World Background Maps

[therobloxians1119]

@BenganJ

Suit yourself! I'll see how it looks anyway.

EDIT: I just tried using this background map. It looks great but there's no zoom. I think I'll stick to your colored background map!

[Tapir]

Bengans background maps are miles better.

[therobloxians1119]

@Tapir

That's right! That's why Bengan is the master!

[Vinnie Terranova]

The problem with the background mods is that none of them is perfect: if you use the BenganJ background you'll find some misaligments, if you use the ProMods background you'll find some other misaligments. So in the end it's just a matter of taste which background you like most. And this depends on the misaligments you dislike most.

But the real problem are not the background mods. The real, underlying problem are some of the map mods... Some of the map mods are misaligned due to the use of wrong coordinates / map projection. And then one of three options can happen:
1) The coordinates of the map mod are being corrected/fixed afterwards (I believe this almost never happens);
2) The background map is adjusted, so the map mod seems to look perfectly aligned;
3) Nothing, so the map is not aligned with the background.

The best option would be option 1). But this would take a lot of time of the modder(s). Take for instance EAA: it is located in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean... To fix the coordinates to reflect the correct map projection it would take a huge amount of time. So that's probably never gonna happen. There is also no way option 2) will take place in the case of EAA: no globel background mod is gonna be adjusted so EAA would be located in the correct place (in case of EAA we can ofcourse use the separate background mod). This means that in the case of EAA we only have option 3) left, which is that EAA is incorrectly located when using EAA in a global map combo.

And this is what it is for now. We have to deal with incorrectly located/aligned map mods. And although this is okay for me, I can understand that this is not okay for other players.

But there is even a bigger problem... What I see happening right now is a really big problem: I foresee that the ETS2 community gets divided more and more... You can see/feel it by reading the discussion between the BenganJ and ProMods backgrounds in this topic. You can also see/feel it by looking at the roadmap of RoExtended and ProMods, who both are mapping in Turkey right now. At some day we, the gamers, have to choose between which background mod we gonna use. And at some day we probably will have to choose between RoExtended or ProMods as they are both mapping in Turkey. Maybe it will still be possible in the future to use both RoExtended and ProMods at the same time in the same map combo (one version of Turkey would have to be overwritten by the other version), but I don't think this will be so easy.

Just my two cents.

[Ronin]

@Vinnie

You said it perfect!

+10

[BenganJ]

@Vinnie Terranova

I would say that most of what you say is correct, BUT I can see that you don't know the whole thing!
I think I can say that Promods will NEVER follow other mappers or teams developments of new maps,
e.g. RtAsia's further development down Asia towards Korea or the South Africa map by STEVEO or the
further development of the JRR map of Indonesia plus a lot of other maps I know about that that is
upcoming. Promods BG doesn't even follow the Promods based Red Sea map down the East African
coast down to Sudan. My two cents and I can tell you that the same thing will soon happen on the
ATS side! Go figure!

EDIT: The most OBVIOUS reason for the misalignments you talk about is due to that most of the maps
have been developed ove a long timespan and SCS has NEVER supported the mappers with Map Editor
backgrounds, so as to get the maps positioned properly. SCS is just as Promods, they ONLY support
themselves!!!! One more difference is that Promods tampers with their BG to HIDE their own damn
misalignments, I don't, I just present correct map BG with a sort of BEST FIT of a lot of maps.

[Digital X]

Bit of a random one, are there any maps that show the Arctic or Antarctic please? For a future project.

[BenganJ]

@Digital X

I assume you mean background maps, not regular maps to drive on! No there isn't, at least not by me.
I've seen no need for it since the Antartica map by PenguinR05 was shut down.

[Digital X]

Yeah backgrounds maps, due to the topic.

I did look but cannot see any, and the Arctic/Antarctic was my next plan.

Thanks anyway, I'll have get creative.

[BenganJ]

@Digital X

May I ask if you have in mind to build an addon map for Arctic/Antarctic?

EDIT: Don't even think of making an addon Artic map as it is so close to the North Pole,
that the map projection used will make the BG flip around heavily when map data is
found too near! Mind you, the Artic is on my BGs, Antartic is NOT!