[REQ] Map distance measurement 'scales' !!

[vanjast]

While on my never-ending nav mod endeavour... another 'flaw' in SH4.. the map distance indicators...
The distance indicated in the pic below is ...eerrr.. very wrong, according to all Nautical sources. The correct distances are indicated.



My question is !!

Does anybody know where to control this 'Distance calculation scale' for the map ?
That's if this exists of course, and is not hard coded.

Correcting this is essential for navigating by Dead Reckoning and/or Navigation Logs.. besides Celestial navigation.

Thanks for any help

[Munchausen]

On the SH4 map, distance between longitude lines never changes. No convergence as you approach the poles. Ergo, I would assume that, even if you could correct the distance for one north-south latitude, it wouldn't be correct for any other.

[skookum]

That's wierd. The map is a mercator projection, which means the latitude scale doesn't change between the equator and the pole. Only the longitude scale changes. Theoretically, a slight change of map scale should rectify the problem. No?

[vanjast]

The SH4 map is a mercator 'equidistant' projection (the distortion of the land masses higher/lower up), where the distances make sense up to the 80 latitudes, but thereafter it's a bit of a wobbly. But as we never 'have' to go above such latitudes, we can get away with this.

I have tried this, cannot remember though but think the game does make the correct speed/distance adjustments when close to the poles.

I have played with the 'metres-per-pixel' on the map scales but this still has no effect on the indicated map tools distances - which is important for manual course plotting.

The Long/Lat grid on the map looks as if it's 'locked' into this distance calculation.
Just need to 'unlock it'

[Fincuan]

Distances measured are correct, but SH4 latitude degrees aren't 60nm. As you measured they're about 64.7 NM(119.8 km) throughout the map, which means we actually travel longer west-east distances ingame than in real life all the time. The further away from equator we are, the bigger the difference.

[vanjast]

'SH4 earth' looks to be slightly larger than Real Earth .. and scaled to to SH4 earth the 'distances are correct'. Now the trick is to scale the map (and game) to Real Earth so that all the documentation makes sense.

Did a quick measurement on the SH4 map... Latitude does not effect the distances measured, as mentioned earlier the map projection scales are 'equi-distant.


I think UBI mentioned that the devs went to painstaking lengths to ensure accuracy... Maybe they didn't have the time, or the right information.

[Pisces]

Ubisoft developers seem to live in a world of their own.

Their 'nautical mile' (WHOOPS, read: minute of degree) is 2km. (just like a minute of longitude in Sh3, since 1 degree is exactly 120km, proof is in the mission editor coordinate readout) 2000/1852m=1.079913607 Ofcourse, that doesn't say anything in itself. Until you multiply it with 60: 64.79481641.. which clearly looks like your measurement before a truncation.

[vanjast]

Man.. this is driving me nuts..

I've attempted to rescale the map, by shrinking it in PShop, played with all the zoom parameters and meters per pixel...etc. yet the distance per degree remains a consistent 64.7M ( I must give them credit for this :rotfl.

So trying another 'angle', I decide to check the physical disance travelled on the map.
10 Knots for 6 hours should give me 60M( or NM whatever this mileage is). I slowly increased the speed until I got a "Speed at 10 Knots SIRRR" as the Subs Telegraph also looks as if it's not that accurate..
The result is below.....
The starting point


The end point


Bang on 60M....

So they got this right... how on earth did they foul up the map...
This is a bad discovery... as it probably means I have to redo my Obs Scope sextant as all the Latitudes might be wrong....
@%%^&$$@#$%^%^^Y....

[vanjast]

Yayyyy I've been promoted to a Stinking Drunk in Trinidad... at last... ambition achieved...:rotfl:
Dammmm I'm now a Weps....Wot a wimp

[vanjast]

After 'much ado about nothing', after many attempts to rescale the maps..etc..
The 'Nautical Society' has decided to do it UBI's way (and throw 10000 years of sailing experience out the porthole) :-

- The world will now be made larger (gravity will remain unchanged )
- 60 Nautical miles will now be 64.7Nm (120,000 metres)
- So all your road signs, locations, etc... will be different by 8.955 percent.
(This is going to play havoc with the blind., but weight watchers will be pleased with increased sizes with no weight gains)

WELCOME TO UBIs WORLD...
:rotfl:

To summarise:
-------------
To rescale the map is easy enough. Changing this would require rescaling the whole game (I'm not going to rewrite this game - trust me ). So it would just be simpler to adapt to the game scales.

For the new navigators it's just a matter of understanding the principles.
BUT for the true navigators, you must change your 'ways'.... You... Must.. Change... Your... Wayyyyzzzzzzzzzz.