Whilst I was on the cruise that my wife and I took this Summer, I began work on 'designing' an imagi-world in which to locate the numerous imagi-nations I have created over the years. I used a map of of the fantasy world created by Robert E Howard for his 'Conan' stories as the basis for my imagi-world map, and I did a lot of work trying to alter it to suit my needs. By the end of the cruise I had a reasonably detailed map that I could do further work on it when I had time.
As I knew that I was not going to have enough time today and tomorrow to play-test my PORTABLE WARGAME 2 rules (my wife and I visited my father today and are visiting my father-in-law tomorrow), I decided to do some further work developing my imagi-world map. It was at this point that I discovered that the file would not open on my personal computer, despite being in a compatible format with the program I was using.
After several attempts to rectify the problem I still could not get the file to open, and in the end I decided that if I wanted to pursue the idea of having an imagi-world map, I would have to start afresh ... so I did. This time I started with a very rough outline map of the World that I simplified, distorted, and altered. I then overlaid it with a hexed grid and I began to add the necessary detail.
It is apparent that creating this imagi-world map is going to take me some time, but so far I have found the process quite restful and something that I can work on when I have a spare few minutes.
As I knew that I was not going to have enough time today and tomorrow to play-test my PORTABLE WARGAME 2 rules (my wife and I visited my father today and are visiting my father-in-law tomorrow), I decided to do some further work developing my imagi-world map. It was at this point that I discovered that the file would not open on my personal computer, despite being in a compatible format with the program I was using.
After several attempts to rectify the problem I still could not get the file to open, and in the end I decided that if I wanted to pursue the idea of having an imagi-world map, I would have to start afresh ... so I did. This time I started with a very rough outline map of the World that I simplified, distorted, and altered. I then overlaid it with a hexed grid and I began to add the necessary detail.
It is apparent that creating this imagi-world map is going to take me some time, but so far I have found the process quite restful and something that I can work on when I have a spare few minutes.
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I love maps and have always enjoyed making up my own maps of imaginary places, even as a kid. Sometimes I spend more time doing that and never getting around to doing anything like gaming in the mapped places.
ReplyDeleteIt's also one reason I like exploration-type games where you map as you go and reveal the world. I find myself always wanting "just one more turn" to see what's beyond the next hill. (-:
I fear we are often technology's servant rather than the converse...
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to seeing the new map.
Alan
Hi Bob,
ReplyDelete'Overlaid the map with a hex grid'? I would love to know how you did that!
I am looking forward to seeing the results in due course and will the map feature solely your own imagi-nations? I wondered if a certain island in the Indian Ocean of our mutual acquaintance would feature....;-)
All the best,
DC
Fitz-Badger,
ReplyDeleteLike you, I have always enjoyed creating maps (and back-stories) of imaginary places ... and have not always used them for wargaming.
Despite that, I have rarely played any exploration-type games, but I can see the fascination that they would have.
All the best,
Bob
Tradgardmastare,
ReplyDeleteI have now managed to open the file ... but the map has lost some detail and is not as good as the one I am now working on so it has been filed away for possible future use.
I hope to have some interim 'views' of the new map ready sometime soon, and when I do, I will write a blog entry about them.
All the best,
Bob
David Crook,
ReplyDeleteIt is quite a simple process using MS Paint.
Firstly, I created my hexed grid ... and made sure that I knew how big it was in pixels.
Secondly, I created my basic outline map that was the same size (in pixels) as the hexed grid.
Thirdly, I went back to the grid, and used the commands 'Select', 'All', and 'Copy'. I then went back to my map and pasted the grid over it MAKING SURE THAT I SELECTED THE TRANSPARENT OPTION for the grid.
Give it a try and experiment with it. It works for me, and should work for you as well.
As for Madasahatta ... well, I have a mind to include it if I can ... but we shall see.
A|ll the best,
Bob
I don't know how big is your graphics file or how much RAM is in your computer, but might it be worthwhile trying to open the map on a more powerful computer and "cutting" it there, rather than starting from scratch?
ReplyDeleteI use Illustrator rather than word, but I could give it a try if you like and if one can find a may of sending a file (usendit.com or dropbox perhaps) might work.
You might also be able to cut down the file size by eliminating layers, etc
cheers,
Jim
jjim006 at sympatico.ca
Jiminho,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the advice.
My PC should have sufficient RAM to do the task, but for some reason it cannot or will not. I suspect that there might be something running in the background that is using up RAM (probably the anti-virus software as it is set to scan every file that I open) and that this might be causing part of the problem.
I also need to do some basic maintenance and a clean-up that might just free up a bit of space here and there.
All the best,
Bob
PS. I am using several different programs to produce the map (or maps) and switching between them may well be part of the problem as well. The programs include MS Paint, MS Visio, and Serif DrawPlus.