Creating asterix grid
Good Evening all!
It's been years since I've last used CC2/CC3 and I'm finally going to sit down and get started with it for some upcoming games. I'm fairly comfortable (if totally inexperienced) with using it to create maps that use a square or hex grid, but I've got a question for you all about how I would go about setting up a different type of gridsystem.
The gamesystem is Battletroops from FASA (Shadowrun's DMZ uses the same grid system). The maps consist of asterixes in a pattern similar to below (which will hopefully show up below, if it doesn't I'll post an example on the web tomorrow):
*-*-*
-*-*-*
Asterixes represent an actual asterix printed on the map (not superscripted). Dashes represent blank space.
Edit: Found an image here
How would I go about creating this base "template" (the red stars in the linked image)
As a secondary question, I've got the Tome of Mapping that I picked up years ago. Does most of it still apply to CC3?
Thanks!
It's been years since I've last used CC2/CC3 and I'm finally going to sit down and get started with it for some upcoming games. I'm fairly comfortable (if totally inexperienced) with using it to create maps that use a square or hex grid, but I've got a question for you all about how I would go about setting up a different type of gridsystem.
The gamesystem is Battletroops from FASA (Shadowrun's DMZ uses the same grid system). The maps consist of asterixes in a pattern similar to below (which will hopefully show up below, if it doesn't I'll post an example on the web tomorrow):
*-*-*
-*-*-*
Asterixes represent an actual asterix printed on the map (not superscripted). Dashes represent blank space.
Edit: Found an image here
How would I go about creating this base "template" (the red stars in the linked image)
As a secondary question, I've got the Tome of Mapping that I picked up years ago. Does most of it still apply to CC3?
Thanks!
Comments
First the easy question. Yes, the Tome of Ultimate Mapping still applies to CC3. The Tome has information on many topics that are still relevant to mapping with CC3. The Tome however does not cover some of the new features of CC3 such as sheets and effects.
Now to create the asterix grid, I'm not sure if there is a way to have CC3 automatically place an asterix along a grid. The grid that is being used in SRDMZ seems to conform to a vertical hex grid with the asterix in the center. I've done something like this in the past with crosses and I did it manually. I don't have CC3 in front of me right now but I'll look at it this evening and see if I can explain it.
I'm not in front of CC3, but there's probably a way to paste at defined X and Y - so you could copy your symbol, calculate how far apart you want your *, then paste them all in at formulaic intervals.
Then just drop the sheet on top of everything else, perhaps with a further sheet on top with a fill covering up the outside areas of your map that you don't want gridded?
I'm attempting to create a new symbol (an asterix -> *). I've been trying to follow the help file, but it just doesn't seem to be working for me.
Here's what I'm doing.
1) Open a new map.
2) Go to the Symbol Menu and Choose Symbol Manager, then New.
3) Select the two points that will form the new drawing window.
4) Change to the Symbol Definition Layer.
5) Use the text tool and add an asterix to the drawing.
This is as far as I can get before CC3 crashes on me. The exact crash occurs when I try to do one of the following:
A) Use the Explode tool on the asterix.
I'm assuming that I'm doing something wrong here. Any suggestions?
Thanks!
What I've done is:
1) Opened my base map file
2) Switched to the Symbol Definition Layer
3) Used the text tool (setting color and font size) and added an asterix
4) Go to the Symbol Menu -> Define Symbol -> Selected the asterix -> Name the symbol.
5) For reasons that confuse me, I have to quit out of CC3 and restart it to see my symbol in the Symbol Manager.
6) Go to the symbol manager, select my new symbol, edit it to set the origin to the center of the asterix.
7)Restart CC3
8)Symbol Manager -> Options -> Select "Hex Symbol"
9) I can now just start clicking on hexes and it puts the symbol directly where I want it!
Now to the weird part....
It seems to be resetting my symbol size! When I set up the initial asterix (before converting it into a symbol) it measures 0.25m according to Info -> Distance. When I place the final symbol map on the map it measures 0.38m.
Again I'm doing something wrong here. Any insight as to what?
