Matrix Games Forums

Ok. Don't know whether this would be the best place for this, but here goes.

What I've done is this: I have taken some satellite photos of the region and utilized them to make a map of the theater. By doing so, I have got it set up so that I can add shading to the shallow water hexes (once I find out what they actually are). Right now, the "shallow" shading is essentially cosmetic along any shore/reef that is out there. There have been many things that I "modified" in order to fit the hexgrid (i.e. Papua is a little thinner than it actually is, Guadalcanal is a little fatter, Australia got moved south, many little islands got shifted around somewhat, etc.).

What I would like to get is some feedback on these. Especially on defects, etc.

You can use many programs to translate the jpg's to bmp's (I use IrfanView, which is excellent -- and free! ).

«edit»

I was able to get the server space (thanks to Oleg). And so, I decided to do cleanup on all of the posts and consolidate everything to the beginning of the thread.

Note: I have toned down the reefs in the maps. So, here are the url's to access the map and screen mods:


Original game maps, bmp version, with shallow water areas shown (size: 3750 Kb)


Dark blue sea color game maps, bmp version, with shallow water areas shown (size: 5384 Kb)


Gray (original) sea color game maps, bmp version, with shallow water areas shown (size: 5203 Kb)


Medium blue sea color game maps, bmp version, with shallow water areas shown (size: 5224 Kb)

Files included in all of the map mods (except for the original maps, didn't need to include the StrategicMap): (cspmap, cspmap2 & StrategicMap)

-----------------------------------

The screen mods got moved to their own thread. 08/21/02

«/edit»

Here's a link for the IrfanView viewer:

IrfanView

Thanks.

Rowlf,

Downloaded both and popped them through the converter. Will plug the "original" version into the game and let you know if I run into a glitch. Really like the "3D" impression of the satellite imagery. The first version is a little too dark for my personal preference. Makes me think of the North Atlantic!

Appreciate your effort to give us some options in an already excellent game!

Gary_D

The "original" maps are much easier on the eyes. Very clever idea! The effect is quite beautiful.

Also, it really shows the quality of Iain's work, as it can stand up to satellite imagery and still look fantastic.

Originally posted by von Murrin
The "original" maps are much easier on the eyes. Very clever idea! The effect is quite beautiful.

Also, it really shows the quality of Iain's work, as it can stand up to satellite imagery and still look fantastic.

Iain did all of the hard work. I just adapted what he did.

I have just updated my map with the shallow water hexes shown. So I thought that I would post it.

«edit»Just doing cleanup here. All downloads have been consolidated into one post.«/edit»

Wow! You've outdone yourself. I think I'll be using this one.

Excellent! I'll be using it as well. Thanks for the effort and for making it available.

Errr...you're not the guy who made those cool green backgrounds for the Japanese menu/report screens are you? If so, any chance of getting a copy of them?

Nice work. Well done!

Outstanding! What more can you say. I would like to know what program you used for that. Very nice job.

Andy

Originally posted by juliet7bravo
Excellent! I'll be using it as well. Thanks for the effort and for making it available.

Errr...you're not the guy who made those cool green backgrounds for the Japanese menu/report screens are you? If so, any chance of getting a copy of them?

Nope. But I did try to copy it!

Don't know how successful I was. Attached is a composite (jpg of a bit lower quality) of several of the screens. I haven't yet done anything with the new screens that came with the patch.

«edit»So, if you do want a copy, I can assemble a zipped file of high quality jpgs (translate to bmp's just like the map). Let me know.«/edit»

Outstanding! What more can you say. I would like to know what program you used for that. Very nice job.

Paint Shop Pro 7

I'd LOVE a copy...I'm currently Paintshop-less as my niece destroyed my CD. A VERY nice mod, and you've got just about exactly the right shade of green.

You sir, are a scholar and a gentleman. Looking it over now, a vast improvement over blah blah blue for everything.

Only improvement possible for the "next gen" would be the bits that have pics in them, ie. the ground, sea, intell screens with the maps/pics overlain by the green (or blue) filters. IMO, the pics should be aged BW, the maps should be dirty white maps with the symbols ect. I'll pick up a new copy of PSP and start to work on them as well.

