November Entry: Icarus Starlane

[Gamerprinter]

Alliance Classified Brief
From: The Bureau of Naval Intelligence

The vessel, an Assassin class Scout ship, called the Icarus is believed to have been converted into a smuggler small merchantman. The vessel has no known direct weaponry hardpoints. It is armed with a Tyros class EMP generator, Shinobi 9000 ECM and a yet to be determined short range cloaking device that has allowed it to evade Alliance Patrol Cruisers along the Spinward Fringe.

The Icarus is believed to be a runner (messenger/smuggler) for the Asahi Shogunate, through a Yakuza surrogate.

The following is a map depicting the suspected starlane used by the Icarus, based on ground intelligence by the Forward Group.

Please stand by for further updates.

Admiral Halleran Keeps
Bureau of Naval Intelligence
Criminal Investigative Division

OK, that was fun! I, like many so far mentioned, have never created a Space Map of any kind, before. So I'm experimenting just like you. I plan to place insets of orbital (and other) views of each landing site, probably 3D imagery of depicted sites.

As described in the background detail above, this is a map used by the Criminal Investigation Division of Alliance Naval Intelligence, so its not intended for use as a navigational tool, so much as an investigative one.

I used my old 3D app, Raydream Studio to create the nebula cloud effects and the basis for the galactic sideview. Then I did some post-editing in Photoshop, added some noise for more stars, as well as painted in a few. I then imported to Xara Xtreme, added the stars with the crosses in the nebula, as well as applied a cloud transparency filter on the galaxy. The borders and titling in Xara as well.

Lots to do: the inset images and descriptions, coordinates, site names, perhaps a grid, and a legend in that striped section at the bottom of the map.

GP

### Latest WIP ###

[Steel General]

That didn't take you long!

Looking forward to see where you take this.

[bryguy]

uh oh, i better hurry with my project, the entries keep looking more and more like mine!



this one looking very much like mine!



but i love the whole 'side view of the galaxy' thing. But wheres the core? must large galaxies have a large black hole at the very center (the milky way galaxy has a black hole 4 trillion times the size of our sun) that is not actually sucking in anything.



And also, there seems to be to many stars on the outside of the galaxy. I read somewhere (sometime yesterday i think) that there are rarely and stars in the void (for lack of better wording) between galaxies. So not very often would you find stars outside of a galaxy, but you seem to have quite a bit. Your more likely to see other galaxies.


Looking great tho!

[Gamerprinter]

I'll post a thumbnail of where on this galaxy this view is located. This is not outside that galaxy, rather, it is on the end of one of the outward spirals, looking inward toward the galactic core.

Although it seems to be outside the galaxy, its not - its on the Spinward Fringe.... perhaps I should improve this effect...

GP

[Gamerprinter]

Next update on the Icarus Star Lanes map. I created two 3D view insets. I will create 3 more and place them. I also plan to create a top/side view of the Icarus smuggler vessel in the top left area of the map. I may place a few images of suspects and contacts at the bottom.

I'll create a much larger dimension and resolution map at the finish. I've got a few more days of work, before I declare this complete!

GP

### Latest WIP ###

[Steel General]

Cool stuff as always GP.

[Sagenlicht]

Great improvement GP, now this is really looking nice

[Gamerprinter]

This map is moving along quite well, maybe 2 more days (?)

I made some color changes, I thought the green contrasts well with the orange and gives a bit more pop overall. I added an inset for the Asahi Shogunate 24th Mirai fleet at the end of the Star Lane. I added some suspects at the bottom - so far, the beautiful Casandra Ley, former BNI agent turned renegade...

In many ways this map is the detail necessary for a Sci-Fi adventure - suspects, vessels, points of destination on a known path - everything you'd need to run game!

GP

PS: had problems uploading this file, so I tried on a different slower PC and it worked (?!)

### Latest WIP ###

[Steel General]

I agree the green definitely works better - continued coolness!

[joão paulo]

I like the red planet,waiting to see the next two tables!