longitude and latitude

[fishfin]

I think there should be some difise that finds your logitude and latitude in Cantr. So like when you go traveling you can first check your longitude and latitude then laeve and when you want to return you check it again so that if you traved in a curve you can go more or less strait back.
I know this is a realy stupid idea but it's an idea.

[Hellzon]

Not stupid at all. I don't think we have a good in-game way of measuring distances yet. ("Pixels" look so bad in in-game notes, and anything else is relative to speed. Except maybe costs of road improvements, but that doesn't work at sea, or when roads are fully upgraded anyway.)

/Hellzon - cartographers, unite!

[goitre]

But is the Cantr map even spherical? Or toroidal? Who says you can't fall off the edge of the 'earth'?

[Crosshair]

*finds out*

I'll let you know in a couple of years.

[Chris Johnson]

ProgD have had this on an internal list of things to do for some time - I've moved this to Accepted Suggestions as a public remainder

[olaf]

I hope this will be somehow relative, otherwise it will be all too tempting for people to use their chars on different islands to be able to find the way to the other ones.

i.e. if Kwor is at 0,0 and Cantr City at 100, 75... then you know exactly which way to steer...

[Chris Johnson]

I hope this will be somehow relative, otherwise it will be all too tempting for people to use their chars on different islands to be able to find the way to the other ones.

i.e. if Kwor is at 0,0 and Cantr City at 100, 75... then you know exactly which way to steer...

Very good point - The instruments will have to be calibrated to a specific point for standardisation. Place of manufacture should be the default zero point.

[Crosshair]

oooh, good idea.

so its just like your own personal navigation system.

[Hellzon]

oooh, good idea.

so its just like your own personal navigation system.

There would be ways to make it useful to others. Example: Calibrate the thing in Frojt, go to Bonk. Bonk happens to be at 100, 50. Using a sextant (or whatever) calibrated in Bonk with a map from Frojt, you just subtract 100 and 50 from the right numbers.

Still requires travel (to propagate the map and tell Bonk where they are on it), so olaf's problem remains solved.

/Hellzon - did I mention I like this?

[formerly known as hf]

I like the idea that the place of construction is the zero location - map makers would tend to use zero locations of major cities, meaning that we might all one day be navigating by the Kwor meridian

[Ahoyhoy]

Why can't people in the game just come up with longitude and latitude? That's how it was done in real life...

[formerly known as hf]

I don't get what you mean? Come up with it in game? How are you supposed to develop a means of ascertaining your position at sea, when all you get to use is a blue square?
If it was possible with the current set-up, it would have already been done. It's not possible, hence we need the ProgD to create an item which will do it.

[Hellzon]

Why can't people in the game just come up with longitude and latitude? That's how it was done in real life...

To expand on hf:s answer, it would be possible in explored locations (lakes, bays), but once you reach sea, the ability to calculate coordinates is hindered by the fact that the boat gets lighter and faster as the crew eats food. And on land, there are places where all you see is a gray/green/yellow square, causing the same problem. (Point in case, one of my chars is exploring a huge mountain. All he sees mostly is himself and usually one black spot on the gray plain.)

[El_Skwidd]

Why can't people in the game just come up with longitude and latitude? That's how it was done in real life...

It also doesn't help that we have no way of measuring distances. I think something as simple as a rope with knots in it, combined with some handy trig, could solve a lot of those kinds of problems.

As for a worldwide latitude and longitude system... that sounds like a job for the ultimate cartographer.

(s).

[Sho]

For reference, two previous threads about sextants:

http://www.cantr.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5312

http://www.cantr.net/forum/viewtopic.php?t=4048