Straight polygons have very visually long straight edges and sharp corners. One can increase the fractalization level to reduce the length of the straight lines, but unless you fracatalize a lot, it is very visible.

Smooth polys doesn't have a single straight edge or single corner, it is all curves. This makes a huge difference to the map, because all those straight lines and corners make it look very artificial, while the softer shapes of the smooth poly makes it much more natural.

If you have applied edge fade, it evens out the difference a bit, especially since edge fade will turn those corners into more rounded shapes, and can sometimes be just as good as alternative, but it depends on the map and the settings.

Added to the atlas. Thanks for the contribution.

And the last new addition to the atlas for today:

Now found in the atlas. Thanks.

Not sure exactly what you are referring to here. Polygons can be mirrored, but only along a straight line.

You may be thinking about using an offset, but if so, you'll need to draw one line, then making an offset from it, and then join them together with Combine Paths and Close Poly to create an actual polygon, and not just a series of lines.

Hi Hadrian, good to see you.

You shouldn't let atlas maps holding you back. Those are for working on when you have the time and desire (and computer that agree with you) to do so, they're not a requirement. I'd rather see people without maps, than no people at all :)

Just do it whenever you have the time. I'll just add them to the atlas whenever I have the time after receiving them.

Make sure the names of the descriptive text files match the name of the map files.

From your screenshot it looks to me like when you are loading the symbol catalog, you are going into the artwork folder itself, picking an image and hitting OK instead of loading the .FSC file in the parent directory.

The reason this is important is that all such settings are store in the symbol catalog file (the .fsc). Going into the artwork folder and picking an image is an alternate way of getting the images into the symbol catalog window that is best suited for when you have a folder full of artwork that has NOT been made for CC3+, i.e. it doesn't come with a symbol catalog file. But loading it this way just loads them as "dumb" images, nothing of the smartness of the CC3+ symbols will come with.

So for any official or properly prepared CC3+ symbols, always load it through the symbol catalog file, not the artwork folder.

Yes, you have to go through :ICON_CATALOG: to open it if it doesn't show up in the list of catalog settings, but once you click that button and get the Symbol Catalog dialog, you have two options, either find the .FSC file for the catalog (@Symbols\Cities\SS6\MS Color\SS6C_Ruins.FSC) and open that, which is the right approach and loads the actual catalog with all the symbol behavior, OR navigate all the way into the artwork directory (@Symbols\Cities\SS6\MS Color\Ruins) pick an image file, and hit ok, which is the non-optimal way, as it will just populate the symbol catalog window with the images in the folder without any symbol behavior like grouping, because all that is stored int he symbol catalog file.

Yes. Well, CC2 files actually, but they are fully compatible with CC3.