Mega New Elk WIP

[TheDog]

@beelee
On your eastern front & GCD, it is very crowded and to speed up the AIs first turn I put all/most of the move 2+ units back one TT from the front line.

Also early on in GCD development I decided not to show TT / SZ names, to reduce map clutter.

I also wanted NOT to show PU values in a TT, but Black_Elk persuaded me to show them. (Im a bit of a minimalist as both are on the status bar)

Keep up the good work! :thumbs_up:

[beelee]

@thedog

yea that's a good idea on the M2 dudes. Victory did the setup mostly. And Elk a little bit. I gave the capitals some dudes when I started. I just try and make the dudes show up without running in to each other.

Your work on GCD is definitely a godsend. It's basically the blueprint

[beelee]

Yea the white names look better. Idk if I can make it a default. Gotta change it under "View" map font and color.

Forgot Wallachia. Never heard of it. Not real familiar with eastern euro

[beelee]

Got Wallachia dialed in. Thought they could pull a fast one on the reich. That's not how they roll though. Everybody has got to be in line lol

[Black_Elk]

Cool digs

I think it should be something in the map.properties. Saying something like text color = 00000 (for black) where you'd want it to say color = FFFFFF (for white) not sure what to type out, or if it'd need to be added in, or maybe under some other heading.

The hex colors for the national colors are usually at the top, but I'd guess that would go somewhere near the bottom. I wouldn't know what I'm looking for though, other than the Hex colors there. For that # 00000 is 100% black, # FFFFFF is 100% white and something like font or text or territory name

[Black_Elk]

For the amount of elbow grease it will take I might try to ballpark it by first removing the PU folder and the PU_place txt. Or you can just rename them with something like "PU_backup" or "PU_place_backup." Then launch the map to see how that presents.

This will show you where your 'Territory Name and PU' label centers are actually going by default. Currently the map Font and Color is 18 pt, and the labels are black. I would suggest changing that to white, like you did, to match the UHD.

You will notice if doing this, that the position of the Territory Name/PU label will shift position depending on the Font size chosen. The Length of the label (how many characters make up a given name) will also be a factor. Basically what it's doing is trying to center the text as best it can based on the shape or dimensions of the Polygon that the name is drawing into. I believe there is a way to lock the center though, so that the label will not jump to a totally new center when rescaled. I haven't been able to determine how to do this though. I mean in a way that still allows for the View tab Font and Color stuff to work via the players inputs there. The strongarm solution was like one size fits all, which was to set up separate PU graphics, but then those can't really be changed on the fly without an image processing application.

To me it's hella awkward from a visual design standpoint to have the Labels all moving around the board when resized in the View settings "Map Font and Color", or at least it'd be nice not to have the labels making such dramatic moves. Simply going from 18pt font to 20pt font in the View tab, that can totally change the center of a label's display coordinates to a pretty extreme degree. It may completely reposition depending on the shape of the polygon it's drawing into. Say jumping up 100 pt or more along the Y axis coordinate or whatever, in which case probably striking into a unit place that would otherwise have looked fine at a smaller Font size.

I think we'd want the label text to remain in-line with the established center, not like trying to recenter or change coordinates within the tile, based on the dimensions of the now upscaled label/font, if going from say 18pt font to 20pt font or whatever. Font at any pt, has the advantage that the player can scale this in-game via the View settings. I mean we can have defaults, but the player can tweak that with one click. People can spec it to suit their eyes, or especially for the visually impaired. If we use graphics, pngs in a folder rather than built-in font, those are locked in at whatever dimensions the PU image is set at in those folders.

If we use the built-in text it's much more modular. For example, it should be possible to use TripleA map.props settings to set an alpha.transparency for Territory Name font, so that instead of displaying at 100% white, it will show like a semi transparent number/label keying off the national Hex colors. Or displaying through those colors basically. Or similarly you could make them off-white or some kind gray, or 2 toned (Bung's Global is 2 tone White with a black border actually, though for UHD I just made the PU graphic 100% white with the circular deal going on.) Many of the things for overall color grading, say dark vs light map can also be handled that way, but for now I'd prob just be more concerned about a clean read for the info that displays by default.

