/About the Maps
Within the last year, I've started to attend more milsim style games in Ontario. One of the elements I felt was lacking among several of the fields I attended was a high-quality field map. Most fields and events tend to use a combination of Google satellite views, with a bit of photoshop work to create what you might call a "COD-style" map. These types of maps are quick to make and easy for the average person to understand; however, they tend to lack a certain "milsim" aesthetic. As a result, I've started to create my own field maps based on the MGRS coordinate system. The style I'm going for is similar to a hiking/trail map, with a combination of elements you might expect to see in an orienteering map.
A high quality map not only aids in the immersive qualities of milsim, but is a useful tool for team and squad leads. A good map can help quickly orient players unfamiliar with an AO, and is a useful tool for communicating player locations and on-field movement.
My maps use a combination of source material provided by event/field owners, combined with open-source geospatial data provided by Natural Resources Canada available. I use a combination of CAD and other vector-processing software which results in maps with infinite resolution that makes them much more usable at a variety of scales. While the maps may look precise and "professional" I am by no means a surveyor or cartographer, and no such guarantee is made for the accuracy of information represented.
/Map Features
My two favorite features to see in any map that makes it more useful to me as a player are topography lines, and some indication of scale; whether it be a measured grid increment or a bar scale. The features of my maps include:
- Vector-based, drawn to scale
- MGRS coordinate system
- Alpha-numeric grid reference
- Topographic contours
- Building outlines
- Man-man features
- Vegetation features
- Surface treatments
- Any GPS/Geo-located features you provide
/Future Maps
If you'd like me to draw a map for your event/field, send me a PM and I'll give you a quote. Under certain circumstances I may consider trading my maps for field time etc... Unfortunately these maps take time to make, and information for a particular site is not always available. I will let you know up-front what I am able to include in a map. If you have an existing map with trails or other features identified, this helps add to the quality of the map. If you have GPS waypoints or tracks I can also add these to my maps. Generally, the more information you can provide up front, the better a map I can make.