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Everquest Map StandardsFollow

#1 Nov 18 2013 at 5:11 PM Rating: Excellent
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I've been fiddling around with the EQ mapping tool and discovered many mappers follow different color and labeling standards - which leads to less than satisfactory results on finished maps. I'm looking for input from EQ players regarding line color and label size types for the following listed items.

Third party Everquest map viewer Mappie
EQ Wiki Maps and Cartography
EQ Wiki Everquest Mapping Standards
Trappin's updated Luclin (work in progress) maps at Mediafire - Bundled when completed.


paint samples


Select line, text and label size conventions and colors. Primary colors preferred.


General - colors:

zone wall borders = black (0, 0, 0)
building / house walls = black (0, 0, 0)
water = Blue (0,0,255)
grass = Green (0, 127, 0)
hills and plateau = dark tan (127, 64, 0)
ramps on single layer maps = white (255, 255, 255)
paths/roads outside towns = light tan (240, 127, 0)
zone lines, teleport gnomes, statue and pads = purple (127, 0, 127)
mobs locations (hostile) general = dark red (127, 0, 0)
named mobs = orange (255, 64, 0)
player camps / safe area ( exp and such) = white (255, 255, 255)
traps = yellow (240, 240, 0)
ground spawn (GS)= cyan / light blue (0, 240, 255)
epic (E-name-class) = pink (255, 0, 255) Class10_name example: Rng10 for Ranger 1.0
place names ( bank, tavern, armory, brewery) = white (255, 255, 255)
other = teal


NPC - colors:

Merchant general = black (0, 0, 0)
Merchant crafting = black (0, 0, 0)
Tasks = light green
Bankers = black (0, 0, 0)

NPC - labels: size small / medium / large

merchant general = small
merchant crafting = small
tasks = medium
bankers = small
zone connections = large
mobs locations (hostile) general = small
named mobs = medium
player camps ( exp and such) = small
ground spawn = small
traps = small
epic (E-name-class) = medium
place names (tavern, armory, brewery = small

color window palette


Edited, Nov 25th 2013 8:42am by Trappin
#2 Nov 18 2013 at 5:22 PM Rating: Excellent
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I like using abbreviation for things like Ground Spawn, I do GS_name, and Epic parts as Class10_name 15 20 etc like Rng10 for Ranger 1.0 epic mob / encounter. Trying to reduce the space used. Some multi-location ground spawns, I use just the name abbreviated, like PC for permafrost crystals, and TS for toadstools.

Just something to think about.

Also, I've been planning on finishing up some map line drawn icons for teleport pads, specifically for BoT and having them numbered. It's the only reason I haven't uploaded my custom BoT map to mapfiend, is because I haven't finished them and put them in.

Yther Ore.
#3 Nov 18 2013 at 5:28 PM Rating: Good
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Honestly, the biggest issue for me is that the map use a color that actually has some contrast. There are some absolutely awful maps out there that are still the default if you download a full map pack from eqmaps (or whatever it's called now). Returning recently (and having to completely reinstall everything), I was incredibly annoyed to find certain maps still so bad (Yeah, I'm looking at you HoH! I mean, what was that person thinking?).

BoT is pretty bad too. Actually, I think that most of the PoP era maps are pretty poor. Not sure why though.
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#4 Nov 18 2013 at 5:29 PM Rating: Good
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MapFiend no longer updates maps, not since sometime last year. Please upload one or more of your maps to dropbox, or whatever site you prefer. There is also another method for redrawing large lines of color code, try using Notepad++ (open source) and select "search" then "replace"

Notepad++ example:

Find what: 0,0,0
Replace with: 235, 235, 235

http://i41.tinypic.com/2uqdlw8.png

Notepad++


Edit: There is a problem with the way mapfiend handles the grid location .txt files and those files may cause other layer files to go bonkers.

http://www.mapfiend.net/map/katta is one example of the grid location colors ruining the display

Edited, Nov 22nd 2013 1:13pm by Trappin
#5 Nov 19 2013 at 7:39 AM Rating: Good
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I pulled in the mappack from map fiend and was like, omfg, CR looks like a bag of Skittles vomited up this map -- the dayglow colours seriously make the monkeys in my pants scared. I'm all for standards, but keep it real; less truly is more.

Edited, Nov 19th 2013 8:41am by nekokirei
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#6 Nov 19 2013 at 5:27 PM Rating: Excellent
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Trappin's map work on Luclin has been invaluable (as an aside).

Maps that use the height filter intelligently win! (A lot remaining on mapfiend fail...).

water blue
grass green
terrain in browns (vary if there is a necessary feature in the zone to show, like the pit in Overthere).
roads and "human" made things like buildings black
npc of note black

Named mobs, or hostile mob camps of note in red

Oddbally quest stuff, groundspawns and such could be the really light blue... usually when you want these you know the general area so you don't need the label screaming at you, just there if you look closely.

Orange text can be used for odd notes if needed... such as "click bookcase" on the unrest map would have saved me a lot of time the first time I was there...

If portals are purple... then do all zone lines, pok books, translocator gnomes, ldon magus, spire labels, etc. in purple. So purple is transport.

In populated areas I like all the labels (like merchants) to be small font size. It is handy if the banker is in slightly higher size... if find doesn't work in the zone.
#7 Nov 22 2013 at 2:20 PM Rating: Good
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I've updated the mapping color and label standards and applied them to a new Umbral Plains test map here https://www.mediafire.com/folder/725c9l6cd0syf/Everquest%20Maps

Edited, Nov 23rd 2013 8:11am by Trappin
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