Guidelines for Creating Item Maps

The use of the “maps” for hidden items in a location, helps all our players when they are searching to find something! In an effort to create some continuity for these throughout the wiki, we have made this page with guidelines.

While we individually may have preferences for how we might do these graphics for ourselves, if you choose to help to do them here for the wiki, we have laid out these guidelines to help everyone remember that you are volunteering here to help our game players.
 * Must ask the Admin for location to be done/mapped
 * So two people do not end up working on the same thing
 * Provide Admin with your preference for correspondence in regards to doing these maps
 * Send a sample map to graphics coordinator for approval (1st map only)
 * To check for resolution clarity and that guidelines are being followed before proceeding
 * Map must show the entire scene/location
 * Only the timer (top), progress bar (bottom) and side borders are to be cropped
 * Must use yellow numbered arrows provided and at an appropriate ratio/size
 * Use at approximately 1:9 ratio of your cropped screen height. Ask if assistance if needed.
 * No highlighted items, except when very difficult to see. (Ex. Horse on wall in the Secret Room)
 * Keep the maps “clean”
 * No added wording on the map itself
 * Upload full resolution maps in PNG format
 * Minimum 800 pixels cropped. Set thumbnail size to 440 pixels wide (We've found that this works best for the wiki)
 * Use the wiki test page for practice.
 * The wiki has it's own test page so users can figure out how the wiki works without fear of messing up a pre-existing page.
 * Not following these guidelines will result in being asked to correct anything you have posted/uploaded. A two-week period will be allowed for this or Admin may choose to allow someone else to replace them.
 * If more time is needed, please talk to Admin.

Requirements
OPTIONAL:  Graphic design software is better for this purpose than photo editing software
 * Experience with graphics. Sometimes there may be someone available to assist you but being able to work with minimal assistance is preferred.
 * Computer or laptop with cropped photo size a minimum of 800 pixels wide
 * Because if the user has a lower resolution the photos won't come out as well.

Choosing a Location
Work with the Admin or designated graphics coordinator to find a location to work on. It takes many hours of preparation before even adding photos to the wiki and it is our desire to not have people duplicating this work and suddenly finding that someone else is already working there.

It is another matter if two or more people want to work TOGETHER on a location or event.
 * 1) They still need to work through Admin to choose a location.
 * 2) They need to communicate closely with their partner or group and  agree on a method of dividing the items BEFORE ANY WORK BEGINS. This must be a COORDINATED effort so work is not duplicated, the work is finished with a degree of promptness and no one “steps on someone else’s toes”.

Creating Photo Maps
Having all maps in the same style means that no matter which location of the game a player in searching in, they don’t have to figure out a different style of graphics to find what they’re looking for.

Taking Screenshots
Start taking screenshots as you are playing the game. To have as much of the screen available in the photos and eliminate possible cropping of hidden items,
 * 1) Strive to quickly capture the screen BEFORE the progress bar across the bottom comes up (if yours intrudes into the full view of the game).
 * 2) Capture the screen before there is any activity showing across the top of the screen. (Ex: item drops, assemblers collected, etc.)
 * 3) If the lighting varies very much on a location, try to capture screenshots at a time where lighting is consistent. This could be lights, fog and anything else that could make screenshots vary.
 * 4) Create a “clean” base. The easiest method is to capture 2 screens while playing the Illusions Anomaly, being sure that the bright Illusions orb is in different areas of the screen each time. Copy over one of the orbs from the other photo, creating one photo with no orb but having a full screen with no hidden items. Then work with the brightness and contrast of your program for this new “clean” photo to come as close as you can to matching the original screenshots without the anomaly.

Compiling the Maps
IDEA:  Create a document where you have copied and pasted the list of items (so you can check them off as you go) and also ALL the items and location entries. Be aware that this can change but it gives you a place to start from and where you can make notes, etc.
 * 1) Become familiar with what items have already been found by visiting the lists for your location on the wiki.
 * 1) Make one file for each map of hidden items. For instance: apple. Start with a screen that already has 2 or more of the item and begin copying and pasting others of the same item onto it. OR, start with a copy of your clean base photo for each item. This makes it easy to copy an item from any level, as long as the item doesn’t have other hidden items touching it.
 * 2) ZOOM IN and be sure to match pixels from your item to the base before pasting it in. Being able to keep the items in separate layers in another way to assure that items are properly located before adding them to the overall map.

Keep it CLEAN
No border. Double-check for any lines accidentally left along the edges.

No added wording on the map. The photos speak for themselves with where they are placed on the wiki.

Don’t leave bits of chopped items floating around on your maps. Copy and paste a CLEAN hidden item onto your CLEAN base file.

Use the same numbered arrows as provided here and resize them if needed to match their ratio to the resolution you are personally working with. Feel free to ask for assistance with this if needed