Thanks Sue. Probably true about the grey roads. I have to think about the glow. It seemed to slow and crash the program when I tried to print the map to CutePDF. The funny thing is the compter rendered the map even though the CC3 crashed, and opened CutePDF when it was finished!
Also thinking of changing the towns to some fill or a darker color as they are sort of hard to see.
Maybe not quite so much antialiasing? How much are you using? 20% is usually about enough for most purposes.
I've just noticed that there seems to be a contour that hasn't been filled on the left there. You can see a line, but no colour difference either side of it.
I'm using whatever the default is for antialiasing.
I think what you think is a contour is a city/town. They are pale pink (to my eye) and can be difficult to tell from terrain. I am thinking about filling them with a symbol fill or a Brush Pattern using Boxes or Large Targets. Problem with the symbols is you have to use all the ones in a set or only one. And it doesn't like odd shaped polygons. I'll have to play with it a bit.
As I remember it the default is something amazingly high, like 67% or something. You only really need 20%, which will cut down a lot of the strain of exporting and may prevent CC3 from crashing like that.
Oh, that's the Inner German or Interzonal Border. The Border is generally in front of the border fence. They supposedly took all the mines out between the border and the fence, but there were mines on the fence and in some of the border markings. It is very exciting to think you might be in a minefield if your navigation was a little off and the border markers were covered with snow or grass. Not saying I ever did that, you understand, but it could be interesting. Especially at night before we had night vision or thermal goggles.
For anti-aliasing, I can't seem to find the key to do it. I found what to do in the Tome and the CC3 manual, but am apparently not smart enough to find the right button or menu.
As I said, AFTER picking the type to save as. The options are context-sensitive, so right now you are looking at the options for fcw files, not image files.
OK. I saved it as a FCW. When I select Bitmap, I get the options. My screen shot comes from using the Microsoft Snipping Tool, not by doing a Save As and then changing the picture to another type of image file. I've never tried that.
And when I print the map out, I print it to the CutePDF, not as an image file.
Does that setting then also affect the way the file prints out to CutePDF?
I must be stupid. I cannot get my 400m contour level to display a different outer color. I selected all the polygons, changed them from color 41 to 42. Executed and saw the change. Checked all my sheets to make sure they are going from 39 (lowest contour) to 47 (highest contour). CHeck. Changed the current color to 38 and 0 width. Hid all sheets except the guilty one which doesn't want to display an outline. Right clicked the Outer Color Button and selected "Current Color" Drag selected all the polygons on the displayed sheet. Right Clicked and selected "DO IT" Screen blinked, nothing changed. Zoomed in/out, nothing changed. Selected the Change Properties Button (allowing me to select all the entities). Drag selected all the polygons and changed the color to green. Right clicked, DO IT, changed to Green. Selected the Outline in Black. Drag selected all the Polygons, right clicked, selected DO IT. Screen flashed, nothing changed. Changed all the Polygons back to color 42. Then I made a new sheet. Selected all the entities on the old sheet 400. Changed the sheet from Contours 400mF to Contours 400mF NEW Hit OK. Contours moved to new sheet. repeated the above. Moved the damn entities back to the orginal sheet deleted the NEW sheet. Closed the program.
What you noticed was I had two sheets with the same color. For whatever reason, one sheet did not accept the outer color, as can be seen here. This is the 400m line. I tried to give it a edge color, or whatever it is called, like the others. It doesn't want to play. the next one has sheets 300, 400, and 500 on it. The 300 and 500 lines, as well as all the others have that outer color.
I am trying to get an outer color on the 400m line. I tried all that stuff above to see if I could trick the machine into doing my bidding.
Thus far, no luck.
Clearly the program is smarter than I am and I am losing my ability to communicate clearly as well.
There is almost certainly some fundamental thing I am doing wrong with this sheet.
And now I apparently am not allowed to upload an FCW.
