Revisiting an old project

[Hepps]

@redrum said in Revisiting an old project:

@Hepps Sounds like an enhancement request for the map maker tools...

Yes... I suppose in my hostile venting way... that was a request to make an improvement to the tools.

It would be ideal if there were a step that functioned exactly like the manual placement picker... but when you ran the name placement picker and clicked on the territory it then loaded the shape of the territory name from the "territoryNames" folder to the corresponding name... Creating the red outline box of the exact size of the image to be imbedded. That would be an addition that would encourage map makers to actually bother doing names in this manner... as currently it is an extremely laborious process that yields absolutely no results other than to allow other people to change names after the fact... which IMHO is still a wasted effort since even if someone wanted to do such a thing they'd still have to create a new image (or all of them) and then have to make changes to the XML and numerous other folders as well. So I remain thoroughly confused as to why we ever instituted this process initially as it offers no real value over just imbedding the names in the relief layer when the map is drawn.

[Hepps]

@Hepps said in Revisiting an old project:

Just a late hour update...

@prastle Well Im now almost complete.

What Ive done is...

1. Changed the game to use the Rome Total War map. 100%

2. Redone all of the unit placements manually.100%

3. Centered all of the names in the exact center of every territory.65%

4. Done the placements so that the name in each territory is never covered by units. (2 exceptions for really small territories)100%

5. Over sized the placements to ensure there is no unit overlap.100%

6. Created artwork for the menu box at the bottom left of the map.90%

7. Added custom dice to the map.100%

8. Created new PU markers to suit the theme of the map.100%

9. Added wave textures and SZ borders to all SZ.100%

10. Added new Border colouration to all Territories.100%

11. All round sexified 270BC without actually changing anything about the game-play.

Should be ready by the end of this evening.

12. Redrawn all units.85%

Obviously some of these tasks were more challenging than I first anticipated.... should be 100% ready in the next couple of days.

[prastle]

@Hepps Me Tinks? I'm driving North with a lot of Kieth's soon ...

[Hepps]

So close to being done.

Here's a look at the game specific dice...

3 more units to draw and a handful of name placements.... then the fresh and sexy 270 bc will be complete.

This is going to have to be done as a totally different release since it will not be compatible with the earlier version.

[Frostion]

Nice choice of colors. They really fit the theme. I like it But why do the dice use Roman numerals while the territories use normal numbers? Have you made a version of dice with normal numbers also?

[Hepps]

@Frostion I did a version of the territory marker with roman numerals.... but due to the size of the image it was very hard to distinguish the numbers... so I reverted to a normal numbering system.

[Hepps]

@Frostion also... I reworked an older set of dice which are package inside the game folder... so there are also options.

[prastle]

@Frostion I recommended you to give @hepps some help with the git hub upload curve. looks great guys !

[Hepps]

Down to the last 3 units... mere breaths away from being done.

The Greeks and the Spartans are now complete...

See you in ancient history soon!

[Hepps]

Game is complete... will be testing it tonight when I get home.

Final glimpse... The Roman Republic.

[prastle]

@Hepps me tinks ur getting 2 cases of Kieth's ...

[Frostion]

I don’t know if it is the new colors of the sea or the yellow borders, or both, but I kind of like the original style better then the new look. The new units are game changing nice, maybe because they look so excellent. But as I see it they fit better on a more subtle and not so colorful background, as the units stick out a lot more on a subtle and less colorful background. But I would like to hear other people’s opinions on this.

[prastle]

@Frostion I am color blind a bit. Hopefully i get to play one a bit. i am prob a gd test since generally i play with map details off.

[redrum]

I'd agree with @Frostion some here. I think its that the yellow border is a bit too much. Also it might be better to make the territory PU value a bit larger if possible. The rest looks pretty good to me.

[Hepps]

@redrum and @Frostion Once I have this running it is easily revisited as far as brightness and contrast as I saved all of the different design elements in their own layer while doing the work.

Currently I am stuck as the game will go as far as the loading screen, but no further.

[Frostion]

”I am stuck as the game will go as far as the loading screen, but no further.”

This is the worst time If you don’t have a java popup error, then my advice is to check, double-check and triple-check the folder names and file names of the “flags” dir. See if everything corresponds with the player list in map.properties and in the XML. A singe flag image with the wrong name seems to prevent the game from starting.

If it turns out to be another problem, and you fix it, I am sure we are some that would like to know what it was and what you did. Just so we can learn from this troubleshooting.

[CrazyG]

@Hepps
I would check your place file, I know if it gets formatted wrong, this can happen, and you recently changed it, right?

[Hepps]

@CrazyG Yes I have re-checked it a half dozen times.

[CrazyG]

@Hepps
Have you tried praying?

[Hepps]

@CrazyG Does cursing the Gods count as praying?