Hammer of the Scots game map

[timallen]

Hi all:

Just thought I would share a map I made up last year, for a contest run by a game company called "Columbia Games". They were planning on re-printing a war game of there's called "Hammer of the Scots" and put out a call to see if anyone could design a better map. Winner gets a free game. So I thought I would enter. This was just a few months after I got Photoshop CS4 and really started to play around with it, so the first map I came up with was a bit less than I had hoped it would be. But I like the final result.

I"ll start out by showing you what the original game map looked like (set up with the wooden block units). Its....OK-

[timallen]

One of the things I felt was needed was more detailed game info on the map. I also wanted to go for a kind of cloth look. This is the map I came up with after a couple days and submitted to the contest. The tracks on the right hand side is were you put your blocks when they are not in use.

[timallen]

But after a while, I didnt like the map I made up. So I decided to go back to the drawing board and make up a new one. This was after several months of working with photoshop CS4 and I felt I could now do better. I wanted something that was simpler, with more of a old old paper map look. This was my first attempt.

[timallen]

I felt this was looking much better! But it still needed some changes. I found out how to add curls to map edges and wanted to add that in, and I made some spelling corrections and a few other minor changes.

[timallen]

Finally, I wanted to add a background and darken up the whole thing, to give it a more moody appearance. I also decided to add in the crown- after all, that's what it was all about- who would be King of Scotland! (The game is about the Scottish wars of independence made popular by the movie Bravehart). This is my final result. I printed it out and it looks pretty good with the game pieces on it.

My original map did not win the contest, and now I think that is quite right as I no longer like it either. This one is much more what I was wanting to create. Too bad it was too late for the contest.

[Jaxilon]

Dude, that's sweet looking. I can totally see that as a board for a commercial game. I wonder what the winning map looks like compared to this beauty?

I like that you are able to show the progression of the work. It shows others what they can imagine getting to as they begin learning a program and feel frustrated by not being able to create what they see in their mind. (like I felt)

[timallen]

Thanks. Here is the map that won...remember I had sent in the first map I made, not the last one. This one is very nice too. Definitely better than my first attempt. I personally like the last one I made up better, but I suppose that's understandable! Its a different look than mine. Lighter. More....Illustrator-like; which is not a bad thing.

[Jaxilon]

Yeah that last one of yours would have made it a contest for sure. It probably would have come down to which coloring they liked better. Ah, well, maybe next time eh? I think your's wins just for having the Stewart plaid as background, LOL

[tilt]

those are nice looking maps ...all of them! .. have some rep with my HAMMER of nice repping +4

[todd636]

Are you maps available for download? I have the original Hammer of the Scotts and would love to use your design. Off topic, but your War at Sea map is also impressive. I huge improvement over the original.