So when I understand it correct a "cross connection" is the ability to get into the other province even when there is just the smalles 1pixel big connection?
When this is the case I have to say that such a concept is a nightmare because the map's visual Design isnt telling the information. So i think from a map Design point of view there should be no cross connections. All pathways should be visible by map Design.
I agree that it's not very convenient, but after 14 years of playing DH, I think players are used to having places with cross-connections/cross-blocks on the map and it isn't such 'nightmare' as you claim. Yes, this requires additional verification of the block/connection, but it isn't somewhat as 'nighmare', just usual gameplay rutine.
When a player sees a place with a cross-connection on the vanilla DH map, yes he must click on the province and check whether there is a connection there or not. There may be or may not be a connection. I want to point out that
this is not something new and unusual, this is a common routine for vanilla DH game.
The only way to avoid cross-connections is to add a special province, a 'road intersection', between the four cross-connected provinces. In my opinion, this further increases the amount of work, creates unnecessary small provinces on the map, and if the provinces are already small, then creating an additional province between them would make them unacceptably small.
When 4 opposite provinces meet, there are two options:
- two opposite provinces have connection, the other two have not. In this case, the visual connection is made between the two provinces, which automatically makes the other two visually blocked. Of course, this is the best option.
- But if 4 opposite provinces meet, and
both pairs of opposite provinces must have connections (or both pairs of opposite provinces must not have connections), then
we are needed to connect them at one point. Or to create additional province - "road intersection", between these four provinces.
For example, according to real geography, we should have Uman-Kirovograd and Cherkassy-Pervomaisk cross connections. How do you propose to do this without a cross-connection in 'one-pixel point'?
Should we make an additional province with the settlement of Novo-Ukrainka between them? But will the treatment be better than the disease? Are the routine DH cross-connections in 'one-pixel point' so 'nightmare' that they would produce extra little provinces on the map just to eliminate them?
In this case, 4 provinces are still big enough to bite off territories from them and create the fifth province Novo-Ukrainka between them. But there may be places where 4 provinces are not big and it will be impossible to cram the fifth province between them.
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Let's look at another example. In this zone, there are no reasonable options of creating a special 'fifth province, the crossroad'. This would make three of four provinces too small and create a completely unnecessary province Tarusa.
We have No way, but only cross-connection here, this is the most reasonable option.
(It's funny that I originally planned to set cross-blocks for both pairs here, but then I found country roads that connect both pairs, so there must be the cross-connections not cross-blocks for this pairs, as I planned before
Another option is a cross-block.
If both pairs of opposite provinces do not have connection, then this can be done
only by cross-block in one point. In this case, no additional 'blocking province' makes sense to create.
All pathways should be visible by map Design.
Therefore, it is absolutely impossible to fulfill this requirement and completely eliminate all cases of cross-connections from the Map.
But, of course, if possible, we should try to make the design of provinces without cross-connections.
If possible.
If you have any reasonable suggestions on which special 'Provinces-crossroads" should be added instead of current 'cross-connections', suggest it.