TFT Map Maker

[JohnPaulB]

Here is my first attempt at using the new Backdrop addition to TFT Map Maker. The image comes from Google-Maps. This is a very rough image, without editing out labels or symbols. This was done with about an hours practice. Practice needs to be done to get the base image brighter while keeping hexes dark. Practice also needs to be done to get the right hex ratios to background feet.

https://spaces.hightail.com/space/8k...ageThumbnail-1

I used GoogleMaps on Bodie, California. I added hexes, with 1 hex measuring 10 yards from side to side. See ITL p 168 map of Bendwyn for details.

And another town, Pompeii, Italy. This is 1 hex = 10 yards from side to side.

There is a building layout. I used a googled architectural drawing. I added hexes, with 1 hex measuring 4 feet from side to side. See ITL p 11 Hex.

The usefulness of this should not be underestimated. You can now Hex anything you have a map, photo or art for.

- John Paul Bakshoian

[Shadekeep]

Excellent write-up John Paul, thanks for sharing!

[larsdangly]

Very groovy. I haven't really done this starting with google earth images or other photographs, but most of the home-cooked locales for my TFT campaign created in the last few years start as maps from Dyson Logos, which cover a huge range of subject and scales and are usually provided in an un-gridded version. I drop a hexagonal wire grid over the top of it in some simple graphics program (even something like ppt works fine) and then print it out.

[hcobb]

There's two color palettes. Is that new?

The thing that'd help me most is the 2x2 character notation as per the map at ITL 52 that goes H7/L4 in a single hex.

[Shadekeep]

Originally Posted by hcobb

There's two color palettes. Is that new?

The thing that'd help me most is the 2x2 character notation as per the map at ITL 52 that goes H7/L4 in a single hex.

The two color palettes have been in there a while, but it's an easy thing to miss.

The longer annotation string would be handy for those kinds of labeling conventions, but I have a few concerns there. One is that the strings would be more complex and I'd want to offer a way to edit them easily (replacing just two characters by clicking doesn't take much time or effort in comparison). The other is that I'd want to make sure the annotations remain legible at all sizes, as well as fitting into the hex without overrunning neighbouring hexes.

I have thought about putting a more rich text feature in the program, so if I find a way to make this work I'll get it in there. It would either be a rework of the annotation system or a whole new feature. In the latter case it could make sense to have it as another layer, so that you could do things like putting names of regions, towns, etc directly onto the map too. The tricky part there would be ensuring they scale nicely along with everything else.

[Shadekeep]

Originally Posted by larsdangly

Very groovy. I haven't really done this starting with google earth images or other photographs, but most of the home-cooked locales for my TFT campaign created in the last few years start as maps from Dyson Logos, which cover a huge range of subject and scales and are usually provided in an un-gridded version. I drop a hexagonal wire grid over the top of it in some simple graphics program (even something like ppt works fine) and then print it out.

Yes, if you're comfortable working on graphics programs there are a lot of great ways of building up a map. Especially as the number of toolkits providing ready-to-use mapping elements has grown over the years.

For myself I use Shamat mostly in the initial stage of map design, as it lets me quickly prototype the layout and tweak the design with minimal effort. Once I've gotten that largely settled then I usually migrate the layout to Affinity or Corel and build out the finished map there. Designing the map from scratch in DTP vector software can be a pain and was one of the factors that led to me creating Shamat.

[ParadoxGames]

PeterDiscord found a quirk in your app. Check out the #cartographers channel of the Discord group for details.

[Shadekeep]

Originally Posted by ParadoxGames

PeterDiscord found a quirk in your app. Check out the #cartographers channel of the Discord group for details.

Thanks for the heads-up. Got a DM here about it as well. Will work on adding the proper megahex overlay to the release for both map grains.

[Shadekeep]

Fixed the megahex layout for vertical versus horizontal grid grains and pushed it out as a minor release (1.7.1). Both the online and downloadable versions of Shamat have this fix now, let me know if you see any issues with it. Thanks to all who contacted me about this!

[Shadekeep]

New Shamat version 1.8 is out. Added a line weight selector that allows you to have either proportional or hairline outlines on hexes and elements. The new proportional default makes the lines thicker on higher zoom levels, so if you are looking to export a large map image for printing, this new setting will make the map bolder and more legible. The hairline setting forces all lines to a single pixel and is useful for web maps and lightweight map designs.