Map of the Fortnight: Main thread

[Beedok]

Originally Posted by Krall

It looks fine to me.

Okay. It probably won't win, but I wanted to do a close up satellite map of something, and that was the best I could manage.

[Iori]

I was gonna post this idea a few weeks ago but forgot.


Insane Proposals:
Show a map (fulfilled or not) of the world or a region showing insane proposals for border changes and annexations similar to those drawn up by the Axis.

[B_Munro]

JUST THE TWO OF US

Show a world in which humanity shares the planet with another fairly wide-spread intelligent species. They must have been aware of eachother's existence for at least a couple centuries, so no fair 1492 with American chicken-people. No magical-powered beings, although aliens, colonists from space/another dimension, or odd evolution is OK. PODs, of course, may go waaay back

FOR THE LADIES

With PODs after 1453 (the Modern Era), show a world in which Women's Liberation of some sort succeeded over much of the globe at least a century earlier than OTL.

QUITE A FEW, ACTUALLY

Show a world in which territories governed by the Pope (which need not be in Italy) are pretty formidable militarily. Let's put PODs after 1075, when the Investiture Controversy and the Pope-Emperor conflict kick into high gear.

Bruce

[B_Munro]

A few more:

ON THE RUN FROM THE SCIENCE POLICE

Maps from a world in which rather than Communism, Technocracy was the major 20th century alternate to liberal Capitalism.

THAT BUCK ROGERS STUFF

A world in which a great "Asiatic" (non-White, anyway) power has successfully conquered at least part of the USA - no fair using outlying bits like Hawaii or Alaska! PODs after US independence.

HOLY ROMAN EMPIRE, BATMAN!

Show a Europe as politically diverse and fragmented (and possibly oddly allied/envassaled/etc.) as possible, with PODs (to make it harder) after the French revolution. Atomic wars are not forbidden but are strongly discouraged. Using the Americas is a secondary option.

Bruce

[Martin23230]

Originally Posted by B_Munro

THAT BUCK ROGERS STUFF

A world in which a great "Asiatic" (non-White, anyway) power has successfully conquered at least part of the USA - no fair using outlying bits like Hawaii or Alaska! PODs after US independence.

A slight modification if I may:

Homefront - Make a map of an occupied nation from the point of view of the natives. They may be collaborators with the occupiers or committed resistance fighters, or just someone caught up in the middle.

I originally considered specifying the US (hence the title), but making a map of an occupied UK would be more interesting to me, then I thought why not branch it out?

If not then the ones that had the most backing that I would support would be either the Utopia/Distopia one (rather up in the air) or The Untied States).

[Krall]

Here's the list of suggestions I posted a few pages back. I still think all of these are good contest suggestions that generally allow for a wide variety of great maps.

Originally Posted by KCammy

The Scramble (Title will probably need reworking - I think something in Latin about greed would be fitting)

Make a map showing either; An area that has been "Scrambled for" in a very short period of time by multiple powers. This can be a succession of maps showing the scramble, a single map showing an area on the verge, during, or after the scramble, or a map showing the hastily drawn claim-lines.

For the game, for the world
Make a map showing a sports league, competition or championship from an alternate world.

Look Upon My Works, Ye Mighty, And Despair
Make a map showing a successfully built megastructure, either showing the structure itself, its location, or the political or social conditions that caused its construction.

A Union Made to Hold
Make a map showing a supranational union that managed to survive a time of troubles.

The Miracle
Make a map showing portraying a nation that has achieved an economic miracle and become an advanced economy that did not do so in OTL.

The Enemy of My Enemy
Make a map showing what happens when, instead of capitalists and socialists fight against fascists, this world has fascists and capitalists team up against the socialists.

The Gun is Our Government
Make a map showing a stateless region, the warlords / gangs / militias that maintain, or fail to maintain, a bit of order, economic activity and how it functions without state protection, etc.

[FDW]

Originally Posted by Krall

Here's the list of suggestions I posted a few pages back. I still think all of these are good contest suggestions that generally allow for a wide variety of great maps.

Let's do "For the game, For the World". It'd be a little different, and I've got something decent for it.

[tormsen]

Originally Posted by B_Munro

A few more:

ON THE RUN FROM THE SCIENCE POLICE

Maps from a world in which rather than Communism, Technocracy was the major 20th century alternate to liberal Capitalism.

