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gruese

Second Lieutenant
20 Badges
Feb 23, 2018
147
4
  • Europa Universalis IV
  • Shadowrun: Dragonfall
  • BATTLETECH - Initiate of the Order
Hi guys,

I've created an interactive map of the Inner Sphere in 3025 (If you don't know what those words mean, you've come to the right place - I'll explain them at the bottom of this post). Special thanks go out to @Wraith_81, who helped with editing and cleaning up the system data.

First of all, here's the link to the application: Go to the map

You can use your internet browser to view the map (hint for your viewing pleasure: Hit the F11 key to put your browser into fullscreen mode). It runs best in Chrome, but other browsers should work ok too. I should note that the map is not designed to be used with phones.

Instead of giving you a full list of the map's features, I made a short video (no sound). Check it out:


More recently, I added the option to enter, save and load custom user data (i.e. your own information) for each star system. The video below explains how to do that. I was very tired, so please excuse my somewhat slurred speech.


Following the video's instructions, you can import these cool user-made data files (download / save as file, then import to map):
That should set you up to use the map. Here's some further info, in Q&A format:

Q: What is the Inner Sphere?

The Inner Sphere is the human-inhabited part of space in the science fiction universe of BattleTech. It is described to be a spherical region centered around the Sol system and extending roughly 500 light years outwards in all directions, containing somewhere between 2000 - 3000 star systems (depending on whether formerly inhabited and periphery worlds are included).

Since all available depictions show a two-dimensional starmap despite the "sphere" moniker, the consensus is to regard the Inner Sphere as essentially 2D (accompanied by the fluff explanation that all maps are simply 2D projections of 3D space).

See also:
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Inner_Sphere

Q: What is so special about the year 3025?

The BattleTech universe is rich in history, and there are many interesting eras to explore. However, the quintessential era (at least to old-school table top players from the 80s and 90s like yours truly) is the time of the late Succession Wars, characterized by technological decline ("LosTech") and the Macchiavellian politics of the five Successor States and their feudal lords.

The year 3025 marks the end of the Third Succession War and sees the five major powers locked in a stalemate, exhausted after centuries of war. Despite an uneasy cease-fire between the combatants, there are plenty of localized conflicts for the domination of single planets, not to forget the ongoing struggles with bandits and minor states in the periphery. The Successor States, burned out as they are, are trying to conserve their military assets and oftentimes employ mercenary companies to fight their battles.

In contrast to previous wars which were fought with giant armies and countless anonymous soldiers, combat in this era is much more up close and personal. This is due to BattleMechs ruling the battlefield - 30-foot-tall robots, highly mobile, heavily armored and armed to the teeth. If controlled by a skilled pilot, a BattleMech is the equivalent of an entire company of lesser machines or infantry. Convential wisdom says that the best way to combat a BattleMech is another BattleMech, which means that most battles consist of a limited number of Mechs fighting each other to decide the outcome of an entire conflict.

See also:
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Succession_Wars_(History)
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/Successor_States
http://www.sarna.net/wiki/BattleMech

Q: How did you make this?

I scraped all planetary systems and their 3025 political affiliations off sarna.net using a custom script. Me and @Wraith_81 later reviewed the data and corrected a bunch of systems' coordinates and affiliations. I then used HTML, SVG, Javascript and the D3 library to visualize the data.

Q: Yeah, but ... how exactly did you make this?

The project is open source and it's on github. If you want the nuts and bolts, you should check out the sources.

Q: My MechWarrior RPG group meets in a cave with no wi-fi. Is there a way to use the map offline?

Yes. If you need help setting it up locally or on your own webserver, I can probably jump-start you. Just ask.

Q: I have a suggestion - can you implement feature X?

Maybe so! We had a good discussion going on on the old forums, and I've been able to implement quite a few good ideas that other forumites came up with. My time is somewhat limited though, so don't be mad if I don't get around to it - no disrespect to anyone's ideas intended, I assure you.

Q: A system seems to be missing, or it's there but at the wrong spot - what gives?

As mentioned before, we are using the planetary system list from Sarna.net, which we've corrected ever so slightly. Obviously, our list can still contain errors, and we'll be glad to check on them and correct them with your help.

The folks over at Sarna have done a tremendous job assembling all this data, seeing that there's no (canonical) source for all Inner Sphere and periphery systems and their coordinates, just a bunch of partially contradictory source maps, and some prose info on possible jump connections (indicating a distance of <= 30 LY between two systems). Working on this has certainly given me a new appreciation for what Sarna's contributors have created. We're just standing on the shoulders of giants as they say.
 
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That is really awesome. I'm in geographic information systems professionally, so mapping and scripting is close to my heart!
 
This has always been one of the most impressive fan projects.

I will repeat;

You are doing Blake's work sir!
The work were his legacy holds galactic civilization together, not the crazy stuff that spins off of it down the road...
 
