Yet Another Map

[Duffy]

Figured I should give the map I threw together based on the political map request thread it's own home so it's easier to find. You can find it here: Political Map

The changelog and old versions can be found here: Political Map Changelog

The map is based on an older version that had slightly different coloring, no outline of height differences (the color shift somewhat indicates it), and no towers. I'll keep it up to date and if desired I can also throw up a few copies with different layers turned on and off. Right now for Layers I have Settlement Icons, Settlement Names, Proposed Nations, Pacts and Alliances, and No Nations. What you see in that image is all of them turned on.

I'll keep it up to date over the coming weeks but I'm not going to spend a lot of time adding to it. I'm instead going to start working on an interactive map that can be filled with a bunch more useful data. I'll make a separate post about that when I get close to completion.

*Note: If you try to view the map on mobile you may need to go to the home page Aeonian League and select the view normal website option. From there take the link in the main menu, should be all the way to the right. Shivtr's javascript engine doesn't seem to support all the pages when it converts to the mobile format.

[T7V Jazzlvraz]

If it's at all possible: hex numbering, please? There are more folks than I realised who don't want me to refer to a map where one says "Callambea's the Settlement four hexes west of Freevale".

[Gol Zayvian]

Its a nice map, but I think it needs more Red. we're going to have to do something about that.

[Duffy]

I personally hate hex grid numbering and have just been using vague cardinal directions when talking about them, but I could see the demand.

I'll definitely have them in the new interactive map as I'll need the grid to draw the map anyways, but I'm iffy on spending the time to number them all on the picture. I'll think about it and do a few to see how it looks/estimate how long it would take me.

[Caldeathe Baequiannia]

@Duffy, perhaps until they're needed it would be easier to include row and column references on sides and top/bottom?

[Duffy]

Caldeathe Baequiannia wrote:

@Duffy, perhaps until they're needed it would be easier to include row and column references on sides and top/bottom?

That would be a lot simpler to do quickly, I'll take a stab at it tonight.

[<kabal> Bunibuni]

still a very nice map. Hope to see some changes in the NW soon. I'm thinking Orange would be a nice color when the time comes. Or maybe royal blue or purple. :-)

[Bringslite of Fidelis]

<kabal> Bunibuni wrote:

still a very nice map. Hope to see some changes in the NW soon. I'm thinking Orange would be a nice color when the time comes. Or maybe royal blue or purple. :-)

Oooh! Royal Blue. I like how you think. ;)

[Caldeathe Baequiannia]

Personally, I'm partial to either Gold or Forest Green

[T7V Jazzlvraz]

Karma Chameleon: red, gold, and green?

[Gol Phyllain]

Nice work.

[braddw34]

good job

[Duffy]

Updated Map

Added numbering 'rulers' across the side and top as a stopgap for now. I tried a couple of things to make it look better but they resulted in images too big for my freebie hosting solution and therefore lost the cool transparency effects they were depending on. Not a big deal, just mildly annoying.

*Note: Some folks might need to open the image in it's own window via right click menu if you really want to read the grid locations depending on your screen resolution.

[Duffy]

Trying to keep my changesets all in the same thread, yesterdays:

Map Updated with the renaming of 'The Gauntlet' to 'Alderwag', renamed 'Agents of Erastil' to 'Blackfeather Keep', and added the 'Free Highlanders' Pact to the Pacts/Alliances layer.

Today's Update:

Map Updated with 'The Guardians' as members of the 'Free Highlanders'

[Caldeathe Baequiannia]

Duffy, there are no passes in controlled hexes. The one showing in Callambea should be moved one north-west.

[Lam]

all the mountain hexes are brown. the green forested mountain idea was scrubbed by the second map from GW.

[Duffy]

Yea, someone just pointed out that the passes on the old map are incorrect, GW must have changed a few things since then. I'm looking to fix those discrepancies from their old map to the new one.

[KoTC Edam Neadenil]

Maybe make one of the axis alphabetical ?

The you have a reference system with parameters like A22 or F3 which is less prone to inversion errors.