Might be cool, as a more general variation:

The Other Side

Maps from a world where Capitalist Democracy confronts a major, universalist ideological rival bloc that is _not_ derived from the Communist or Fascist movements, nor from religious movements.

[Ares96]

I still support "The Enemy of My Enemy". If not, then "For the Game, For the World".

[Nusantara]

I like all of those except for "The Enemy of My Enemy", because all the other ideas sound more fun to make. IMO something like the enemy of my enemy has been done to death in noobish alt-ww2 timelines (which I am guilty of as well)

[Turquoise Blue]

A Union made to Hold.
It is one of the few that dont focuses on nations. This one focuses on supranational unions. I could always simplify it to "just make a map with a supranational union." and rename it United we Stand.

[B_Munro]

My favorites from the list:

A Union Made to Hold
Make a map showing a supranational union that managed to survive a time of troubles.

And

The Scramble
Make a map showing either; An area that has been "Scrambled for" in a very short period of time by multiple powers. This can be a succession of maps showing the scramble, a single map showing an area on the verge, during, or after the scramble, or a map showing the hastily drawn claim-lines.

(Sports leagues, hmm. I’m just not a big sports fan).

I rather liked this from Tormsen, especially the highlighted bit:

I'm wondering, we seem to have done a few alien-related ASB challenges, but we haven't done any crosstime, inter-TL related challenges. Considering how much fiction there is related to that sort of thing, it seems a bit odd. Some of the maps might come out a bit incoherant, but it might be worth considering.

Maps showing the colonization of an empty TL, or maps showing transport links between two TLs. Occupation zones of a particularly hostile Earth that had to be taken out by an intertemporal coalition. There's lots of possibilities.

And I still like my own:

A Looong TL A' Windin.'

Map of the world in 2011 AD...and all PODs must be before 500 AD. (All excessively convergent maps will be cast in The Bog of Eternal Stench, unless they are Really Clever). No Eternal Roman Empire, unless, again, you do something Really Clever.

Bruce

[Analytical Engine]

Originally Posted by B_Munro

A few more:

ON THE RUN FROM THE SCIENCE POLICE

Maps from a world in which rather than Communism, Technocracy was the major 20th century alternate to liberal Capitalism.

Want this one.

EDIT:

We Came In Conquest, For All Mankind!

Humans are the "evil invading aliens(TM)" for a change. Show a map of a human invasion of an alien world/colony, or at least part of it. Attacks on indepedent human colonies by the EMPIRE OF MAN!(TM) are permitted.

[My Username is Inigo Montoya]

A Looong TL A' Windin.'

Map of the world in 2011 AD...and all PODs must be before 500 AD. (All excessively convergent maps will be cast in The Bog of Eternal Stench, unless they are Really Clever). No Eternal Roman Empire, unless, again, you do something Really Clever.

And I still support this one. I would alter the terms slightly: map of the world or of one or several continent(s) between 1980 and 2020 AD, PoD must be between 1000 BC and 1 AD.

[Krall]

Originally Posted by B_Munro

(Sports leagues, hmm. I’m just not a big sports fan).

I tend to hate sports myself, but I wouldn't mind coming up with an alternate sport and making a map of a sports league or championship. It'd be something different, at least.

[Turquoise Blue]

Originally Posted by Iori

I was gonna post this idea a few weeks ago but forgot.


Insane Proposals:
Show a map (fulfilled or not) of the world or a region showing insane proposals for border changes and annexations similar to those drawn up by the Axis.

I like this one.
Maybe call it The Product of a Demented Mind.

[Martin23230]

Originally Posted by B_Munro

A Looong TL A' Windin.'

Map of the world in 2011 AD...and all PODs must be before 500 AD. (All excessively convergent maps will be cast in The Bog of Eternal Stench, unless they are Really Clever). No Eternal Roman Empire, unless, again, you do something Really Clever.

***WARNING - THESIS ON MAPPIST/TIMELINIST DIVIDE - CONCLUSIONS MAY VARY***

Honestly, I don't like this one as it burs the line between "Map of the Fortnight" and "Timeline/Scenario of the Fortnight". I must admit that this is an issue that has come to mind a couple of times. I would think that the MotF's I've won have been on the strength of the maps I've made, not necessarily the timeline behind them. Of course it's a consideration, but I see the topic as a very brief framework on which to build a map. On the other hand you get people submitting a UCS basemap that fits the specifications and all perfectly well, and often has more thought into the background than any of mine do, but it looses to a shiny textured map made in Inkscape.

