Interior Copy FONT TYPE used by Metagaming for TFT?

[tbeard1999]

Originally Posted by ak_aramis

The identifont questionaire mode doesn't ask about weights, only shapes.

True, but shapes can be distorted enough in a scanned image to change the selection. In any case, the typeface it yielded for you does not match the TFT typeface, as can be verified by comparing the capital "T"s.

Also, regardless of what an automated system says, it's pretty simple to compare typefaces yourself. In that process, scanned images will always look heavier, which can affect the comparison. In any case, it's pretty clear to me that the typeface used in the actual TFT books is a Times Roman face. In fact, I couldn't find a mismatch when comparing it to Times New Roman on Windows, other than a slight difference in the height of the horizontal bar on the capital H...maybe.

One thing that won't match is the horizontal spacing. The kerning/tracking defaults in Word or InDesign do not match whatever the settings were on the Selectric Composer. Like most text from that era, the text was set with tight kerning and tracking. Most normal folks, however, won't notice that. But if you use Word and the text looks too loose, select it. The ctrl-D. Click the advanced tab. Select the Advanced Tab. Check "Kerning for fonts" and enter 8. Then hit OK. If it's still too loose, do the same thing and enter into the Spacing field Condensed and 1 point.

[Jim Kane]

Originally Posted by tbeard1999

The kerning/tracking defaults in Word or InDesign do not match whatever the settings were on the Selectric Composer. Like most text from that era, the text was set with tight kerning and tracking. Most normal folks, however, won't notice that. But if you use Word and the text looks too loose, select it. The ctrl-D. Click the advanced tab. Select the Advanced Tab. Check "Kerning for fonts" and enter 8. Then hit OK. If it's still too loose, do the same thing and enter into the Spacing field Condensed and 1 point.

Well done Ty! :::applause:::

[tbeard1999]

Originally Posted by Jim Kane

Well done Ty! :::applause:::

Worked at a traditional typesetting shop at the dawn of desktop publishing...

[ak_aramis]

Originally Posted by tbeard1999

True, but shapes can be distorted enough in a scanned image to change the selection. In any case, the typeface it yielded for you does not match the TFT typeface, as can be verified by comparing the capital "T"s.

Also, regardless of what an automated system says, it's pretty simple to compare typefaces yourself. In that process, scanned images will always look heavier, which can affect the comparison. In any case, it's pretty clear to me that the typeface used in the actual TFT books is a Times Roman face. In fact, I couldn't find a mismatch when comparing it to Times New Roman on Windows, other than a slight difference in the height of the horizontal bar on the capital H...maybe.

One thing that won't match is the horizontal spacing. The kerning/tracking defaults in Word or InDesign do not match whatever the settings were on the Selectric Composer. Like most text from that era, the text was set with tight kerning and tracking. Most normal folks, however, won't notice that. But if you use Word and the text looks too loose, select it. The ctrl-D. Click the advanced tab. Select the Advanced Tab. Check "Kerning for fonts" and enter 8. Then hit OK. If it's still too loose, do the same thing and enter into the Spacing field Condensed and 1 point.

Times' "j" is the wrong shape. It's more horizontal than what's in the text.
Times "e" bottom curve points up about 10° more than the book's font. Times New is even more.
The book's p/d/q/b all have narrower overall proportions than times' has .

[tbeard1999]

Originally Posted by ak_aramis

Times' "j" is the wrong shape. It's more horizontal than what's in the text.
Times "e" bottom curve points up about 10° more than the book's font. Times New is even more.
The book's p/d/q/b all have narrower overall proportions than times' has .

It's Times Roman, or a very close clone thereof.

I imported three scanned pages of Advanced Melee (interior cover page and pages 2 and 3) into Illustrator and overlayed Times New Roman text at the same vertical height. The overlay was red and somewhat transparent. The scan appears to be a 600 dpi scan, but I'm not certain about that.

The width of the TFT p, d, q, and b are all exact matches with Times New Roman. As is the shape of each glyph (and my scan does not show the upslanted "e" that you describe). As is every other glyph I checked.

Now, the scanned image had thicker strokes. But that is inevitable when you scan 10 point type unless you scan it at insane resolutions. And even then, there will be some thickening.

Even so, the two typefaces matched perfectly in x-height, in width of each glyph, ascender height, cap height and descender height. None of these characteristics would be impacted by the scan. Every now and then, I'd think I had a difference - the descender height on the capital Q for instance. But I checked other identcal glyphs on the same page and found that the "difference" was a printing or scanning artifact.

The bold italic text on the interior title page also perfectly matched the Windows Times New Roman.

That is conclusive, as far as I'm concerned.

And I'm frankly surprised that the match is that close. Typeface clones usually have subtle differences from the original. But these glyphs match perfectly. Monotype obviously did a first rate job digitizing the typeface for Microsoft.

The default kerning/tracking in Illustrator is tighter than the italic text. But it's looser than the text on page 2. (I compared the line that begins "For those players who prefer speed to realism..." and the following line.

Although interestingly, a few individual words were almost exact kerning/tracking matches - "For" was exact. As was "and are more" including the spacing between words(!). "Than" and "they" on the next line were close. Also "find", "combat" and "system" were exact matches.

I would have sworn that the printed typeface on my scan was a bit narrower than Windows Times New Roman. But that is an optical illusion; the widths are exact matches.

Oh, and the machine Steve used didn't have ligatures (a single glyph that represents two letters, like "fi" or "ff") or he didn't use them. A traditional typesetter would have used ligatures.

[Steve Jackson]

. . . or even "ffi" ! But no, no ligatures were available.

[Jim Kane]

Originally Posted by tbeard1999

It's Times Roman, or a very close clone thereof.

I imported three scanned pages of Advanced Melee (interior cover page and pages 2 and 3) into Illustrator and overlayed Times New Roman text at the same vertical height. The overlay was red and somewhat transparent. The scan appears to be a 600 dpi scan, but I'm not certain about that.

Ty - You sir, ARE the hero of the hour! Thank you so much for doing all this detailed work; and for your exacting attention to detail by employing your expertise and time. I doff my helm to thee, good sir Knight.

JK

[tbeard1999]

Originally Posted by Jim Kane

Ty - You sir, ARE the hero of the hour! Thank you so much for doing all this detailed work, and for your exacting attention to detail by employing your expertise and time. I doff my helm to thee, good sir Knight.

Or perhaps you can recommend a good therapist? :D

[Jim Kane]

Originally Posted by tbeard1999

Or perhaps you can recommend a good therapist? :D

For yourself?... or for me? LOL!

[Steve Jackson]

I admit, sometimes I just LIKE using all caps . . . I can't wave my hands around to describe things to you when I'm writing, and the caps can feel like a substitute for that.