Well - Here's Your Free Font! Beta Test This Puppy!!!

Terraformer_Author

Ok- FIRST - here is an attatched zip containing both true type and open type versions of the font that is now named "Mirkwood Chronicle":

Terraformer_Author

Ok - now this is what it looks like (see below graphic). I need you guys to test this thing out - put it through it's paces - and basically - tell me if it sucks canal water, lol.
Try it on curved paths to see if it works ok for you. I just finished this thing and honestly I need some input on it. What do you NOT like about it (or DO like about it)? Let me know.
It's OFL/SIL - so no worries mates. Try using the open type file first and tell me if it works ok. If it doesn't - then use the True Type file because it's tested already.

Vintyri

This might not affect anyone else, but the character set (based upon the display above) still is too small to be useful to me. Samples of missing characters are:

å č ď ě ň ř š ť ů ž ź

Vintyri

Sorry. I missed a very important one:

þ

Without that character, one hardly can write the name of the hammer-throwing deity þórr (Thor in English)!

Terraformer_Author

Posted By: VintyriThis might not affect anyone else, but the character set (based upon the display above) still is too small to be useful to me. Samples of missing characters are:

å č ď ě ň ř š ť ů ž ź

Ok - first of all this is NOT showing ALL of the characters - I basically maxed out the character map templates on this - but you are right because I don't think that that the CM templates had slots for those - HOWEVER - it DID have a slot for the "V" like accent mark to put above the letters (I think it did - I'm not feeling very well tonight so I'm kinda foggy right now, lol). It's good that you reminded me because I may actually have to import the TTF map for Times New Roman or Arial to get those down. Note for later revision...Lol

Terraformer_Author

Posted By: VintyriSorry. I missed a very important one:

þ

Without that character, one hardly can write the name of the hammer-throwing deity þórr (Thor in English)!

THAT ONE I have! Lol.

Terraformer_Author

Also - special note: I only had a template map slot for the capitol german "sz" sound (for english speaking folks - the little wierd looking "letter "B"" type doohicky), but not the lower case version, why I did not have a map slot for that I do not know, lol. At any rate the capitol "sz" thingy is included.

Also - If anybody out there makes fonts - and you want to tweak or improve this font somehow, then feel free to do that and post your refinements / modifications / derivatives (OFL / SIL allows for that). It's a community font for everybodie's map work - it's in the pool, so go for it - only remember to share, lol.

Vintyri

Posted By: Terraformer_AuthorI only had a template map slot for the capitol german "sz" sound (for english speaking folks - the little wierd looking "letter "B"" type doohicky), but not the lower case version, why I did not have a map slot for that I do not know, lol. At any rate the capitol "sz" thingy is included.

ß is the lower case version of the German sharp S (or sz, as the Prussians call it). The upper case version is SS.

Ralf

Posted By: Terraformer_AuthorAlso - special note: I only had a template map slot for the capitol german "sz" sound (for english speaking folks - the little wierd looking "letter "B"" type doohicky), but not the lower case version, why I did not have a map slot for that I do not know, lol. At any rate the capitol "sz" thingy is included.

Ahem, let me clarify: "ß" exists only as a lower-case letter, there is no upper-case for it (so what you have is the lower-case one).

Some totally unimportant information on the genesis of this letter.

Terraformer_Author

Posted By: Ralf

Posted By: Terraformer_AuthorAlso - special note: I only had a template map slot for the capitol german "sz" sound (for english speaking folks - the little wierd looking "letter "B"" type doohicky), but not the lower case version, why I did not have a map slot for that I do not know, lol. At any rate the capitol "sz" thingy is included.

Ahem, let me clarify: "ß" exists only as a lower-case letter, there is no upper-case for it (so what you have is the lower-case one).

Some totally unimportant information on the genesis of this letter.

Ok...Now I know....Either way it's covered in the font....Sorry I didn't know about it dude, but at times I can barely write in english - so you have to give me some measure of leadway, ROFL

Imagine that - I understand the principles of writing in ancient Futhark, but I don't understand the german long "s" sound...Then again - I understand the principles of how a space craft works - but I couldn't fix a flat tire to save my life...

Brain damage....Pure and simple brain damage...I'm long overdue for a good solid CAT scan.Lol

Terraformer_Author

Ok - I did a print out test in which I created a document in Open Office, Selected a book cover image from my stock images and used it as a page background, typed in a some titling in 36, 24, and 12 point sizes, and then printed it as a .pdf file. I then did a screen capture of the .pdf - which you are seeing below. All in all - it does not look half bad. I would like to see some examples of this font in real action. Apparently it looks kinda crappy when you initially lay it down in the graphics app - but it prints out / edits nicely?

