Improve cartography (former "Disable external mapping")

[Melgui]

I really apreciate the work that some players are making in the "map the world" thread and I know this will be an unpopular idea, but is the only way to give a real value to cartography and add maps (and related tools) to the trade market. I don't even know if this could be possible/implementable, and of course, doing this right now would make no sense, it would only make sense after the next wipe.

edit: Discussion led thread to another course

[Thijssnl]

+1

I only mapped a regional once, but I know what satisfaction it gives if you finish one by mapping in game.
Trading for maps doesnt even seem a really bad idea.

[brohammed]

I understand your grievances, as a cartographer of 3 regionmaps myself, however...

Technically speaking, it is a hard problem to solve. So long as the map is shown on the screen it can be screencapped, and that can be automated. We can't take the "stick" approach.

The carrot approach in this case, would be making ingame maps clearly superior to screencapped jpgs; making ingame maps update automatically with villages, other terraforming etc. explain it via hearth magic, make maps require A Beautiful dream or something. Make ingame maps have an extra purpose such as pathfinding. Have them show quality nodes in some way. Allow us to officially name regions and POI's.

[Thijssnl]

I understand your grievances, as a cartographer of 3 regionmaps myself, however...

Technically speaking, it is a hard problem to solve. So long as the map is shown on the screen it can be screencapped, and that can be automated. We can't take the "stick" approach.

The carrot approach in this case, would be making ingame maps clearly superior to screencapped jpgs; making ingame maps update automatically with villages, other terraforming etc. explain it via hearth magic, make maps require A Beautiful dream or something. Make ingame maps have an extra purpose such as pathfinding. Have them show quality nodes in some way. Allow us to officially name regions and POI's.

Please make a thread about that, sounds pretty good!

[Jackard]

but is the only way to give a real value to cartography and add maps (and related tools) to the trade market..

an incorrect assumption, the only real way to give "value" to cartography is by actually making it useful in game

[Melgui]

Jackard said

That's not incompatible with the disabling (I haven't choosen the correct word, but I can't find anything better, maybe "fight", "oppose", etc), actually, seem to be the only real way to do it. I thought Java would have proper tools to do it, but I was looking for information... I was wrong and since screenshots are an OS feature, is not possible to do anything efficiently. So Brohamed has open the path...

[Jackard]

just saying youre approaching this the wrong way, disabling oog-mapping would be a dumb waste of development time when they could be improving ig-mapping

encourage wanted behavior instead of punishing unwanted behavior

[mvgulik]

So long as the map is shown on the screen it can be screencapped, and that can be automated.

Sure. But I think you also underestimate the possible technical problems that would be involved in working with screen captured map-parts.
But thats kinda a mute point, as it only takes one generally available tool that will do the job to correct that.

the only real way to give "value" to cartography is by actually making it useful in game

+++

Personally I would love to see the HnH world map to be subject to additional slow changes. But thats just a nice daydream.
(whats the point of mapping something ... if its constantly changing (even slowly).)
(Ignoring Grass for the moment, as its only one aspect. Although others changes seem currently also possible, but only by direct player involvement.)

[Onionfighter]

What Jackard said.

Personally I would love to see the HnH world map to be subject to additional slow changes. But thats just a nice daydream.

Yes, we need continental drift!

[Nobody]

Let's better forbid the nightvision instead of mapping. Torches and candles will be useful again, and it will look much realistic than it is now.