Help with Graphics modding

[phoenix]

Can anyone give me some quick guidance on a graphics modding issue?

I'm always trying to get rid of the hexy feel of the maps, and a major contributor to that (since version 2 series, at least) is the rivers. They are found in the hex sides files in the Maps folder and I've tried editing them to make them less jaggy, more curvy, basically. Without much success, perhaps because I'm only using Paint and it's hard to get colours to match up.

So, it occurred to me that the best way might be to smooth out the jagginess simply by colouring in some of the edges with the neutral background colour of the hex edge file (which is a kind of purple). I assume what happens is the program ignores that colour and uses the base colour (the earth colour of the background hex being edged, for example) wherever it occurs. But I can't match exactly that background purple colour. I'm messing around in Kursk '43 to test all this.  Hopefully someone who knows about the graphics will know what I mean?

Does anyone know a way to exactly identify the colour of the background in the 2dhexsides50 and 100 files in the Map folder? Or am I on the wrong track here?

Thanks

Peter