EPT[M] (2) Scars of Aiur - Page 6
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NullCurrent
Sweden245 Posts
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FoxyMayhem
624 Posts
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Gfire
United States1699 Posts
It would potentially change the gameplay, though, giving a spot for air units to be, but it's not near the mains or anything. I think by the time anything is going on in that part of the map there would be plenty of spotting available. | ||
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IronManSC
United States2119 Posts
I will be changing the name soon as well, thanks to Foxy for providing several good name ideas. I named it Scars because I just didn't know what else to call it. | ||
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IronManSC
United States2119 Posts
I would highly appreciate a moderator to change the thread name to Aiur Plateau instead of Scars. | ||
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Gfire
United States1699 Posts
Edit: And as far as the water goes, it actually makes less sense for there to me gaps that are empty while the outside is water. The water levels would naturally be even, and the wholes would fill up with water from the earth and from rain. | ||
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IronManSC
United States2119 Posts
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EatThePath
United States3943 Posts
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FoxyMayhem
624 Posts
What do you mean "on the other side of the walkway"? The side of the cliff facing off-map? I've thought a while longer about why I'm so set on having the cliffs be manmade, and I hope you'll pander me for a moment. "Marketing" This goes back to what I said about the manmade cliffs on the walkway around the gold being distinct. They are distinct for the following two reasons: A place for the eye to go: When marketers design a poster they have a specific point which they always want your mind to go to. If a person is strolling by the poster and glance at it, and all they see is an overly-busy sheet of paper, their eye moves on. In other words, if they can't immediately process part of the image, or know what part of it all is significant, they don't spend the time to inspect. This is why marketers design their posters and covers to have a single point the eye is first drawn to. Let me give some examples: ![[image loading]](http://mispeled.net/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/mass-effect.jpg) With Mass Effect, the eye is drawn immediately to the orange highlights and light near his shoulder. We see the star, Commander Shepperd. Then our minds begin to process the rest of the image, being please with what we saw initially. In fact, because of the pronounced features of the orange, we begin to see the image relative to the orange: how the people are placed, where the lines of the image flow, all on a subconscious level. ![[image loading]](http://www.comingsoon.net/nextraimages/watchmentease2new.jpg) The watchmen poster works with a bit of an inverse, but we still instantly know to look at the shadowed figure, thanks to the black-on-blue contrast, and to look at the yellow text. By guiding the eye it helps the viewer digest the image. But, you don't need to catch people at a glance, do you? People are going to be analyzing the map, not browsing it. Well, yes and no: some people will only take a moment to glance at it. For many of these people, helping them digest the image faster will mean the difference from remembering it and not. Also, and much more important, is the second element I've already mentioned about guiding the eye: it gives us a way to analyze the image relative to the point the eye is guided to. We know where to look first, and how to build our understanding of the map off of that. When I first looked at the man-made cliff version of your map, this is exactly what happened: my eyes locked on to the gold minerals, and from there I digested the changed to the map It worked fabulously. This will allow some (not all, as we don't all think alike, but this is a pretty common trait) professions to size up the map and understand it all the faster. And a new map that they understand easier is a new map they're more likely to play. But why did the man-made cliffs work so well? The Power of Color Contrast You'll notice in the Mass Effect poster that it's the contrast of orange on blue that draw the eye. The same worked due to the warm-toned, brighter yellow of the man made cliffs against the toned-down blues, greens, and browns of the map. The same color contrast can be seen in the watchmen poster, with black against a bright blue aura and low blue of the city, and the yellow text. Another reason marketers use dramatic color contrast is because it elicits emotion. This emotion will deepen the viewers initial connection with the map, and, more than any other element, commit it to memory. Now, while the platform may make a little more sense being the only part with man made cliffs, when I look at the images you posted I'm lost in a sea of those muted greens and browns. The map doesn't mean anything to me emotionally anymore; it does not elicit the emotional reaction. One final thing: the gold base had a cove-like feel, almost like a harbor and shrine, when the cliffs were man made. The walkway was "tucked behind" the gold, and the gold was "tucked into the cliff". Now it seems like a platform hanging off the main path, with -- for some hard to discern reason -- a big path arching behind it. With the man-made cliff made it seem intention, a place created and special. Now it seems incidental, non-critical, non-special. I loved that it was a "special little place". Due to the way one perceives the map relative to these focal points, the very way I constructed the map in my mind is lost, and now my eyes wander the image trying to understand in. And I can, if I force, but it's not that natural and emotional reaction I had before. In light of these things, I feel it is more than worth a somewhat unnatural-looking seam on the cliff. It is, of course, your map. I'm only hoping to help you succeed. In the end, you must make the call though. | ||
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Gfire
United States1699 Posts
Having the levels of terrain connect does make it easier to see that they are different heights. Nice work going to all that effort, FoxyMayhem. I'm getting tired of people naming their maps after the tileset they're on... Aiur Plateau is a fine, albeit standard, name. On the other hand, it doesn't really seem to be much of a plateau actually, and that's kinda taken by Shakuras Plateau already. I don't know if that's the best name. Beats "scars" though. | ||
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IronManSC
United States2119 Posts
Foxy, I won't lie... you prove a good point. To be honest, I agree that when those in-ward cliffs were there (man-made ones), my eyes immediately fixed on the gold expansions in all the pictures. It made it look unique, like a dig-site, or mining-site. I will definitely add them in, because you are totally correct on that. The name remains as Aiur Plateau for the moment. If I desperately need to, i'll change it for the last time. | ||
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FoxyMayhem
624 Posts
I'm glad you felt what I was trying to explain. It's funny how much my mind kept wandering back to the question throughout the day, until I was pretty much driven to make that post! >o< Hm, Gfire has a point about how the name feels a little "standard", althought after thinking through all those different name options it seemed quite appropriate to me, since I'd forgotten what "standard" or "plain" would sound like. In any case, you might consider make a pole for your top 3 favorite names, that could help. I'm so happy how awesome this map is becoming! W000! | ||
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epikAnglory
United States1120 Posts
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IronManSC
United States2119 Posts
On May 31 2011 08:03 iTzAnglory wrote: Beautiful map and layout, though I am pretty sure Aiur does not look like this. =D Lies! It's Aiur tileset... it must be aiur! | ||
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Gfire
United States1699 Posts
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Antares777
United States1971 Posts
So I'm just posting to say... + Show Spoiler + hi? | ||
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IronManSC
United States2119 Posts
EDIT: Part of me does like the name Scars though... it was unique and instantly made me think of this map. | ||
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Gfire
United States1699 Posts
What about "Deep Scars" that sounds like a map, it at least is more than one syllable. I usually resort to random name generators to think of map names. | ||
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NickMP
United States46 Posts
Heres a few i randomly thought up while looking at the map. O Aiur Destiny O Aiur's Decent (I hope i spelled that right...) O Hollowed Scars As for the map...this is a very nice and beutiful map IronMan! Can't really think of anything that needs to look better. | ||
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FoxyMayhem
624 Posts
O The Fallen Isle O The Veil O Hallowed Scars "The Veil" goes nicely with the fog effect, something that could be played up if the name is chosen. One method would be lowering the water around the outside and making it very dark, and placing fog over it, perhaps giving it an infinite feel, or, if you can see the black water, a sense of other-worldlinessl. If "Hallowed Scars" is chosen, you may consider placing lava in the cracks around the gold, giving some meaning to phrase "Scars". Don't know how it would look, though. Even just red shining up through there would be pretty cool, perhaps. The one reason I don't like Hallowed Scars is that it could be harder for people to remember. Hallowed is not a very common word, even if it is awesome in this situation. | ||
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