[Freeciv-Dev] Re: (PR#8632) Easy way to set map size with auto ratios (seteables if desired)

["Jason Short" <jdorje@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

<URL: http://rt.freeciv.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=8632 >

Mike Kaufman wrote:
> <URL: http://rt.freeciv.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=8632 >
> 
> On Thu, Jun 03, 2004 at 11:47:49AM -0700, Jason Short wrote:
> 
>>This doesn't work at all in iso maps though.  If you set your map up as 
>>an 80x50 what you really get is a 113.1371 x 35.3553 map.  This is why 
>>if you use the default settings with an iso-map you get a hideously 
>>(unplayably?) wide, short map.
> 
> 
> um, I expect 80x50 to be roughly what I see on the screen:
> 
> /\/\/\/\
> \/\/\/\/
> /\/\/\/\
> \/\/\/\/
> 
> would be what I consider a 4x2 map for iso.

  X X X X
   X X X X
  X X X X
   X X X X

This map is 8x4 if measured in "natural" coordinates (4x2 is also a 
reasonable description).  But there are 16 tiles on this map.  So you 
can't have it both ways.  Either size or aspect must be wrong if you use 
integer values.

The above map is 4x4 in native coordinates.  This is the method 
currently used.  It is like the 8x4 natural system but compressed 2x in 
the X direction.

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It would be possible to have "scaled natural coordinates" that are like 
natural coordinates but scaled to have the correct size.  The problem 
with these is that they're irrational, so you have to round off and you 
end up with small rounding errors.  In these terms the above map would 
be a (4S, 2S) map where S = sqrt(2).  So the user would set the map up 
as (5,3) (aiming for 15 tiles) but (after one value is multiplied by S 
and the other is divided, and both are rounded) would end up with a map 
whose native dimensions are 4x4 (16 tiles, 2:1 ratio).

Another example is the 80x50 map.  This is translated to a 57x71 
"native" map which has about an 8.03:5 ratio and 4047 total tiles.

Is this method better?

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Note that every other civilization game (AFAIK) uses a one-dimensional 
size value rather than providing xsize, ysize values.  I don't remember 
anyone ever complaining about this being too simplistic.

jason