Difference between revisions of "Map Submissions"

Revision as of 22:14, 17 November 2012

  So, you've decided that you want to make a map for one of our many areas, but
  where do you begin? In the attempts to provide a clear and concise set of maps
  to help adventurers traverse the World of Jord, it's important to understand
  and comply to a few basic standards so that everyone can quickly and easily
  use the information that is supplied by people just like you. Below are some
  simple guidelines to help you maximize the potential of your idea while keeping
  consistent with some easily recognizable standards. Please take some time to
  browse them before you begin creating your map. If you have any question that
  aren't addressed in part or completely regarding the creation and submission
  of area maps, then please don't hesitate to direct your questions and concerns
  to the immortal staff or the caretaker of the maps archive.

I. Submission Avenues

  Map Quests

  On occasion, the need to update or create maps for existing or new areas comes
  about, and an immortal or two may provide a special occasion to submit a map
  for said area or areas. Quests allow players like yourself to provide a valuable
  service to the game we all love while receiving a reward for your time and efforts.
  This generally requires the player or players to perform a task or set of tasks in
  return for the right or ability to submit a map. This may take form in a variety of 
  ways, and neither one is guaranteed at any one time. Also, please be understand that 
  merely entering the quest does not always entitle a player or character to provide 
  maps - that is dependent upon the quest and the immortal(s) administering the quest. 
  While we here at SlothMUD don't typically provide equipment as a reward for map 
  submissions, we do provide alternatives that will help you in your adventures. 
  Examples of such rewards may be but are not limited to:

      1. Godlevel Sanctuary Potion(s)
      2. Drachma Rewards
      3. Character Attribute Reroll
      4. Use of a Special Item (i.e. Holy Hand Grenade)

  Player Submissions

  Over time, the World of Jord changes and may or may not resemble the world that
  it once did. Sometimes areas get updated and may no longer contain complete or
  valid information. When this happens, adventurers are bound to spot the changes.
  Should you find this to be true, you can always contact the immortal staff 
  regarding your interest to update a map or maps by simply contacting us directly
  by email or on the game. As the Immortal staff work hard to provide the best 
  game experience they can for all of you, it might, in many cases, be more pertinent
  to contact them through email using this address:

     wiki@slothmud.org

  Requests for Updates

  Occasionally, you may find that a map needs to be created or update, but you don't
  want to be the one to do it for any number of reasons. That's fine. Simply feel
  free to contact us at the following email address below or ingame, and we will be 
  sure to check it out. We certainly thank you for your requests.

     wiki@slothmud.org

  The Update Agenda

  We here at SlothMUD realize that some maps need to be updated. Some areas have yet 
  to be mapped at all. whatever the reason, we have identified several maps that need 
  to be provided or updated to better represent the game and our revised level of 
  standard. Please ne mindful, however, that occasionally the decision to forego a
  standard or guidelines may be made, but that does not mean we won't continue to
  require adherence to existing standards. The following maps currently are slated
  for updating or creation, and are in no particular order:

  1. The Temple of Neptune
  2. The Sieged Castle
  3. Cavern of Star City
  4. Caverns of the Matterhorn
  5. Ch'ung Kuo 

II.GUIDELINES

  So, now you've contacted the Immortal Staff and you're ready to start creating
  your map. You think you've got a good handle on where everything is in your area,
  and what sort of things are contained therein. Well, before you start, metaphorically 
  putting the quill to the parchment, you are going to want to know ahead of time what
  is likely to be accepted and what is not. After all, you don't want to pour your soul 
  into a map only to start over, right? Neither would we! So, please take some time to
  become familiar with the guidelines outlined below. A word of note, however: keep in
  mind that these are guidelines and not rules. What this means is that you should try
  your hardest to adhere to the guidelines, but occasionally the guidelines will be be 
  averted in favor of something that may prove to be useful, aesthetically pleasing, or 
  of greater functional value. Again, these are things that are up to the discretion of 
  the Immortal staff. Otherwise, enjoy.