Use Info->List to find out if it is a polygon or just a path that hasn't been converted. If it's a path that would explain why it won't do what you want it to do.
So, with that revelation, I saved my 0506 map as 0506a and deleted the 400m contour sheet.
Then I went to my 0429d APR map, hid everything but the 400m contour sheet, right clicked on "COPY" button and selected "Copy to Clipboard", draq selected the whole thing, input 0,0 as the reference position. Switched to 0506a, right clicked on the "COPY" button and selected the "PASTE" option, input 0,0 as the reference location/origin and watched in wonderment as the sheet appeared. Saved the map. Right clicked on the "OUTLINE" button, selected "Outline in Current Color", drag selected the whole sheet, clicked do it, and the outer edge is there in the correct shade.
This of course does not tell me how I got 19 copies of every entity on the 0506 map, except unwittingly perhaps copies just kept stacking up as I tried to get the edge to turn on.
At any rate,success.
Interestingly enough, the file size for 0506 is 2777KB and 0506a is 1803 which could also perhaps maybe explain why it was sometimes slow to draw and crashed when I printed to CutePDF.
But maybe not.
Sometimes, the frontal slope does get penetrated by ego-piercing discarding sabot, no matter how thick the armor is.
Thanks Sue. I would not have thought to do LIST, nor would I have known about how to use COPY to move stuff to a different workbook/location without your help.
I've been up since 0400 Eastern Time. Time for a nap and a beer. Not necessarily in that order. Then tonight, Terraforming Mars.
Sue pointed out that I made the same mistake again by not changing the color. I can't see that error unless she points it out to me. At any rate, I think it is fixed now.
After sending off various color schemes for elevation to a group of testers, I've come to the conclusion I will be sticking with the darker is higher convention of most, if not all, wargames. It is simply to confusing to most to try to see light shades as higher, although I recognize that seems to be the way of most maps. As for me, I confess to a lot of confusion when I look at it, as it somewhat difficult for me to unsee the other version, but my perspective shifts constantly.
I also decided to do the first two layers, <200m and the 200m contours in the pale green shades of 95 and 94 from the standard palette and then start the 300m contour at the 46 color of brown, which is the next to lightest level. I think this provides an improved picture of higher level terrain without the difficulty of resolving the very dark browns from one another that look almost black to me. I also need to add the outlines back into the contours.
I also tried skipping shades between contours 47 - 45 - 43 - 41 etc, but found it a little jarring.
Next I have to remember how to bring the Bitmap fills from the WWII annual in order to use the pine/deciduous fills which have a pleasing effect on the map.
Proving the power of convention, and also that convention can vary from group to group depending on each group's particular history. It would be interesting to know if any UK wargame enthusiasts have the same view of topography, since UK topography maps are generally dark to light up the scale.
I once heard a story in a class about GUI design many years ago when MS was very young. They started with the little red cross to close a window in the top right corner. Some designer decided that it would be more convenient in the top left corner, but when Windows was updated that way around hundreds of people complained most strongly because it wasn't where they were used to it being. And so, whether it is the best place or not, the little red cross to close the window is stuck forevermore in the top right corner of nearly every window you will ever see. This little story was told to impress on all us budding GUI designers how important it was to consult the users before setting anything in concrete as far as redesigning the GUI, so you did right to consult them.
Whichever way up the colour scheme is (and I have to admit that I find it very confusing because it now seems to be the wrong way up to me), it looks like you have found a nice way to present the map. It will be interesting to see how all the roads and settlements look on it too, after you've added the contour lines.
On the last project I worked on, the engineers changed the positions of the yes/no buttons from yes on the left to no on the left. This messed us all up because we were used to yes being on the left. Their reason was it was because that's how smart phones did it because people used their thumbs and it was easier. Of course, they didn't check with anybody. We pointed out that we read from left to right and generations are used to the yes button on the left. I took this all the way up to the Lead Engineer who elected to side with his engineers. Of course, when it went to the customer there was mass confusion. And worse, they didn't get all of the stupid buttons all changed, so sometimes it was on the left and sometimes on the right.
