Distorting Maps

[Set]

Is there a standard method mapmakers use for distorting maps? By distorting I mean making one area of the map larger than it is in reality by 10-20%. I believe this was done in RFC to make Europe larger for instance. I'm thinking of making a map with such a distortion in place and a few things worry me. As well as the exact process of distortion is there some way to demo the effects? I'd hate to expand Korea only to realize that it now looks like Asia has a giant tumor growing on its east coast .

Thanks for any help.

EDIT: Oops, Wrong forum, requesting moderator move this to the C&C forum

EDIT2: Thanks mods!

Moderator Action: Moved to Civ4 C&C as requested. Good Luck.

 

[Leoreth]

It's true that the RFC map features an enlarged (Western) Europe, Britain and Japan were enlarged to an even higher degree.

Rhye talks a bit about the map creation process in the PDF manual accompanying RFC, but doesn't actually explain how exactly he enlarged Europe.

Most of it comes down to your general method of transforming a map image into an ingame map. At least as far as the coastlines are concerned, cropping your map to the exact area you want to cover and then overlaying a grid corresponding to your desired map dimensions does a decent job at that so that only few manual adjustments at certain positions are required. Of course you still have to be careful of what map projection you use for your underlying map because that can bring its own distortion, especially when you are creating a world map.

The only solution to distorting only specific portions of the map is then repeating the process for a part of your original map with a different (higher) grid granularity, then somehow integrating the result with your original ingame map.

The art to it lies in the process of smooth integration at the seams, and I don't think there is a general process to it. Search for a border region where the difference is least noticeable, and then try to make it look natural. Rhye's Europe seems pretty seamless but in fact Central and Eastern Europe are quite distorted, and it obviously stretches further west than in reality. It's easier when it's just islands of course.