GCD is using a PU graphic at dimensions 27px by 16px (they're the graphics from WOPR's update to my v3 map.) Bung's G40 uses a different set of PU graphics which are Circular/Square dimensions. I tried to replicate these for the UHD Global using graphics at 54 px which was our unit standard field. The actual image is smaller closer to 36px, but it's on a 54px field. What this all means is that the kerning for those PUs is going to look different in the PU place, than whatever was set up for the other map.

I would maybe prioritize the Label first (if intending to display them), so the territory name and PU first, along with the VCs, then the Unit place dancing around that other stuff. First units in the place I think would be the static units which never move, say Factories or Bases in the case of G40, then the units which can actually move around the board. I think that's coming from the order listed in the game files for units.

For tangents, that's just like trying to avoid a situation where two labels strike into each other, or the Territory name strikes into the PU label or graphic, or where the little dudes obstruct information (least when the map is first opened, like for the round 1 starting unit place.) Once stuff is moving around and overflow lines are involved it's a bit unavoidable, but more just to have something look nice when the player first opens the map and scans around. To me it's nice, if including stuff like labels as an aid to memory or for educational purposes, to have the kerning look nice. So more to do with the relative position of Font characters, or graphics, than the design of those graphics per se. In other words the relative position the images to each other (text in this case) is sorta more important, than the specific visual design of the images chosen. If they're spaced evenly, it's always going to make anything look better.

When tripleA auto-does it's thing, the kerning will be consistent, whereas if it's done by hand that will almost always be off by a few pixels, or could be very extreme, off by several hundred pixels. Since I'm not a graphic designer, I'd probably use the machine for it, since we know it will give consistent results there. Easier to make slight adjustments afterwards if it looks off somewhere.

[Black_Elk]

Here this may help a lot, unzip this and drop the content into your map folder

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1vMYjz-tsM_SVWORuIBBQrzxXBj2bavzr/view?usp=sharing

What I did: so lets say you want the Text that displays on the map not to move, or to move not so much when font size is changed. Easy way to ballpark that is to take the txt file you have called "centers" then copy that file, rename it "name_place" txt.

Now when you rescale the Font in "View> Map font and Colors > Font size" instead of recentering the label at each Font size, that label will be stuck in the same spot, using the same coordinates as the center.

Now take that same file, copy again, rename to "PU_place"

Now all your Territory names and PUs will have a fixed center, same coordinates for each.

Now if you put that PU folder with images, back into the mapfolder (rename it from PU_backup to PU again or whatever) it'll show you where the UHD bung style graphics land. They'll be slightly offset, probably too close to the label to look good. But you'll have a fixed set off coordinates there relative to where the Name is going.

Now it's easier to say, move every Label or PU some set number of pixels in whatever direction from the center, by adding 50 pts along the Y axis coordinates, or 50 pts right on the X axis etc, whatever is required to get them back to looking smooth, all in one go.

What I did here, quick method, was to just raise the PU graphic on the 54px field, so it'd land slightly above the Name label, when using the same center. Probably not the most awesome solution but ballpark. Hopefully makes it easier to see what's going down

If you want the territory Names to write from the center out, instead of from left to right (using the center as the leftmost coordinate) I believe that is something can switch in the map.props. I can't remember exactly what it's called, but basically then the Name Labels will all shift slightly to the left from their current position.

Right now looks like so (with unit view off)... You can see that a couple centers, with long labels sorts strike too far to the right. It's because the Name_place is writing as if the center was the leftmost point. PU graphic shows closer to where the center is but it's a graphic. I raised the circle within the field to be like 20 pixels above where the center is so it'd display slightly above the label. But the label center itself my be better in a different location.

Now you can change the Font size from say 22 to 18 or whatever, and the label will not reorient within the polygon.

It'll use that fixed center point and scale from it instead. The centers for the name place can be moved using the map tool, sorta same way as changing where a unit might go, but then all your PU's will be in the same position relative to the label, just wherever that center is located. This is the same thing with Font size 18.

You can see that the center for a spot like Westphalia hangs way over, because it's such a long label and writing from the left, so it's bumping into a neighbor. That sort of thing I'd just maybe move the center point for those spots, then have the PU and Name_place key off whatever that new center would be.

