[TML] 2300 style mapping (was: mapping programs)

[Jerry W Barrington]

On 6/20/08 4:10 AM, "Evyn MacDude" <infojunky at ceecom.net> wrote:

> 
> On  Jun20 08, at 00:15, Phill Webb wrote:
> 
>> Evyn mac dude wrote:
>>> On  Jun18 08, at 21:34, Jerry W Barrington wrote:
>>> 
>>>> On 6/18/08 3:51 PM, "Evyn MacDude" wrote:
>>>> 
>>>>> With all that
>>>>> support for Traveller:2300's style of world display's would make me
>>>>> giddy.
>>>> I'm fond of 2300, but what exactly is this referring to?
>>> 
>>> The number of hexes making up the legs of the triangles is equal to
>>> the planet size rating.
>>> 
>>> A size 3 map has a leg length of 3 hexes long. (hexes means the flat
>>> to flat distance within the the hexagon)
>> 
>> Ooh. I like this too. Especially as an instant visual for world
>> size to
>> the players.
>> 
>> Has anyone made blank template files for the ten sizes?
> 
> I'll post a link when i finally get mine done... Just a mater of
> finding the time.

According to page 46 of the 2300 Ref's Book:
    "Regions are always 1,000 km across" and "the number of regions is
determined by the diameter of the world.
Also, the table on page 40 gives planetary diameters of 1,000 to 30,000 km
(in 1,000 km increments).

For Earth, 8 hexes across the edges of the icosahedral map makes it 40,000
km around, or a diameter of 12732 km.  Close enough to the real 12742.  :)
But since the edges need to have an integer number of hexes, and there's 5
edges around the circumference, there's a bit of a problem.  You only get 19
possible maps, 1 thru 19 hexes to an edge, to represent the 30 sizes of
planet!  (and never mind if *your* planets don't come in neat 1,000 km
increments...)

The smallest planet, 1,000 km diameter, is 31% smaller around than the
smallest map!  61% less area...  And the smallest map is *actually* a
dodecahedron (12-sider).  Since the map has to be a multiple of 5,000 km
circumference, it can be off by up to 2,500 km from the planet.

I guess what I'm saying is, this may not be such a great idea after all...