Matrix Games Forums

V0.5.4 This is a work in progress !!


With this mod I try to create a map that looks like an old papermap while keeping it clean and hopefully easier to read.

Changes:

- mapcolor
- outline on coast
- new swamp art
- adjusted RAIL for better visibility in woods/forests
- New groundconditions,
- Adjusted text for cities. Changed color, font and changed positioning for many cities, for better visibility.
- underline in commandersreport etc.
- New City and Urban art.[/size]

- PrettyTreemod (by myself) is included.


Installation:

Make a backup of the file named Dat in the gamefolder.
Download the .rar file from the link below and extract in the gamefolder.



IMPORTANT NOTEs:

- This mod will require that you start a new game, if you do not start a new game there will be many grafical glitches.
- You should reinstall this mod after every official update from matrix (Beta's too), if you do not, it will not affect you're current saved games but there may be many grafical glitches when you start a new game.
- There are only changes to the graphics (w_hexart.dat, and text.dat), this mod does not affect gameplay.
- Please report any visual glitches, but make sure you take into account the points above before you do.



V0.5 Notes

- In this update I have made colors a little bit less bright so that it is less tiring on the eyes. coast-art is still the old color so it is noticeable, but only if you pay attention to it.
- Adjusted CLEAR-art color, softer and less bright color.
- Adjusted Weather art, softer and less bright color.

V0.5.4 Notes

- quick fix for compatibility with official update v01.02.11


Download
MOD v0.5.4:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/nqtuz3pnv1k22 ... 4.rar?dl=0
(to download from this link, click download on the bar on the right.)


PLEASE, because this is a work in progress, do not use/implement this mod for creating other mods without my permission.[/color]

light mud, snow, and clear v0.5

mud and heavy mud v0.5

The weather is clearly distinguishable on clear terrain, which is good. However, it seems to have the same sort of problem as the base game graphics where there are woods/forest. The trees block out everything underneath them, and as a result you can't see the mud (or other weather) on the ground in those hexes.

Here for example is a heavy woods hex, and it has heavy mud, but you cannot see any indication of the mud.



Note that I am loading from a previous game because I wanted to load one that had mud to check on the mud, so as a result some other stuff like rivers is messed up.

I think the only way to make weather be visible for hexes that have trees is to simply have less of the hex have trees? Maybe only the middle part of each hex that has forest/woods should be trees, so that you could see the weather in the outer part of the hex?

That is a problem indeed, wich is also a problem in the original art. I hope to fix this in the future.

Very nice overkill01, I will try it tomorrow. Thanks for your work!

Hi!
I am impressed by this work.
Well tuned overall.
A mild ground colour and the great detail with the marked coastal lines.
Thats new!
Gives a real map sense.
I think of later using it when doing historical map overlays
if its OK with you. Of course I then mention that its based on your map.
Regards
Goran

ORIGINAL: goranw

Hi!
I am impressed by this work.
Well tuned overall.
A mild ground colour and the great detail with the marked coastal lines.
Thats new!
Gives a real map sense.
I think of later using it when doing historical map overlays
if its OK with you. Of course I then mention that its based on your map.
Regards
Goran

Glad you like it.
Offcourse you can use it for you're historical map overlays.
My only concern with other modders is that when they use my mod they will use a mod that will eventually become outdated since I will keep working on this one.

Looks much clearer than the original. Will try it immediately. Thanks !
And great you will keep working on this map. The original map was a big concern too me in an otherwise great game.
One question: Is there a way to get larger town names in upper case font, or at least in larger font ?

Your mod resembles the beautiful map serie from polish cartography in late war.
They were world famous up to the war in creating excellent maps. Moved to Edinburgh.
Scale 1:500 000. Part of a map covering a bit of Lithuania.
Goran W

This looks amazing! Thanks so much for making this, will give it a try ASAP!

The basic map really is terrific. At the same time, the mud hexes are just not my cup of tea. It almost makes the map look more unfinished than anything else. Hopefully there's something more that can be done there.

ORIGINAL: M60A3TTS

The basic map really is terrific. At the same time, the mud hexes are just not my cup of tea. It almost makes the map look more unfinished than anything else. Hopefully there's something more that can be done there.

Wich mud/snow version did you test ? with the textures or only the symbols ? suggestions ?
You can toggle on/off groundconditions (shift-W )

In the seperate addon the textures are deleted and the symbols are less apparent on their own.

ORIGINAL: goranw

Your mod resembles the beautiful map serie from polish cartography in late war.
They were world famous up to the war in creating excellent maps. Moved to Edinburgh.
Scale 1:500 000. Part of a map covering a bit of Lithuania.
Goran W

That does realy look good, maybe i'll try something like those trees someday.

I haven't tested anything and am only going by the screenie that Beethoven01 put up.

ORIGINAL: overkill01

ORIGINAL: goranw

Your mod resembles the beautiful map serie from polish cartography in late war.
They were world famous up to the war in creating excellent maps. Moved to Edinburgh.
Scale 1:500 000. Part of a map covering a bit of Lithuania.
Goran W

That does realy look good, maybe i'll try something like those trees someday.

I've been thinking along these lines. Using a wartime German font like Din 1451 it would look very like the OKH situation maps. Maybe if we have the blue dashes for swamps, then brown dashes for mud might work - the more mud, the more dashes per hex. But I don't want to start something that is already being worked on.

ORIGINAL: M60A3TTS

I haven't tested anything and am only going by the screenie that Beethoven01 put up.

click on attachment in the 2nd post to view the main version with ground textures.
I know the map looks better without but in the end I see no solution to this problem.
Dirt and snow is in the base tile-art wich is the first layer with all the rest (trees, cities, swamp,...) on top of it. I wish it was a seperate layer (like trees, ...) on top, then I could do a simple icon or something.
So I have to make a big texture or symbol so that it is visible if it has another layer on it (trees, swamp, ... )

And again, you can toggle on/off ground conditions with shift-W

ORIGINAL: TallBlondJohn



I've been thinking along these lines. Using a wartime German font like Din 1451 it would look very like the OKH situation maps. Maybe if we have the blue dashes for swamps, then brown dashes for mud might work - the more mud, the more dashes per hex. But I don't want to start something that is already being worked on.

Interesting ideas, thank you.
I actually liked those simple swamps on that map and i'm allready experimenting on that, it did not come to mind to do the same with mud though.

mud and snow v0.3

zoomed out v0.5.