Winged Cat
SOC-10
Current status: Zhiaqrqiats ready for review; Ianshaplzdier and Datsatl being generated. I will update this as work progresses.
I am taking a stab at contributing to TravellerMap. In pursuit of this, I am fluffing out the Zhiaqrqiats, Ianshaplzdier, and Datsatl sectors. Per conversation with Maksim, I figured I would do the rest of the review and revisions of the sector data here, so that anyone else interested can see the process.
Step 1: see what the status of the sector you wish to revise is. Unless you are one of the license holders, official sectors should usually only get touch-up if you spot an obvious mistake.
Step 2: contact TravellerMap to signal interest, and contact the original author to get permission (if possible - not all who have contributed still live, for instance - and if you're not making a new sector).
Step 3: double-check your vision for the sector (and date - the default is 1105) against the situation at that time and place, and against standards for other sectors. In particular, check against the Empress Wave if you're on the coreward side of Charted Space around 1105; if much after but within a century or two of 1105, consider whether Virus has reached this sector yet, and if so what effect it has had. If your sector is on the spinward side of Charted Space, consider having 1-2 chirper or droyne worlds, though this is optional. Try to have no more than 2, preferably 1 or no, new minor races (and of course, no new major races if anywhere near Charted Space).
Step 4: generate sector data. Try to be consistent with what's been established, if anything (and if not clear errors, such as several pairs of adjacent systems that are identical - especially when they both have a name and it is the same). There are many tools to do this, but it is recommended that you use some sort of automation for this step. Make sure your data is in one of the supported formats listed on the TravellerMap submissions page.
Step 5: check you data against the Lint tool. Revise until the Lint tool shows no more errors. The most likely source of error is that whatever script you used in step 3 did not comply 100% with Traveller5 (which is the standard on TravellerMap); knowing this, and with the errors pointed out, it is easy to fix. (The Lint tool will never judge you, even if you shovel it garbage time and time again. Part of its function is to save you from some human noticing that you made a mistake.)
Step 6: make the XML. Use the examples below as templates, changing the sector names, subsector names, and allegiances (list of who owns systems in this sector; unless you are the T5 Second Survey or a license holder, stick to 2 letter allegiance codes). Use the Border Maker to generate borders for any polities in the system, then the Route Maker to note trade, x-boat, and other routes worth noting on the system. Copy and paste their output; this is your revised XML.
Step 7: examine your result. Does everything seem to work? Populated areas where there should be, large unpopulated areas or rifts if that's a thing for your sector, every military-run world has an owner (and the owner is noted as owning a colony), significant non-standard populations noted? If not, fix your sector data and repeat steps 5-6 as necessary, until everything looks right.
Step 8: bounce off others who know Traveller canon. Formally submit to TravellerMap once you've convinced more than just yourself that all is well.
I have split the sector data across multiple posts, to comply with the maximum post data limit.
I am taking a stab at contributing to TravellerMap. In pursuit of this, I am fluffing out the Zhiaqrqiats, Ianshaplzdier, and Datsatl sectors. Per conversation with Maksim, I figured I would do the rest of the review and revisions of the sector data here, so that anyone else interested can see the process.
Step 1: see what the status of the sector you wish to revise is. Unless you are one of the license holders, official sectors should usually only get touch-up if you spot an obvious mistake.
Step 2: contact TravellerMap to signal interest, and contact the original author to get permission (if possible - not all who have contributed still live, for instance - and if you're not making a new sector).
Step 3: double-check your vision for the sector (and date - the default is 1105) against the situation at that time and place, and against standards for other sectors. In particular, check against the Empress Wave if you're on the coreward side of Charted Space around 1105; if much after but within a century or two of 1105, consider whether Virus has reached this sector yet, and if so what effect it has had. If your sector is on the spinward side of Charted Space, consider having 1-2 chirper or droyne worlds, though this is optional. Try to have no more than 2, preferably 1 or no, new minor races (and of course, no new major races if anywhere near Charted Space).
Step 4: generate sector data. Try to be consistent with what's been established, if anything (and if not clear errors, such as several pairs of adjacent systems that are identical - especially when they both have a name and it is the same). There are many tools to do this, but it is recommended that you use some sort of automation for this step. Make sure your data is in one of the supported formats listed on the TravellerMap submissions page.
Step 5: check you data against the Lint tool. Revise until the Lint tool shows no more errors. The most likely source of error is that whatever script you used in step 3 did not comply 100% with Traveller5 (which is the standard on TravellerMap); knowing this, and with the errors pointed out, it is easy to fix. (The Lint tool will never judge you, even if you shovel it garbage time and time again. Part of its function is to save you from some human noticing that you made a mistake.)
Step 6: make the XML. Use the examples below as templates, changing the sector names, subsector names, and allegiances (list of who owns systems in this sector; unless you are the T5 Second Survey or a license holder, stick to 2 letter allegiance codes). Use the Border Maker to generate borders for any polities in the system, then the Route Maker to note trade, x-boat, and other routes worth noting on the system. Copy and paste their output; this is your revised XML.
Step 7: examine your result. Does everything seem to work? Populated areas where there should be, large unpopulated areas or rifts if that's a thing for your sector, every military-run world has an owner (and the owner is noted as owning a colony), significant non-standard populations noted? If not, fix your sector data and repeat steps 5-6 as necessary, until everything looks right.
Step 8: bounce off others who know Traveller canon. Formally submit to TravellerMap once you've convinced more than just yourself that all is well.
I have split the sector data across multiple posts, to comply with the maximum post data limit.
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