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unmerged(5110)

unmerged(5110)

Field Marshal
Jul 29, 2001
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tse.dyndns.org
I've been trying to duplicate the Paradox map as much as I can.

I've been using MKJ's template as the base, because it seems that drawing the borders and then fillingin province "flats" seems to be the easiest way to go about drawing a map.

What do you guys think? Do you have any suggestions as to how it could be tweaked to make it even more like the map?

dup1.jpg

dup2.jpg

dup3.jpg


Basically in these pictures i've taken the map that I've made, and I've "cut holes" in it to reveal the Paradox stock map beneath. Can you guys tell where my map ends and where the Paradox map begins?
 
It's hard to judge when you just seem to paint on top of the old map instead of re-doing the shading layer from scratch...

But I have personally sort of given up trying to make it look like on the EU2 map, and instead decided to try and make a different look for it.
 
Hive said:
It's hard to judge when you just seem to paint on top of the old map instead of re-doing the shading layer from scratch...

But I have personally sort of given up trying to make it look like on the EU2 map, and instead decided to try and make a different look for it.
Click to expand...

Excellent. :) I DID do my shading layer from scratch... :)
 
Basically, first you do your ID layers to your satisfaction.

Then you can duplicate the ID layer use smart blur, 0.1 radius, 0.1 threshold and overlay only to get the edges. Then you can put it into an alpha layer and expand the selection by 1 pixel to get borders thick enough for your "Borders" layer.

OR you could duplicate the ID layer. Use "accented edges" on the copy , with settings (edge width = 3, edge brightness = 50 , smoothness = 1). Then set blending on the copy layer to difference, magic wand (no anti-aliasing, 0 tolerance and non-contiguous) the black, invert selection to get the borders layer.

I'm experimenting on which way is fastest easiest or produces the best results.

After that's done, you can use the selection, with a red, do a foreground fill (alt+backspace) to get a new Borders layer.

Then get a new layer (I name it "lines"), and do a foreground fill on that layer with the colour: #AFAFAF.

Then I use these layer effects:

OUTER　GLOW

Blend Mode: Multiply
Opacity: 26
Noise: 0
Colour: Flat Black (#000000)

Technique: Softer
Spread: 13
Size: 49

Contour: Default
Anti-aliased: Yes
Range: 50%
Jitter: 0

BEVEL AND EMBOSS

Style: Inner Bevel
Technique: Smooth
Depth: 171
Direction: Down
Size: 1 px
Soften: 2 px

Angle: 139
(don't use global light)
Altitude: 39

Gloss Contour: use the curved one that's on the very top-right, looks kind of like part of a sine curve. Not anti-aliased.
Highlight Mode: normal, white, 100% opacity
Shadow Mode: Linear Burn, Black, 8% opacity

CONTOUR
Use the one right below the default one. It should look like half a hump.
Anti-aliased: Yes
Range: 67%

COLOUR OVERLAY
Blend Mode: Normal
Colour: #424242
Opacity: 100%

Then you make two more layers, one for Lands, and one for Oceans. Use the magic wand on the ID map to get a selection, and then on your Ocean layer, foreground fill it to white. Make sure it's on top of the Lands layer. Also make sure this layer is on Lighten, with opacity set to 45%

For the Lands layer, you can pretty much foreground fill everything, to #C0C0C0

For the font, I use Bernhard Modern, and when I curve it I find I have to use all sorts of nasty tricks to get it looking just right. I think this is because the actual map was done in Illustrator, not Photoshop (where you can do curved text). Also I don't have Photoshop CS, which can do curved text pretty easily.
 
Yeah, curved text seems nearly impossible to do well in Photoshop... a shame really. :(

Say, can all this be applied to actions? :D
 
sure, let me just save the .atn and put it on my server.

OK:

http://xie.dyndns.org/~sktse/hoibeta/maps/Map Actions.atn

MAKE SURE you run the "Create New Shading Set" action first. Oh and make a backup of your PSD before you run the action because i'm not entirely sure that this will work properly ^_^.
 
Last edited:
Hive, I've noticed you madly collecting actions for map modding - do you think that you could release them all as a package at the same time as Inferis releases his editor? It's make life much easier for those of us who have trouble following involved instructions over and over again. :)
 
|AXiN| said:
Hive, I've noticed you madly collecting actions for map modding - do you think that you could release them all as a package at the same time as Inferis releases his editor? It's make life much easier for those of us who have trouble following involved instructions over and over again. :)
Click to expand...

Actions make everything much easier indeed. :D

Yeah I'd share them with anyone interested. However, since I haven't made a single one of the actions myself, I don't think it's my decision to make.
 
Hive said:
Actions make everything much easier indeed. :D

Yeah I'd share them with anyone interested. However, since I haven't made a single one of the actions myself, I don't think it's my decision to make.
Click to expand...
If the authors approve, I'll package them in the Magellan zip.
BTW, I think I tackled the PTI problem. I'll be doing some more testing tonight and have another alpha ready after that.
 
Inferis said:
If the authors approve, I'll package them in the Magellan zip.
BTW, I think I tackled the PTI problem. I'll be doing some more testing tonight and have another alpha ready after that.
Click to expand...

Sounds good. :)
 
XieChengnuo said:
sure, let me just save the .atn and put it on my server.

OK:

http://xie.dyndns.org/~sktse/hoibeta/maps/Map Actions.atn

MAKE SURE you run the "Create New Shading Set" action first. Oh and make a backup of your PSD before you run the action because i'm not entirely sure that this will work properly ^_^.
Click to expand...
It seems to me that only people who have been into this map project from the start understood this. Would you mind making some sort of tutorial on what to do BEFORE you start with the shading? It seems that you have at least three or four different layers with god-knows-what in them. Could be fun to know how to make the actions work for me as well.. :p
 
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