Help with map modes

[sandman2575]

Without meaning to be too critical, I have to say that the map in this game – and various map modes – is very frustrating. For one, the lag when scrolling is a huge nuisance, even though I’ve done everything in my power to lessen it (through the Configurator, and trying single-CPU mode), and despite the fact that my computer is well above the ‘recommended’ specs for the game. I can’t figure out why the map should be so CPU or GPU or RAM (whatever in fact it is) intensive. I can, for example, play Hearts of Iron 3 very easily on my computer, which is RTS and which has sprites and map graphics changing in real time – I can scroll that global map fluidly with no problems. WW1 is TBS, and yet it plays like the most system-intensive RTS.

That aside, I’m also at a loss for why the map modes are so unclear. Can someone clearly explain what the map modes represent?

Strategic map: objective provinces are darker colored? My objectives? Everyone’s objectives? I can’t tell.

Political map: why are the colors so dark and so similar?? It’s incredibly hard to tell national boundaries apart. Why does it have to be this way?

The sub-maps on the Military Map: Reconnaissance? I assume the darkened-out provinces are un-reconnoitered. Anything else to know here? Supply? Completely unclear to me. Front? Also completely unclear.

Also, I have the box checked in the Options that is supposed to indicate on the map how far a unit can move in a turn – but for the life of me, I can’t tell if this is working or not – it’s just too hard to tell.

In short, why are the colors in the different map modes so dark and so hard to tell apart? It seems to make no difference playing with ‘low color mode’ in the Configurator or not. (Yes, I do have the brightness on my monitor turned up… that’s not the problem. Also, I have this same problem playing this game on two different computers: one running Windows 7 x64, the other running Vista x64. Also makes no difference if I’m playing at native resolution or one of the pre-set game resolutions.)

[gwgardner]

Hope someone answers. I'm just getting started with the game. While the map is nice, it is quite dark as far as I'm concerned.

[jhdeerslayer]

Without meaning to be too critical, I have to say that the map in this game – and various map modes – is very frustrating. For one, the lag when scrolling is a huge nuisance, even though I’ve done everything in my power to lessen it (through the Configurator, and trying single-CPU mode), and despite the fact that my computer is well above the ‘recommended’ specs for the game. I can’t figure out why the map should be so CPU or GPU or RAM (whatever in fact it is) intensive. I can, for example, play Hearts of Iron 3 very easily on my computer, which is RTS and which has sprites and map graphics changing in real time – I can scroll that global map fluidly with no problems. WW1 is TBS, and yet it plays like the most system-intensive RTS.

That aside, I’m also at a loss for why the map modes are so unclear. Can someone clearly explain what the map modes represent?

Strategic map: objective provinces are darker colored? My objectives? Everyone’s objectives? I can’t tell.

Political map: why are the colors so dark and so similar?? It’s incredibly hard to tell national boundaries apart. Why does it have to be this way?

The sub-maps on the Military Map: Reconnaissance? I assume the darkened-out provinces are un-reconnoitered. Anything else to know here? Supply? Completely unclear to me. Front? Also completely unclear.

Also, I have the box checked in the Options that is supposed to indicate on the map how far a unit can move in a turn – but for the life of me, I can’t tell if this is working or not – it’s just too hard to tell.

In short, why are the colors in the different map modes so dark and so hard to tell apart? It seems to make no difference playing with ‘low color mode’ in the Configurator or not. (Yes, I do have the brightness on my monitor turned up… that’s not the problem. Also, I have this same problem playing this game on two different computers: one running Windows 7 x64, the other running Vista x64. Also makes no difference if I’m playing at native resolution or one of the pre-set game resolutions.)

I've had the same questions. I find the map modes useless as I can't seem to figure them out. The Strategic one has been some help but with all the shading and all sometimes anything but obvious. Map modes are color overload and not clear what it all means. Supply mode is baffling and can't figure that one out either but want to as seems it could be helpful. Ditto all your comments basically.

