Galaxy map: a shared project proposal

[Rasputiza]

Hiall,
while reading GG: 6 Tramp Freighters, an idea popped out at the back of my brain and continued to come out and annoy me every time i had a minute free to dedicate to d6 campaign planning.

There are many galaxy maps avaible, from different sources, i myself can count at least three versions, not to talk about all sector maps printed in WEG modules.

I thought that it may be useful to gather all these, decide some criteria to sort them in the proper order and try to merge them into a complete G map that could be of some help with our gaming sessions.
My idea is that a large jpg file and a multiple pages pdf version could be the feasible format to have them avaible.

The one thing i lack is enough experience with tools like photoshop or pdf creating applications.

I was wondering if anyone here is interested in starting a project like this...
Ras

[Krapou]

Did you already check http://www.nav-computer.com (website down for now but I could provide you with the maps) or the work of Neilcreek at http://orionvisuals.com/swrpg/ based on the maps from navcomputer ? (discussion on the holonet forums : http://holonet.swrpgnetwork.com/showthread.php?s=&threadid=13026&perpage=15&highlight=maps&pagenumber=1 )


edit : you coult try http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.nav-computer.com for archives of nav-computer.com but there doesn't seem to be any maps/images...
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Star Wars D6 Fanbooks

[cheshire]

Yeah, this would be a major undertaking that shouldn't neglect the works of other individuals, even assuming that it could be done better than anything out there.

[Grimace]

Those maps are great, don't get me wrong....but I'm a "slice" guy, so every map out there is all taken from the NJO style of map, where half (or more) of the galaxy is explored, mapped and settled by people in Star Wars. That's not my real cup o' tea, personally.

Mind you, I truly appreciate the work those guys have done....they've resolved some of the issues that came up for placement of planets, but I personally think they're selling the Star Wars galaxy short.

My idea...prior to the NJO, the "Slice" as presented in the 2nd edition Star Wars book (that really lousy map that only showed the regions and a couple of the main hyperspace lanes) is what is explored and settled. As NJO continues, the boundaries of the Slice are expanded, but the rate of expansion is NO WHERE NEAR that which is shown on the maps published by the NJO books and all the variations there of.

I've been consistantly working on a "definitive" version of the Slice, but what I have in mind isn't something that can be encompassed in a tiny little map like what Navcomputer came out with. Even cartographer has come to the realization that continuing to pack all of the planets into a map that size just isn't possible. The map I'm working on it immense....of a proportion so large that it could only be used as either a reference, a campaign assistance, or a pretty wall decoration.

I intend to include every planet I can find in Star Wars....and so far that is an enormous amount....more than you will find on ANY current list (navcomputer, CUSWE, etc.) because I've cross referenced all of those lists and come up with a complete list (and growing) that eliminates duplicates and includes those planets that show up on some lists and not on others. I intend to have the planet, the system the planet is in, the sector the system is in, and the region the sector is in. I intend to have proper locations, and all major, minor and mentioned hyperspace lane.

Needless to say, it is a HUGE project, and one that I have been doing now for....oh.....5+ years. And I'm still not done. I have 210 confirmed sectors, another 37 more sectors that I've yet to confirm. I have 1904 confirmed planets and the list is still growing.

And finally, I have the intent to make it so that people can still use the map to put in their own, home-grown areas.

Is the project giant? Without a doubt. Do I think it can be done? Eventually, but not in any amount of expedient time and still be accurate. Do I think others can do it? You better plan on working for a long, long, long...long long loooooooong, time if you want to tackle a project like this.

So....with all of that said.... if you want to try something like that...I can offer up some of my information, but I think you'll be absolutely overwhelmed if you try to do a "complete" map and don't realize the enormity of the issue.

[jmanski]

While the map ideas are great- the galaxy itself is 3d.
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Blasted rules. Why can't they just be perfect?

[Gry Sarth]

[Rasputiza]

Grimace: i had no idea you were on a "quest" like this, and i must say "hats off to you". At this point i think it's useless to start a parallel project: either we can offer some help, or (if not needed at this point) step at the side and wait for the work to be done, to give its creator the much deserved praise.

Thanks thoug for the useful links Krapou.
Ras

[Grimace]

[Gry Sarth]

Agreed. Even though the galaxy is obviously 3D, it's also roughly shaped as a flat disc. Therefore, usually the "vertical" distances are irrelevant when compared to the "horizontal" ones, and a 2D map is perfectly acceptable and mostly accurate.
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"He's Gry Sarth, of course he has the stats for them."

[Rasputiza]

Yup, i agree with you Gry...

[Xynar]

How about using AstroSynthesis for this project?
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Xynar
The Great Adventurer

[Grimace]

While that is an awful pretty program, I'm not sure how well it would work for something other people could use. Likely, unless everyone had the program, the only people that could see the display would be those that created it.

Likewise, unless you could tell the program how to create the galaxy, you'd likely end up with a "globular" galaxy...like an orb, rather than a spiral galaxy with the bands of stars leading to the orb-like center. Sadly, I don't want to spend 40 bucks to test out the program and see if it will work the way I want it to.

If it was simple, if you could create it however you wanted, and if anyone could view the creation without needing the program to do it, that program might be really good.

But thanks for sharing that link....that does look like a pretty program.

[Dwarven Godfather]

I have a simple request on the galaxy map and that is if you could split it into four pages and blow it up so that the planet names are readable. I have been trying to expand it using Adobe reader and it seems like it concentrate around the Deep core worlds every time I blow it up and cut and copy. Nice job by the way, this is a bigger map than the one in the Star Wars Gamer from a couple of years back.

[Rasputiza]

The best solution should be making the map searchable (you type the planet name text to being dragged to the exact location over it), but i doubt this can be done on a plain graphic file, i suspect you need some sort of program to do that...

[PsiberDragon]

Although...

You MIGHT be able to have it come up w/ the co-ordinates of where it might be...

"Yavin: X34, Y56, Z16"

Just like a real map...

Just a thought.
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"Love like you will die tomorrow. Hate like you will live forever." - Unknown