For those of you creating new maps, I updated the 'Map Elements' page with a list of Do's and Don'ts that I will also post here:Do's:
Do take the time to make your switches look attractive! Most of the time spent on fixing maps is spent fixing switches and improving curves. Do take the time to test run trains on your custom map. There are many maps on the server which demonstrate the quality that is acheivable and expected. Trains should look smooth when going through curves and switches. Trains should not overlap on parallel trackage. Parallel tracks should look parallel, etc... Do add a 'city' label identifying the City/State of the map location. Do not confuse this label with the map name. We are looking for a real city/town name here, not a name used by the railroads. Do add text labels identifying major rivers, highways, and buildings, or anything else of particular interest. If you want to label an exit (e.g. 'To Chicago', etc...) make the sure it is a large well known city. The idea is that the line is going 'in the direction of Chicago', not that the next map is actually Chicago. There is no need to label the actual connecting map, since the connections may change over time, and the user can always use the North America map as well as clicking on the exit to see where it goes. When submitting trackwork, do label the exits in the format of: "1025:1" to represent a connection to map 1025, exit #1, for example. These will be removed before posting to the server, but are very useful in the meantime.
Don'ts:
Don't put text into a map image using a graphics editor. Use the text features provided in Yard Duty. Don't locate switches too close to the edge of the map. A player needs time to set the switch properly when entering the map at speed. When labeling buildings and industries, don't to cover them up to the point that the object labeled is no longer recognizeable. Try to avoid labeling over the tracks. It is preferable to place a label to the side of the tracks. Don't use text labels on your map to describe map operations. The best place to describe how the tracks are prototypically used is in the text info file. Label the tracks for the purpose of identification and describe them in the text file. People who are concerned with prototypical operations will read this file, and the map will remain uncluttered. Don't get mad when your map is modified. It is assumed that the mapmaker has no more knowledge of the location being created than the person modifying the trackwork (KingJPW). If you have personal knowledge of the trackage and are certain that every switch and every piece of track on your map is prototypical, please let me know so that I avoid changing it.
Thanks,
Jim
Yard Duty, The National Freight Yard Simulation - http://groups.msn.com/YardDuty
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