Prototype map

Private development area, away from the nimwits, retards and dithering idiots.

Er, I mean, normal users. Yeah. Those guys.
Locked
User avatar
Verminator
Captain
Captain
Posts: 390
Joined: Sat Apr 26, 2008 5:17 pm
Location: Warringtonia, Englandland

Prototype map

Post by Verminator »

Here's the prototype map I've thrown together. Be aware, this is pure layout - the fancypants pretty detailed map will come at a later date.

Linked for size

A quick key - White dots are star systems that don't have anything in them. Red dots are systems in the possession of the imperial remnant in one way or another, and Green dots are systems that are under player-faction control at the start. Blue lines are warp routes between star systems, and yellow ones are warp routes between entire galactic sectors. There are currently just under 200 systems, 9 of which are Remnant-controlled, and fourteen of which are player start points.

I tried to space out the player start points just enough so they have three different ways to expand in (expect those two at the top and bottom, which are for outsider types) and so they're not bumping into each other and starting wars right away, but they're not too far apart that they'll be wandering around space for ever with nothing to do. (Not that I think the map is big enough for that to ever be the case. Besides, lonesome players should have something given to do by the GM should it come to that.)

So, if anyone has any suggestions, put them forward.
I have to kill fast and bullets are [i]too slow.[/i]
User avatar
Verminator
Captain
Captain
Posts: 390
Joined: Sat Apr 26, 2008 5:17 pm
Location: Warringtonia, Englandland

Re: Prototype map

Post by Verminator »

Updated.
map concept 3.0.png
Now includes background grid, star icons similar to Meta 1 that allow showing of fleet occupation, a key, and is just prettier in general.

Next in line - system names.
I have to kill fast and bullets are [i]too slow.[/i]
User avatar
Arcalane
Pseudofeline Overlord
Posts: 4034
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2007 10:37 am
Location: UK

Re: Prototype map

Post by Arcalane »

Meta2 won't track fleet locations on the main map, just fyi.

System names should be handled a bit later, but this is relevant;

Code: Select all

[Fri 09] [22:00:29] <Siber> got any place names handy?
[Fri 09] [22:00:36] <Arcalane> nope |D
[Fri 09] [22:01:01] <Siber> Any idea what form place names would take?
[Fri 09] [22:01:14] <Siber> New Foo, real star names, random consonants?
[Fri 09] [22:01:59] <Arcalane> well, the meta1 map was basically a dozen shoutouts mixed with real star names... outer systems will probably be random constonants (RGX-519, etc.) but inner systems are named
[Fri 09] [22:02:59] <Arcalane> but none of the systems have been named yet
Also when I mentioned the look of the Core Cluster, I was thinking more like this;
dammit verm
dammit verm
White = in-cluster connections, cyan = out-of-cluster connections, red blobs = new-empire/remnant/whatever occupied systems

It needs to, besides being the center of the map, look more like a core cluster that an empire would set it's capital up in.
  /l、
゙(゚、 。 7
 l、゙ ~ヽ
 じしf_, )ノ
Squishy
Rear Admiral
Rear Admiral
Posts: 852
Joined: Mon Dec 03, 2007 4:32 am

Re: Prototype map

Post by Squishy »

If you ever get stuck for (star) system names, I think this might help:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stars_and_ ... in_fiction


Of course you can completely disregard that and come up with names not found in our universe for simplicity's sake.

Such as DELTA SQUISHINGTON 672.
User avatar
Verminator
Captain
Captain
Posts: 390
Joined: Sat Apr 26, 2008 5:17 pm
Location: Warringtonia, Englandland

Re: Prototype map

Post by Verminator »

We are now at defcon version 3.5

I AM COLOSSAL

Now includes rejigged imperial core sector.
I have to kill fast and bullets are [i]too slow.[/i]
User avatar
Arcalane
Pseudofeline Overlord
Posts: 4034
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2007 10:37 am
Location: UK

Re: Prototype map

Post by Arcalane »

