@Everybody, is there a way of 'upsizing' the map once you've made it? I'd like to put in a legend next to the map telling what each section means. I'd really rather not number this beast; but I will if I must. Can anyone help?
Since it is a legend, you could really just put it outside the map border, that'll work fine. Notice that the drawing tools don't work outside the map border, but all other tools work just fine. Be aware of the white polygon on the SCREEN sheet however, it may cover up things you put outside the map border, so you may need to delete or edit that, or put your legend after it in the sheet drawing order.
We can still see the roads, but they almost disappeared. There is probable some "fade inner"-like effect on the road, with a size so large that it makes the road disappear. Reducing the size should do it.
You can edit effects you've already added by opening the 'Drawing Sheets and Effects' dialogue, making sure you have the right sheet selected as before, then selecting the effect you want to modify from the list on the right hand side (if you haven't already figured it, you can have more than one sheet effect on each sheet). Then just click the Edit button on the right of the effects list and adjust the parameters.
If you were trying to just blend the edge of the road into the grass, then your best bet would be an Edge Fade Inner set to a really low Edge Width - try 2 or 3, and increase in increments of 1 until you get it right. Clicking Apply at the bottom of the effect box will show you the results so you don't have to keep opening and closing the dialogues just to see what it looks like.
If you want to delete an effect and start again you can do that by clicking the delete button on the right - but again, make sure that you have the right sheet and the right effect selected before you do
1. The Hospital: This five-story complex has it all- ICU, CCU, NICU, Transplant center, and a Cyber-Doc complex. All people are treated for free. Donations are encouraged. This was a combination of Alliance and The Mob’s putting together a hospital complex with its own private helipad. 2. A-F. Residential areas with a Water tower in 2B. 3. A three story nuclear fusion/transport plant. The Mob owns the building and doesn’t allow it to be investigated by the Alliance. There are also two water towers. 4. A-B. Doctor Ian Mako’s offices and the Administration building with a personal helipad. 5. A-B. Hospital personnel residences. 6. The MurderBall stadium and administration building. 7. The multi-generational school and small community college. 8. A-B. parking for the stadium and charging stations for electric bikes. 9. A-B. Apartment complexes for transients in Whiskey1. 10. A-B. The Mall and the Mob’s storage building with a small helipad. 11. A-B. The Alliance building and the Hearty Party Pub with two helipads. 12. The Mob’s Merc’s building (the local constabulary) 13. The town’s solid/liquid waste reclamation plant
With a few effects you've turned it from a good map into a brilliant one.
A tip for the future: If you want to make some buildings look taller than others, move them onto a new "SYMBOLS buildings tall" sheet (or whatever appropriate name you chose) and add a new 'Wall Shadow, Directional' effect to it, but double the 'Length' of the shadow to make it longer than the shadow on the sheet with the shorter buildings.
Merelan City has three 'SYMBOLS Buildings*' sheets for every cake layer of the island to achieve this effect.
Ok, well another tip is - shadows on trees are usually slightly less distinct. You can get this effect by increasing the blur factor on the tree sheet shadow. The blur can also be used to reduce confusing hard lines in a very densely overbuilt area in a city, but yours is a long way from that just yet
The true joy of effects, however, is playing with them until you get it just perfect for you.
@Sue, one of your earlier comments was asking if there was going to be an underground city that this sits under the first map. Yes there is; and this is where most of the action takes place in this module.
I meant the width of the band over which the fade is completed (usually from 0% to 100% inwards over a certain width), but if changing the percentage of the outer opacity works for you, then that's great
EDIT - didn't see your second comment there. I look forward to seeing the underground map, then
Well, I'm almost tempted not to do it. This map is so happy and modern, you don't like to think of what bad stuff is going on just underneath the surface. But that's exactly where all the bad stuff is going on here. So sad.
The only suggestion I would make at this point is to double-check the placement of some of the buildings. Some of them, such as #3, #4B, and #7A (possibly others) seem to extend out into the streets. Nothing huge; just a little bit here and there. Buildings seldom jut out into the roadways. Some do, of course, and if that's the case here, cool. I just thought I'd mention it.
I like the variety of buildings and the colors. I can totally see this as a game aid. You're going to spoil your players.
Thank you, Dogtag. That means a lot coming from you! And thank you for mentioning the building juts, I wanted to give the impression that this was a city slightly bursting at the seems! The roads are more like paths, sprayed silicon for electric bikes and jitneys. Emergencies to the hospital are usually transported by air.
Mission accomplished, then. It looks great and I have no doubt your players will love having a map to refer to, even if they won't know just how much effort you put into it.
Comments
LLAP
Nacon4
LLAP
Nacon4
But... where did your roads go?
If you were trying to just blend the edge of the road into the grass, then your best bet would be an Edge Fade Inner set to a really low Edge Width - try 2 or 3, and increase in increments of 1 until you get it right. Clicking Apply at the bottom of the effect box will show you the results so you don't have to keep opening and closing the dialogues just to see what it looks like.
If you want to delete an effect and start again you can do that by clicking the delete button on the right - but again, make sure that you have the right sheet and the right effect selected before you do
LLAP
Nacon4
2. A-F. Residential areas with a Water tower in 2B.
3. A three story nuclear fusion/transport plant. The Mob owns the building and doesn’t allow it to be investigated by the Alliance. There are also two water towers.
4. A-B. Doctor Ian Mako’s offices and the Administration building with a personal helipad.
5. A-B. Hospital personnel residences.
6. The MurderBall stadium and administration building.
7. The multi-generational school and small community college.
8. A-B. parking for the stadium and charging stations for electric bikes.
9. A-B. Apartment complexes for transients in Whiskey1.
10. A-B. The Mall and the Mob’s storage building with a small helipad.
11. A-B. The Alliance building and the Hearty Party Pub with two helipads.
12. The Mob’s Merc’s building (the local constabulary)
13. The town’s solid/liquid waste reclamation plant
With a few effects you've turned it from a good map into a brilliant one.
A tip for the future: If you want to make some buildings look taller than others, move them onto a new "SYMBOLS buildings tall" sheet (or whatever appropriate name you chose) and add a new 'Wall Shadow, Directional' effect to it, but double the 'Length' of the shadow to make it longer than the shadow on the sheet with the shorter buildings.
Merelan City has three 'SYMBOLS Buildings*' sheets for every cake layer of the island to achieve this effect.
I will keep that instruction in my 'Tips and tricks' doc that I grab from the forums from time to time!
LLAP
Nacon4
The true joy of effects, however, is playing with them until you get it just perfect for you.
Thank you for the extra tip that's going into Tips and Tricks too!
LLAP
Nacon4
LLAP
Nacon4
EDIT - didn't see your second comment there. I look forward to seeing the underground map, then
LLAP
Nacon4
You go ahead and map the bad stuff :P
The only suggestion I would make at this point is to double-check the placement of some of the buildings. Some of them, such as #3, #4B, and #7A (possibly others) seem to extend out into the streets. Nothing huge; just a little bit here and there. Buildings seldom jut out into the roadways. Some do, of course, and if that's the case here, cool. I just thought I'd mention it.
I like the variety of buildings and the colors. I can totally see this as a game aid. You're going to spoil your players.
I hope you'll post your undercity map(s) too.
Cheers,
~Dogtag
I hope my players enjoy my work!
I will indeed post my undercity map here first!
LLAP
Nacon4
Looking forward to the next phase!
Cheers,
~Dogtag