[Duffy]

I thought about that but decided to stick with all numbers to make them translate to what the in game coordinates will probably be and to make it easier to correspond to my interactive map. Since GW has indicated the map will expand I guessed that they start the coordinates at 0,0 in the middle to easily facilitate adding new hexes along the outside without disrupting existing hex coordinates.

[Guurzak]

The official zero hex is the upper left of the three Thornkeep hexes. See the full map: https://goblinworks.com/static/media/uploads/blogimages/fullmap.png

[AvenaOats]

That map is awesome!!!!

This is the sort of thing I think that will eventually "sell the game" to more interested people: Not the combat or basic features, but the emergent powers and interaction complexities. G8J.

Wonder if this article has relevance for the map construction and other considerations of promoting a dynamic equilibrium of conflict:-

=

EVE Evolved: Capital ships ruined nullsec wrote:

In EVE's early years, the map was split between hundreds of small alliances, each of which slowly expanded its influence by conquering the star systems bordering its space. Skirmishes and pirate incursions were brief and commonplace, while border wars over territory were long and protracted affairs. Today's nullsec is a different animal entirely, with nearly the entire map carved up between two colossal mega-coalitions of alliances (N3/PL and CFC), each one internally held in a state of perpetually monotonous peace. No alliance in a coalition can break away and stand on its own for fear of being demolished by the others, and so all of nullsec is at peace with its neighbours and bored to tears by it.

[Duffy]

Guurzak wrote:

The official zero hex is the upper left of the three Thornkeep hexes. See the full map: https://goblinworks.com/static/media/uploads/blogimages/fullmap.png

Interesting, I may adjust mine to match that then. I wonder per chance if any GW dev reads this thread can you confirm the coordinate starting point?

@AvenaOats

I did read that article and I have kept that in mind to some degree while navigating the political waters.

[Guurzak]

Duffy wrote:

Guurzak wrote:

The official zero hex is the upper left of the three Thornkeep hexes. See the full map: https://goblinworks.com/static/media/uploads/blogimages/fullmap.png

Interesting, I may adjust mine to match that then. I wonder per chance if any GW dev reads this thread can you confirm the coordinate starting point?

Not sure why you need more confirmation than an actual numbered map published by Goblinworks on their own website, but here you go:

Stephen Cheney wrote:

The NW hex of Thornkeep is 00 00.

...

Duffy wrote:

I did read that article and I have kept that in mind to some degree while navigating the political waters.

Yeah, easy logistics leading to a political collapse to two factions is one of my big worries in this game.

[T7V Jazzlvraz]

I'll not be surprised in the least if Ryan and friends have tricks up their sleeve to shake us up if we get boring.

[Duffy]

Map Updated with the Guardians' Neutral Good Alignment, adjusted coordinate rulers to match official coordinates, moved some incorrect height transition Xs, and added height borders.

[T7V Jazzlvraz]

Duffy, your previous map thread and this one appear to be the only places on these boards with mention of the Free Highlanders. Have you heard anything about why they've not said anything about themselves here, especially since they've as many Settlements as the Northern Coalition?

[Duffy]

It was verified on page 2 & 3 (starting Aug 15th) of the other thread by several members; they have just not formally announced it. No attributed member has complained about their inclusion so I assume the information is correct or a very elaborate hoax.

[Caldeathe Baequiannia]

T7V Jazzlvraz wrote:

Duffy, your previous map thread and this one appear to be the only places on these boards with mention of the Free Highlanders. Have you heard anything about why they've not said anything about themselves here, especially since they've as many Settlements as the Northern Coalition?

Personally, I don't consider it anything special. The Free Highlanders is nothing more than a non aggression pact that may one day become more. We are simply a region of free settlements that have agreed not to antagonize each other.

The Free Highlanders is a name for something that only barely needs a name, yet. The map is entirely accurate, though there are still other groups that have been occupied with other lives and haven't finished their considerations.

[Duffy]

Yea it didn't seem like it was worth a lot of the hoopla; included for completeness.

[Duffy]

New Map Url to correspond with the new Aeonian League domain. Update your bookmarks.

