Custom Maps for FedCom...

Maxwell Luther · Post by **Maxwell Luther** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 6:05 pm

I had a couple of hours to spare so I created a couple of custom hexmaps for FedCom using Photoshop, Illustrator and some images from the Hubble. Feel free to download and print them out at your local print shop at your convenience...

http://vorpalmind.blogspot.com/2013/04/ ... anser.html

I used Lyran Orange for Messier 78 for visibility and the fact that you should all get used to seeing the universe as Lyran Space. It's our galaxy, you're just living in it...

Sebastian380 · Post by **Sebastian380** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 7:23 pm

Very nice, thank you. These will be very handy for PBEM games.

oops. No, they're a bit big for email exchange--but they are very nice and will be good for playing.

Maxwell Luther · Post by **Maxwell Luther** » Mon Apr 22, 2013 9:14 pm

Sebastian380 wrote:Very nice, thank you. These will be very handy for PBEM games.

oops. No, they're a bit big for email exchange--but they are very nice and will be good for playing.

I've added links to some low-res 72 dpi images for you, Sebastian. At roughly 6MB for the one and 3MB for the other, those should work fine for email purposes.

Oh, and the Nebula map is for use with the Nebula rules from Hydran Attack. A whole map covered in nebulous nebula for outwitting those opponents who are intelligent but not experienced, with a pattern that indicates two-dimensional thinking.

mjwest · Post by **mjwest** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 12:14 am

The standard SFB map (on which the Federation Commander map panels are based) is a 42x30 hex pattern. The "small hex" Federation Commander map (and the standard SFB map) use 1/2 inch hexes. The "large hex" Federation Commander map (and the SFB miniatures map) use 1 inch hexes.

So, having a version that is 42x30 hexes that looks good if printed with either 1/2 or 1 inch hexes would be very cool!

Maxwell Luther · Post by **Maxwell Luther** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 1:40 am

mjwest wrote:The standard SFB map (on which the Federation Commander map panels are based) is a 42x30 hex pattern. The "small hex" Federation Commander map (and the standard SFB map) use 1/2 inch hexes. The "large hex" Federation Commander map (and the SFB miniatures map) use 1 inch hexes.

So, having a version that is 42x30 hexes that looks good if printed with either 1/2 or 1 inch hexes would be very cool!

I actually designed these to be 1.5" hexes to factor in a complaint I read about the 2500 Miniature line (and to some extent , the 2400) being slightly too large when in close proximity to another starship on the 1" grid. The extra 1/2" should give a bit of wiggle room, but I'd need to see a mini from either line to judge properly.

If 32x19 is really too small to play on (!), I suppose I could try and make an even larger (4'X3' should exceed the above requirements even with the 1.5" hexes) map later. It's the cost prohibitive nature of printing the darned thing and then the trouble of finding a table of the appropriate dimensions to hold it that would concern me at that point, but if that's what folks want, I'll be happy to oblige when I get another couple of spare hours to rub together.

Steve, is it possible, if I make such a thing that I can get it pinned up on the site somewhere? I tend to clean out my Dropbox every now and again and like to keep it as clutter free as possible...

bluebirds38 · Post by **bluebirds38** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 1:59 pm

thanks, great job on the maps.

Post by **Steve Cole** » Tue Apr 23, 2013 2:43 pm

Just be aware some NASA images are copyrighted and others have wonky rules. Personal gaming use should not run into a problem.

The hexes in FC are 5/8 and 1.25 inches.

5/8 is the universal standard wargame size for 1/2 inch counters.

If you go to the master index and look for hex maps you'll find the standard 4320 one as a free download.

http://www.starfleetgames.com/masterindex.shtml

Monty · Post by **Monty** » Wed Apr 24, 2013 2:57 am

Great looking maps, good job. With the 2500's I've found that 1.5" is still a bit cramped.

A few months ago I started playing around with creating 2" hex map panels and while they seemed to give the right look and feel relative to the 2500's, I don't have a table quite big enough to support that size hex. It seemed that 1.75 was the sweet spot for both 2500 and 2400.

Maxwell Luther · Post by **Maxwell Luther** » Wed Apr 24, 2013 2:05 pm

Monty wrote:Great looking maps, good job. With the 2500's I've found that 1.5" is still a bit cramped.

A few months ago I started playing around with creating 2" hex map panels and while they seemed to give the right look and feel relative to the 2500's, I don't have a table quite big enough to support that size hex. It seemed that 1.75 was the sweet spot for both 2500 and 2400.

I'll have to try that as well, then. I'll keep playing around with the format and see what I can come up with, but I'll have to wait until I can get hold of some minis before I can test it out properly, which will probably be around the middle of May (after Spring Semester ends). I'll throw out a couple more variations around that time...