Alright, looks like we're looking at about half a dozen player factions, and maybe one or two outsiders. Assuming four systems per player and six for the Coalition, that's thirty systems base. Pad that out with a couple dozen more to act as no man's land, far reaches, outsider spawns, etc. etc. and we should be good to go.
[Tue 27] [15:31:13] <Arcalane> viewtopic.php?f=36&t=5101&p=112362#p112362
[Tue 27] [15:33:21] <Verminator> Okay. I'll probably slash a few sectors but not too many.
[Tue 27] [15:33:38] <Arcalane> we don't need a map anywhere neaaaar as big as the last prototype
[Tue 27] [15:33:54] <Arcalane> remember the bigger we make this stuff the harder it'll be to run
[Tue 27] [15:34:56] <Arcalane> throw a couple more standard player starts in just in case.
[Tue 27] [15:35:09] <Verminator> In that case I'll probably wipe the entire outer layer, plus maybe a couple of other clusters.
[Tue 27] [15:35:37] <Arcalane> I think it'd be best to start the map over from the imperial core and work outwards tbh
[Tue 27] [15:35:50] <Arcalane> rather than trying to adapt that big ol' bastard
[Tue 27] [15:36:33] <Verminator> Come to think of it that'd be better
[Tue 27] [15:36:43] <Verminator> Seeing as the last prototype is on my other computer
[Tue 27] [15:36:48] <Arcalane> haha
[Tue 27] [15:37:11] <Arcalane> well as long as we get something that isn't overconnected or underconnected 's all good
[Tue 27] [15:37:34] <Verminator> Meh, I'll download paint.net and get to work on it tonight I think. Got little else to do atm.
[Tue 27] [15:38:03] <Arcalane> so ~7-8 standard player starts, some outer reaches/offshoots for outsiders, no man's land between faction clusters, small imperial core... should work out fine
[Tue 27] [15:38:23] <Verminator> Sounds simple enough.
[Tue 27] [15:38:43] <Arcalane> try not to make the HOME planets too easy or too hard to defend though
[Tue 27] [15:38:57] <Arcalane> the map style encourages bottlenecks enough already
[Tue 27] [15:39:30] <Verminator> 3/4 ways in/out for a player's starting sector?
[Tue 27] [15:39:47] <Arcalane> sounds like a plan.
[Tue 27] [15:40:20] <Arcalane> what you want to avoid is stuff like... hold on
[Tue 27] [15:43:29] <Arcalane> http://i25.tinypic.com/pws6.jpg green bad, white good
[Tue 27] [15:45:09] <Verminator> Do you reckon the greens are too easy to get into?
[Tue 27] [15:45:40] <Arcalane> my concern is that they all share one thing: a single crossroads system
[Tue 27] [15:45:58] <Arcalane> that splits the sector almost 50/50
[Tue 27] [15:46:12] <Arcalane> with the whites you have a couple of ways around
[Tue 27] [15:46:22] <Arcalane> but with the greens you HAVE to pass through the crossroads to get anywhere
[Tue 27] [15:47:02] <Verminator> I see what you mean, actually. I think at the time it might have been intentional. I'll avoid it.
[Tue 27] [15:47:21] <Arcalane> in the case of the bottommost green near the lower right, you could set the leftmost dead end as your capital, and use the other four to force people to fight through the same amount of defenses no matter their approach
[Tue 27] [15:48:06] <Arcalane> the nature of nodes/lanespace mean blockading is trivial compared to how space really works
[Tue 27] [15:49:13] <Arcalane> sure it should still be possible to some degree, and if people go running off to secure dead end trails for that purpose let them, but they shouldn't START in a position where it's easy to do so, unless they're Outsiders
[Tue 27] [15:49:33] <Arcalane> in which case the chain/dead end stuff is to make it so they don't run into people too soon
[Tue 27] [15:49:37] <Verminator> Yeah, I definitely see what you mean by that. I'll try not to do that.
[Tue 27] [15:50:03] <Arcalane> humanity is blissfully unaware of the presence of alien species
[Tue 27] [15:50:16] <Arcalane> just as the coalition is blissfully unaware of any other factions
[Tue 27] [15:50:55] <Arcalane> or more like arrogantly believe that nobody else could have survived
[Tue 27] [15:51:01] <Arcalane> but anyway, that's another topic entirely
  /l、
゙(゚、 。 7
 l、゙ ~ヽ
 じしf_, )ノ
User avatar
Arcalane
Pseudofeline Overlord
Posts: 4034
Joined: Thu Sep 13, 2007 10:37 am
Location: UK

Re: Prototype map

Post by Arcalane »

[Fri 30] [19:40:06] <Verminator> http://i964.photobucket.com/albums/ae13 ... tbeta1.png
[Fri 30] [19:43:19] <Arcalane> hmm
[Fri 30] [19:44:11] <Arcalane> core cluster should probably only have three links in... entire thing could stand to be a little more spread out too. make full use of the space you've given yourself and all.
[Fri 30] [19:44:39] <Verminator> Green are player spawns, Red are Coalition territories, Purple are outsider spawns.
[Fri 30] [19:44:48] <Arcalane> I gathered
[Fri 30] [19:45:53] <Arcalane> could do with two more of each maybe
[Fri 30] [19:46:20] <Verminator> Two more player/outsider spawns?
[Fri 30] [19:46:36] <Arcalane> mhm
[Fri 30] [19:49:48] <Verminator> I'll see what I can do then.
[Fri 30] [19:56:45] <Arcalane> also, what do you think of a kind of 'area of influence' alternate mode for the map? like this; http://i31.tinypic.com/2q1tg6p.jpg
[Fri 30] [19:56:58] <Arcalane> but not quite as rushed
[Fri 30] [19:58:43] <Arcalane> two ways I'm thinking is either per cluster, or just all of a player's space in one blob. the latter is more work but might look better.
[Fri 30] [20:00:20] <Verminator> It'd be easy to do in paint.net, it's just deciding on a way to do it that doesn't obscure everything else.
[Fri 30] [20:00:49] <Arcalane> well, we offer both is the main point. also, alpha/opacity.
[Fri 30] [20:01:04] <Arcalane> blob control: http://i28.tinypic.com/jpczl5.jpg
[Fri 30] [20:02:36] <Verminator> Yeah, I could do something like that. Anyway, brb
[Fri 30] [20:02:48] <Arcalane> k, gonna get a drink
  /l、
゙(゚、 。 7
 l、゙ ~ヽ
 じしf_, )ノ
Locked