Color-Coded Border Map Labels

[berto]

In the original Campaign Series, there were only three map label types

• Plain (black)
• Water (blue)
• Forest (green)

more or less adequate for text map labels but not very useful for depicting borders:





A fundamental problem is that the legacy JTCS map labeling system was really designed for text labels, with the code "intelligently" offsetting the text up, down, left or right around the specified Left, Center or Right (relative to hex center) placement. In the screenshot above, you can see where the border '+' are not centered in the hexes, and strangely drift off "center" in seemingly arbitrary fashion.

In Middle East, we added the

• Special (red)

label type to designate military installations and such. But the border marker placements were bafflingly inconsistent.





Maddening!

In Vietnam v1.00, we introduced the new

• Border (black)

type, which for the first time enforced placement of the specified border marker in the center of the hex. You will see this type of border in some maps along the Cambodian or Laotian borders, also the Vietnam DMZ.

So far, so good. But what if, in the case of the Week in Binh Long monster scenario for example, you want to use a different color for the various AOs (KENTUCKY, IOWA, LOUISIANA, etc.). You would have something like this





where there are significant gaps in the border display; the '=' are not hex by hex. (If they were, the randomly drifting marker placements would be quite obvious.)

In CSVN v1.20 (and thereafter), for the Border type, we now allow selection of the colors

• Black
• Blue
• Green
• Red

for the Border label Type. In the screenshot following, notice how the '=' markers are nicely, and uniformly, centered in the hexes.

(Note too how, at the request of our Dev Team Cartographer, Jason -- professional cartographer is Jason's Real Life day job! -- we have made the Type changes Plain -> Anthro, Water -> Hydro, Forest -> Natural, leaving Special and Border unchanged.)





With the revised, centered Red border markers, note the after screenshot (compare with the before screenshot above):





Much clearer, much better!

[berto]

Here is a 2D before shot:





And here is a 2D after shot, with more numerous, better, and centered border marker placement:





The advantages to this are most obvious in the expansive Week in Binh Long screenshot below. Compare with the confusing AO borders in CSVN v1.00. In CSVN v1.20, the red AO borders will be much clearer. And the player will be less likely to stray out of AO bounds (and possibly incur a hefty EP malus thereby).

[Umbra_TSSI]

That's fantastic, berto!

When I work with graphics, I'm very OCD about it because you can fine tune things down to a pixel if you want. Those before shots are crazy making for me!!

Great job, keep up the good work!!