Neat. You seem to be missing some of the systems on HBS's map of the Aurigan reach however. I'm guessing some of these systems were crated for the game and don't have Sarna entries/coordinates?

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ga03LkY.jpg


Still an amazing resource for anyone playing some kind of Battletech campaign.
 
Neat. You seem to be missing some of the systems on HBS's map of the Aurigan reach however. I'm guessing some of these systems were crated for the game and don't have Sarna entries/coordinates?

2f6df72f-b0f0-4d43-8384-d471d9768a88
ga03LkY.jpg

Yep, that's the reason. I'm guessing HBS chose to invent some new systems so this part of space would be slightly more populated. Sarna does not, for example, have pages on Sacromonte (search on Sarna comes up empty) or Tiverton (ditto). It would be like a 2 minute deal to add those systems if we knew their coordinates, but I decided to stick with Sarna's system list.

Still an amazing resource for anyone playing some kind of Battletech campaign.

Thanks!

Edit: I've also added a new question and answer for possibly missing / misplaced systems in the OP.
 
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I can't seem to get from Itrom to Rockwellawan for example. Still, this is an amazing work.

That's an easy one: The jump route planner has an option to include / exclude uninhabited systems (= 3025 affiliation is "No record" on Sarna). It's on exclude by default, and that won't let you get you to Rockwellawan.

upload_2018-3-4_9-36-30.png


If you set allow uninhabited systems to be part of the jump route, you'll get this:

upload_2018-3-4_9-37-32.png


Note that this is still different from the shortest route according to HBS' map, because - as I mentioned in my previous post - the connecting Sacromonte system is missing.
 
Damn that is a good one! I'm just about to start a mechwarrior rpg campaign and this map tool will see some heavy use in it.

@gruese , I'm going to mix up a PPC (Marik flavor) and raise a toast for you tonight.
 
Damn that is a good one! I'm just about to start a mechwarrior rpg campaign and this map tool will see some heavy use in it.

@gruese , I'm going to mix up a PPC (Marik flavor) and raise a toast for you tonight.

Thanks, I'm happy to know the map is being used!

What's in the Marik PPC again? I have the Warrior trilogy around here somewhere, but can't find it right now.
 
PPC
4 shots everclear
1 shot of:
peppermint schnapps (steiner)
sake (kurita)
ouzo (marik)
plum wine (liao)
bourbon (davion)
tequila (capellan march)​

I think this was the original recipe.
 
An OUTSTANDING contribution to our BATTLETECH community! Thank you, good Sir, thank you. :bow:
 
Great map but the planet Liao is 3025 part of the Cappellan Confederation and get occupied 3028 by the Federated Suns

Thank you!

As for Liao: According to Sarna.net (our data source), the system is part of the Federated Suns in 3025. See here. The source they are giving for this information is Handbook: House Liao, p. 40, "Capellan Confederation after Third Succession War [3025]". Do you have a contradicting canonic source?
 
bye the way you did a awesome work with your map

from Sarna.net
The Fourth Succession War
In August 3028, House Davion forces led by the Thirty-third Avalon Hussars launched the invasion of Liao in a surprise attack in First Wave of the Fourth Succession War. The Hussars’ lead task force consisted of all three regiments of the Blue Star Irregulars and successfully made planetfall without meeting resistance from the Liao defenders. The first regiment of the Irregulars, the 1894th Light Horse, landed in southern continent where it easily overwhelmed and destroyed the understrength BattleMech regiment, Vincent's Commandos.

2864 - Capellan Confederation [40]
3025 - Federated Suns [41]<--wrong
3030 - Federated Suns [42]

Planetary Rulers
3025

Lord August Liao[14]

Military Deployment
3025

First Confederation Reserve Cavalry
Vincent's Commandos[54]

3028

Prefectorate Guard
Warrior House LuSann
First Confederation Reserve Cavalry
Vincent's Commandos[55]
 
@BradGB seems to be right. The Liao system was a CapCon system until the 4th Succession War where it was captured by the Federated Suns. (Fun fact: During Operation Guerrero, the CC had it reconquered by all Warrior Houses together to make a point.) I'll go and corret the Sarna entry if nobody else has done it in the meantime. Thanks for bringing this up.
 
@gruese really really reeeaaalllyyy good job man, and thanks to @Wraith_81 too.
A beautifull tool you have done there.
I like it.

I hope in near future sarna.net will add the data for the "new"-planets (if possible).

Maybe later for the game, and if the data is detailed enough, there are some more possible options for the preference list such as game-specific mission settings.
for example:
- show story mission planets
- show planets with special events (maybe with specialmissions for becoming a mech and so on)
- show planets with star league depos (HBS did not really deny their existence, to much rumors in the old forum)
...and so on
 
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