Mapping like a monster

[rgcalsaverini]

People suggested it on this thread. I think it would be really cool to make a map like a primitive monster society would (like orcs, trolls, goblins...), taking in consideration their limitations, technology and access to materials.

[- Max -]

That's a very interesting idea!

[Gamerprinter]

To me the issue would be alien ways of thinking, how can a human (us in reality) emulate a non-humans concept of reality, space, distance. There's an old wood cut illustration I've seen that elucidates this concept of different realities well. There is an illustration by a 19th century artist of a famous Maori chief that shows a realistic man with tattoos on his face wearing a western styled suit. A self portrait by that same Maori chief showed only the tattoos, and not anything else, not even the facial features surrounding the tattoo. His perception of the world and himself, is completely different from our point of view. Not that a non-human couldn't design a map for his needs, but could a non-human actually understand the map, especially when the cartographer has a completely alien perception of the world and how to depict it. If you are just using orc-ish composition, but using our own perception of reality - would it even be close to an orc emulation of the world?

Think about the movie, Contact, with Jodie Foster. When they received the aliens instructions on building the time/space traveling device, nobody could read it. The billionaire friend of Jodie points out that the map is read as a cylinder (or as a sphere, I can't remember for sure) and not a 2D flat surface. Until pointed out how the map was to be read, nobody could read it. That I see is the problem for realistically attempting to design a map using non-human thinking.

[Jalyha]

I think that just adds to the variety of ideas people would come up with... and why it would be a great challenge!

Eventually, they WERE able to figure out how to read the instructions... at least the billionaire friend was.

So maybe a map could be a monster map with a human translation. Or maybe, since monsters are (generally) built the same as we are, and populate the same worlds, they would tend to do many things in ways similar *enough* for all the skilled cartographers here to decipher. (They wouldn't want *all* humans to understand their maps, would they?)

I've thought of about 80 possible interpretations of this concept, while considering the perception of reality problem, in the last couple of minutes!

I hope it is a challenge (and soon) cause I'm seriously champing at the bit wanting to attempt it (and probably fail miserably, but yeah...)

[rgcalsaverini]

Given that those monsters would be subject to the same world as we are and representing the same things, I think that there would be some similarities. Like creatures, most things evolve towards efficiency naturally. A map that used as media a circular surface (such a coconut) cannot be transported and stored with ease, and would be abandoned soon in favor of a flat, foldable map. Most arrangements would be inefficient both to convey information, carry and manufacture, so I think that a more-or-less familiar result would be achieved.
Of course, their different manipulation capabilities, access to material, cultural background, goals and reliance on senses would make sure that the map was diverse enough.

I think that this could be fun, and every entrant should start by stating the major cultural/physiological differences of their monsters. For example, if someone chooses wood goblins, their maps might not depict woods as trees and such, that is obvious to them, they would make special markings for those weird "treeless spots" that connect one "normal land" to another, or maybe focus on internal features of the forests that we would skip (the mushroom growing areas and whatnot). Or maybe a race that relies heavily on hearing could depict things by their sound, in a sort of a synesthetic way, I dont know

Could it also be a lite challenge, so the little kids can play?

[Jalyha]

Little kids can play in the grown up challenges... it's just that the competition is pretty stiff!



PS: omg I wanna make a wood nymph map O.O


Wait... are wood nymphs monsters? D:

[- Max -]

Little kids can play in the grown up challenges...

I wouldn't have said better

[rgcalsaverini]

Hum, I was under the impression that you had to do something before being able to enter the regular monthly challenge.
Can you do both simultaneously?

[- Max -]

Yes you can. But once you win a golden compass in regular challenge (or having a map featured as cartographer's choice) you can't enter lite challenge no more.

[Gamerprinter]

The only rule is that if you've won a Lite Challenge, you cannot do a Lite Challenge ever again - anyone can participate in a full challenge, and you can still participate if you've won a full challenge, but also cannot participate in a Lite Challenge. Consider that when I joined the guild, there was no such thing as a Lite challenge, there was only the monthly challenge. I won my second map challenge, so I can only participate in full challenges, if I want. I've won 4 challenges, but have participated in over 20 challenges.