Once those are all set in place, or with the VCs as well, idea would be to dance the unit place around the PU label, so it remains empty of Unit place. Reason is so that the player has a ready spot for their cursor to click the All-units, instead of accidentally clicking an individual unit. If each spot as a ready click zone to bring up all units, that is helpful I think. Then idea would be to ensure that unit overflow line in the place, isn't directly on top of that area, or running across a label. Idea being that if player wants to bring up all units within the Territory at a one click, they click the PU number and bang, now they got the all units within territory view instead.

[beelee]

@black_elk so I can move the names in name_place and that won't jack the font thingy ? Or do i have to move the center and then change the name_place to the same ?

[beelee]

@Black_Elk

I must be missing something. This is what I get

[Black_Elk]

@beelee Ah yeah, that's right. So I think this might be because when I was eyeballing it, I had my screen at 1600p with font in windows at 150%, but we need to get it dialed for 1080p with font at like 100%, or ideally for both. I can fire it up this weekend and noodle around. Basically should be more straightforward with the Name place having some set coordinates to riff from, before it was just sorta jumping around cause we didn't have one. Original display didn't have the labels so didn't matter there, but here it would make a difference for sure. I'll knock something out and hit you up when I get done running some errands

[beelee]

@black_elk

Name and Place were capitalized so now I get this

should be a little easier to work with. Looks as if the names will have to slide left as you were saying

[Black_Elk]

@beelee Oh yeah I forgot the caps thing, that'd do it. I was using windows haha. Go figure!

For the screen rez thing, long as it looks good on your end should end up fine on mine. There can be sorta subtle changes in how a set graphic displays, like going higher rez the image may be slightly smaller, so I thought it was that, but prob just the capitalization thing

[wc_sumpton]

@beelee, @Black_Elk

Wow, looking good. But I still think you guys are going at it the long way. But OK.

Cheers...

[Black_Elk]

@wc_sumpton I agree it's more an issue of trying to use the little circular graphic and strongarming it for the other map which just used like decoration style place for all the bung labels. For this the advantage of having the PU place all keyed up to be at a fixed center, and the Name place, would be that then you can ditch or substitute the graphics for the simple text and it won't show up striking right into the drawn on label. Cause right now just has the same coordinates and I only quickly edited the graphic to lift that above. But if PU folder removed, and show resources PU is on to supply the regular txt, it'll show up inside the Name. The built-in text is nice because it scales like font vector, instead of the graphic which scales raster with the main map screen. At 50% view not an issue, but if going lower text prob scales cleaner for most, or can be enlarged for smaller view (map zoom.) Anyhow, just and idea. If the PU centers are all in a sweet spot, the graphic can be centered instead of offset as it is now. I was just doing it quickie so you could see how might look, and cause there was no name place in there.

[beelee]

@black_elk

Updated to git. You should have a clean folder to work with now. Added Chicago as a VC to test. Search "VictoryCities" in the xml and you'll see you just add the TTy where Chicago.

The vc.txt works for new coordinates. I tried an existing one and you can move them there too.

https://github.com/beelee1/mega_new_elk

[wc_sumpton]

@beelee

So, I see that you have "isInfantry", and the armor as "isLandTransport". I'm going to say the same thing I said to @TheDog, you going to pile 8 to 12 soldiers, including a machine-gunner on top of a tank and roll into combat with bullets flying at you. 8 - 12 maybe also towing an artillery piece. Them brave M-F'ers. Then what is the use of the mech_infantry? I can purchase 1 infantry and 1 armor which can travel 2 spaces and blitz or buy 2 mech_infantry les 1 pu that cannot blitz, cannot transport troops, cannot tow artillery.

Ahh... the point is moot as the is no mechanizedInfantry tech, so, those brave soldiers are still walking. I think it's safer that way.

Cheers...

[Black_Elk]

@beelee Cool digs, I was just rummaging around in the map folder to see what all was in there.

Here I combined the VC list from G40 along with some entries from GCD or removing any duplicates there, then making a couple substitutions.

