Map feedback wanted

[Rudankort]

Hello All!

We are going to finalize terrain and visual appearance of AK maps soon, so I wanted to ask one last time for any feedback in this area. Naturally, last scenarios in a campaign are played much less than first ones, but we want them to be good as well, so it would help if you could quicky check those maps too, using the editor, and let us know what you think.

Here are some more specific questions.

- Compared to beta 1, some maps were tweaked and improved. Do you still think that some of the maps are too dull, repetitive and look "amateurish"? Is so, which maps and which parts of them exactly? What can be done to improve the situation? Can you give some examples/screenshots from other games which do a better job with desert maps? Note that some battles were indeed fought in clear desert, and we cannot possibly fill them with dune fields, hills and mount ridges for better looks. It should still be desert.

- What do you think about desert roads? Are they clear/contrasty enough for you? As an experiment, in Ras el Mdauuar the roads are normal, not sand variations. Does it look better to your eyes?

- What do you think about green to desert transitions? In some maps we included some improvised morphs of green and desert (e. g. compare Reconnaissance in Force and Second offensive maps). Which way do you like better?

Any other comments are also very much welcome.

Thanks!

[Chris10]

- Compared to beta 2, some maps were tweaked and improved.

Iam confused..Is there anything newer than beta 2 ?

[Rudankort]

Iam confused..Is there anything newer than beta 2 ?

Oops, sorry, I meant beta 1. Fixed in the first post too.

[Chris10]

Scenario
Alam Halfa

Obvious problme with the road layer..another city hex would fit better

[Chris10]

Scenario
Caucasus

Inconsistent usage of road layer and obvious errors...
in these cases the maps must be hand edited after finishing them

[Chris10]

Scenario
Arabia

Road leading into sea thru the port..

[Chris10]

Scenario
Basra

If there is rail in the city why is the layer not consecuently placed by handediting ?
This looks very odd...

[Chris10]

Scenario
British India

- Inconsecuent road and rail layer usage
- No proper river outfalls placed

Just a few examples..this map should be controlled entirely

[Chris10]

Scenario
East Africa

It looks odd when villages with roads are next to a hex with road and there is no connection whatsoever...
I would place layers by hand to adress this in a plausible way...

oh..forgot - no bridge placed

[Chris10]

Scenario
Gazala Line

Again this stange look of villages with no connection to road on an adjacent hex...

[Chris10]

Scenario
Iraq

-not a single bridge placed properly
-again the inconsistent road/rail layer usage
-river does not properly goes thru city...it magically ends on city hex...hand editing requiered

generally it has to be pointed out that roads/rails should not cross rivers with a bend/curve as there are no curved bridges around..this
means it should be taking into account on design that river crossings always should be straight in order to place a proper bridge otherwise it
looks weird and inconsistent...not a bid deal but it gives the constant feeling that something is not right

[Chris10]

Scenario
Kasserine Pass

- Curved river crossing over wide river looks very odd -making straight and place bridge
- the green marked area is a nice example of the right city hex placed according to the context with the incoming roads and the where the road is heading

[Chris10]

Scenario
Road to India

- no bridges placed
- no river mouths placed
- curved road crossing river > straight with bridge

[Chris10]

Scenario
Palestine

The usual

- no bridges
- river does not go properly thru village hex
- curved river crossing

[Chris10]

Oh...well.. I just realized I havent even bothered about explaining myself what I understand in consistent and coherent road/rail layer usage...
so I add a few examples from my Panzercorps East Map in order to explain myself better...Just ignore the custom tiles and focus on road/rail/river layer usage..of course this is entirely hand edited...a lot of work but it worths very well the effort...

[Chris10]

Scenario
Persia

- curved road crossing river
- no bridges
- river not going thru city hex..needs bridge too
- village with road in adjacent hex has no connection

[Chris10]

Scenario
Second Offensive

Here a nice example how a different city hex would fit more natural cause of its road connections and ends...
the current city hex with the road going thru gives the impression of the big main road coming from top to bottom and ending into nowhere (red arrow)..the other city hex has curved roads and the right connections and it doenst look odd as the road end feels more natural on the bottom of the hex..dunno If you understand what I mean. ..just sayin

[Chris10]

Scenario
Suez Canal

- no bridges
- road curve crossing river

[Chris10]

Scenario
Syria

- no bridges
- rivers do not go thru city hexes
- one city hex needs river and bridge

[Chris10]

Scenario
Tunesian Bridgehead

- roads curving over rivers -
- no bridges
- river does not go thur city hex - needs bridge too

to illustrate road desing over rivers I add orange markers how the road should go to get straight crossings in order to place proper bridges

Well..thats about it
Other scenarios I didnt adress is cause I havent found something which really disturbed me....
oh..and..sry for seventeen time post