The map scrolling is always an issue with AGEOD related games it seems and how they paint and load the bitmap files is my understanding. I have a fast machine that eats up modern RPG's and other CPU/video intensive games but it has always hestitated on AGEOD maps. It it fine once you load/scroll in a region on the map and almost like filling a memory buffer up or something.

I find this game to be very interesting but very challenging to figure out exactly how it works and I am no stranger to monster games.

[Moff Jerjerrod]

for your performance issues try setting load all map at start in the configurator and run the game in single core mode. That should fix the map scrolling issue.

I never switch away from the terrain map mode myself. I haven't figured out the purpose of the other map modes either. What I do see is the movement range of selected stacks. The areas that the stack can move to in a single turn are highlighted in a bright yellow. The range changes depending on if you're using rail movement or not.

[gwgardner]

bump

Can someone explain especially the 'supply' and 'reconaissance' map modes? And any of the others.

Thanks.

[gwgardner]

I think this is the way the supply map mode works, from looking at the colors.csv file:

light green provinces - unlimited source of supply
dark green - limited source of supply
dark brown - supply relay
gold - region not colored by one of the three above, but in supply
red - out of supply

for a given unit HQ, in any mode, use ctrl-s to show the current supply source, possible supply sources (I think) and relays.

Please correct or clarify if needed.

[gwgardner]

Reconaissance map mode: gold colored areas are in range of a theoretical air unit for recon purposes. I say theoretical, because I see such a range in the Serbia scenario, in which there are no air units.

[sandman2575]

@gwgardner -- thanks for investigating -- your suppositions are certainly interesting & it would be good to get confirmation. Honestly, it should *not* be so difficult to figure these things out -- and I have to be honest too, I've all but stopped playing this game because of all these UI difficulties and unresolved questions about basic things like what the different map modes represent. I feel like WW1 is a truly amazing game 'under the hood' that the dev's deserve enormous credit for producing, but I also feel like it's 'death by a thousand cuts' with the many frustrations with performance lag, unclear maps and user interface, etc. etc.

[Random]

@Sandman2575, hope you do not give it up, there is so very much here to like in Le Grande Guerre. I have never really determined what the assorted map mode add and so generally ignore them but consider it no really big deal but that is just my take.

The interface is not really friendly and sometimes finding the sweet spot to drop units is difficult. Have learned to hate the red text in the message box forbidding actions that seem correct but are prevented for whatever reasons. These issues are mostly UI related so I do feel your pain.

For all that however, the elegant simplicity of the combat system nicely recreates the major aspects of the land war while the event engine promises that no two games are likely to ever play out the same way. Like a Joffre or a Ludendorff you need to keep more than one-eye on the remaining manpower, munitions and National Will without thinking about what has already been expended. I think WW1G does an outstanding job with Great War armies at the General Staff level and is amazing but flawed in spots.

Try to consider the issues that you (and others of us out here) experiance as typographic errors and spelling mistakes in an otherwise excellent book, irritating and worthy of comment but not quite enough to cause you to toss it into the book bin for good.

Good Luck.

[sandman2575]

^ Thanks for the encouragement, Random. I certainly agree with you that WW1 is a very special game -- I'm by no means trying to bash it. Still, if the dev's are looking to improve anything, I would love to see some improvements made to (1) the UI, first and foremost, and (2) optimization... the laggy map is really, really frustrating (...yes, I've tried lots of ways to correct it). As someone else pointed out in another thread, it's things like the 'fade in, fade out' of units when you select them, little features that should be innocuous, that wind up be pretty annoying. Dragging and dropping your armies, as you point out, is another frustration. Just lots of minor irritations with gameplay, none of which are gamebreaking in themselves, but which do add up after a while.

Because this game is so complex, there's a real danger that unaddressed UI issues like these keep the audience for this game from growing. For me, there's definitely a "this could be fantastic, but all these irritations are keeping me from getting deeper into this game."