Many thanks, and it's VERY much appreciated!

Originally posted by juliet7bravo
You sir, are a scholar and a gentleman. Looking it over now, a vast improvement over blah blah blue for everything.

Only improvement possible for the "next gen" would be the bits that have pics in them, ie. the ground, sea, intell screens with the maps/pics overlain by the green (or blue) filters. IMO, the pics should be aged BW, the maps should be dirty white maps with the symbols ect. I'll pick up a new copy of PSP and start to work on them as well.

Many thanks, and it's VERY much appreciated!

Well, when you get PSP, if you want a file or two to play with, I have them (for the most part) already layerized. Sizes anywhere from ½ Mb to 4½ MB (CombatReportJ_1024). They might save you a little work.

I did a little "aging" on the portrait in the Combat Summary graphic (j_combatsummary), and I did some color correction for the graphics on the plane & ship data screens.

Brilliant work ! Love it!

Found the one you made the corrections on, a vast improvement IMO. I'll play around a bit, and holler if I need the layerized versions. I have a bud who's a commercial artist I work on another game with, I can probably just swap him some 3DS tank models he's been pestering me to do for some graphics work on these. Thanks...

«edit»

Moved to top of thread.

«/edit»

Hi Rowlf

I really like your maps, in particular the one with the mid shade of blue...also the lighter shade of blue one is nice too. Is there any way to dither out some of the background behind all the labels on the mid blue one (it's the one on the bottom of the 3 you posted earlier in this thread)? The label backgrounds look a bit distorted on that one...I don't know if that was intentional.

Also is it possible to thin out them coral reefs...maybe make them only a pixel or two wide. I know they are necessary for game play but I don't think they need to be so obtrusive. Besides...one of them cuts into one of the islands on your map.

Andy

PS: Great job BTW! I am looking forward to see what you come up with next:)

Originally posted by Sabre21
Hi Rowlf

I really like your maps, in particular the one with the mid shade of blue...also the lighter shade of blue one is nice too. Is there any way to dither out some of the background behind all the labels on the mid blue one (it's the one on the bottom of the 3 you posted earlier in this thread)? The label backgrounds look a bit distorted on that one...I don't know if that was intentional.

Also is it possible to thin out them coral reefs...maybe make them only a pixel or two wide. I know they are necessary for game play but I don't think they need to be so obtrusive. Besides...one of them cuts into one of the islands on your map.

Andy

PS: Great job BTW! I am looking forward to see what you come up with next:)

Well, the text is the same on all three color versions. I have already played with fonts already. Will have to check my other available font sources for any other possibilities.

The reefs actually cut into 2 or 3 of the islands. I did shift the Louisiade Archipelago a little bit farther south. I also shifted a couple of the reefs off of the hexgrid boundary just a bit. Look this over. (Trimmed off more of the reefs. The original was a quick trim-down of the reefs from the original map. This is a second quick trim-down).

I'll be going offline for a week and a half or so, so not much is going to change for awhile.

Check the attached jpg (346kb in size). It's the results of the quick hackjob that I did on it.

«edit»
I changed the reefs to 25% opacity to tone them down.
«/edit»

Thanks for the extra work. I didn't realize the paint program could do all this. Ive been playing around cleaning up the backgrounds on the letters so they blend into the blue more. At least on my machine the background appeared distorted on the mid blue version but not the other two.


Andy

Most of the hard work was done while I was first setting up the files (layers and all). Now I can go in and modify one layer fairly easily without disturbing most of the rest.

As for the text, the only thing that I can figure is that when the layers are all merged back together (on that background especially) there is some distortion. I can brighten the text of the base names by taking anti-alias off. Anti-alias set many of the border pixels of the letters at different levels of transparency, so the overall effect changes as does the background color.

As for the reefs (I didn't think of this the first time) but I can make them 75% transparent. That tones them down quite a bit.

The version here has got the base text without anti-alias (I think the font is Arial as well, not exactly the same as the other).