galactic map display mode

[Galactic map proposals]

Hi everyone,
I wanted to talk about the galactic map, as for me, it becomes a major issue once the number of known systems exceeds 150.

I understand that creating a true 3D map of the galaxy would be complex, would add a lot of dependencies, and wouldn't necessarily make things more interpretable. After all, system connections aren't always perfectly correlated with real distances.

I've thought about it, and I have a few proposals for how we could enhance the map without needing to move to full 3D:

1. Multiple Maps
If the player could store and switch between several maps, they could highlight different regions of the graph-space to align better with system connections or restricted distances. This could also work well with system icon size adjustments (see below).

2. System Icon Size Alteration
If players could adjust the size of system icons, they could compress nodes and reduce the visual clutter on the map. For instance nodes with degree 1-2 could be made smaller as they are non-essential to understand network topology.

3. Subgraph Collapsing
Players could group several systems into clusters and collapse them into a single large node. This node would maintain all external connections that the original systems had. An expand/collapse button would allow toggling the view as needed.

(More Esoteric Ideas)

4. Toroidal Map
Toroidal graphs form a much larger class than planar (spherical) graphs. There's no need to go into 3D: a toroidal map can still be displayed on a square. If you've played Civilization, it's similar to east-west wrapping, but with the ability to wrap north-south as well (and, just for fun, you could even imagine a Klein bottle visualization).

5. Non-Straight Connections
Allowing connections to be curved instead of straight would give more degrees of freedom when laying out the graph. There are many methods for drawing smooth convex curves through sequences of points.

6. Multi-Layered Maps
This idea is similar to (1), but more advanced: players could look at different 2D projections ("layers") of the galaxy graph. Small markers or squares could indicate transitions between layers. The projections wouldn't have to cover the entire galaxy perfectly (that would be pain in ass), but rather could be partial, showing manageable subsets and exist along with the common map.

All of these ideas can be combined — for example, multi-layered projections (6) could be toroidal (4) at the same time.

I'd love to hear your feedback — especially Steve's! 

[nakorkren]

My priorities in using the galaxy map are "Understand relative position of systems i.e. topology" and "Reduce the amount of time I, the player, spends maintaining the map in a way that facilitates the former"

1. Multiple maps - I think this just makes more work to maintain multiple maps.

2. System Icon Size Alternation - I really like this. Make system icons smaller if they're non-important from a galaxy topology perspective. You might want to modify that by checking the system's importance to the player or other NPCs in some way. Probably just let the player override it to set icon size manually if desired, for instances when your homeworld is on a cul-de-sac etc. As a bonus, this is probably the easiest for Steve to implement, meaning it's much more likely than the other ideas to get done.

3. Subgraph Collapsing - Most of the maps I've played don't lend themselves well to this. Particularly since jumps are instantaneous and it's really the distance within systems that causes the travel time.

4. Toroidal Map - This could help reduce line crossings to some extent, and is relatively intuitive, since Civ players learned to interpret it fairly well.

5. Non-Straight Connections - Might allow reduction in crossings, at the expense of significant additional manual work.

6. Multi-Layered Maps - This makes my head spin a little. I can sort of visualize how this could work/look, but see my point in item 3 above, plus sounds like lots of work to maintain.

Please don't take any of my feedback personally, as I love that you're thinking about this problem! Of all of these, I think item 2 has the most potential.

[Steve Walmsley]

You have posted suggestions for a fix without explaining the problem. Could you explain what you are trying to accomplish with the map and why you are running into problems

For example, the images below are from a recent campaign with almost 300 systems. I have had 500+ system maps in the past without issue. Otherwise, I would have made changes myself

[Zap0]

I keep getting cross-connections across the map that would take me hours to resolve by manually shuffling around systems and then getting used to the new layout. I don't have a utility to screenshot it all, but this is the most busy section of a 1.11 random stars game with defaulty mapgen settings and 92 systems charted.

Now what I really need (aside from an automatically arranged map of any sort) is the ability to use the same layout for different races - keeping a map straight between several Earth factions that use the same frame of reference is a trying exercise.

[Steve Walmsley]

I keep getting cross-connections across the map that would take me hours to resolve by manually shuffling around systems and then getting used to the new layout. I don't have a utility to screenshot it all, but this is the most busy section of a 1.11 random stars game with defaulty mapgen settings and 92 systems charted.

Now what I really need (aside from an automatically arranged map of any sort) is the ability to use the same layout for different races - keeping a map straight between several Earth factions that use the same frame of reference is a trying exercise.

Arranging complex maps is still easier for humans than computers. There are too many variables, including your own view of which systems are important, or need to be located close to each other. Plus different people have different ideas of how a map should be arranged (should the systems be in a grid for example, should curved lines be allowed or corners, etc.)

Copying coordinates from one race to another for the same systems is straightforward in programming terms, but its unlikely that all the systems would be shared so only some would move, leaving the rest out of place. You would also need code to keep it up to date. Given its a fairly niche request, it isn't likely to happen due to other priorities. However, it would be straightforward for you (or an AI) to write some SQL to do it.

[paolot]

I like a weird galaxy. 
I can imagine it is a result of natural processes that cannot be controlled.

[oleg pokemon]

You have posted suggestions for a fix without explaining the problem. Could you explain what you are trying to accomplish with the map and why you are running into problems

For example, the images below are from a recent campaign with almost 300 systems. I have had 500+ system maps in the past without issue. Otherwise, I would have made changes myself

When i find dormant jump points that are game-changing (for instance those that make a distant regions of space close to the metropoly) it can really require a ton of time to resolve, and with each one it's harder. Keeping the systems involved far apart on a map just breaks down my logistical intuition

[oleg pokemon]

Arranging complex maps is still easier for humans than computers. There are too many variables, including your own view of which systems are important, or need to be located close to each other. Plus different people have different ideas of how a map should be arranged (should the systems be in a grid for example, should curved lines be allowed or corners, etc.)

Copying coordinates from one race to another for the same systems is straightforward in programming terms, but its unlikely that all the systems would be shared so only some would move, leaving the rest out of place. You would also need code to keep it up to date. Given its a fairly niche request, it isn't likely to happen due to other priorities. However, it would be straightforward for you (or an AI) to write some SQL to do it.

Actually, I could make a demo-gui to show what I mean when i say about creating map slices (which can be made completely optional), would you be interested in incorporating this feature as a aproved mod or patch in that case? (and in case it looks nice)