Mapping a planet
Chr9s
🖼️ 2 images Newcomer
Mapping a planet. OK..well maybe not mapping the whole planet but...I had a vision once of drawing the whole planet and then mapping out each section to smaller and smaller areas and link all the maps together so I could click around the world to go from the whole planet down to a building.
Please stop laughing now (I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who's had this vision).
However, I do want to be able to have a mapping plan for active areas of the planet but I'm not sure how many layers of maps are functional. I want to use a 6 mile wide hex as a basic adventure map but I'm curious how many layers of maps between the 6 mile map and the planet wide map would be usable. For example, on my planet wide map I have a hex grid of 600 miles. But that seems too large an area to actually have a use. And then, how many layers from 600 down to 6 would be useful? What would be a good map scale to show the next larger area that encompasses the 6 mile hexes? I've viewed the Nibirum Atlas but that's done in linked regions. I want to base mine on hex grid layers so I can label locations by hex coordinates and have consistent frames of reference across the world
Hope this makes sense.
Thanks - Chris
Please stop laughing now (I'm pretty sure I'm not the only one who's had this vision).
However, I do want to be able to have a mapping plan for active areas of the planet but I'm not sure how many layers of maps are functional. I want to use a 6 mile wide hex as a basic adventure map but I'm curious how many layers of maps between the 6 mile map and the planet wide map would be usable. For example, on my planet wide map I have a hex grid of 600 miles. But that seems too large an area to actually have a use. And then, how many layers from 600 down to 6 would be useful? What would be a good map scale to show the next larger area that encompasses the 6 mile hexes? I've viewed the Nibirum Atlas but that's done in linked regions. I want to base mine on hex grid layers so I can label locations by hex coordinates and have consistent frames of reference across the world
Hope this makes sense.
Thanks - Chris
Comments
I saw this over on the FB page and suggested you ask here, where there are people I believe know a lot more than I do about these things. Map projections and hex matters are things that have a tendency to fly over my head just a bit.
But anyway! Welcome to the PF forum!
I would strongly consider sticking to 3 levels, the world map, continent-sized maps, and your adventure maps.
The exact size of the hexes for the continent-sized maps would then depend a bit on the size of your continents. Since you want the same scale overall you need to figure a size that fits all of them.
Now, you don't say exactly how you are going to proceed with dividing the world into maps, but I would strongly suggest you follow a scheme similar to the community atlas, i.e make maps that fits each continent. If you simply divide the world into equal sized rectangles, you're going to end up with maps with huge empty ocean areas, and map edges at inopportune places. You can still keep the hex scale the same on the individual maps, and keep a global reference if you wish, nothing preventing you from doing that.
Just remember that in any case, smaller hexes doesn't actually fit perfectly within a larger hex the same way squares fit within squares, so there will always be some oddities here.
But I am now redoing my world map, so start again for the first 3 levels - just as well I love mapping.
Thanks
I don't use hexes myself, because I use the tool sin CC3+ to measure distances along rivers, roads, and so on, and calculate travel time based on actual distance traveled. Hexes was nice back with paper maps when you needed a way to estimate things, but with modern tools, I feel they have become less useful. I only use grids of any type on battle maps. If I needed hexes, I think your smaller hexes makes more sense than a whole days travel though.
I tend to agree, if you are not tied to a physical map or are on a computer game. With a physical map for a wargame, I think you need to have consistency of time, distance, and unit. For example one day turns, for a squad, and a hex size of 1km are not well tied together. But a platoon, hex size of 250m, and a time of 10-15 minutes are. Hence, my need to know how big I want the map to be when printed out on certain size sheets of paper. It's a technique. Not necessarily a good one, but it works for me.
World Map - Not hex grid. Each continent is hot linked to a map of the complete continent
Continent Map - Gridded to 150 mile wide hexes for the regional maps. Each hex mapped out (will never map everything out!) will be hot linked to a map of that hex.
Region Map - Gridded to 6 mile wide hexes. Each of these hexes are hot linked to adventure areas. This is a bit larger then the LMOP map and that seems to be a good overview map for adventuring. Why 6 mile wide hexes? https://steamtunnel.blogspot.com/2009/12/in-praise-of-6-mile-hex.html?m=1
Adventure Maps - these are the 6 mile wide hexes that will be the general adventure map for the area of specific encounters. Essentially what the players see from their perspective. This is broken down to .2 mile hexes and specific encounter maps (e.g. abandoned castle, cave, village) are hot linked to the .2 mile hex.
Thanks
CG