A bitmap-based map of the corresponding era can be displayed under the database generated stars. Route planning works more sophisticated with a single click on a planet. Geographic information and affiliations can be obtained. The map can be panned and zoomed as you like. It functions very much like Google Maps: a search box in the left upper corner with suggestions, a route planning panel under it, and descriptions in the right. The online has everything that the first two had, but it does not need anything other than an HTML5-capable web browser (that means no IE, but runs smooth in Chrome or Firefox). Phoenix Wolf: First of all, there are two third versions – mobile and online. Screenshot of the current map, complete with jump range, HPG range, route planner, and moreīobTheZombie: What is new in this version? Remember what the typical display sizes were in 2003? It was almost full screen that time. The second is fast, but cannot be resized to any display sizes. We still retain this version, because it is the only that can run offline. The second version was a Flash based thing. Fancy functions were never realized because of this version’s limitations. It could only display the map and search for a planet. Phoenix Wolf: The first version was almost unusable, because it was slow. The third, 2014 version was created exclusively by me, but it is based solely on their work.īobTheZombie: This is the third edition what were the other two like? The team dissolved after the second version. ), Endrosz (software architect, user interface, feature ideas, critics, route planning algorithm), Shadowhawk (cartographer, new planets, QA), GO Killer (cartographer, corrector of old maps, QA). Phoenix Wolf: The original ISCP team consisted of me (programmer, founder, nerving everybody with new ideas and schedules, etc. And, because to that I had to entirely reorganize the database, I decided to create an appropriate online version too.īobTheZombie: How many people are currently working on the ISCP? I stumbled into the nearly forgotten map database and after the Android app’s success I decided to port it into the app. In 2014 I reviewed all the site’s features: what can I transfer to the mobile platform and what will remain online-only. The Mech Factory is big, and there are always missing designs. The team also disassembled after the creation and we looked for other tasks. Trouble for us, programmers, trouble for the users. But it was Flash, and Flash means trouble. It had a route planner, descriptions, search and almost all the features we have today. The second version was a moderate success, lots of people loved it. Although ENCGAL is not a canon source, it is quite good. We reviewed and cleaned it, and integrated that database with ours. Somewhere at the end of development we found a table named Encyclopedia Galactica that had descriptions (mostly from the 3025 era) about most of the Inner Sphere’s planets. Cartographers that time used Photoshop and Excel to pinpoint locations it was tedious work. I created the second version’s Flash-based interface (with some expert help from Endrosz, who was also Commando that time), and during this time Shadowhawk and Killer took the map database, corrected it, mapped missing planets using 3063 official map files, and created affiliation information. We named it the Inner Sphere Cartography Project (ISCP), and started work. Shortly after the first map, I assembled a team of Mech Factory contributors to create a more sophisticated second version. I took the data and began building the first mapping system on php/javascript basis.Īlthough in some aspects the first version was a failure (technology at that time was unable to handle such a big map in a browser, making it very slow), it proved the concept to be viable. I thought that a better, usable internet-based map would be a great tool for BattleTech players – especially for those people, who –like my team- are playing BattleTech RPG (MechWarrior was the name at that time). That time we had only a deprecated 16 bit program and a text file with coordinates for 3025-era planets. Phoenix Wolf: An early idea to create an interactive stellar map of all known BattleTech worlds appeared around 2001. This was announced on their main page which includes an overview of its changes.įor more we asked MechFactory’s owner, Pheonix Wolf about the changes:īobTheZombie: How and when did this project get started? In September, MechFactory released a new and improved iteration of their ISCP, or Inner Sphere Cartography Project.
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