Multiple Maps, Offset Mating

[sgwhitley]

Is it possible to have a module with multiple maps that are aligned offset, i.e. not in a perfect rectangular shape? I could(have) just use image editing software to marry the maps, the trouble with that is eventually there will be five maps and all the different permutations get to be a bit much in terms of file size especially. The individual maps are around 30 MB each and you can play any two adjacent maps together, the three northernmost maps together, all five, or any single map. That's 11 different permutations/map images and would result in a module hundreds of MB in size. I could try losing some image quality, but I suspect I'd have to down res way too much to get the module to usable size. Thus the board picker would be ideal because it would just require five map images.

I suppose the other alternative would be 11 separate modules.

[sgwhitley]

I think I figured out a solution for this. The way that the two maps mate causes something like 5-10 hexes of the bottom map to protrude out past the right edge of the top map. So I just added n pixels of blank canvas to the left edge of the bottom map and the same amount to the right edge of the top map. Needs some fine-tuning, but I just tried it out in VASSAL and the initial match was pretty close. The only hitch is that the maps also mate by overlapping rather than by direct abutment. I am pretty sure there's no solution for this in VASSAL, but I might be able to jury-rig a solution by cropping one of my map images to create a row of half-hexes on the bottom of the top map. Will not match the published version 100%, but better than having 11 separate modules, huge modules, etc.

[sgwhitley]

I think I figured out a solution for this. The way that the two maps mate causes something like 5-10 hexes of the bottom map to protrude out past the right edge of the top map. So I just added n pixels of blank canvas to the left edge of the bottom map and the same amount to the right edge of the top map. Needs some fine-tuning, but I just tried it out in VASSAL and the initial match was pretty close. The only hitch is that the maps also mate by overlapping rather than by direct abutment. I am pretty sure there's no solution for this in VASSAL, but I might be able to jury-rig a solution by cropping one of my map images to create a row of half-hexes on the bottom of the top map. Will not match the published version 100%, but better than having 11 separate modules, huge modules, etc.

Just wanted to confirm that the above did indeed work. I had to do a little fine-tuning on the position of the top map within the offset canvas. My solution for the overlap was to crop out the bottom row of hexes on the top map, which got the maps to mate correctly. I then created a separate board that contains just the bottom row of hexes from the top map. If you want to play the top row as a one-mapper, you just choose the board configuration Top_Map+Top_Map_Bottom_Row and you have yourself an unharmed top map again.

Curious to hear if there is a better way to do this in other modules. All of the multi-map modules I have use boards which directly abut with no overlap and form a rectangle. My solution was OK, apart from the tediousness of fine-tuning the mating of the boards indirectly.

[kerkael]

You may want to treat all your different modules as pieces.
Then with no stack trait, and a level 0 and no possible move, once they're in place you have your big board ready.
The trick after that is to have many possible zone definitions, as they belong to the map and not the module pieces.
With 11 permutations, and 5 modules, the question is more about: where can I place module A ? If there are only 3 ways to place it, create its required zones 3 times, based on the map position. Maybe with a calculated offset ?
Then, do the same for all 5 modules ... it really depends on their possible positions.
Would this work better ... I can't say ... But I needed that idea for a game I stopped developing. Maybe it's time to go back to work, after all.

[sgwhitley]

Yeah, I think I'd rather go the route I did rather than try to jury-rig the hex grid. Hex grids are already one of the most annoying things to do in VASSAL. Once I conceptualized the solution I arrived at, the only major pain was positioning each map within the larger canvas just right so that everything lined up. I ended up doping out a test layout in Inkscape, and IIRC I had to load/reload VASSAL a few times to make very minor changes to the source map before I finally got it right.