Hi!

I'm making my first map. It's a huge Liverpool City centre, gonna probably finish around 2000 territories.

A few questions:

1. Some of the territories are right on the edge of fitting the numbers in; the text fits
but the shadow bleeds over. Is this OK?

2. I've used actual shop and business names, eg. Tesco's, H&M etc.

3. I've put in bus routes and train stations to help movement around the map. I've connected the bus routes, but there's no meaningful way to do so with the underground train lines. There are only a handful though and obviously it'll show up when you click on the stations. Is this going to be acceptable?

4. The bonus structure is going to work on both regional (eg this block, then this few blocks, then this neighbourhood) and conceptual (all the concert venues, all the Tescos, all the Catholic Churches/Christian churches/places of worship etc) groupings. I am also thinking about putting a massive bonus if you get the city centre station and the one on the edge to signify the connection to Manchester. Good idea?

4b. I'm going to do values based on

- number of territories
- difficulty of achieving it/holding it
- value to the city

etc. There are going to be all sorts of fairly arbitrary bonuses. And lots of them. Do I really need to do bonus links? I'll probably be right on the file size limit, and there'll be no meaningful place to put them. I can use the sea, to the west, but I think I might have too many to fit.

Think that's all for now. Just wanted to say hi. This has taken me about a month and a half so far, probably another month to go. I've been coming the city, identifying every building, searching the internet to find out what denomination a particular church is or what a government building does etc... I hope someone's gonna actually play it when it's done!

Cheers,

Amos.

Hi :D

I don't know how much experience you have with vector programs, but if you do ignore the following passage:

I would recommend that you look for a few tutorials before starting. There are good ones in the map development forum. Especially the ones on making the bonus separation clean. Make a few test maps before starting on the main one (JUST DON'T PUBLISH THEM PLEASE, they are just for practicing :D )

1. How many digits? If it barely fits 2, then for a map with 2000 territories, it is not ok. You will surely have 3 digit armies and they will bleed into the other territory.

3. Make sure all your connections are visible and clear. No one wants to play on a map that is a mess and doesn't know who goes where.

4. Bonus structure is really up to your own ideas and desires :D

5. "Do I really need to do bonus links? " I don't understand this question. Are asking if you need to make the bonuses visible? Bonus boxes need to be clear and in my opinion very close to the bonus they are intended for. Any other compromise makes the map unplayable.

Cheers and good luck with your map :D

Figured out how to do a preview link:

http://warlight.net/SinglePlayer?PreviewMap=36556

I've been getting on fine with Inkscape. I'd never used vector art programs before, but lots of other kinds of digital arts software so I picked it up fairly quickly. I did do a couple of tests first though.

1. Yeah... there's a couple that might need merging. I think I'll finish as it is and do a quick test play. Because I'm leaving the roads empty, most territories actually have a little space around them, so...

3. I'll do a subway map.

5. Hmm. OK. I'll probably use parks and vacant lots for bonus boxes, then...

Thanks!

wow that's nice, very detailed and accurate. Lets hope it plays as good as it looks. I think I will do a map of Oxford or London someday.

Edited 10/26/2014 18:55:41

You made every block in Liverpool?

Pretty much every block. Some of them were just too small. But every school (within the map frame) is there, every doctor's surgery, every building of all four Universities. I've tried as hard as I can to identify everything - it's mainly houses that are left. Hopefully the bus routes and train lines will help with getting around - but I guess you can see why it would be awkwards to draw lines to connect the train stations...

I kind of figured there was a lack of decent city maps. But to do it justice you have to take the scale really close. I think Oxford would work well. With London, you'd have to do one borough at most, maybe City of London or City of Westminster.

What if Google Earth? There are also streets, regarding blocks is more difficult.