Thanks!
I'm pretty sure that someone with more experience with creating symbols will have the right answer and can explain it more clearly.
Thats why you're adviced to change symbol scale according to template size, isn't it?
Overland Maps will set their defautl symbol scale according to the template size. Dungeon Maps will not, as their symbols usually depict objects of an actual (and fixed) size.
I've been playing around for awhile now with CC3 and think I've finally got a handle on some of the things that I can do with it. Just to make sure I'm doing this correctly, I'm going to list all the steps that I'm taking to create this map. If anyone sees problems, poor design or whatever please let me know.
As listed in the first post I'm attempting to create a "template" map suitable for the Battletroops game from FASA (would also work with Shadowrun DMZ rules). The map will be printed/tiled across multiple 8.5" x 11" sheets to create a final map that is 22" x 34" in size. The scale on the printed maps would be 1" = 2.5 meters, which creates an map size of 55 meters by 85 meters in size.
Okay first step is to figure out some math. I can't seem to find a way to create a map in metric (only convert it to) so I pop onto an online conversion site and determine that 2.5 meters = 8.202099 feet. Multiplication reveals that my map is going to be 180.446 feet by 278.871 feet in size.
So... Step One.
Start up CC3. Select to create a new drawing and at the New Drawing Wizard select "Dungeons" as my map type and "Decide settings myself". Click Next.
Select "CC3 dungeon" and click Next.
At the third screen I punch in my dimension. Width is 278.87, Height is 180.44. Click Next.
I don't want any type of Map Background, so I uncheck that box.I do want a hex grid (my asterix symbols will go in the middle of each hex) so I do check Grid Overlay and then click Grid Settings.
On the Hex Grid window I select the Horizontal hex grid radio button and set the grid spacing to 8.202. I don't want hex labels so uncheck that box. Then click Apply which takes me back to the previous screen where I click finish to set up the map. I provide a save file name (Battletroops Template Map).
Huzzah! I have a basic map to start working with.
I change the Drawing Units dropbox to meters. The Distance Display Format also changes to meters. These are the only changes I think I need to make here, so I'll click OK. A quick check using the Info -> Distance tool reveals that my map is approximately the right size.
Now I want to create my asterix symbol. I'll switch the Sheet to BACKGROUND and the Layer to SYMBOL DEFINITION. I'll also change the color to #18. Finally I select the Text Tool, punch in an asterix (*), go to properties and select a height of 0.5m and then place it on the map.
To make it a symbol, I go to the Symbol Menu and select Define Symbol. I select the asterix, right click and Do it. Assign a Name (Battletroops Grid Marker) and click OK. If I go into symbol manager at this point, I don't see my new symbol listed, so I'll close CC3 and restart it.
Now Symbol Manager displays the symbol I created. I'll select it and then choose to edit it. Click to create the new symbol window and I can see my newest (and simplest) creation. Going into the View Menu -> Move Origin, I click on the center of my symbol. Close the window and choose Yes to keep the changes to the symbol. Now I go back to the Symbol Manager, select the symbol I created and save it as a catalogue.
So far everything is working like I want it to! Drink celebatory beverage!
Now here is where it starts to get tricky and where I get confused. I want to add my symbol to the center of every hex. I can go into Symbol Manager, select my symbol, select options and click the Hex symbol button and it will place it where I want it to but it's too large.
I can do the above, select my symbol, right click and change the scale back to 1 and it's the correct size and start placing it (this time on the BACKGROUND layer) and it seems to work (right size and everything!). Now we get into where I start being confused.
1)Is there a simplier way to have it add the symbol to every hex?
2)Other symbols I add are totally out of whack size wise (chairs measure approx. 2-3 meters wide). I know that changing the map size from 1000x800 feet to 278x180 feet have messed that up, but where do I change the default scaling setting?
3) When I'm done this, what's the most effective way to save my map so that I can use it as a template for creating multiple maps? Is it to just save it, then use the save as option for further maps I create off this template?
You have my thanks if you managed to read to this point! I'll be even more grateful for your comments!