Your opinion on Style

[Lukc]

Not all the names have to be straight. You could set some on curves, that way you would also solve the Amsterdam and Constantinople (Istanbul) problems ... Also, you might consider using Turkish names for the Turkish cities, if you're using Salonika instead of Thessalonica. Hmm ... but then you again have Helsingfors instead of Helsinki, but Rome instead of Roma. You should stick to a single standard for naming the cities, I think. Either all in English (or language of choice) or all in national or era-appropriate national languages.

Also, a possible typo. I think you mean Minsk, not Pinsk, in the Belarus region.

[jesuisbenjamin]

Hi Lukc,

Yes, I could curve the names, but doesn't it look funny if some names are curved while others are straight?

The names are all in English as far as I know, the alternative names like Constantinople, Christiana or Salonika are historical names, rather than indigenous names. I have looked up older maps of 18th Century in English and history sources for that. And Pinsk is a city in Belarus too (Minsk was too close to Vilnius).

[tilt]

personally I think I'd curve all the names, that often makes them seem more a part of the map

[jesuisbenjamin]

@Tilt: you mean across the region? With or without banners?

[tilt]

across the region but without banners imho

[jesuisbenjamin]

OK,

I modified the map so as to label regions instead of cities, but I find a bit dull now and perhaps that is because the nice yellow stars added a nice touch to the map. Anyway, I will add other decorative elements to the map, so it may compensate. The other thing I don't like so much about it, is the regions names, which are completely mixed up. There are Roman-Latin names mixed with English, there are toponyms mixed with political names etc. It is messy.

What do you think?

I've also adapted the urban version of the map, so as to have shorter names where necessary.

[Silverwulfe]

Definitely the one with the stars. The city-state feeling is much stronger. Too bad you would have trouble with some of the names on flags... because that definitely could work on this. It would also give you a thematic way to shorten the long names by having it follow the contours of the flag and allow you to chop it off without breaking your perspective. Might be a pain to do though...