Edit: the stuff in here is somewhat outdated, please refer to page 2:
http://forum.c-rpg.net/index.php/topic,16640.msg237857.html#msg237857So, strat is coming dangerously close (for real), and with testing we've realised a problem.
We currently have 3 different kinds of maps:
The old one:
http://c-rpg.net/calradia.jpgThe nice one:
http://c-rpg.net/img/strategus/calradia_4.jpgthe Geo-Type one:
http://c-rpg.net/geo_calradia.pngSo what's the problem:
the "real" one is the geo one, because this one is the one the game reads to determine your movement speed, your viewing distance, your hiding possibilities etc. This is all nice and dandy, but...
the player should be able to see the same thing
The problem with the old map is that it's
a. fugly, and
b. you cannot see the terrain properly, and
c. it's too small.
the problem with the new map, while looking awesome, is that it's
a. not exactly the right dimension,
b. it has a more isometric view to it, which makes it really really hard to spot what terrain you are walking on,
c. if you put the geo map over it, you can see the landscapes differ a bit - enough to cause headaches when moving around.
so, this is where someone of you could come into the equasion, because I know we have a lot of awesome artists in here. I, myself, am not even close to being an artist, so I have no idea if this is at all possible or it would take forever.
The goal is to
a. take the geo map,
b. resize it by exactly 400% (5900px x 4176px) (because that is the maximum zoom, and could possibly become the new standard zoom)
c. make it pretty, with whatever trick necessary,
d. while keeping it clear where what terrain is. needless to say, it's still not required to be pixel perfect, but it should give more of an idea than the 2 real maps we have now.
You can either use the nice looking map as a basis, or just replace the colors with better looking textures, or.. I have no idea, as I said, I don't know a lot about that stuff
But you're free to do what looks good and makes sense.
In the end, I will either pick a clear winner, or do a vote, undecided on that
I know an heirloom isn't that much, but maybe someone wants to step in to save the rest of the cRGP community from an eyecancer
If I've missed someting completely, feel free to correct me.
Edit: if necessary, I can also provide you with a gimp .xcf file that has the geo map in layers.