably fit here). Adding to that, reducing the glow around the islands a bit would make it less garish, though it looks great. As for the lake in the middle, making the water more like the ocean would further the not-greatly obvious fact it's there. Other than that, the movement of army shadows/shapes, and the gameplay-related graphical issues, you've done a fantastic job. Good work.

Gameplay-wise, the obvious is obvious. You've a very low territory count, as previously mentioned. It's your own place, so I don't think it should be a problem. I can see Thelm, Knamlen, Narmot Isle, and a combination of Marnace & Torlan (4-way border there by the way), meaning moving stuff around. As for the resources, I say go for it. Sure, they're kinda spur-of-the-moment, but on a fantasy island ( that came out wrong), and they add another something, like the Torris in San Marino. So besides more territories, and with that more bonuses, just see what happens. Maybe just a bonus for the islands?

Great job so far!
.44

Excellent starting graphics.

I would like to see this become a conquest map but if I am wrong then w/e

maybe add a third resource type?

sailorseal wrote:I would like to see this become a conquest map but if I am wrong then w/e

maybe add a third resource type?

There are three.

.44

EDIT: bumpin' image onto the latest page

Good start!
Some quick suggestions
First of all update your image in the first post and write all usefull informations we need to know.
The first post has to be the HQ of your thread.

Try to switch the +5 and +3 zone colors, the two dark green are similar. put them opposite.

Complitely agree wit .C about resources, your choice seems complitely arbitrary.

The graphic is ok, i like the sea very much.
Maybe you have to do attack routes more thick and add some objects/trees/mountains (the map is a bit empty on lands), but you have time to do this...
Try to do a bigger title and a smaller mapmaker name.

Towns and settlements have similar symbols.

On the whole you did a good graphic, i think now you have to concentrate your work on gameplay.
Keep it on!

thenobodies80

Wow, some really good advice here. Thanks everyone.

I've been slowly working on Nolmur Isle, becuase I've been really busy with other stuff and been working on another map (which is 100x better than this and I won't mention the name yet).

I'm considering mothballing (discontinuing) this map, since, it was mainly a test to see how well I could make maps. I, however, have started working on alot better map made for more players and is alot more unique.

So, what do you people think? Should I throw this map away? (and maybe finish it in a few months) Or should I complete this and work on my new one?

Feedback plz.

Depends on what your new idea is---if it blows this idea out of the water...hm...


--Andy

Pretty Good, Its very smooth and I like how the territory markers are like stars, and not your usual circle, which spices it up a bit. However, I'm not discouraging you, but there are so many fantasy maps and although it is great, it's kind of just a waste, I don't mean you should not continue, but it might be best to just go with your "100x better map"
Thanks,
Dublanous
P.S. If you would like me to make a signature either for this map or your new incredible "100x better" map then PM me or email me, I won't give away the name if you tell me the name/concept of this new map you are working on.

the graphics look superb, though ur concept could well fail to take off because of two factors: the small number of territories on an open map, meaning that the gameplay cannot easily give rise to many strategies other than constantly to attack the enemy as hard as u can (especially in 1v1), and lack of a recognisable theme onto which people can latch. having said that, some fantasy maps do make it through on the strength of carefully-designed gameplay, archipelago being a good example. an advantage of not drawing a real place is that u don't have to deal with inconvenient layouts, such as where nearly all of the settlements are at one end of the island, while the centre is mountainous and the other side is jungle.

if u continue with this map, then i'd encourage u to make it classic-sized (42-regions) and indent the main island with inlets and bays to provide natural barriers where ur bonus zones can be defended. to see what i mean by inlets and bays, look at this map of the orkneys, a group of scottish islands.

http://www.geo.ed.ac.uk/scotgaz/councils/region30.html

as well as being gameplay features, the resources can form part of the story that draws players to the map, similar to the intro in age of merchants.

http://www.conquerclub.com/maps/Age_Of_Merchants.S.jpg

ian.

wow this a really well made map for your first try...well designed but im worried that it is a) too simple b) not enough color difference between the terretories and c) that the 'made up place' is not gonna fly with the rest of the site...try to think of an original idea that might have this texture...Ireland, Sweeden, Turkey, Albania...just random ideas