Matrix Games Forums

Hi,
I just got this image created by Unfortunate Son as an idea to supplement the War Map.
Not sure if something similar could be done to revamp the War Map as it stands.

Awesome! If you save it as a PNG file and then overwrite the old war map it seems to work in game just fine. (At least it shows the state and national borders) Many thanks Crow and Unfortunate Son.

That looks really good and perhaps at the least we can include this as part of the Community Pack mod options for the next patch.

We were working like little beavers trying to construct something.

I wonder if something similar could be implemented with the Zoom Out view also?
Using the Major Rivers as orientation is ok, but having at least the State Lines would be very helpful also. Adding a splash of mountain or rough terrain would also break up the monotonous masonite board look of the Zoom Out view.

OldCrowBalthazor wrote: ↑Sun Jul 03, 2022 6:03 pm We were working like little beavers trying to construct something.

I wonder if something similar could be implemented with the Zoom Out view also?
Using the Major Rivers as orientation is ok, but having at least the State Lines would be very helpful also. Adding a splash of mountain or rough terrain would also break up the monotonous masonite board look of the Zoom Out view.

THis was also discussed during beta, and I hope they will add a little more detail.

Very nice, and pretty quick work too!

BillRunacre wrote: ↑Sun Jul 03, 2022 7:23 pm Very nice, and pretty quick work too!

Well thank you.

Ray and I were discussing what we would like to see into the wee hours last night. I wanted State Lines and possibly some terrain flourishes. Also color tints for the different factions.
Ray has the professional grade software better than mine, so he was able to warp the state lines onto the map projection you guys used. That was something I couldn't accomplish right.
I got a message from him around the time the roosters were greeting the sun..and there was the image from him haha.

As for the Zoom Views. I understand that adding a 4th Zoom is probably not feasible with the current engine. Elessar told me this also when I was testing his War in the Pacific Mod for WaW and it's truly titantic Pacific map.
For QoL though, a view like this for the Zoom Out in addition to the War Map would be great. Is this technically feasible without too much effort, or would that entail considerable work?

Nicely done map that helps people who dont know all the states.

Falgazar wrote: ↑Sun Jul 03, 2022 8:13 pm Nicely done map that helps people who dont know all the states.

I suppose for those not intimately familiar with US geography, one could come up with a postal code version of the war map. Simple but legible. But then you gotta know your postal codes.

Platoonist wrote: ↑Sun Jul 03, 2022 9:17 pm

Falgazar wrote: ↑Sun Jul 03, 2022 8:13 pm Nicely done map that helps people who dont know all the states.

I suppose for those not intimately familiar with US geography, one could come up with a postal code version of the war map. Simple but legible. But then you gotta know your postal codes.



State Postal Codes.jpg

That would be awesome! I´m from europe, so I don´t know all the states location. And even without knowing all the postal codes I think in most cases it´s pretty obvious which stands for what state. But in the end it´s just a matter of time to memorize the map and the locations.

I think the main reason why players struggling withnthe map is because it`s really big and you have to recognize all things right from the start. It´s overwhelming when you take your first look over the whole area.
In WiE it starts at a much smaller scale (only Poland and France plus Egypt for the allies). The map opens during the time of the war and gets bigger and bigger, but so does (hopefully) your skill.

Also, I don´t like it that you have to make so important decisions right at the start before you can even look around. The Missouri Event is a good example. You can´t even take a look at the diplomacy screen but this event has heavy impact! In my opinion it would be better to make the decision at the end of your first turn.

Platoonist wrote: ↑Sun Jul 03, 2022 5:33 pm Awesome! If you save it as a PNG file and then overwrite the old war map it seems to work in game just fine. (At least it shows the state and national borders) Many thanks Crow and Unfortunate Son.


New Map.jpg

Well I see the map is being put to use. Very cool.

I like the the State name abbreviations and territorial names.

Soulcollector wrote: ↑Sun Jul 03, 2022 11:36 pm

Platoonist wrote: ↑Sun Jul 03, 2022 9:17 pm

Falgazar wrote: ↑Sun Jul 03, 2022 8:13 pm Nicely done map that helps people who dont know all the states.