I think one could add Chicago, but that is also very interior and not easily a contested location which Axis are likely to reach till the game is sorta over. Instead I'd maybe consider a spot that's more coastal? Or probably was just to test. Obviously they can be moved around to suit the desired play pattern for VC wins.

Here's a quick list of 42 that seem pretty good to me for Victory Centers, just to give a distribution across a distance sorta m2/m3 in clusters. I condensed a couple Dutch VCs to get Amsterdam and Batavia Java (Jakarta) in the there, in case of wanting to do Dutch mods maybe for earlier timelines. Anyhow, just something to ballpark it VCs. I'd think goal of turn 1 would be to get some changing hands quickly into Axis control for the balance.

Baghdad
Baku-Azerbaijan
Bangkok-Siam
Batavia-W.Java
Benghazi-Cyrenaica
Berlin-Cen.Germany
Cairo-Egypt
Calcutta
Cape Town
Chungking
Greece
Guadalcanal-Solomon Is.
Helsinki
Hong Kong-Kwangtung
Honolulu-Pearl Harbor
Iwo Jima-Bonin Is
Italian-Somaliland
Legos-Nigeria
Leningrad
London-S.England
Manila-Luzon
Moscow-Cen.Russia
Netherlands
New Delhi
Ottawa-Montreal
Panama
Paris-Cen.France
Ploiesti-E.Romania
Rio De Janeiro -Sao Paulo
Rome-Cen.Italy
San Francisco-Cen.California
Shanghai-Kiangsu
Singapore-Malacca
Stalingrad-Volga
Sydney Canberra-New South Wales
Tokyo
Truk-Coraline Is.
Tunis-Tunisia
Warsaw-Cen.Poland
Washington D.C.

I was not sure what you'd planned to do in terms of relabeling, so I just used the templet from before for that. If looking to cut the hyphen out of the current labels, I would probably use either the designation that's more familiar from G40 (say 'Bordeaux' rather than Gascony, for Bordeaux-Gascony, since G40 has a TT named Normandy-Bordeaux, it's likely more familiar to use Bordeaux). Or otherwise to use the more specific designation of whatever City or smaller region included in the name. Some TTs had more a combo two regions in one TT name. So say New York-New Jersey, might just be New York or whatever. I think generally would be more compelling to use a familiar Metro sometimes, as opposed to something more Generic like N. or S. or E. W. Cen. whatever which I sometimes used. Mainly to avoid the issue where a player unfamiliar with the geography sees smaller tile and associates it with the larger region. So for example thinking Poland is too small, when that tile is actually just Metro Warsaw, and Poland is the half dozen or so TTs surrounding it. In each case there are some issues with choosing just one name sometimes.

For example TT called Prague, might also be called Czechia, or it might be called Bohemia, I mean probably now that everyone is playing Kingdom Come Deliverance 2, there's a bit of a Bohemian pre-renaissance going on right now hehe. But you know what I'm saying I think, sometimes compromises would probably be made if trying to display a label that fits nicely, favoring whatever name is familiar and also has fewer characters in the name total. I had avoided giving this too much thought for the other one, since it was decided fairly early to just sorta nix the name display in favor of PUs. That could work here as well with the line in the map props, though if trying to get it all dialed might make sense to just work with the displays up while trying to sort the place for it.

I dropped one VC in Rio, just to have one in South America. I think it should work alright for a spread. Could substitute or add, maybe Vancouver if you want to pull Japan into an Alaska campaign. I'd highball it

[beelee]

@wc_sumpton

oh Idk I'm just focused on place. Try and get it up and running. The xml changes were mostly made a year ago. I don't even remember what all I did

Think I mostly just got rid of politics, everyone at war.
Changed to the later start date so France doesn't have any dudes.
Got rid of Objectives.

Think i used G 40 as the base and removed the rules Elk didn't want and then added all of The Dog's stuff over for territories basically.

Hell Idk lol

Early stages Take a while to get it dialed.

I've got it in Notes now though

[wc_sumpton]

@beelee said in Mega New Elk WIP:

and then added all of The Dog's stuff over for territories basically.

Yea... little paw prints all over the place.

Cheers...

[beelee]

@wc_sumpton said in Mega New Elk WIP:

Yea... little paw prints all over the place.

That's how most people use triplea. Copy other peoples shit