Modding slopes graphics?

[Xerxes77]

(Moved the post here from Napoleonics as I understand other series share the same graphics engine)

I have no previous experience with the current incarnation of the Napoleonic series (and my basically unplayed boxed copy of Talonsoft's Napoleon in Russia has been sitting on the shelf for many years), so after discovering there is a demo available on the WDS site (The Final Struggle), I decided to download it and take it for a spin.

The 4.0 graphics have obviously improved immensely from the olden days, and the stock 3D mode is now good enough that I think I prefer it over the hand-drawn maps included with the download. However, I'm having trouble with the 2D mode, specifically the slopes - they are thick, but look IMO a bit too fuzzy and tend to blend in with the terrain.

Based on screenshots of the previous JTS version, I believe 2D elevation readability has taken a bit of a hit with the uptick in graphics quality. Ground color variation, which typically helps a lot, seems to be a lot softer now. Admittedly the whole thing with elevations is a pet peeve of mine, as my brain has trouble translating heights in 2D (my main motivation behind adding slopes to Squad Battles).

So I went looking for the slopes graphics to see if I could try and increase the contrast or maybe enhance the 3D effect (make NW slopes harsher, shorter and brighter than the SW face, etc), but can't find a matching graphic set under Map. Could it be that they are hardcoded and can only be turned on or off?


Below is an example of the current slopes graphics interacting with fields, the shades of brown are similar and I have trouble seeing the changes in elevation (contours are on, but also brown):