improving planetside 2's strategic map

7/28/2019 Improving Planetside 2's Strategic Map

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[Suggestion with Mock-Ups]

Improving Planetside 2's 'Strategic Map'[RPS] Cooper -- VS -- Miller

Summary: Five changes to the map at a large scale (when fully 'zoomed out') to increase

the amount of usable information for strategic decision making.

Below are 5 steps suggested to change this to increasethe amount of usable information in thestrategic map (when zoomed out fully) and at the same time reduce the amount of visualcomplexity.

It is based upon cartography design that abstracts and simplifiesthe representation of informationas scale increases.

For the impatient the first image is an example of the final product. It is not expected you wouldhave all layers visible like this, so it does look cluttered. At the end of this document are someexample of what it looks like with various layers of information switched off.

Full Mock Up of a Section(See the end of the document for less 'cluttered' examples with layers turned off)


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Step 1: Change the lattice links to a Tube Map styleUsing the iconic tube map style and making the links followg common roads/paths between basesto increase the information in this layer.

The usable information available changes from Where to go next to Where to go next and howto get there


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Step 2: Add roads as a layerRoads are currently only visible as part of the satellite imagery. As such they suffer from beingindistinct in many places.

Picking them out is an important step in increasing the amount of information easily available onthe map.


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Step 3: Add contours as a layerContours (lines denoting changes in elevation) are currently very faintly visible as part of thesatellite imagery.

Even more than roads they are very indistinct. Moreover they are only properly visible whenzoomed in, yet contour information if most useful when viewing large areas of the map at once.

This info can really help drivers and pilots in particular (elevation and cover) and anyone planningan approach on a location.

If you look closely, contours are visible as veryfaint lines on existing 'satellite imagery' that formsthe basis of the map.


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Step 4: Remove the satellite imagery base layer whenzoomed out and replace it with building outlines.

Satellite imagery is very information-rich. However this information is increasingly difficult to pickout the larger the area that is being viewed on the screen at once.

When zoomed in on Planetside 2s map the satellite imagery is exceptionally useful for navigatingterrain and buildings.When zoomed out in Planetside 2s map the satellite terrain imagery offers a lot of visual noisefor very little information.

Currently, certain layers (Lattice connections, territory control colours etc.) become more opaqueas you zoom in on the map. This is a very nice feature. The feature could be reversed for thesatellite imagery and replace it with a much more simple layer that contains block colour,shorelines and sea and outlines of buildings.

Moreover, doing this reduces the visual noise if more information such as roads and contour lines

can be added.


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Step 5: Replace hotspots with front lines and remove regionalboundaries.

The black outlines for regions that appear offer no useful information now that hex adjacency hasbeen replaced with the lattice system. Instead, outline only territorial ownership.

Additionally, replace the current hotspots with front line hexes to better integrate informationabout current areas being fought over into the existing maps grammar.


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Example of alternative views with optional layers1. Without lattice, facility icons or territorial control

2. Without contours or roads


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FeasibilityAll of the steps in this suggestion use information that is currently part of the map andmechanisms that are already part of client-side UI drawing. Contour lines already exist; whateveralgorithm that produces them as part PS2's map base textures could produce them as a separate

layer that, like lattices, become more transparent as you zoom in. The same for buildings, if youlook on the base map textures buildings are picked out in a blueish-white 'halo'. Whateverproduces this effect could place the effect on a separate layer. Hexes and hotspots are already partof the base map design. Finally there is already a very good system for increasing the transparencyof layers (lattice lines, territory ownership, enemy activity etc.) as the user zooms in. Simplyreversing this the increase the transparency of the 'satellite imagery' base layer and showinginstead a much simpler layer with a base colour, shorelines and buildings should be possible.

AcknowledgementsTo Reddit user Aetrion for the 'subway style' lattice suggestion:http://www.reddit.com/r/Planetside/comments/1enb0k/some_ideas_to_improve_the_rushlane_mapTo Reddit user sumguy720 for the road highlighting mock-up:

http://www.reddit.com/r/Planetside/comments/1euo9b/please_allow_roads_to_be_highlighted_on_map/

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[RPS] Cooper.The most purple of giraffes.Outfit Leader of Rock, Planet, Shotgun. The Vanu outfit for the community of the Rock, Paper,Shotgun PC gaming website.9th July 2013www.rockplanetshotgun.com
http://www.reddit.com/r/Planetside/comments/1enb0k/some_ideas_to_improve_the_rushlane_maphttp://www.reddit.com/r/Planetside/comments/1euo9b/please_allow_roads_to_be_highlighted_on_map/http://www.reddit.com/r/Planetside/comments/1euo9b/please_allow_roads_to_be_highlighted_on_map/http://www.rockplanetshotgun.com/http://www.reddit.com/r/Planetside/comments/1euo9b/please_allow_roads_to_be_highlighted_on_map/http://www.reddit.com/r/Planetside/comments/1euo9b/please_allow_roads_to_be_highlighted_on_map/http://www.rockplanetshotgun.com/http://www.reddit.com/r/Planetside/comments/1enb0k/some_ideas_to_improve_the_rushlane_map

improving planetside 2's strategic map

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