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Becoming a master mapper (buying what I have not bought)

kevbeck43kevbeck43 🖼️ 13 images Surveyor
in Mapping with ProFantasy's Software
To the ProFantasy Team,

I am seriously considering getting the source maps and the dioramas upgrade. I know that Temples and Castles have 50 examples between the two of them and that Cities has five fully mapped cities.



Are the symbols that these products have unique and separate from other symbols from the annuals?



I also have all of Bogie, CSUAC and Dundjinni installed. Would they be there be redundancy with those?



I have been wondering about for a while now is how much research has been gathered for all of this material? I want to know and be secure in the fact that if I buy these products I won't really ever have to do any serious research on castles or temples again as far as mapping goes because I'll have basically blueprints for every castle or temple or city I might consider making. Is this correct?



Thank you for all of your work. Your team has always displayed great customer service.
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Comments

  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    The symbols are unique, but be aware that they are older vector style symbols. They're great if you want to make maps in the same style as the source maps, but they are not that helpful in a raster map. The symbols are a nice addition to the product, but probably not a reason in themselves to purchase it.
    Note that the maps themselves are also all older style maps, with vector graphics only, so they are not as pretty as modern maps. That's not an issue in my eyes, as I find them highly usable, but it all comes down to what you are expecting.

    There is a fair bit of information for each product map, and there is a nice variety of maps in each product. Most of the maps are based on or inspired by historical sources, so they are all believable from a real-world sense. They'll certainly save you from doing a bunch of reasearch, but I guess to say you'll never have to do any again is stretching it a bit.
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  • LoopysueLoopysue ProFantasy 🖼️ 40 images Cartographer
    There is never an end to research.

    When I did the Beaumaris Castle annual I actually did more reading and watching of videos than I did artwork. It's fascinating stuff. I could easily qualify as a tour guide, even though I've never been there :)
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  • RalfRalf Administrator, ProFantasy 🖼️ 18 images Mapmaker
    Posted By: kevbeck43To the ProFantasy Team, I am seriously considering getting the source maps and the dioramas upgrade. I know that Temples and Castles have 50 examples between the two of them and that Cities has five fully mapped cities.
    It's eight cities in SM: Cities to be exact.

    Are the symbols that these products have unique and separate from other symbols from the annuals?
    I also have all of Bogie, CSUAC and Dundjinni installed. Would they be there be redundancy with those?
    No, these were not uses in the Source Maps series at all.
    I have been wondering about for a while now is how much research has been gathered for all of this material? I want to know and be secure in the fact that if I buy these products I won't really ever have to do any serious research on castles or temples again as far as mapping goes because I'll have basically blueprints for every castle or temple or city I might consider making. Is this correct?
    As Remy said, this is stretching it a bit. :D There is such a gigantic variety of historical castles, temples and cities around there, that a single product (even a full-blown scientify historical survey) could ever cover all of it. But it certainly gives you a nice selection of examples from different periods. The focus is on usability in gaming though, not on historical accuracy.
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  • ScottAScottA Surveyor
    As Sue says, the research never ends. And owning all PF software does not a master mapper make! I have everything and my maps are decent, I think, but I'm nowhere near a master mapper of the caliber of Sue or the others!
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  • kevbeck43kevbeck43 🖼️ 13 images Surveyor
    edited April 2020
    Reply to Scott A because the blockquote text does not work for me...

    Oh I know I'm no master mapper! LOL. I just try to make nice battlemmaps and maps for the world I am trying to build. I thought last night that if I bought one of the packages I could take the symbols and duplicate them all using illustrator. I could also use the modern tools to make the tools in the set use the more modern bitmaps. Could I not?
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  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    Posted By: kevbeck43Reply to Scott A because the blockquote text does not work for me...
    You need to set the comment format selector to html for it to work
    I thought last night that if I bought one of the packages I could take the symbols and duplicate them all using illustrator
    I am unsure what that would accomplish?
    I could also use the modern tools to make the tools in the set use the more modern bitmaps.
    Sure, but there aren't bitmaps in the product, so you'll need to find them somewhere else. And the symbols are still old vector style, no quick way to update these. Of course, updating the tools won't magically update the accompanying maps either.
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  • kevbeck43kevbeck43 🖼️ 13 images Surveyor
    Posted By: Monsen
    Posted By: kevbeck43Reply to Scott A because the blockquote text does not work for me...
    You need to set the comment format selector to html for it to work
    I thought last night that if I bought one of the packages I could take the symbols and duplicate them all using illustrator
    I am unsure what that would accomplish?
    I could also use the modern tools to make the tools in the set use the more modern bitmaps.
    Sure, but there aren't bitmaps in the product, so you'll need to find them somewhere else. And the symbols are still old vector style, no quick way to update these. Of course, updating the tools won't magically update the accompanying maps either.
    Posted By: Monsen
    • CommentAuthorMonsen
    • CommentTime17 minutes ago
    whisperqu
    I just took a look at some of the symbols there and they may have been made at a different time but they still look good to me. If the layout on the Seaside example is representative of the rest of the castles in the product I know exactly how I would convert this into one of the other styles. Everything is compatible with CC3+? I can still import bitmaps into the maps I make? Use different symbol catalogs and the like? Sorry to keep bugging.
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  • MonsenMonsen Administrator 🖼️ 81 images Cartographer
    Yes, the seaside castle is representative of what you would find.

    And yes, they are fully compatible with CC3+. You can import fill styles and use raster symbols and everything.
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