I did search... I remember having seen it mentioned somewhere, a long time ago. No success , though.

Anyway, I have two questions. Or one-and-a-half, to be exact:

1. What units are the galaxy map coordinates measured in again? Is it pixels?

2. I'm thinking of making the final version of the map in Illustrator, and then scaling it to the dimensions used in the actual map and simply copying the coordinates. (In addition, using Illustrator will allow me to paste the basic info on every system - resID, name, govt, spöbs etc. - in seperate layers, which should make a handy all-in-one reference.)
Anyway, any comments or better ideas on this? I'm just curious about how others did this - I remember ATMOS using graph paper for the EVN galaxy map...

Thanks.

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I would imagine graph paper using would be pretty easy - draw it on graph paper, choose the origen, count boxes, and multiply by a constant (which would depend on what units the coords are in, which I dont know either)
I dont know enough about Illustator to comment on that aspect.
-Az

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Quote

Originally posted by boot:
**
1. What units are the galaxy map coordinates measured in again? Is it pixels?

**

Yep, pixels.

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Pixels it is then. Thanks.

As for using Illustrator - I guess it's just a personal preference, being a graphic designer. I can set the grid and rulers to display pixels, so it should be pretty easy. Plus, when you already have the software it's cheaper and more flexible than working on graph paper.

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Quote

Originally posted by boot:
**As for using Illustrator - I guess it's just a personal preference, being a graphic designer. I can set the grid and rulers to display pixels, so it should be pretty easy. Plus, when you already have the software it's cheaper and more flexible than working on graph paper.

**

Agreed. That's a clever way of doing it.

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ATMOS uses a large sheet of thick cartridge paper (A1) to draw our maps on. This sheet has usually already been lightly lined using a hard H (6H or greater) pencil in a grid spacing of about 1cm blocks. This grid is assumed to be 10 map units/cm.

We then draw our map.

When this is complete, one bloke stands over the map and calls out ID numbers and coordinates for systems back to the mug sitting on the computer (with ResEdit).

Not the most efficient method, but it gives us a big map to work with.

all the best,

Dave @ ATMOS

ps. I have seen nothing to suggest that the map units are truly pixels at 1:1 zoom.

(This message has been edited by pipeline (edited 11-23-2003).)

Quote

Originally posted by pipeline:
**ATMOS uses a large sheet of thick cartridge paper (A1) to draw our maps on. This sheet has usually already been lightly lined using a hard H (6H or greater) pencil in a grid spacing of about 1cm blocks. This grid is assumed to be 10 map units/cm.

We then draw our map.

When this is complete, one bloke stands over the map and calls out ID numbers and coordinates for systems back to the mug sitting on the computer (with ResEdit).

Not the most efficient method, but it gives us a big map to work with.**

Also doesn't work well with one person. I can just picture it now...

Gets up 47, 3! Sits down and types it in
Gets up 82, 9! Sits down and types it in

Quote

ps. I have seen nothing to suggest that the map units are truly pixels at 1:1 zoom.

They were in the two previous games. What's wrong with assuming Matt didn't want to confuse the hell out of developers by changing it, and therefore didn't?

Maybe it's documented somewhere. Or maybe we have to call up Mr. Burch and ask him.

It shouldn't be that hard to figure out. Take a screenshot of the map and find out the coordinates for a few systems from the data files. Then see if those match the number of pixels away from the center of Sol. Give me a moment...

I have no idea. I tried it, saw 50 in the xPos, and got 87. These obviously are in no way related. I'm not even going to bother with the yPos or the another labelled system.

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Quote

Originally posted by orcaloverbri9:
**They were in the two previous games. What's wrong with assuming Matt didn't want to confuse the hell out of developers by changing it, and therefore didn't?;)
**

MAybe he did that just to confuse editors.

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Quote

Originally posted by orcaloverbri9:
**
I have no idea. I tried it, saw 50 in the xPos, and got 87. These obviously are in no way related. I'm not even going to bother with the yPos or the another labelled system.

**

What were you zoomed to? Might work with different zooms.
-Az

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Or try my method, various scribblings on scraps of paper I have lying around whenever an idea hits me, and coordinates are all guesswork. I even have a canadian 5 dollar bill with a quick map of a small section of some galaxy from a TC plug I scrapped lying around somewhere, hehe.

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Quote

Originally posted by boot:
2. I'm thinking of making the final version of the map in Illustrator, and then scaling it to the dimensions used in the actual map and simply copying the coordinates. (In addition, using Illustrator will allow me to paste the basic info on every system - resID, name, govt, spöbs etc. - in seperate layers, which should make a handy all-in-one reference.)

This is exactly how I did the final map for SFA... in fact, I first scanned in maps from the Star Trek Star Charts book and then pieced those together in Photoshop, then made that graphic my base layer so I would have reference for the system positions, but it was using Illustrator in just this manner you describe that I got the coordinates for them.

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Quote

Originally posted by Azratax2:
**What were you zoomed to? Might work with different zooms.
-Az

**

100%, if the middle zoom (there are seven) is 100%.
So, I think if you set it to 50, you get the following in pixels:
0 zoom: 51 (retried it, I think I measured the wrong axis :p)
-1 zoom: 38
-2 zoom: 28
-3 zoom: 20
+1 zoom: 67
+2 zoom: 89
+3 zoom: 118

Anyone have any guesses?

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(This message has been edited by orcaloverbri9 (edited 11-24-2003).)

Quote

Originally posted by orcaloverbri9:
**100%, if the middle zoom (there are seven) is 100%.
So, I think if you set it to 50, you get the following in pixels:
0 zoom: 51 (retried it, I think I measured the wrong axis :p)
-1 zoom: 38
-2 zoom: 28
-3 zoom: 20
+1 zoom: 67
+2 zoom: 89
+3 zoom: 118

Anyone have any guesses?

**

Okay. So it's pixels at 100% zoom.

0 zoom: 51 (50)- 100%
-1 zoom: 38 75%
-2 zoom: 28 56%
-3 zoom: 20 40%
+1 zoom: 67 133%
+2 zoom: 89 180%
+3 zoom: 118 236%
-Az

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The exact scale, as long as it is close to pixels at 100%, which it is, is irrelevant because the map will scale uniformly in or out. I am wondering why Matt didn't just make 1 to 1 at 100%. Forget about designing, I am talking about coding the map - it would be so much easier to code if it just plotted the pixels.

Anyway, EVONE uses a 1 to 1 scale at 100% and the map looks so close to the real thing that I never thought about it until this topic.

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Theoretically, if you design a whole new galaxy, no matter what the ratio is in EVN, the ratio is always a constant based on the zoom level, using the pixels would easily provide you with the same map in the game as on paper. If it seems like the systems are too close together, multiply all the coordinates by any number that you desire for extra space, if they are too far appart, divide all the coordinates by any number that you desire for less space.

That's my $0.02 CND so it's probably worth only $0.01 USD

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OK, I think I know enough now. Thanks for the advice.

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