Topography in WinSPMBT maps

[Achilles]

Last week I traveled for 3-4 days in central Greece and I thought it would be a good idea to take some photographs of some landscapes.

Here is a picture of a mountain (formation Pindus - where the Greek-Italian conflict took place in 28 October 1940)
I ve also attached a topo map (1:50.000) of the exact location.

If anyone thinks that he can design a good representation of that topo map then I will be glad to examine it.

Each Grid is 1Km x 1Km.

In the case that more than one maps are submitted then there is always the possibility of organizing a map contest.

cheers,
Pyros

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/409183-topo2.JPG

[Double Deuce]

You got any more maps like that? :whist:

[Achilles]

You got any more maps like that? :whist:

Why would you say something like this??? :surprise: :whist:

Anyway, extra care should be taken in the various types of terrain that you may find on these mountains/hills.
You can see on the top of one of them the area where there is "impassable" terrain and the areas where there is "rough" terrain.
You may also notice that the forest areas are not continuous and that the grass areas are grouped to more than 2-3 hexes per group.

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/401081-TERRAIN_TYPES_CIRCLES1.JPG

[Achilles]

Defining the size of map


It depends on the size of the GRID that you will define on the map editor.
I personally define a 1,000 meters x 1,000 meters GRID as 20 hexes (horizontal) x 25 hexes (vertical).

******the 25 hexes vertical is explained by the fact that the vertical hexes are not each on top of the other but slightly in the top-side of each other and they lose almost 25% of their vertical length.*****

If you try to design the full grid area of the map, you will get a dimension of 3 horizontal x 4 vertical = 12 square Km.

In my SP map grid ratio this gives 3 x 20 hexes (horizontal) and 4 x 25 hexes (vertical).
The above will give you a 60 x 100 hexes map (if you include the part grids you will have 80x125).


** part of the map legend


Here is a picture from the legend of the topo 1:50000 map

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/409767-legend2.JPG

Concernig the ELEVATION lines:


They start from aprox 400 meters and they go up to 800 meters.
Each line represents 100 meters of altitude elevation.

This means that you may define the map editor elevation as following:

First elevation ratio: 400=0, 500=1, 600=2, 700,3 & 800=4

Second elevation ratio: 350=0, 400=1, 450=2, 500=3, 550=4, 600=5, 650=6, 700=7, 750=8, 800=9 & 850=10

Third elevation ratio: 366=0, 400=1, 433=2, 466=3, 500=4, 533=5, 566=6, 600=7, 633=8, 666=9, 700=10, 733=11, 766=12, 800=13 & 833=14

cheers,
Pyros

[danstudentvcc]

Hello Achilles.
Thought your post was cool but was wondering ...
What if you use the diagonals instead. This gives you a triangle where three of the sides are identical hex distances. Using your map distances to fit the three lines would mean that going 4 hexes right and up on the diagonal, then down and to the right along the diagonal, followed by left and level on the horizonetal, is exactly 4 hexes long each way with only two 60 degree turns.
Taking this same distance on your topographic map means that you need not
make any correction for up or down, left or right since an equilateral on your topo
map is drawn correctly without changes on the SP map in the scen editor or in Chlanda and Ectizen.

??

In other words 1km lengths with only 60 degree angles on your topo map looks exactly like 1km of hexes in any direction on the SP map if you do not make the
vertical and horizontal non-equal hex distances as you suggest.

I know that in space-time manifolds this business of the ether leads to one of Einstein's postulates. The resulting requirement as spatial "time" dimension is usually the result. This lorentz condition does not however affect Euclidean, Galilean, Newtonian Theoretical Mechanics....

Or are you just pulling my leg again...I can never tell with you since you shoot from the hip ...

Gus
Dvcc
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
You wrote:
"I personally define a 1,000 meters x 1,000 meters GRID as 20 hexes (horizontal) x 25 hexes (vertical).

******the 25 hexes vertical is explained by the fact that the vertical hexes are not each on top of the other but slightly in the top-side of each other and they lose almost 25% of their vertical length.*****
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

[Achilles]

Hi Gus,

Basically the SP map GRID thing is a VISUAL AID for transferring the isometric curves of a topo map in the SP map editor.

This work is done with visual estimations, therefore you need to have multiple reference points (lines or grids) using the same format in both media (topo map and map editor) in order to achieve a good result.

Every topographic map 1:50,000 is using the 1Km x 1Km square as a space division, therefore I decided to create the same kind of squares in the SP map editor environment.

If we accept that the each hex represents 50 meters, then 20 hexes x 50 meters equal to 1 Km.
For designing reasons, I also accepted that the 25 vertical hexes equal to 1 Km, because I gave priority to the formation of a square object (for achieving a good transition of the topo data into the map editor).

If the map was using a 60-triangle then I would have also used a 60-triangle grid.


cheers,
Pyros

p.s I think that almost every designing program is using the perpendicular X-Y-Z axis (reference system)

[danstudentvcc]

Hi Gus,

Basically the SP map GRID thing is a VISUAL AID for transferring the isometric curves of a topo map in the SP map editor.

This work is done with visual estimations, therefore you need to have multiple reference points (lines or grids) using the same format in both media (topo map and map editor) in order to achieve a good result.

Every topographic map 1:50,000 is using the 1Km x 1Km square as a space division, therefore I decided to create the same kind of squares in the SP map editor environment.

If we accept that the each hex represents 50 meters, then 20 hexes x 50 meters equal to 1 Km.
For designing reasons, I also accepted that the 25 vertical hexes equal to 1 Km, because I gave priority to the formation of a square object (for achieving a good transition of the topo data into the map editor).

If the map was using a 60-triangle then I would have also used a 60-triangle grid.


cheers,
Pyros

p.s I think that almost every designing program is using the perpendicular X-Y-Z axis (reference system)


:hmmm::lier::gas:
The other day I picked up a hexgrid an plunked it down on to a map. I didn't see any terrain go missing in between the hexes.
I know also that the my games of SP don't calculate the value of the hypotenuse.
Also they only count the hexes; hence when I click a helo to move 1 km, it moves along the hexes and arrives 1 km away; dangerous as such a request is.
But I am certain you have a reason to stretch, artificially a dimension.
I'll leave you to it.

Good day Pyros.

Dvcc

[Pepper]

Hi gus, welcome back! :whist:

[Achilles]

Gus,

Check the relief form of this map.

BOTTOM LINE: If you need to design a "nice" representation of a map, then you need to depend on a common isometric reference system (between your topo map and the SP map editor).
And since the eye is the only available tool for re-creating maps in the WinSPMBT map editor, then you need to help your eye sight with accurate visual AID.

cheers,
Pyros

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/366717-361135-ThermopylaeB.JPG

http://www.shrapnelcommunity.com/threads/uploads/364935-relief_map_Thermopylae.JPG

[danstudentvcc]

Hi gus, welcome back! :whist:

Hello Pepper.

Thanks and good Sabot shooting.

Achilles that is a pretty spectacular SPMBT map.
Tremendous work, indeed!

Gus
Dvcc