[sspitfire1]

Thanks Duffy!

[Duffy]

Updated Map with the new prospective 'Nation of Kathalphas' and added Riverbank to the 'Everbloom Alliance'

[braddw34]

thank you duffy

[KoTC Edam Neadenil]

Duffy wrote:

Updated Map with the new prospective 'Nation of Kathalphas' and added Riverbank to the 'Everbloom Alliance'

Edam approves Everbloom expanding.

Beware Fort Inevitable, soon you shall be ours.

[Ikeren]

Is it possible to get clickable tooltips that would link to the city and nations recruiting threads/info websites? That'd be crazily useful.

[Guurzak]

Ikeren wrote:

Is it possible to get clickable tooltips that would link to the city and nations recruiting threads/info websites? That'd be crazily useful.

Caldeathe's Census has those links and a lot of other useful info. It'd be convenient to have sites hotlinked from the map, but that's a lot of extra manual effort which may or may not be interesting to the cartographers.

[Duffy]

Ikeren wrote:

Is it possible to get clickable tooltips that would link to the city and nations recruiting threads/info websites? That'd be crazily useful.

Something like that could be done, but it's a big pain and time consuming to do it using just an image file and HTML. However I am working on an interactive map that is fully HTML based and will draw the map from a database which will easily allow dynamic information and layering. Basically giving me the ability to put in all kinds of neat features. I'm hoping to get the basic drawing and info features done for or in early EE.

That said I'm primarily a database developer so the whole brushing up my HTML and JavaScript skills is a bit slow going. Didn't help that I decided to use this project as an excuse to learn MVC.

[theStormWeaver]

I'd like to recommend using a hashed overlay instead of solid colors for "owned" hexes. This way we'd still be able to see the terrain/hex info (meteor hexes, forest or plains, etc.)

Thanks for this map, and good luck on the update!

I recommend jQuery and Underscore.js

[Duffy]

Yea I wasn't a fan of the semi-transparent solid colors as they were being so heavily altered by the background tile colors, but I didn't want to spend too much time messing with it for the image file version. I'll try a couple different approaches for the Dynamic Map as I want it to convey more than just the political layout anyways. Maybe I'll make them options you can turn on and off, that would please everyone I think.

That Underscore library looks handy, I'll add that. Currently using jQueryUI to get a slicker and generally uniform style.

[theStormWeaver]

I wasn't thinking semi-transparent, but a hashed(hatched?) overlay.

Like this: http://sitemaker .umich.edu/mladjov/files/francia814a.jpg

[Being]

You mean this clicky map of Europe? What a gorgeous map!

[Duffy]

The majority of that map is still using transparency effects and it works nicely because the background color is uniform. Regardless, I'll try the crisscross/slanted line shading approach to see what it looks like, shouldn't be a big deal once I figure out the math I need to stick in a function.

[Duffy]

Map Updated with Kabal joining the Free Highlanders.

[<kabal> Bunibuni]

That's Right! We are there to free any and all captured Highlanders! Even the Elven ones since they make the cookies.

[Duffy]

Map Updated per a request I added training icons for the settlements that have announced their decision.

[Duffy]

Map Updated with training icons for Talonguard, Kreuz Bernstein, Tavernhold, and Terra Australis Incognito.

[albadeon]

Duffy, I really like your map, thanks for the great work!

Two very minor issues: Could you update the "last updated" date, and if at all possible, could you make the colored tiles around each settlement so that you can still see what terrain lies beneath?

Thanks again :-)

[Caldeathe Baequiannia]

It is a political map....

[Giorgo]

Great map, and I agree with Cal B, keep it as a Politcal Map, I use this for a terrain map.

[albadeon]

I'm old-fashioned and use this for a terrain map (and match what I'm looking for with any political map):

https://goblinworks.com/static/media/uploads/blogimages/fullmap.png

Still, Duffy's map has the terrain info for all hexes _except_ the alpha ring hexes. That seems odd, but I'm not really complaining, just pointing it out. It's a very nice map either way.