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CURRENT STAGE (this post is updated)
https://www.warlight.net/Play?PreviewMap=55000
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There are several medieval maps already present in Warlight, but usually they are maps of Europe from Portugal to Muscovy. What I want to make is a map of Western Europe plus the Levant (so that the Crusades can happen).

First I thought I could use CKII map for my goal. But the CKII map includes Eastern Europe, India and Subsaharan Africa - and too few provinces in Western Europe and the Levant. So I found a mod for CKII which makes the map a lot bigger - the Historical Immersion Project.

Here is what I currently have:
http://imgh.us/Middle_Ages.svg

I will break the map into 2 parts and place the Byzantine Empire and Persia where Eastern Europe should be. (I can not resize the map, for there are already some tiny provinces which should be made bigger.) That means that most of Eastern Europe won't be present on the map, though I am not sure yet, where exactly the border will be. E.g. I am not sure if I will include northeastern Germany.

Finally, the map size is already 420kb - and I have not made the bonuslinks yet (which can be pretty heavy). I am also not sure if naming the territories in svg (I mean those "Territory_1" and "BonusLink_Name" tags) makes the file heavier. I hope I will be able to make a bonus for each territory - like in the Ocassus Universitas map - but I am not sure if the maximum size will allow it.

Edited 3/29/2016 22:32:25

The concept is very interesting and is definitely something that could be very good, as for the file size, check that you're not uploading with the overlay image that you're tracing off of in the file as that often adds loads of kb's

Just a heads up: I'm already making a map similar to this one:)
https://www.warlight.net/SinglePlayer?PreviewMap=51931
However, keep making this one! It looks great! As for the size of it, check that you aren't uploading any background images with it.

Zack, of course I have noticed your map :)
But again, I think your map will include eastern europe - plus we are covering different time-spans. 100 years war happened in XIV-XV centuries, while my map will be based on XII-XIII centuries. I mean our maps will be different enough to coexist peacefully :)

I am not loading any background images - that is the first thing I checked. After making some improvements the size rose to 516kb. I made an experiment - if I add 1000 circles (for bonuslinks) the file size will rise to 1 MB. I don't think that the "Territory_" and "BonusLink_" tags will use more than 1 MB. So I think the size won't be a problem after all. I only fear I won't be able to include any country emblems... :( We'll see.

As for my progress, I have finished Scandinavia, Arabia and the main part of Africa, as well as continued drawing Turkey.

I have changed my plan of how the map will look like - I rotated it a bit so that the mediterranean sea won't be split into two parts. Separate windows (like the one that shows Norway) will include Arabia, Caucasus and Persia.

Here is the update:
http://imgh.us/Crusader_Kings.svg

I was trying to start a similar project, just as a diplomacy map, with 1 territory translating to 1 bonus. It's a load of work however and I've kind of given up on it for now, as I simply don't have so much time to put into it (and lack the willpower to push it through).

Looks like a big feat.

Finished Nubia and Ethiopia, expanded yugoslavian countries and Bulgaria, almost finished the Levant and Georgia.

Left:
- Northeastern Germany;
- Armenia;
- Persia;
- Middle Asia.

I've decided to change the main plan again - no need to make a separate window for the Caucasus, since it is included in the main map. Instead there will be a separate window for Middle Asia.

New update will come soon.

This map is looking really really nice, can't wait to see more.

Here is the update. Finished the crusader states and Georgia. The Arabia-Ethiopia window is also almost finished - I have to draw the borders of southern Persia before I can place the whole region in its window in the upper right corner of the map.

http://imgh.us/Europe_and_the_Silk_Road_1.svg

The first stage is finished. The landmass is completed, only the seas and minor details remain.

http://imgh.us/Historical_Immersion.svg

(File size = 800 KB)

I think I will split the seas into playable territories. The seas will be connected to all coastal provinces (there will be no special harbors).

What do you think about the black&white borders between windows (upper left and upper right corners of the map)? Are they thick enough?

The windows look very nice as does the whole layout, the maps progress has been fantastic and I can't wait to see it published.

The seas are finished.
Still have to draw the water crossings though.

The seas will not be connected by any lines. The only opposite case is when the seas are divided by a window border, which happens only twice (near Shetland and Faroe islands).

I've began uploading the map to Warlight, because it makes easier to check if I forgot to assign an ID code to a territory.

https://www.warlight.net/Play?PreviewMap=55000

P.S. I also think that I will have to add antibonuses to all sea provinces. Otherwise they will become too important since they allow extremely fast expansion...

P.P.S. Should I include land connections at all?
In reality there are no land bridges in places like Gibraltar or Bosphorus. One who controlls the sea effectively blocks the passage from one landmass to another. Since the seas in this map will be connected to a giant amount of provinces - may be adding direct connections between islands and across straits will be too much?

Edited 3/29/2016 23:05:04

I was completing the uploading the territories to Warlight (and I was connecting them at the same time) - but after the last update, territories began disappearing. I had completed connecting Bulgaria, Serbia and Croatia - and now large parts of them can't be seen on the map. Same for Turkey and Arabia, though I never connected territories in them.

So let the bugfighting begin!

P.S. Map size is about 924 KB

Edited 3/30/2016 21:02:53

I found out that this bug happens when you connect territories that are far from each other. This means that the current layout of the map is close to garbage. I'll have to remake the eastern part of the map completely.

Maybe your document parameters changed for example the width went down?

Seems good, I love the CK2 map. The hardest part will probably to name all those territories.

(to General Amoora)
Here is what I found:
https://www.warlight.net/Forum/66699-glitch-territories-disappearing

As for my map - I united many territories which are in different corners of the map. e.g. Egypt is present both in main map window and in the Arabia - Ethiopia window. Armenia, Persian Gulf and Khorasan (in Persia) are also present in several windows. In fact almost all territories on the window borders were duplicated. I thought it would make it easier to pass from one window to another - but it ruined the map mechanics instead.

(to TeamGuns)
Actually naming territories is fun. Remaking what is already done will be the hardest part, for now I will probably have to delete all the eastern "windows" and start mapping the east from scratch.

Or may be I'll even have to rotate the main window...

Edited 3/30/2016 22:32:32

Well it seems that you're taking the right path right now, hopefully you'll be able to remake the east in an aesthetically pleasing way as much of your map is.

I have finally fixed the problem. Now there are no invisible territories, everything works without bugs.

All the colored unplayable territories (along the borders of the windows) will most likely stay like that, I won't unite them with their playable counterparts to prevent the bug from reappearing.

Although if you think that some colored territories should be made interactive to make the transition from one window to another more smooth, please tell me.


Now the naming process starts.
After that there will be the bonuses and distributions left.

Looks fantastic! Can't wait to play on it.
Also, I have one diplomacy project in mind (Ancient Middle East) which is hard to realize on most of current maps, but your creation fits to my plan quite nicely!

Edited 4/1/2016 15:59:45