With the posting of the Dwilight history, they are now complete:
http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL9EFB5523F83D2EFD&feature=view_all
That is 7 years of BattleMaster, 6 game worlds, all in time-lapse videos. Wow, what a piece of history. How many other games do you know that have that kind of dynamics over such a period of time?
I blinked. Now I have to watch it again. ;)
Yes, It's like see a real history map! All this realms growing, changing and (some) disappearing! :o
For the future histories, we are using the new map system. Here are three versions of what it'll look like. I have not yet decided which one we will use:
(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9638874/History/2012-09-14-0-banners.jpg)
(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9638874/History/2012-09-14-0-names.jpg)
(https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9638874/History/2012-09-14-0.jpg)
As you can see, there are still issued with banners that don't have transparency. Also note that these are scaled down, so there are a few artifacts that aren't in the originals.
I like the one with the giant banners.
Also, Eston looks SO NICE with that extra Duchy in the East. Can't we keep it pleeeaassee?
I agree!... to the banners, of course... Not to the Eston thing!!! :P
I like the names. The banners only make sense to people who already know the game.
If you don't know the game, then the names are meaningless. The banners provide the same function as the names, identifying that there are different political entities, but look much sexier while doing it. Any gamer will instantly grok the significance of the different banners and colors.
I think the maps with banners could be useful in marketing.
One with banners looks awesome :)
Can we make the non-bannered rogue regions a much different colour from the others, though? Black, maybe?
Quote from: Velax on September 15, 2012, 03:53:33 PM
Can we make the non-bannered rogue regions a much different colour from the others, though? Black, maybe?
Yes, I think some extra distinction here would help. Perhaps raise or lower the opacity on those?
The banner map doesn't look well because they have different sizes AND dimensions AND some are banners, shields and even flags. There should be conformity, only one and not a mixture of all three. A rule should be made.
Currently, for realm banners to be uploaded into the game there is a maximum dimension and/or resolution allowed but no minimum. For conformity, the EXACT dimension should be fixed leaving no room for less or more and a rule should also be made that there should be no empty spaces between the banner/shield/flag and the sides of the picture frame. Example:
This shield doesn't reach the sides of the picture frame.
(http://wiki.battlemaster.org/images/Shield.gif)
This one does.
(http://wiki.battlemaster.org/images/Pian_en_Luries_New_Banner.jpg)
The 2 examples above don't use transparent pixels but take note that you can't tell if it touches the sides of the picture frame when transparent pixels are used or when the background is the same colour as the background of the picture.
Just my 2 gold coins worth of opinion.
I don't. Like the idea of forcing everyone to use the same size/shape of banner. People should be free to use whatever size/shape they want, so long as it fits within the maximum size as specified by the game.
We need to clarify the rules and also enforce them, i.e. automatically reject banners over (or under) a specific size.
But we should not make it too strict. There should be some room.
Quote from: Indirik on September 14, 2012, 10:56:37 PM
If you don't know the game, then the names are meaningless. The banners provide the same function as the names, identifying that there are different political entities, but look much sexier while doing it. Any gamer will instantly grok the significance of the different banners and colors.
Names are easier for unfamiliar people wishing to communicate. "Darn, Bobistan is a big realm! Are they friends with Georgistan?" gets the message across bettter than "Darn, that realm with a blue-blackish flag in the North-West-West sure is big! Are they friends with that tiny realm centre-South of them with the yellowstriped flag?"
Having both sounds good to me, though.
Quote from: Indirik on September 15, 2012, 05:43:38 PM
I don't. Like the idea of forcing everyone to use the same size/shape of banner. People should be free to use whatever size/shape they want, so long as it fits within the maximum size as specified by the game.
I don't mind a rule to force a specific image size and shape, as long as there's no rule to have the space fully filled. Would allow greater uniformity and standardisation, while still allowing people to pick the shapes they want and use lots of transparency if for some reason they like a smaller banner.
No, lots of free space around the banner is exactly what we do NOT want.
The current game maps have only icons. At that size, having room to have smaller icons is hardly noticeable. The banners in this map are much larger and having room makes them very noticeably inconsistent. Also, at icon size, the type of banner doesn't matter but becomes very obvious in this map.
What I can see:
Logo - Coria, Minas Ithil
Flag - Talerium, Suville, Eston (with pole)
Shield - Barony of Makar, Cagilan Empire, Tara, Strombran
Crest - Darka, Caergoth, Carelia (it has a crown), Minas Leon (it has a crown)
There should be some standardization.