  Dimensions

  An important aspect of making maps is the question, "How big do I want to make my map?"
  Well, it's important to have a map that is large enough to see without enlarging it,
  but we also don't want a map that becomes fuzzy or distorted when we do decide to
  enlarge it. Moreover, we don't want to have to spend too much time scrolling over to
  see a portion of the map that we may need. As a general guideline, it's probably best
  to try to aim for maps that are around the 1200-1300 pixel wide range. Unless the map
  demands it, it's probably best to aim for a vertical dimension of around 800-900 pixels.
  IT's not necssary to aim for this if there's only ten rooms in the area you are mapping,
  and therefore you may wish to aim for something smaller. But if you have five hundred
  rooms in an area, we do ask that you respect the horizontal guideline. For vertical 
  adjustments, please take the time to view the section under Map Orientation.

  Map Orientation

  Don't you just hate it when you're exploring some place with your buddies, and the
  map on the website takes more time to manipulate than it would otherwise to just
  rush in unawares? Me too! After all, time is money and you've got gold to loot and
  enemy camps to pillage! But in all honesty, it's always nice to be prepared. One of
  the ways we can achieve this is by using proper orientation with our map making. Maps
  are only to be rectangular or square. Rectangles should be no more than 1200 to 1300 
  pixels wide (horizontal), but there are no current limits as to how long (vertical) a 
  map can be. In other words, we would rather maps need to be scrolled up and down to 
  see another portion rather than left and right (portrait style rather than landscape). 
  We, the Immortal Staff, do however ask you that if someone has to scroll more than 
  three pages to see all of your map, that you may wish to contact us about the issue 
  or shrink some of your map's content when possible while remaining relatively 
  consistent with the guidelines contained herein.

     1. Rectangular Orientation

  When deciding to orient your map in a rectangular fashion, you may find yourself wondering
  like many people how you should organize your content. By content, we mean to say, at this
  point, your rooms, room connections, and sections of the map itself. Generally, the best 
  way to organize your content with rectangular orientation is from side to side or top to 
  bottom. On the whole, the map should be centered around the point in the middle that is
  equidistant from every other point on the map unless this proves to be impossible for some
  peculiar reason. While it is possible to orient your content from corner to corner, we ask
  that you reserve that for portrait style maps.

     2. Square Orientation
  
  When attempting to make large maps, square orientation is the best way to approach map creation
  as it allows the sectioning of your map while staying consistent with the preferred scroll method,
  portrait style. Using this method, the organization of your content may be corner to corner, side 
  to side, or top to bottom. As with rectangular formatting, the map should be centered around the 
  midpoint, however the midpoint in this case refers to the midpoint of the page rather than the map
  itself. Again, content refers to rooms and room connections at this point.

  C. Spacing and Text

  Having determined which way you want your map to be oriented (rectangular versus square), you are
  now ready to start adding content to your map. The first thing to know is that in all the content
  that is on the page (text, images, legends, etc) should be surrounded, proportionally, by a 
  reasonable amount of space that has no content at all. In other words, there should be a well 
  defined border around everything and the content should never approach or touch the edge of the map. 
  This does not mean to say that you should draw a line around everything. In fact, we ask you that 
  you refrain from such things for the most part. Simply leave some space between the features of your
  map and the edge of the image itself that most anyone could, theoretically, draw an invisible border
  around. This is done for purely aesthetic reasons as well as to eliminate any possibility of lost 
  or otherwise indeterminate information.

  When using text to describe things like mobs, area features, and equipment you will want to use a font
  that is both easy to read and large enough for anyone to see well. A font that is too large takes up too
  much space and one that is small is hard to read. Also, overly stylistic fonts such as cursive fonts
  and fonts that that are too complex or otherwise "flowery" isn't a very good idea, perhaps. As a result,
  the suggested font size is at least a 12pt font with a wide, well defined line. Headings and the like
  should be bold and slightly larger than that any of the other general text. 
        a. Size
        b. Type
     3. Area Features
        a. Wandering Mobs
        b. Equipment
        c. Traps
        d. Quest Mobs
        e. Recall Locations
        f. Shopkeepers
        g. Terrain
  D. The Compass Rose
     1. Orientation
     2. Text vs Image
     3. Free Examples
  E. Use of Color
     1. Acceptable Colors
     2. Unacceptable Colors
     2. The Use of Contrast
     3. Backgrounds
        a. White
        b. Transparent
     5. Base Color
  F. Use of Images
     1. Black and White Images
     2. Color Images
     3. Image Size
     4. Multiple Images
  G. Legends and Tables
  H. Signatures

III. Additional Information

  A. Contact Information
  B. The visually Impaired
  B. Error Reporting