Subject: MYSTARA-L Digest - 25 Mar 2003 to 26 Mar 2003 (#2003-85) From: Automatic digest processor Date: 27/03/2003, 19:00 To: Recipients of MYSTARA-L digests Reply-to: Mystara RPG Discussion There are 14 messages totalling 461 lines in this issue. Topics of the day: 1. Mapping programs (11) 2. Almanac 1018 Adventures? (2) 3. Sylvan Realm as M-Palestine? ******************************************************************** The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp The Mystara Homepage: http://www.dnd.starflung.com/ To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 10:47:54 +0100 From: Thibault Sarlat Subject: Mapping programs I still use grid because i am used to it and because it allow me to produce maps which are not big in term of size (kb). i solved the wrong orientation problem of the old set of hexes by redrawing all the hexes; now they do not have the pointy bottom they used to have. i am currently doing a "how to use Grid" help file to clean up all the wrong ideas about Grid. grid currently allow us to produce 80 x 100 hex maps i do have the source code of grid if any of you want to make it work under windows (well it kind of already does). I think that hexmapper would do better but it lacks some hexes style, and i don't know how to add some more to the set (any help here would be appreciated), plus it produces very heavy maps... ( i cannot imagine the size of a full davania in 8 miles per hex map done using hexmapper...) Thibault Sarlat. ICQ 16622177. Personal homepage http://www.mystara.fr.st thibault.sarlat@wanadoo.fr ----- Original Message ----- From: "Dan Eustace" To: Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2003 6:21 AM Subject: Re: [MYSTARA] Mapping programs > > Arr-Kelaan almost worked for me, but it's tough to do more than a tiny > > area with the restrictive windows. > > Why do you say that? I've done a 50 x 30 and a 50 x 45 hex. I'm not sure > what you mean by the restrictive windows. > > ******************************************************************** > The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > The Mystara Homepage: http://www.dnd.starflung.com/ > To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. > ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 08:59:15 -0500 From: Kevin Powers Subject: Re: Mapping programs > From: Dan Eustace > Subject: Re: Mapping programs > > > Arr-Kelaan almost worked for me, but it's tough to do more than a tiny > > area with the restrictive windows. > > Why do you say that? I've done a 50 x 30 and a 50 x 45 hex. I'm not sure > what you mean by the restrictive windows. > I can get it to do the same, but the forced 32-bit graphics mode makes it tough to ever be sure that a blue screen isn't going to kick in after a few minutes of hex-adding. I don't know if the answer to this is to just forget bitmap hex programs like Arr-Kelaan and go to vector programs like AutoRealm, but I had hoped it wasn't. Also, the hexes in Arr-Kelaan are great! I just lament that they take so much memory to place! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 09:14:07 -0500 From: Kevin Powers Subject: Re: Mapping programs Thibault wrote: >> I still use grid because i am used to it and because it allow me to produce maps which are not big in term of size (kb). i solved the wrong orientation problem of the old set of hexes by redrawing all the hexes; now they do not have the pointy bottom they used to have. i am currently doing a "how to use Grid" help file to clean up all the wrong ideas about Grid. grid currently allow us to produce 80 x 100 hex maps i do have the source code of grid if any of you want to make it work under windows (well it kind of already does). I think that hexmapper would do better but it lacks some hexes style, and i don't know how to add some more to the set (any help here would be appreciated), plus it produces very heavy maps... ( i cannot imagine the size of a full davania in 8 miles per hex map done using hexmapper...) >> Just to give you an idea of what I'm looking for, the project is a 1-mile (yes, 1-mile) scale hex map of Karameikos. I've got a bunch of Level 2-3 characters running around Traladara in the year 965 AC and I've been doing all of the maps in black and white, but I was hoping to convert them to a mapping program. When it's done, the map should be useful for anyone who wants to do wilderness encounters in Karameikos for low-level characters. Unfortunately, that also means that the map will have to be unbelievably huge. I have tried doing it with AutoRealm, but getting color hexes in there would be a big step up. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 10:43:30 -0500 From: Geoff Gander Subject: Re: Mapping programs Thib wrote: > I think that hexmapper would do better but it lacks some hexes style, and i > don't know how to add some more to the set (any help here would be > appreciated), plus it produces very heavy maps... ( i cannot imagine the > size of a full davania in 8 miles per hex map done using hexmapper...) I shudder at the thought. The sheer size of the map would probably tear a hole in the Internet's time-space continuum, causing a global collapse of the Web. It does not bear thinking! Thib, if you would save the Mystaran community from certain doom, do not even think of such a thing! :-) Geoff -- Geoff Gander, BA 97, MPA 02 Carnifex Loremaster/Mad Roleplayer Master of the Elemental Plane of Bureaucracy au998@freenet.carleton.ca : www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Realm/2091 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 10:46:37 -0500 From: Geoff Gander Subject: Re: Almanac 1018 Adventures? Kevin wrote: > Does anyone know if the Adventures book for the AC 1018 Almanac has been > cancelled? Not at all. Real life got in the way for a number of us, but we are completing it - some elements were more difficult than anticipated. Expect at least two full adventures, complete with maps and stats. >Does anyone know if the Mystaran Almanac for AC 1019 is alive? > It is indeed alive, and portions of it have been written. Again, real life has reared its ugly head for a lot of us, which is why we always appreciate new sacri- er, new blood.... ...which reminds me, I'll be wanting those Atlas entries fairly soon, fellow MA writers. :-) Geoff -- Geoff Gander, BA 97, MPA 02 Carnifex Loremaster/Mad Roleplayer Master of the Elemental Plane of Bureaucracy au998@freenet.carleton.ca : www.geocities.com/TimesSquare/Realm/2091 ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 12:27:43 -0500 From: Kevin Powers Subject: Re: Mapping programs Geoff wrote: >> Thib wrote: > I think that hexmapper would do better but it lacks some hexes style, and i > don't know how to add some more to the set (any help here would be > appreciated), plus it produces very heavy maps... ( i cannot imagine the > size of a full davania in 8 miles per hex map done using hexmapper...) I shudder at the thought. The sheer size of the map would probably tear a hole in the Internet's time-space continuum, causing a global collapse of the Web. It does not bear thinking! Thib, if you would save the Mystaran community from certain doom, do not even think of such a thing! :-) Geoff >> Is there a Brun map in 8 miles? Thib, is Skothar coming next? How about Iciria? Bring on the 8-mile Davania! ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 09:46:20 -0800 From: Beau Yarbrough Subject: Re: Almanac 1018 Adventures? At 10:46 3/26/2003 -0500, Geoff Gander wrote: > It is indeed alive, and portions of it have been written. Again, real > life has reared its ugly head for a lot of us, which is why we always > appreciate new sacri- er, new blood.... > > ...which reminds me, I'll be wanting those Atlas entries fairly soon, > fellow MA writers. :-) Eek! I'm working on them, I'm working on them! BEAU http://www.LBY3.com/ ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 19:08:14 +0100 From: Thibault Sarlat Subject: Re: Mapping programs i am currently doing the second half of davania in 8 miles per hex. (for this i could use some help, i can explain more widely if someone is willing to help me) Brun is only partially done in 8 miles..(known world, sind, adri varma, Hule, norwold) as for skothar, i still have to finnish the 24 miles per hex map to even think about the 8 miles per hex. (but some specific regions are already done in 8 miles per hex, or on their way to completion.) Thibault Sarlat. ICQ 16622177. Personal homepage http://www.mystara.fr.st thibault.sarlat@wanadoo.fr ----- Original Message ----- From: "Kevin Powers" To: Sent: Wednesday, March 26, 2003 6:27 PM Subject: Re: [MYSTARA] Mapping programs > Geoff wrote: > > >> > Thib wrote: > > >I think that hexmapper would do better but it lacks some hexes style, and i > >don't know how to add some more to the set (any help here would be > >appreciated), plus it produces very heavy maps... ( i cannot imagine the > >size of a full davania in 8 miles per hex map done using hexmapper...) > > I shudder at the thought. The sheer size of the map would probably tear > a > hole in the Internet's time-space continuum, causing a global collapse > of > the Web. It does not bear thinking! Thib, if you would save the > Mystaran > community from certain doom, do not even think of such a thing! :-) > > Geoff > >> > > > Is there a Brun map in 8 miles? > > Thib, is Skothar coming next? > > How about Iciria? > > Bring on the 8-mile Davania! > > ******************************************************************** > The Other Worlds Homepage: http://www.wizards.com/dnd/OtherWorlds.asp > The Mystara Homepage: http://www.dnd.starflung.com/ > To unsubscribe, send email to LISTSERV@ORACLE.WIZARDS.COM > with UNSUB MYSTARA-L in the body of the message. > ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 10:58:42 -0800 From: Joaquin Menchaca Subject: Re: Mapping programs I use Illustrator. Though, it's polygon tools are crap. :-( I need to supplment this with some other program like Freehand to create the polygons like hexes. And then use them in Illustrator. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 22:01:34 -0500 From: Dan Eustace Subject: Re: Mapping programs > I think that hexmapper would do better but it lacks some hexes style, and i > don't know how to add some more to the set (any help here would be > appreciated), plus it produces very heavy maps... ( i cannot imagine the > size of a full davania in 8 miles per hex map done using hexmapper...) It is pretty easy to add new hexes to HexMapper. I made a few additions. I think the instructions are in the help or read me file for the program (since I don't recall the details offhand). You can also save the maps as jpg's or whatever after completion which saves on memory. I don't think it's perfect, but I find it the easiest to use, and the look is more "GAZ-like" than some of the other programs. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 22:02:11 -0500 From: Kevin Powers Subject: Re: Mapping programs Have you been able to add, replace, or do both in the way of hexes? Dan wrote: >> > I think that hexmapper would do better but it lacks some hexes style, and i > don't know how to add some more to the set (any help here would be > appreciated), plus it produces very heavy maps... ( i cannot imagine the > size of a full davania in 8 miles per hex map done using hexmapper...) It is pretty easy to add new hexes to HexMapper. I made a few additions. I think the instructions are in the help or read me file for the program (since I don't recall the details offhand). You can also save the maps as jpg's or whatever after completion which saves on memory. I don't think it's perfect, but I find it the easiest to use, and the look is more "GAZ-like" than some of the other programs. >> ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 22:32:31 -0500 From: Kevin Powers Subject: Sylvan Realm as M-Palestine? Some time back I was tossing around the similarities between the Shadow Elves and the RW Old Testament Hebrews, and it occurs to me in reviewing some of the material on the Yezchamenid Empire that Nimmur, the Enduks, and Yezchamenid are quite close to where the Sylvan Realm would have been. Given that the Alfheim Elves were led out of the Sylvan Realm in an "Exodus" and have only sparse historical knowledge of their "lost tribe" and that they still aspire to return to their "Sylvan Realm" or "holy land" if you will, is it plausible to situate the Sylvan Realm as a sort of M-Palestine? Or is this all just too much of a contrived idea? (Though I'm wondering whether the Thyatians will find a way to get over to the Sylvan Realm and crucify an elven follower of Gareth! Now THAT would be quite something!) Comments? Kevin ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 22:46:46 -0500 From: Dan Eustace Subject: Re: Mapping programs > Have you been able to add, replace, or do both in the way of hexes? Yes. Just open the hex file in some kind of graphic editor (like Paint) and edit away. Then save it itno the hex directory with whatever name you want to call it. After you have the hex drawn, you need to edit the hexlist.txt and add the new hexes to it. It actually is quite simple. Getting the new hexes to look just right is the only tough part. ------------------------------ Date: Wed, 26 Mar 2003 19:37:32 -0800 From: Ross Gould Subject: Re: Mapping programs > Does anyone know of a program for windows that will do Trail Map-style > cartography better than Grid (for DOS), Digital Apprentice Wilderness > Mapper, or Arr-Kelaan Hex Mapper? When not lording over Soderfjord as the Jarl King Ajax, I am a Digital Cartographer by trade. Among the software I use everyday, Macromedia Freehand seemed to work best for a personalized 8-mile hex map. I scanned the old Northern Reaches map in black & white, then created a matching hexagon, which was cloned and duplicated until it covered the area needed. >> From there, I created different colored fills and small line drawings for mountains, trees, villages, etc. It's easy to trace over the coastlines, riverbanks, and borders. Once you have a hexagonal grid setup, it doesn't take long to copy and paste items to fill up the map quickly. Adobe Illustrator works almost as well. Ross Gould Hagstrom Map Co. ------------------------------ End of MYSTARA-L Digest - 25 Mar 2003 to 26 Mar 2003 (#2003-85) ***************************************************************