That was one of the reasons I retired a year early, about a year ago. 2nd best decision I ever made. The best is paying some guy to cut my lawn.
It would appear, then, that some people still have to learn the very important lesson I was taught 30 years ago about GUI design!
The best decision in my life was to not pursue GUI design. It would have been far too limiting for me with all the accepted norms to work around all the time. You can barely change a thing without there being a protest.
Of course, when something is only partly implemented that is the worst situation of all.
Photos of the map to date in its more operational environment, on the game table with some counters and dice for size relationships. The Hexes are 3km from side to side, about 4 cm, and the game pieces are 1/2in. Sorry for the mixed units.
I think the map looks better in the photos than it does on the monitor or even when I printed it out and looked at them sheet by sheet.
I tried to load the Bitmap FIlls from the WWII Area Maps to change the forest green to the deciduous and pine fills, but they came out much difference in appearance, so I I'm trying to figure out what I did wrong. They were just a blob with none of the texture. Nor have I enabled the contour levels with an outline. I am getting closer.
Comments
Also thinking of changing the towns to some fill or a darker color as they are sort of hard to see.
I've just noticed that there seems to be a contour that hasn't been filled on the left there. You can see a line, but no colour difference either side of it.
I think what you think is a contour is a city/town. They are pale pink (to my eye) and can be difficult to tell from terrain. I am thinking about filling them with a symbol fill or a Brush Pattern using Boxes or Large Targets. Problem with the symbols is you have to use all the ones in a set or only one. And it doesn't like odd shaped polygons. I'll have to play with it a bit.
And when I print the map out, I print it to the CutePDF, not as an image file.
Does that setting then also affect the way the file prints out to CutePDF?
Checked all my sheets to make sure they are going from 39 (lowest contour) to 47 (highest contour). CHeck.
Changed the current color to 38 and 0 width.
Hid all sheets except the guilty one which doesn't want to display an outline.
Right clicked the Outer Color Button and selected "Current Color"
Drag selected all the polygons on the displayed sheet.
Right Clicked and selected "DO IT"
Screen blinked, nothing changed.
Zoomed in/out, nothing changed.
Selected the Change Properties Button (allowing me to select all the entities).
Drag selected all the polygons and changed the color to green.
Right clicked, DO IT, changed to Green.
Selected the Outline in Black.
Drag selected all the Polygons, right clicked, selected DO IT.
Screen flashed, nothing changed.
Changed all the Polygons back to color 42.
Then I made a new sheet.
Selected all the entities on the old sheet 400.
Changed the sheet from Contours 400mF to Contours 400mF NEW
Hit OK.
Contours moved to new sheet.
repeated the above.
Moved the damn entities back to the orginal sheet
deleted the NEW sheet.
Closed the program.
Reopened the program. Map loaded. No change.
For whatever reason, one sheet did not accept the outer color, as can be seen here. This is the 400m line.
I tried to give it a edge color, or whatever it is called, like the others.
It doesn't want to play.
the next one has sheets 300, 400, and 500 on it. The 300 and 500 lines, as well as all the others have that outer color.
I am trying to get an outer color on the 400m line. I tried all that stuff above to see if I could trick the machine into doing my bidding.
Thus far, no luck.
Clearly the program is smarter than I am and I am losing my ability to communicate clearly as well.
There is almost certainly some fundamental thing I am doing wrong with this sheet.
And now I apparently am not allowed to upload an FCW.
They all have the same number of nodes but some have different colors.
if these weren't polygons, they wouldn't be filled, right?
However, it would explain much.
When I go back to the 20200429d map, there is only one entity in on the sheet. Well, there are a lot of them, but apparently only one in each place.
Then I went to my 0429d APR map, hid everything but the 400m contour sheet, right clicked on "COPY" button and selected "Copy to Clipboard", draq selected the whole thing, input 0,0 as the reference position.
