Cosmographer 3 New Feature Demo

Simon Rogers · December 2008

Here is an informal video demo of a new Cosmographer 3 feature we've been working on. The original drawing came from Ralf, and I suggested a method by which star systems could be added; Peter Olsson the programmer came up with something more intutituve: using the symbol catalog to add the star systems. I'm sure we can make use of the code in Perspectives 3, too, and we'll add these new height symbols as a generic feature.

pvernon · December 2008

cool

Bidmaron · December 2008

This is really slick, Simon. The symbols should have data associated with them so you can define things like population, political alignment, etc.(Yes, the users can do this, but I doubt many of the users even know about the ability to associate data with symbols)

Stormcaller3801 · December 2008

Interesting, although as it's using star systems it seems like it would be useful to have a symbol catalog or some sort of command structure where you could place a symbol and then add additional symbols around it orbiting the one that has a given height- either for moons or for placing whole star systems on a grid in addition to the single stars or planets.

JimP · December 2008

Fantastic !

Uhm, can I use known star data and add them at the correct height above/below the galactic ecliptic ? correct distance from our solar system ? Add gaseous nebula 'polys' to an area as a 3-D object ?

Years, lost to some move years ago, I did have 2-D graph paper for a series of star systems, but the paper didn't show up/below the galactic ecliptic. I used enough graph paper to take up a 20 foot wide and 10 foot high wall in my then house. Yes, lost years ago.

The video is fine.

Greebo · December 2008

Cool !!!

Simon Rogers · December 2008

I don't think this will get much more sophisticated than it currently is. We intend for people to link stars to individual solar system maps rather than add that info to the top level maps. I'm hoping we can get real world data in using a script based on Gliese charts. I like the nebula idea - we might well be able to implement that. We could add more info symbols with data in them.

Stormcaller3801 · December 2008

Hmm- what about a series of symbols that would be designed to be overlaid with the initial stars? Shrink the planetary symbols down to very small size, relative to the default star diameters, and offset them from the center- then you could move the symbol to the same point on the grid as the star and alter the elevation to match. That would give the same general look as orbiting planets, and it would require additional coding, just a new (or expanded) symbol catalog. You could rotate the symbols in order to represent out-of-plane orbits, flip them, set up a blank like in the '08 Annual (actually this might work well as an Annual) and so on.

Bidmaron · December 2008

Simon, on the info symbols, what about the idea of having an info symbol library that has no actual symbol, just so the symbol can be attached to a star to add population, political affiliation, or anything else one data element at a time. For those who don't know how to add data to a symbol or who don't want to monkey with symbol libraries, this could be fairly trivial to implement (just a symbol library and a macro to attach an info symbol to an existing symbol [i.e. make the origins equal]).

Alvin Plummer · February 2009

Quite a good demo. If there's a way to stick Fractal Terrains maps to these worlds, I will be very impressed!
(and it would be nice to see a new version of Fractal Terrains sometime). Could measurements be given in parsecs as well
as light-years?

************

My greatest concern is as a Traveller player, so please excuse me if I focus on low-level, 2-D stuff Traveller players have needed
for quite a while now.

As a roleplayer (and very neophyte CC3/Cosmographer user), there are three sets of mapping software that I use:
* Elv's Gal2CC converter: converts Jim's Gal 2.4 files to CC2 maps, via a script
found at http://www.elvwood.org/Traveller/Supplement12.html
* NBOS Software's 3-D Astrosynthesis 2.0 mapping software (commercial) - I use the GURPS plugin for these systems
* Jim Vassilakos' old-but-reliable Galactic 2.4 mapping software (public domain) - built for Traveller

It would be appreciated if a way can be found to import Astrosynthesis data into Cosmographer 3

But even more important to me is an easy way to build and manipulate Traveller subsector and sector maps.
I would like to be easily able to not only make sector and subsector maps, but also to make such maps at arbitrary dimensions. I.e.
* a two subsector by two subsector map (called a quadrant)
* a two x two sector map (called a domain in Traveller-speak)
* a five-subsector by one-subsector 'long map' (for long stellar journeys)
* an (n-number) by (n-number) sector map (for big, big maps)

Data for these maps would be generated by Galactic 2.4 software.
(Something that is not provided by Galactic 2.4, but would be appreciated, is support for borders
and for additional 'zones' - not just Red and Amber, but Blue (an old zone) or any arbitrary set of
zones, bases, starports, and other system phenomena the Referee may want to make)

Also, if I could easily cut up a big map to smaller pieces, I would be very thankful!
Especially useful would be an easy way to 'cut out' a six-hex chunk out of a Traveller sector/subsector/other
map, and print it out separately for player use.

Finally, let me stress the word *easy* again

I am glad for the sophistication CC3 provides to serious game mappers.
But many Traveller referees just want to be able to quickly print up a set of space maps for a given data set and dimension
(in hexes, subsectors, or sectors). A quick, easy way to do this would be greatly appreciated in the Traveller community,
by developers, game referees and players!

Thank you for hearing me out!

Alvin Plummer · February 2009

One more good Traveller mapping site
(more for inspiration than anything else)

http://www.travellermap.com/

Simon Rogers · February 2009

Posted By: Stormcaller3801Hmm- what about a series of symbols that would be designed to be overlaid with the initial stars? Shrink the planetary symbols down to very small size, relative to the default star diameters, and offset them from the center- then you could move the symbol to the same point on the grid as the star and alter the elevation to match. That would give the same general look as orbiting planets, and it would require additional coding, just a new (or expanded) symbol catalog. You could rotate the symbols in order to represent out-of-plane orbits, flip them, set up a blank like in the '08 Annual (actually this might work well as an Annual) and so on.

We did something like this for the 2D Traveller stuff in Cosmographer.

Simon

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Cosmographer 3 New Feature Demo

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