I present you...

THE HEXAGONAL GRID PAPER!!! :eek: :goodjob: :clap: :worship: :bowdown: :woohoo: :bounce:
http://forums.civfanatics.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=244372&stc=1&d=1267157925
We all know Civ IV maps were easy to plan out, thanks to the readily available square-grid paper available in many places. Since that's no longer the case, I made this hexagonal grid as a tool for civ mapmakers, like me. This image is a .png @ 850 x 1100 pixels, best recommended for a letter-sized paper with maxed out margins. In order to use it, I advise you to convert the file to a .bmp & use a program allowing for a high zoom level.

I'll be looking forward to Civ V map concepts you may want to present.


EDIT: For now, I must clarify it would be for future Civ V mapmakers.

http://forums.civfanatics.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=244376&stc=1&d=1267161686

First attempt completed. Discuss.

The Program Campaign Cartographer 3 also provides hex grids. It could be useful for planning.

I personally prefer to have them doable on paper, as I can spend my non-computer spare time planning for Civ maps.

I would note that in the screenshots so far, hexes have direct east-west connections, not south-north so the hex graphs you've provided are kinda sideways, aren't they?

By the way, I'm still trying to imagine how it will be getting over the weirdness of having to move in zig zags when I want to go due north or south.

I would note that in the screenshots so far, hexes have direct east-west connections, not south-north so the hex graphs you've provided are kinda sideways, aren't they?

Rotate the paper 90 degrees. Actually, this might be right since most maps are wider than they are tall.

map makers will find this site (http://etc.usf.edu/maps/index.htm) useful as well.

Rotate the paper 90 degrees. Actually, this might be right since most maps are wider than they are tall.

Well, obviously. :rolleyes:

That doesn't help Dragonxander PR when he's started filling in the dots designing a map, unless he turns his map sideways, but I much prefer playing a map with north south being up down on the screen. ;)

Here it goes. Didn't thought much (or at all) about difference between plains and mountains and all that stuff. This isn't even a rough draft, because there isn't enough information yet to make one.

Of course, one thing we still need to know from Firaxis is the map sizes (well, one of many things).

I often used square-grid paper to make Civ IV map plans, & the map sizes didn't matter much; for I often made the maps by landmass regions (being continents & surrounding islands); & for the global perspectives, I had to split-up the map into a finer grid. I'll re-make my region practices with the image turned sideways & post my results.

@ Zomgmeister:

That draft looks really nice; but I'm already seeing a problem: Europe's available lands seem smaller than in the square-gridded maps; although it's likely due to the map projection in which you based the map.

If I understood you correctly (that you would draw the maps on the square grid and divide or expand those grids to adjust to the map dimensions? ...correct?), then I don't think that would work too well with a hex grid. I see how that could work with square though.

Myself, when I am planning out a map, CC3 makes it easy because you can draw the grid to the correct size for your planned map. You can just print out the grids if you want to hand draw the maps, but using the program itself is good because it is CAD based and scales in for more defined drawing (when working on large maps, that can be invaluable).

I am aware of that, but I at least find it easier to experiment on paper (heh, I'm used to the manual methods, since I like to draw maps in general).

I am with you there... I used to love drawing maps all of the time. But I have found that, more and more, I am prefering using a computer for that (writing too). My hands get cramped after a while using a pen or a pencil.

Wait, I'm not the only person who sits there and draws maps for no reason whatsoever? Awesome. I never made maps for Civ4, worldbuilder just seemed to difficult, but if they create a map editor for Civ5 (like many on the forum are requesting), i think I'll take the plunge. Besides, for being six to eight months out, the pics look gorgeous, and it could easily become better as development progresses. I'd love to see my maps brought to life in Civ5.

The real question is do you start to come up with stories or histories just based off the map you are drawing?

I think I have an idea, but that would be for another thread...

Anyways, back on topic, here's my 2nd sample; this time with the grid rotated 90º to the side:

http://forums.civfanatics.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=244454&stc=1&d=1267241119

I made a rough draft of a world map on a map four times the size of the grid in the first post.

You can see pretty clearly that the shapes of the continents look pretty sharp-edged.
My first impression of building maps with the hex grid isn't good, but maybe I'm just not used to it.

(Please ignore all the things that are missing (including a lot of islands :D) - the only thing that is supposed to be correct is the shape of the continents)

I made a rough draft of a world map on a map four times the size of the grid in the first post.

You can see pretty clearly that the shapes of the continents look pretty sharp-edged.
My first impression of building maps with the hex grid isn't good, but maybe I'm just not used to it.

(Please ignore all the things that are missing (including a lot of islands :D) - the only thing that is supposed to be correct is the shape of the continents)

Goddamnit, we're drifting towards Australia again *grabs an oar*

That draft looks really nice; but I'm already seeing a problem: Europe's available lands seem smaller than in the square-gridded maps; although it's likely due to the map projection in which you based the map.

Nah, this isn't a problem. It's all about scale — I put your “paper” and layed Robinson projection map of whole world under it, then made “paper” transparent and began to fill tiles with various shades. Seemed useless and boring to “hexify” whole world map this way, that's why I cut that rectangle.

If I began with using smaller map sample, scale could be really different, like in your images. But we have no idea yet about map sizes.


By the way, Firaxians, if you are reading this: please, please, please provide us with:

1. Information on default map sizes (and just tell us right away if the world is NOT round, because it is painful to speculate on this subject).
2. Information on climate system — which tiles are in? Grassland, plains, swamp, desert, et cetera, and what variations of them are in?

This isn't much, and we can begin true mapmaking right away after this.

Oh, and if (later) you will provide us with some utility able to import maps from graphic files, it would be beyond great. Of course, it is more difficult with hexes, but it is possible to create “standard paper” not unlike one presented in this thread. Just define a color for each tile type (hue — climate, brightness — altitude (or, if there is more sophisticated climate system in game, hue — humidity, saturation — temperature, brightness — altitude), for example. Discrete values of course.

And then mapmaking will be fun and fast.

I made a rough draft of a world map on a map four times the size of the grid in the first post.

You can see pretty clearly that the shapes of the continents look pretty sharp-edged.
My first impression of building maps with the hex grid isn't good, but maybe I'm just not used to it.

(Please ignore all the things that are missing (including a lot of islands :D) - the only thing that is supposed to be correct is the shape of the continents)

It seems Civ V mapmaking will progress quite well with mapmakers like you.

Oh, and if (later) you will provide us with some utility able to import maps from graphic files, it would be beyond great. Of course, it is more difficult with hexes,

Actually it is trivial to use a normal pixel graphic file to hexes with the normal 1 pixel = 1 tile.

All you need to understand it that every other row (or every other column, depending on which way the hexes are turned) will get shifted over half a tile-width.

See attached image. Yes those aren't exactly hexes in the bottom map-- i left them as squares because it was less work, and it's more obvious that i haven't pulled a bait and switch. Notice that each tile in the bottom map is surrounded by 6 others. You don't have to imagine very hard to see these as hexes.

Granted things get shifted around a little, but you can clean up any issues in Civ V-- assuming there will indeed be a way to import pixel images as the basis of maps