VASL Map Database

76mm

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For my own amusement I've created an Excel sheet listing all of the maps/boards available in VASL and their key characteristics (size, relief, buildings, water obstacles, etc.) in sortable columns. I've been away from ASL since it first came out, so was very pleasantly surprised by the quantity/quality/variety of the available maps (369!). Here is a pic of the current draft:
10317

A couple of questions:
  1. Is this something anyone else would find helpful/interesting? If so once I've done a bit more I can post it here.
  2. I'd like to add (small) map images to the DB, but the only way I've figured out to get such images is to rename the VASL map file as a zip, then take the image file from there...is there an easier/quicker way?
  3. There are quite a few maps "avalailable" in VASL but turn out to be missing when you click on them. Any suggestions on where to find them?
  4. I'd like to add the publisher/module for each of the maps, but many of the VASL map names are rather cryptic, and I don't know which modules they came from or who published them. Some of the maps have identifying text on them (but even then I've have to open each map in VASL to read it), but many maps don't have any identifying marks other than the often cryptic name. Any tips?
 

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I'd like to see them.
OK, I'll try to post what I have within a couple of days, I need to create a key to decipher the various abbreviations and terms used. Also, this version has no map images, publisher info, etc.
 

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jrv

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I'd like to add (small) map images to the DB, but the only way I've figured out to get such images is to rename the VASL map file as a zip, then take the image file from there...is there an easier/quicker way?
Write a batch file:
for all board files
copy to a .zip file
unzip bdXXX.gif from the .zip
delete the .zip file
use imagemagick to create a reduced image

JR
 

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zgrose, your method works great for numbered boards and single-letter boards, but not with boards with more than one letter in the name (ie, works with "a", not with "AAC"), which don't seem to be on the github site (although they are listed in the boards/bdfiles directory, the directories are empty?
 

zgrose

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zgrose, your method works great for numbered boards and single-letter boards, but not with boards with more than one letter in the name (ie, works with "a", not with "AAC"), which don't seem to be on the github site (although they are listed in the boards/bdfiles directory, the directories are empty?
Not every ASL board is maintained on GitHub, that is totally correct.
 

von Marwitz

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There is also a great number of VASL maps available from Critical Hit (CH). I don't know if they can be found on CH's website, but you might want to contact 'General Mayhem' in this forum. He has provided us with a link to these maps (and VASL extensions for counters if applicable), which I can't just now find out of hand.

von Marwitz
 

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There is also a great number of VASL maps available from Critical Hit (CH).
Thanks; I've got about a dozen maps with a "CH" prefix, which I figure is CH. But if you have as many as you suggest I will double-check.
 
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von Marwitz

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Thanks; I've got about a dozen maps with a "CH" prefix, which I figures is CH. But if you have as many as you suggest I will double-check.
I would put the estimate at 50 upwards. Just contact 'General Mayhem'.

von Marwitz
 

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I've attached a beta version of this DB; it is very much half-baked at this point but I wouldn't mind getting feedback from some folks before spending much time on it, so don't have to redo a bunch of stuff.

I'm not sure who else could use something like this, but I want to use it to figure out which maps to use for any home-made scenarios. If I want a scenario with a town with hills and forests, I can sort/filter the various maps in Excel, and then take a look at the map images. I still need to add lots of data, especially map images, but this should give people a decent idea of whether this would be a useful tool for them.

NOTE The meanings of the abbreviations and terms used are on the second tab in the spreadsheet ("NOTES"), so don't forget to look there.

Please let me know if you have any feedback. In particular let me know if I've got ASL jargon wrong--I've been away for a long time. For instance, not sure that I've categorized the map types correctly--Geo, Historical, Paired Geo, Half-Geo, etc.?
 

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76mm

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Thanks; just looking at the names, it looks like I've already got a bunch of these, but will have to go through one-by-one to see about the rest.
 

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This is very useful for me. I like to check out scenarios on my android phone and including the images is very handy.
 

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I've made quite a bit of progress on this; now have complete info and map image links for all of the boards on github...now I need to figure out how to display the map images which are not on Github.

I saw that advancedsquadleader.net has quite a few map images...does anyone know if I need to seek permission to link to them, and if so, from whom to seek such permission? I can't find any contact info on the site.
 
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