I suppose for those not intimately familiar with US geography, one could come up with a postal code version of the war map. Simple but legible. But then you gotta know your postal codes.



State Postal Codes.jpg

That would be awesome! I´m from europe, so I don´t know all the states location.

Evidently your not alone.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/robinedds/non- ... -us-states

Funny how many non Americans get Florida and Texas right. I assume its because of their distinctive shape or in Texas case size.

From playing wargames since the late 1960s, I consider my knowledge of European geography to be pretty good. In fact I usually surprise Europeans with my level of knowledge. This isn't really high praise, since the vast majority of Americans they meet have trouble finding Europe on a map, much less identify individual countries.

Platoonist wrote: ↑Sun Jul 03, 2022 9:17 pm

Falgazar wrote: ↑Sun Jul 03, 2022 8:13 pm Nicely done map that helps people who dont know all the states.

I suppose for those not intimately familiar with US geography, one could come up with a postal code version of the war map. Simple but legible. But then you gotta know your postal codes.

This is great. Thanks.

I am using this version in my game.

For anyone wondering how to use it you need to download it then rename it to map.png then drop it into each of the Interface folders in each of the Campaign folders of your SC:ACW install. If you have custom campaigns then you will need to go to Documents>My Games> Strategic Command American Civil War>Campaigns and then drop the map into the Interface folder.

Be sure to make up a back up copy of the default map.png so you can replace the original if you wish to.

Very nice!

- BNC

Patrat wrote: ↑Mon Jul 04, 2022 3:58 am
Evidently your not alone.
https://www.buzzfeed.com/robinedds/non- ... -us-states

Funny how many non Americans get Florida and Texas right. I assume its because of their distinctive shape or in Texas case size.

I must admit as an American some of those were pretty funny. It's hilarious to see the geographical mistakes of others on territory you find familiar.

However, if you were to put me in front of a blank map of British counties, I would fare far worse. Except for Essex and maybe Cumbria I couldn't locate a single one, although I could guess a lot. The shoe on the other foot.

Anyway, the map revision is terrific. Even when knowing where the US states are in general, I got somewhat lost at max zoom out with the blank map. It now helps you orient where exactly your units are.

IslandInland wrote: ↑Mon Jul 04, 2022 12:26 pm

Platoonist wrote: ↑Sun Jul 03, 2022 9:17 pm

Falgazar wrote: ↑Sun Jul 03, 2022 8:13 pm Nicely done map that helps people who dont know all the states.

I suppose for those not intimately familiar with US geography, one could come up with a postal code version of the war map. Simple but legible. But then you gotta know your postal codes.

This is great. Thanks.

I am using this version in my game.

For anyone wondering how to use it you need to download it then rename it to map.png then drop it into each of the Interface folders in each of the Campaign folders of your SC:ACW install. If you have custom campaigns then you will need to go to Documents>My Games> Strategic Command American Civil War>Campaigns and then drop the map into the Interface folder.

Be sure to make up a back up copy of the default map.png so you can replace the original if you wish to.

New War Map Ingame.png

Thats it!!! Just what Old Crow and I were discussing as to why we wanted the map. For this view. Thanks for the post.

Hi, new map is nice, but is it possible to also fix game logo at the same time? Command has only two M:s, right?

I'll definitely fix the extra M for the next patch, and I'm very surprised no-one has caught that up until now as well

Funny and good catch

Matruusi wrote: ↑Mon Jul 04, 2022 2:59 pm Hi, new map is nice, but is it possible to also fix game logo at the same time? Command has only two M:s, right?

Ha! Staring at the map for hours I had never noticed that typo before.

Okay, for what it is worth here is one more revision of the war map with COMMAND spelled correctly and a box explaining the state two letter postal codes thrown in for those who might need it. I just hope I didn't miss-spell Mississippi or Missouri.
Kind of a mash-up. Maybe someone could do a more professional job later. Colors seem a bit off this time.

Again thanks to Unfortunate Son for doing the hard part and Old Crow for getting the ball rolling.