Flag Mod V0.01

[Gandalf Parker]

Having played with bit-editing it might help to realize that the text doesnt really have to be clear. Just a few pixels in the right places will give the impression of the letters. Enough to be recognizeable if someone knows the names he is looking for anyway.

This is a difficult thing to actually edit but you can get close by shrinking text and seeing that it is still understandable even if it would be really ugly in a zoomed-in view. Trying different fonts and sizing can help.

[Saber Cherry]

I think:

I like Abysia.
Ermor is OK, but I prefer a flag.
I don't like Pangaea much, and it is too big.
Overall it gives a different feel than playing with flags - "wacky", as you put it.

Either embossing all the images on shields or adding them to flags would be nice. For Pangaea, a larger flag than the normal one, draped with ivy, would be interesting... at least for Carrion Woods. For Ermor, the skull you made mounted on their flag would look good. I don't know... something about JUST a skull rather than a skull on a flag or a skull on a shield makes it seem more "gamey" and less like a strategic map of warring nations.

[Unwise]

OK, I went with a different tack this time. Try:

Version 0.02

This Version has a white shield with a vaguely appropriate (I hope) symbol. I think this looks decent, but rather than a symbol on a common white shield, the shield color (and shape) should be varied to give it more instant recognition. I suspect that the white shields will tend to blur together after a while.

True gaming geeks will recognize the majority of the symbols as old Warhammer 40K symbols. Ironically, I used a 40K font I created 12 years back. Oh, the great wheel turns...

Ah yes, much better. You might want to choose a base color for each race for their shield, so there isn't any confusion based on static colors (what you are looking at in big maps).

I like the shields much better than the flags.

Edit:

Few notes

Heh, Arco is Texas!

Pythium's seems a little blocky. It's a good symbol for them IMO (as they have some of the best 'channelers').

Marginon symbol is the Eye of Isis? Maybe you could switch this with Arco (as I believe Arco is lumped into the macedonia area). Is there a Frenchish, or perhaps Inquisitorial symbol you have floating around somewhere? Guillotine, Crossiant?

Pangaea Steers or Queers?! Is it some sort of dragon head? Or a bull? If the round part on the end is the ring, maybe if you colored it different it would be easier to tell.

R'lyeh. I don't know what that is. I'm sure all the Lovecraft zealots would like to know Perhaps a suggestion of would be either something cosmic or something tentacley.

Mictlan. Mictlan is fairly straightforward in it's comparison (South American people, Aztec, etc). Most of them worshipped the sun, perhaps if something to do with the sun, bloody would be appropriate.


My personal Favorites in V 0.2 are Abysia and C'tis.

Note: I'm trying to be constructive here, if you don't feel that way, I apologize I really am trying.

[ January 13, 2004, 04:13: Message edited by: Zen ]

[Unwise]

No offense taken, I appreciate the comments.

For background, I am fairly new to the game and am still trying to figure out what race is based on what. Since I whipped v2 out in just a few hours it's more of a tech demo than anything else - I chose symbols based on what I had available and what the race's basic description said. Suggestions on icons to use or corrections to my assumptions on themes are appreciated.

I agree that varying the shield colors (and shapes!) would go a long way to improving them. I'll post an update in a few days based on folk's comments.

If I don't get sucked into another game...

[Jasper]

The Warhammer 40K does Dominions effect is pretty funny!

Some of the icons work well, and I think this would be an improvement over the default if the shield pattern were culturally appropriate (e.g. round shields for Vanheim), and you had some sort of wood or metal background rather than white.

Or perhaps go back to something like the default banners, but with some design on them beyond just a solid color.

[Arryn]

Originally posted by Jasper:
you had some sort of wood or metal background rather than white.

White is nice because it stands out and lets you very quickly see who's in control of what. If you must color the shields, please use the same colors the game uses for that nation's score graph. Of course, a colored background may make an ugly hash when you put an icon over it. Some colors just do not complement others well at all. Personally, white is good enough, and a safe choice.