Understanding the Interactive Atlas Process
A LONG time ago when I first bought CC3 my intention was to use it to build something similar to the FR Interactive Atlas from my home games. I have begun the first read through of that section in the UTM and soon I will start those tutorials to get a better understanding of the process. However I do have a few questions:
The World View
1) Should I start with the entire world map from the furthest point out like a satellite view?
2) Should I simply start with the continents?
3) From one of the above how far "down to earth" should I step each time? i.e. World View, Continent, region, then to locality.
4) Each time I step down do I need to redraw a map, while increasing the detail? i.e. Moving from continental to regional and then to local.
If so can you point me in the direction of a tutorial. I have found the Large to small thread and another which talks about copy/paste.
My assumption is that I will be making a lot of overland maps. As from my understanding is that I need the files firs in order to link them together. Then various city maps as everything underground. Which brings me to another set of questions. When starting a map I am unable to find or am overlooking anything in the documentation that refers to "deciding my own settings" in the new drawing wizard. When clicking on the help button nothing comes up during the "Enable Multiple Layers". This is where I am unsure if I am overlooking something as I do not find anything in the manuals or on the forums. So my main questions concerning it are as follows:
1) Has anyone used this function?
2) If so how was it used in your map?
3) Can you provide any insight as to how it may be used in combination with an interactive atlas?
4) Does this option have a function in CC3, if so what is it and can we get an update for those choices made after "choose my own setting" in the wizzard?
5) Is this a holdover from FastCad?
6) should I even worry about this for the interactive atlas project?
Thanks you any input you may have.
The World View
1) Should I start with the entire world map from the furthest point out like a satellite view?
2) Should I simply start with the continents?
3) From one of the above how far "down to earth" should I step each time? i.e. World View, Continent, region, then to locality.
4) Each time I step down do I need to redraw a map, while increasing the detail? i.e. Moving from continental to regional and then to local.
If so can you point me in the direction of a tutorial. I have found the Large to small thread and another which talks about copy/paste.
My assumption is that I will be making a lot of overland maps. As from my understanding is that I need the files firs in order to link them together. Then various city maps as everything underground. Which brings me to another set of questions. When starting a map I am unable to find or am overlooking anything in the documentation that refers to "deciding my own settings" in the new drawing wizard. When clicking on the help button nothing comes up during the "Enable Multiple Layers". This is where I am unsure if I am overlooking something as I do not find anything in the manuals or on the forums. So my main questions concerning it are as follows:
1) Has anyone used this function?
2) If so how was it used in your map?
3) Can you provide any insight as to how it may be used in combination with an interactive atlas?
4) Does this option have a function in CC3, if so what is it and can we get an update for those choices made after "choose my own setting" in the wizzard?
5) Is this a holdover from FastCad?
6) should I even worry about this for the interactive atlas project?
Thanks you any input you may have.
Comments
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In CC3, both are used.
As for your game world. Well, some of us started with a village and made larger maps from there, some of us started with a world and went to small and smaller maps with greater detail.
Which you choose is up to you.
Decide your own settings is if you want a map size not covered by one of the templates. You select length and width. Background color, map style, etc.
I found a menu system that works fine, until I got over two thousand maps. I am moving my Crestar site from a huge menu system to image maps with links with fewer menus.
The FreeStyle menus I'm using
Using multiple layer maps is up to you.
1) Don't try to map everything. It's ok to have a world map, maybe even all the continent maps. But from there concentrate on the areas that matter. If you don't do this, you'll spend a lot of time developing maps that you don't need, and then have to deal with them when you're using the maps. Concentrate on what you need.
2) It's ok to skip over scales where there is nothing to show. On my 1:5 scheme, the world map is at 1 cm = 625 km, which gets the whole thing on one page. Continents are mostly 1 cm = 125km. But then I'm finding that 1 cm = 25 km isn't all that useful. In most cases I'm just mapping the interesting areas at 1 cm = 5 km (or even at more detail).
3) When things change on a map, the ripple-effect is a killer. For this reason, I suggest starting at the large-scale and drilling in from there. I found that despite my best care, I occasionally mis-scaled a map, or didn't align borders, or just decided that I wanted something different as I worked more on a region. Any and all of these can be anguish-producing.
4) When it works, it is pretty cool. I found the 1:5 was a pretty good standard ratio, but I have to say that it's a really artificial way to make maps. Real maps will be scaled to fit the paper (I know this is not a one-way decision). So the map will be scaled up or down a little to fit a standard size. It's really important to get the whole map in (just think of all those times you've used a map when an extension is cut off and moved to an insert -- it's a pain). In retrospect, I wish I'd just made maps as I needed them. The standardization, while making some decisions a little easier, probably made production a little harder.
When you have the maps, linking them together is probably going to be one of the easier parts of the project!
Steve
You might want to look at Annual #17 if you have it as it was dedicated to Interactive Atlases and had some sample maps, macros, etc.
Annual #68 focuses on cutting maps, which will be helpful. I'm planning to use this for my next project.
If you have the FR Atlas make sure you get the latest update for it number # 3 and the separate FR Atlas symbols for CC3 download so your maps will be up to date in it and you'll be able to use your FR Symbols in CC3. See the Support and Updates section on the FR Atlas page to get to the download links for them.
http://www.profantasy.com/fratlas/FRAtlashome.htm
The full updates can still be downloaded. The smaller downloads that broke the updates up into several small file downloads links no longer work so don't bother with them.
I just found a copy of the FR Atlas on ebay this week and was reading to use it best in CC3 yesterday and today and downloading any update files.