Quote from: Tom on September 15, 2012, 07:35:10 PM
No, lots of free space around the banner is exactly what we do NOT want.
While unoptimal, are transparent pixels any worse than absent pixels? Blank space around the banner, imo, would incite people to enlarge their banners more than the possibility of submitting lower resolution (size) banners.
Quote from: Chénier on September 16, 2012, 12:59:05 AM
While unoptimal, are transparent pixels any worse than absent pixels?
Yes. For the map overview, we automatically scale all the banners to the same size.
A standardized size would be good, but people would still be free to be creative and use whatever kind of emblem they wanted be it shield, flag, crest, etc.
As with Fury's example, you would have a standard block size but your shield may simply not fill it all up in which you have transparency for that space. This way everyone retains the customization and creativity we all enjoy in realm banner's, but we also gain a more aesthetically pleasing map presentation.
And yes, these maps, and especially even the history videos could be great to help market the game. Exactly as Tom presented it: Check this out, a 8 year's worth (and counting) of persistent game world history.
I know I'm a bit late to the party here, but I wanted to throw my two cents in on the maps.
First, the color coding looks great. I like the idea of using names or banners, but honestly if you can find a way to marry them both I think that'd be perfect. That way, if someone sees a banner they particularly like, they'll already be able to associate a name with it. The names and banners may be meaningless at first, but if you see one or the other, the banner does next to nothing to identify the realm beyond "The place with the thing on the flag". The name at least identifies the colored block on the map, but having the banner with it gives it more identity from the get go.
Quote from: Ender on September 17, 2012, 04:53:49 PM
I like the idea of using names or banners, but honestly if you can find a way to marry them both I think that'd be perfect. That way, if someone sees a
Here you go (full size this time, which is why I'm not including it):
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9638874/History/2012-09-17-0.jpg
Quote from: Perth on September 14, 2012, 11:18:10 AM
I like the one with the giant banners.
Also, Eston looks SO NICE with that extra Duchy in the East. Can't we keep it pleeeaassee?
Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!
More seriously, though, one of my ongoing concerns with the map has been the similarity of the yellows. For a while, I couldn't tell which was Minas Leon and which was Tara. I'm guessing those are the same as the color chosen by the ruler?
Quote from: Tom on September 17, 2012, 05:17:28 PM
Here you go (full size this time, which is why I'm not including it):
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9638874/History/2012-09-17-0.jpg
Oh, that's
very nice.
Yes, you can try asking the Rulers to see if they are interested in picking more distinguishable colours, it would make the Dynamic Map look a lot clearer. Of course, for Coria you can do it yourself ;)
Quote from: Telrunya on September 17, 2012, 05:25:12 PM
Yes, you can try asking the Rulers to see if they are interested in picking more distinguishable colours, it would make the Dynamic Map look a lot clearer. Of course, for Coria you can do it yourself ;)
The true challenge is picking a reason IC. haha
Quote from: Tom on September 17, 2012, 05:17:28 PM
Here you go (full size this time, which is why I'm not including it):
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9638874/History/2012-09-17-0.jpg
Perfect!
Quote from: Tom on September 17, 2012, 05:17:28 PM
Here you go (full size this time, which is why I'm not including it):
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9638874/History/2012-09-17-0.jpg
That looks fantastic! Keeps the banner prominent on the top but puts a name to the face. Very, very nice.
Quote from: Fury on September 15, 2012, 08:30:20 PM
Shield - Barony of Makar
Actually, that's a standard. A banner, if you will...
Edit: Oh god I'm guilty of thread necromancy. This is what I get for following cross-thread links. I'M SORRY WORLD!
lol... Well Ban, at least if you're going to resurrect a topic it's a good one. Really curious to see how this is going.
Quote from: Tom on September 17, 2012, 05:17:28 PM
Here you go (full size this time, which is why I'm not including it):
https://dl.dropbox.com/u/9638874/History/2012-09-17-0.jpg
A 1-pixel wide halo around the banner would be nice. It's kinda hard to put Enweil's banner from the background as it currently is, due to the realm color being predominant on the banner (which I suspect is often the case).
But indeed, very nice.
Quote from: Eirikr on September 17, 2012, 05:21:35 PM
Nooooooooooooooooooooooo!
More seriously, though, one of my ongoing concerns with the map has been the similarity of the yellows. For a while, I couldn't tell which was Minas Leon and which was Tara. I'm guessing those are the same as the color chosen by the ruler?
Yeah my mistake. I put the color I wanted and didnt watch at other colors... Now its a shade lighter, but still not what I want. Will probably completely change it to get something different, yet logical for the realm.