I don't want to cause a civil war here, but there is often a clear split. A Looong TL is very much a Timelinist scenario, as opposed to say For the Game which I would consider a Mappist scenario. I would of course consider myself clearly on the Mappist side, but I am aware of the issues.

If I may give a recent scenario: consider MotFs 44 and 45:

MotF 44: The North-South Divide. A very Timelinist scenario - narrow, you had to put a lot of work into the back story.
Entries: 4 (*)
Votes: 37
All but one (i.e. 3) of the maps were the basemap/paint combination. I would have to say when it comes to a straight fight Bruce is unbeatable in this regard, so of course he gets nearly 50% of the votes. For that one we had to have an extension, and we still got comments like "Entries seem kind of lack-luster this time around" and "not the best maps ever done".

(*) I should note for fairness that I planned to enter but I was busy going to University. I still didn't like the scenario, and was sort of glad I didn't have time to be honest...

MotF 45: Alternate Soviet Union. A very Mappist senario - wide, lots of scope.
Entries: 13
Votes: 85
Yes there were some Paint maps, but some that clearly weren't. The top three (Myself, Kaiphranos and GodRaimundo) were the only three not made in Paint. They got over 75% of the votes.

Now, this isn't supposed to be a Paint vs Inkscape battle, but MotF has always been decided on map first, timeline second. Nothing we can do about that, it's the nature of a public poll. I fear if you chose something narrow like A Looong TL you will get many less entries than if you do For the Game, and that would be bad for the contest. Certainly you wouldn't have me - I enter on the basis of the map, I'm not going to make a proper near two millennia of backstory when the map should be the focus.

[Kaiphranos]

Originally Posted by Martin23230

***WARNING - THESIS ON MAPPIST/TIMELINIST DIVIDE - CONCLUSIONS MAY VARY***

Some interesting thoughts here.

I would suppose that the ideal map would be both visually striking and have a compelling story behind it. I am probably a borderline Mappist, in that I tend to give more weight in my consideration to the visuals, but a well-thought-out or intriguing scenario is certainly worth some points to me.

So I guess a good contest proposal would be one which can appeal to both sides--JaneStillman's version of A Long TL seems like a step in the right direction, as it allows the Mappists a little more freedom by not specifying a world map.

However, my vote is for the sports one next--sports is not my strong suit, but the rest of my October is looking pretty busy so I probably won't have time to enter anyway...

Side note on MotF 44: In retrospect, I think part of the problem may have been not just that it was a Timelinist scenario, but that it was difficult even for that. Hemisphere-wise, the north has a distinct advantage...

And just to be picky... my map for that one was actually done in GIMP, since the odd basemap I wanted to use wouldn't have worked as well in Paint.

[Krall]

I've previously stated that I'd rather MotF was about maps, not about timelines, but I'm not going to try and restrict what criteria people may use to vote. As a map-maker myself I tend to lean towards challenges with a "mappist" bent since those are the ones that I could see myself entering - those are the ones that intrigue and entertain me as a mapmaker - so I would assume that other mapmakers would have similar feelings and so we would get more and better entries than a "timelinist" scenario.

I guess this is why I don't like "A Looog TL A' Windin'"; it requires a lot of work in terms of the timeline, which, to a map maker, is a lot less interesting than the map itself. It's too much work and too much hassle for a fortnightly contest, in my opinion.

Originally Posted by Kaiphranos

Side note on MotF 44: In retrospect, I think part of the problem may have been not just that it was a Timelinist scenario, but that it was difficult even for that. Hemisphere-wise, the north has a distinct advantage...

But it didn't specify northern/southern hemisphere - I knew that was ridiculous, so I said the two sides only had to be generally north/south of one another.

[B_Munro]

I'd say you have a point - the thing about AH maps I like is the world-building, not so much the fine art aspects of it. Not that I can't appreciate a nice-looking map: I am quite happy that my maps look better than they used to - but it's probably why I have never graduated from basic paint - it's ultimately the message rather than the medium that's more important, so to speak.

Bruce