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One thing that would really help me out when I'm preparing scenarios is that the maps in the scenarios are available in the correct size (25 mm squares) without spoilers in them.
In other words:
- No secret doors or secret rooms
- No markings where creatures should be
- No trap markings
- No text to mark the "big boss room"
- No other spoilers
At Gencon, all of my DMs used the printouts from the PDF, and all of them had spoilers on them. It's pretty hard not to metagame when it says secret room right on the map! And before we enter the room, I know exactly how many opponents are in the room and where they'll be, because it's on the map!
Right now I have to manually edit the spoilers out and enlarge the entire map and then print it out. While it's doable, it's also time consuming and if you have the original maps, it's probably a lot easier for you to take objects away, etc and have the map in the proper size for us.
I hope this is possible to do, even if it isn't in the main PDF, it sure would help.
Thanks,
Jason
PS. If any fans have redone maps, maybe you could post the location of your JPGs in the relevant scenario thread.
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there has been a VERY vocal group begging for just such maps for ages now.
There have been many excuses and reasons not to do it.
I know for the APs, many of the cartographers have said they create many of the maps 1 inch = 5 feet and then reduce it down to publishing sizes.
I cannot say the same is true of Society maps however. I somehow doubt it.
There is also issues concerning licensing and fees to the cartographer. For example, MOST publishing work (maybe not Paizo, but in general) the creator of the art charges a set fee for a specific, limited use. The publisher cannot legally use the art for more than what is expressed in the license. To use the art in other ways, such as making to scale digital maps available to the consumers in such a way as to hide or manipulate parts of the art (map), would cost the publisher more money.
More money, so what? You may ask... well, in MOST publishing models (again Paizo may be different) art work is the largest single expense in producing a product. Authors are cheap, layout design costs more, and art is expensive!
I *THINK* that is a very good reason why the maps so desperately desired have not been made. I'll be honest, this seems like a darn good reason to me. :)
Just no one ever says this, instead I hear weird excuses (like a map for a full page is some astronomical Mb size- when I took a complex photo and produced a file size that was 4 feet x 8 feet at 300 dpi to get that file size. And yeah I have been doing graphic design and photography digitally for 10 years now and know my stuff).