Ashland Central Route map test

[leeferr]

I was playing around with making some track maps of my towns on the Ashland Central and was wondering which of the 2 following maps is better.
You may not like either one of them. If so, feel free to say so. Suggestions are welcome

Mike

https://home.comcast.net/~Leeferr/AshlandCentral/watertown_terrain_map.jpg

https://home.comcast.net/~Leeferr/AshlandCentral/watertown_track_map.jpg

 

[reinaldo]

I prefer the first map as it gives a clearer indication of the surroundings.

 

[Forest_Runner]

Firstly Mike, both maps look good, but ultimately I guess it comes down to what you want it to show/display.

I believe the first map looks better, likewise for the reason of surroundings and better "feel" of the place.

Then again, I'm a bit of a map nut, so my view is most biased

Cheers,
Simon.

 

[jas4528]

Mike

I'm a little more simplistic, so the second one looks better to me. Also, you layouts have different gauge tracks. Can they be color coded. Like blue for NG and black of SG. Just an observation

Jack

 

[Dermmy]

I also thought the second - less cluttered, easier to spot the salient features. But stuff like this really does come down to individual taste....

Andy

 

[leeferr]

Thanks for the comments and thanks for the suggestion of color coding the SG vs. NG lines. I'll do that. I guess I can do the maps in both forms. Once I've done the first one, it's just a matter of copying and changing the color of the track to make it show up better. The yellow seems to be the best color for showing up on the terrain map.

I really started these maps to help me in planning some sessions, but then I thought that some members might also like some maps. If so, I'll try to get all towns on the route mapped for distribution. I have about half of them done already, but wanted some input before I proceeded much further. They take a bit of work to do, but I think they're worthwhile.

 

[leeferr]

surely there's more opinions out there than 4. Is there not any interest in maps? They come in pretty handy for me in planning, but I don't want to go to a lot of effort on them if there's no interest in them.

 

[jas4528]

what program are you using in making the maps. If you don't get enough response, i might want to use it anyway myself. Please

Jack

 

[leeferr]

what program are you using in making the maps. If you don't get enough response, i might want to use it anyway myself. Please

Jack

I make aerial screen shots, change them to a .tiff file and then import them into my CADD program. Then its just a matter of drawing the tracks and buildings in over the picture. Pretty simple, but time consuming. My CADD program is pretty expensive, but any CADD program that will import a picture file should work.

 

[jas4528]

Wow. I was hoping this would go places Mike. Sorry there seems to be no interest. It must be the season (holiday) i guess

Jack

I'm still interested and will always be!

 

[elgato]

I like both maps with a slight preference for the second one (the idea of color coding would be very useful).
When I download a route, I always check if there is a map included as I find it more interesting when you have a feeling of where you are going. I am essentially an engine driver who likes to enjoy the scenery. I find that route creators rarely include a map, which to me is very disappointing. They create routes which are often superb but do not give any indication as to where they are located, the length of the route, is it prototypical or imaginary, etc...
As I previously stated in a post in the old forum, the thing I miss the most about MSTS is that for practically every route you could find a Guide, a Map or some sort of tracks diagram.
Cheers,
Gilles

 

[leeferr]

My thoughts were to include an overall route map and yard maps with all of my future route uploads and to make maps available for the routes that I already have on the DLS, but there doesn't seem to be a lot of interest or comments. I'm sure that I'll include route maps, but the yard maps are a lot of work and I'm just not sure if I want to go to the effort if there's not much interest.

By the way elgato, thanks for the comment and Jack, if there's anything that you would like in particular, let me know and I'll try to help out.
Mike