Clicky maps and how they affect mapmaking

[natty dread]

So I've been hearing rumours that clickymaps will be implemented as a site feature some time in the near future.

I wonder how this will affect mapmaking. Will territory names still be required on maps? Can we perhaps, in the future, make increasingly complex/large maps when we don't need to worry about territory labels cluttering the map?

Discuss.

[Evil DIMwit]

The only way I see around the territory name requirement is if it showed up when you moused over the territory, and even then I don't know how well that'd work out. We still need to be able to identify territories for spoils and such.

[natty dread]

Yes, I'm not totally convinced myself that we should allow maps without territory labels. Just thought it was an intriguing idea worth discussing.

[AndyDufresne]

Maps without region labels sounds like it would just add confusion and difficulty, given that I often look over the whole of the map when making my turn.

=================

Clickable Maps site-wide may make it so you can have those 'complex/nearly identical' region names, since they won't appear side by side in a drop down menu. Though I'd still avoid those too!


--Andy

[MrBenn]

I don't foresee clickable maps replacing the need for territory names - people still need to be able to communicate with teammates or opponents to discuss strategy or diplomacy options.

[ender516]

I have often thought that it would be nice to have popup tips that appear when you hover over various parts of a map. Could this be implemented along side the clickable maps feature?

[sherkaner]

Yeah, that isn't too hard to do. BOB does it slightly differently, displaying extra information somewhere else when you hover over a territory. I think I'd prefer the second for longer bits of information.

[ender516]

I tend to agree with you, but the problem with putting it somewhere else is that it can't be too far away or it won't be on the screen at the same time as the piece of map you're pointing at. This leads to competition for real estate next to the map, and we know that leads to a lot of muttering about where the statistics should be, or the list of players, or the title that includes the tournament name, or....
Undoubtedly it would be more work, but giving the user the choice of where the information appears is preferable.

[FattyMcFat]

What about just adding a grid to the map? So that the XML would be coded with regions denoted as A1, A2, B1.., ZZ99. Perhaps every single grid wouldn't have a territory, but it would allow clicky maps to be made w/out territory names cluttering the map image.

EDIT

Also, to create maps with regions closer together, a more complex grid would need to be utilized.

[MrBenn]

I tend to agree with you, but the problem with putting it somewhere else is that it can't be too far away or it won't be on the screen at the same time as the piece of map you're pointing at. This leads to competition for real estate next to the map, and we know that leads to a lot of muttering about where the statistics should be, or the list of players, or the title that includes the tournament name, or....
Undoubtedly it would be more work, but giving the user the choice of where the information appears is preferable.

Having re-read this, there's no real reason that some sort of tooltips could be coded in with additional instructions... I'll add this to the list of things to consider for Map information Pages

[MrBenn]

Back on topic:

What about just adding a grid to the map? So that the XML would be coded with regions denoted as A1, A2, B1.., ZZ99. Perhaps every single grid wouldn't have a territory, but it would allow clicky maps to be made w/out territory names cluttering the map image.

EDIT

Also, to create maps with regions closer together, a more complex grid would need to be utilized.

Maps like The Hive fulfil that niche to a certain extent, although:

I don't foresee clickable maps replacing the need for territory names - people still need to be able to communicate with teammates or opponents to discuss strategy or diplomacy options.

[RedFlyingGolf]

Labels make maps way easier to understand, even if they could be clicked

[40kguy]

So I've been hearing rumours that clickymaps will be implemented as a site feature some time in the near future.

I wonder how this will affect mapmaking. Will territory names still be required on maps? Can we perhaps, in the future, make increasingly complex/large maps when we don't need to worry about territory labels cluttering the map?

Discuss.

yes you will need games becuase when you play dubs sometimes you need to tell your parnther where to deploy and so on

[ender516]

So I've been hearing rumours that clickymaps will be implemented as a site feature some time in the near future.

I wonder how this will affect mapmaking. Will territory names still be required on maps? Can we perhaps, in the future, make increasingly complex/large maps when we don't need to worry about territory labels cluttering the map?

Discuss.

yes you will need games becuase when you play dubs sometimes you need to tell your parnther where to deploy and so on

Well, yes, the regions will still have names in the XML, and presumably they will appear when you point at the troop number. So the name will still be there and you can still type that into your team game chat. I think natty was wondering whether the text labels would still have to be on the map, as they are now, visible at all times, without pointing, hovering or clicking. I would hazard a guess that they might not need to be as legible or complete as they are now. For example, the Baseball map might only label general areas like, say, Deep Center Field (the area around Willie), with the precise names (say, Deep Center Field 01 to Deep Center Field 10, and Fly to Deep Center Field) only showing in the log or when pointed at, hovered over, or clicked. (Please note, I have just made up these names for a quick example. I don't know what Evil DIMwit has in mind.)