Switched to 0506a, right clicked on the "COPY" button and selected the "PASTE" option, input 0,0 as the reference location/origin and watched in wonderment as the sheet appeared.
Saved the map.
Right clicked on the "OUTLINE" button, selected "Outline in Current Color", drag selected the whole sheet, clicked do it, and the outer edge is there in the correct shade.
This of course does not tell me how I got 19 copies of every entity on the 0506 map, except unwittingly perhaps copies just kept stacking up as I tried to get the edge to turn on.
At any rate,success.
Interestingly enough, the file size for 0506 is 2777KB and 0506a is 1803 which could also perhaps maybe explain why it was sometimes slow to draw and crashed when I printed to CutePDF.
But maybe not.
Sometimes, the frontal slope does get penetrated by ego-piercing discarding sabot, no matter how thick the armor is.
Thanks Sue. I would not have thought to do LIST, nor would I have known about how to use COPY to move stuff to a different workbook/location without your help.
I've been up since 0400 Eastern Time. Time for a nap and a beer. Not necessarily in that order. Then tonight, Terraforming Mars.
Sue pointed out that I made the same mistake again by not changing the color. I can't see that error unless she points it out to me. At any rate, I think it is fixed now.
I also decided to do the first two layers, <200m and the 200m contours in the pale green shades of 95 and 94 from the standard palette and then start the 300m contour at the 46 color of brown, which is the next to lightest level. I think this provides an improved picture of higher level terrain without the difficulty of resolving the very dark browns from one another that look almost black to me. I also need to add the outlines back into the contours.
I also tried skipping shades between contours 47 - 45 - 43 - 41 etc, but found it a little jarring.
Next I have to remember how to bring the Bitmap fills from the WWII annual in order to use the pine/deciduous fills which have a pleasing effect on the map.
I once heard a story in a class about GUI design many years ago when MS was very young. They started with the little red cross to close a window in the top right corner. Some designer decided that it would be more convenient in the top left corner, but when Windows was updated that way around hundreds of people complained most strongly because it wasn't where they were used to it being. And so, whether it is the best place or not, the little red cross to close the window is stuck forevermore in the top right corner of nearly every window you will ever see. This little story was told to impress on all us budding GUI designers how important it was to consult the users before setting anything in concrete as far as redesigning the GUI, so you did right to consult them.
Whichever way up the colour scheme is (and I have to admit that I find it very confusing because it now seems to be the wrong way up to me), it looks like you have found a nice way to present the map. It will be interesting to see how all the roads and settlements look on it too, after you've added the contour lines.
On the last project I worked on, the engineers changed the positions of the yes/no buttons from yes on the left to no on the left. This messed us all up because we were used to yes being on the left. Their reason was it was because that's how smart phones did it because people used their thumbs and it was easier. Of course, they didn't check with anybody. We pointed out that we read from left to right and generations are used to the yes button on the left. I took this all the way up to the Lead Engineer who elected to side with his engineers. Of course, when it went to the customer there was mass confusion. And worse, they didn't get all of the stupid buttons all changed, so sometimes it was on the left and sometimes on the right.
That was one of the reasons I retired a year early, about a year ago. 2nd best decision I ever made. The best is paying some guy to cut my lawn.
The best decision in my life was to not pursue GUI design. It would have been far too limiting for me with all the accepted norms to work around all the time. You can barely change a thing without there being a protest.
Of course, when something is only partly implemented that is the worst situation of all.
I think the map looks better in the photos than it does on the monitor or even when I printed it out and looked at them sheet by sheet.
I tried to load the Bitmap FIlls from the WWII Area Maps to change the forest green to the deciduous and pine fills, but they came out much difference in appearance, so I I'm trying to figure out what I did wrong. They were just a blob with none of the texture. Nor have I enabled the contour levels with an outline. I am getting closer.