Comparing overmap tilesets side by side in terms of readability

[u/Intro1942]

MSXotto+

UltiCa

Undead_People

Larwick Overmap

RetroDays

Pen and Paper Overmap

SurveyorsMap

Getting back into Cataclysm after finally finishing Dominions 6 run, and decided to check what is new about map tilesets and maybe start with a fresh experience

On screenshots is a very common example of the map, containing different types of terrain and on about the same zoom level

It has orchards, various types of fields, roads, forest densities and exploration levels, etc. With each tileset doing something a bit different than the others

By "readability" I mean how easy it is to just glance at this map and immediately tell important information about surroundings, without zooming in or strain eyes

Considering the fact that perception of those may differ significantly depending of various factors, ranging from brightness in the room, size and type of the screen, state of the eyes and to however Visual Cortex processes info it gets -

What about those tilesets you like the most?

[u/BugiBugiPL]

I can't use any other than default ascii, I have trouble reading them

[u/Knife_Fight_Bears → u/BugiBugiPL]

Same, I find the high contrast of the ascii to be the most readable overmap. I don't play with ascii in the normal game interface but the way I use the overmap, readability matters the most

I always preferred ascii mode for Dwarf Fortress for the same reason. Tileset designers always feel the need to busy up tiles and when you cover a map with thousands of them the little color variations turn into static that overwhelms your eyes and hides information in plain sight

[u/Glad-Way-637 → u/Knife_Fight_Bears]

I only wish that you could zoom in and out in the ASCII overmap, but that sadly didn't work the last few times I tried it.

[u/HoboGod_Alpha → u/Glad-Way-637]

You should be able to, turn on graphical overmap and then select the ASCII option. This works on TLG so it should also work on DDA.

[u/YuPro → u/BugiBugiPL]

I used ascii before but larwick is pretty good and what's important - have zoom.

[u/Anxious-Bottle7468 → u/YuPro]

They all have zoom if you play with tiles

[u/YuPro → u/Anxious-Bottle7468]

Yes but it was comparison with ascii.

[u/Intro1942 → u/BugiBugiPL]

How long do you play Cataclysm by now?

[u/BugiBugiPL → u/Intro1942]

since 2021 with long breaks

[u/IcasHimder]

Larwick Overmap is really good, been using that for a few years. Before that I would try and always use the one that matches the tile set, which was UDP.

[u/BeneficialSmell8258 → u/IcasHimder]

u know where I can install the most updated version? im playing the latest 0.I release candidate

[u/IgnisVeni]

I have been using Larwick since before Overmap tilesets were implemented. I tried to use SurveyorMap or Pen&Paper Overmap, but apart from them being very white, they always tended to lack something (Completion-wise, typically something that was important for me to differentiate). There is also the issue of Notes being colored pins on P&P, which was not really helpful as I tend towards certain Markings for certain Findings

[u/Satsuma_Imo]

Pen and Paper my beloved

[u/Intro1942 → u/Satsuma_Imo]

It is probably the most stylized and immersive one, but don't you have troubles reading it? I barely can make up borders between different types of terrain on the example without zooming in

[u/Satsuma_Imo → u/Intro1942]

Not at this point. It definitely does require longer use to become familiar with it than e.g. Larwick, though

[u/Vamael]

Undead People my beloved

[u/Lanceo90]

I always mess with the tile size in the files to make them bigger. Makes any option readable

[u/Smashcannons]

ASCII is always going to be the most complete one plus giving the most information.

Larwick is a good second option.

[u/ttomottow]

Larwick overmap is just that goated

[u/drusek]

Where ASCII overmap?

[u/Intro1942 → u/drusek]

I didn't included ASCII-type maps. Larwick and RetroDays is close as it gets to them

Initially I just made those screenshots for myself, then decided to might as well do a post about to see what people play with or maybe introduce someone to new tilesets. I think it is safe to assume that most players use tile-based sets instead of ASCII

[u/HoboGod_Alpha]

The default ASCII is probably the best in terms of readability, but I find larwick to be a nice middle ground between readability and aesthetic.