Continue to not only compliment me and give me a ridiculously fat head, but also continue to give me your gripes about this thing - because unless I hear from the grumpy folks - I can't fix whatever it might be that you don't like about it. I already have a sinking feeling that in order to expand the available characters to astronomical amounts - I will probably have to import the character map layout from a monster like "Times New Roman" - which has about four billion character options, lol.

I'm making more fonts for you guys (and likely everybody else on the web), and so I need to do that learnin thing - and , metaphorically speaking (wink wink) - you don't find out that sticking a metal fork into a toaster is a bad idea unless, at least in my case (again metaphorically speaking - wink wink) - you've been electrocuted about a dozen times, lol

I'll be intermittantly releasing new mapping fonts from great time to time here, but also - I will have those same fonts packaged with my symbols sets - AND posted with a reputable free font site (if I can find a new one to join).

Terraformer_Author

Ok - here's another .pdf print test image. :

Terraformer_Author

And one last .pdf print out test, the em metrics for the letter characters were set at 1024 instead of 2048 when I made the font - as opposed to the standard 2048 em - because setting it at 1024 makes the letters larger per point size (or it least it seems that way to me):

Terraformer_Author

More freebies to come kids - stay tuned!

Also - I'll tweak this font (gotta adjust the kerning a bit) - and repost a revised version later on as well.

Joachim de Ravenbel

This is really great ! Thanks a lot )
Just curious : which software do you use to create those fonts ?

Terraformer_Author

Highlogic Font Creator - ancient prehistoric pre-open font version, lol. I convert from TTF to OTF with the shareware version of Type Lite. When you're limited income, you have to be creative about how you use prehistoric apps, shareware apps, abandonware apps, etc.. I probably use anywhere from 4 to 6 different graphics apps compared to somebody who - say - has the latest version of Photoshop and the newest version of Macromedia. It's a lot more work - and incredibly time consuming - but I'm not spending four thousand dollars for brand new software.

Most of my stuff is freeware from sites like Sourceforge, and Cnet. If you are on a budget - THAT IS WHERE YOU WANNA GO - but BE CAREFUL - make sure that your freeware site is verisign certified, and checks out ok. I even have a few experimental freeware font makers that started out as open source - but never saw the light of day as far as further dev is concerned. I hardly ever use those because they're really jank and not very intuitive at all.

Another place to find software - if you're lucky enough to still find them on disk or floppy - are garage and rummage sales and trade in shops. The apps are going to be anywhere from 5 to twenty years old - but they can cost you practically pocket change - and usually anything beyond Windows 98 will work on a Vista, XP, or maybe even a Win7 machine if you tweak your compatibility settings right. That's why I say DO NOT throw away your "obsolete" software, because chances are - it's going to still work - and it makes a good backup plan.

The fonts were first hand drawn on acid free paper (if you do ANY kind of paper / pen or paper/pencil drawing or artwork - get ACID FREE paper - because the paper versions of your art is then stowable without you having to worry about the paper turning yellow and yucky - and crumbling to pieces within a decade). I use the super inexpensive Georgia Pacific multipurpose 8.5" by 11" paper. It's extra bright and has a really durable gauge thickness. It's also inately dry with little or no fiber moisture or oils.

I use GEL INK BASED PENS (The best pens to use are gel based fine point pens - 0.3 to 0.8 point sizes - DO NOT use ball points (gel rollers are ok - but NOT typical ball point pens) - they suck puppy poo, lol). You DO NOT have to go to a specialty art store to get good drawing pens - I use "run of the mill" stationary pens from Walmart, Target, Kmart, etc.. I once went to a specialty art store looking for art pens - and I found one that was priced at $60.00 for a single pen (I think it was a KOHINOR brand pen)!!

I can get Flair or Bic brand pens that do me just fine for $2.65 for a pack of three of them at Target, not a bad deal - DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY!!!

I scan them into my Epson CX6000 scanner - an old Christmas gift from my brother in law (thank goodness for providence) - run them through inkspace on a trace bitmap routine to smooth them out - edit them a little in MSPaint and GIMP - chop them up (crop them) into individual letters and glyphs from my master sheet - save those to a font project folder - and then craft the font in my font apps.

If you want to do artwork or draw out fonts - then the best time to get stuff are BACK TO SCHOOL SALES, and just after back to school sales when the department stores are overstocked. You can pick up some really sweet gear for pocket lint. Make sure to get those little paper or plastic pocket folders to store your art sheets (drawings) in - and also get a three ring binder and a crap load of plastic sheet protectors as well.