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Federation Space on e23

 
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Jean
Site Admin


Joined: 18 Sep 2008
Posts: 1732

PostPosted: Tue Jul 17, 2012 2:21 pm    Post subject: Federation Space on e23 Reply with quote

Federation Space is now out on e23! This is your chance to pick up a pdf of this out-of-print game.

http://e23.sjgames.com/item.html?id=ADB5005

Federation Space is a science-fiction game for two to eight players and depicts the battles for galactic supremacy fought by the eight major empires. Players maneuver huge fleets in an attempt to destroy opposing fleets and conquer key planets. The battle fleets of the Federation, Klingons, Romulans, Kzintis, Gorns, Hydrans, Tholians, and Pirates of Orion are depicted.
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Mike
Fleet Captain


Joined: 07 May 2007
Posts: 1675
Location: South Carolina

PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 3:11 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Ok, I have to ask. How are the counters and map done in pdf?
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aramis
Lieutenant JG


Joined: 25 Jul 2011
Posts: 59

PostPosted: Thu Jul 19, 2012 10:59 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Mike wrote:
Ok, I have to ask. How are the counters and map done in pdf?


in the "classic" SFB products, the countersheets are scanned. Print, laminate, cut.

To do double sided, there are som tricks I learned many years ago with F&E playtest counters, involving laminating, dry-pinning, then gluing...
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Czuhars
Lieutenant JG


Joined: 20 Jul 2010
Posts: 29

PostPosted: Thu Jan 03, 2013 8:59 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

1) I picked up Fed Space and I'm stoked to give it a try. Can anyone here with moderate experience with the game share their experiences/ opinions on it?

EDIT: oops... I just saw Mike's reply in another thread regarding FS and its game play.

2) can I make a suggestion regarding e23 PDFs and the counter pages? Please don't OCR the counters. Its fine for the rules, but the counters don't print as sharp and clear as they would if they were just straight images.

thanks again, ADB!
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lb4269
Ensign


Joined: 29 Apr 2011
Posts: 13
Location: Singapore

PostPosted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 2:06 pm    Post subject: Federation Space e23 Scan Quality Concerns Reply with quote

I have been eyeing the Federation Space file on e23 for the past few weeks. I had a few concerns about the quality of the scans and these have been holding me back. Does anyone have any feedback as to the quality of the scans and the file sizes?

I ask because I ran into some problems when I started to digitally collect the old CLs to add to my library. I had intended to keep a copy on my e-reader and to have a printed copy to slide onto my shelf next to my other issues. I ran into a variety of problems which included:

-the files were blurry on my portable devices and e-readers and were unreadable if you tried to zoom in (this was later fixed when Apple updated their book reader, but it took weeks before I could port the files around with me)

-the files took AGES to load up each page (even after they became readable); the files would take 10-20 seconds per page for a page to load and the process would reset itself each time you left that page (making the files painful to scan through)

-the files did not print easily; I took a mix of ADB files to a print shop and the newer materials printed in a few moments. The old CL scans took an average of three hours a piece to print. (No joke!) I literally had to leave the shop for the day and come back after some meetings to collect my two CL issues. The files (for some reason) clogged the store's network and were nearly unworkable.

-the files did not print with any form of a margin whatsoever; I tried everything (and various software settings and fixes) to get them to print where they would give me at least a few millimeters to bind them with. (the words were right up against the edge of the pages) After having two computer techs look at it, I ended up having to print the issues up (at three hours a go) and then have the thinnest binding I could find clip off the words on left side of the pages (which was very frustrating to say the least!). I had a professional print shop unable to help me...

I am looking to get a copy of Federation Space to have on the go and to print for a playable copy with my local battle group. (We just started F&E for the first time and I wanted to show off this classic.)

Is this file in a different format from the old CLs? Are the counters and map even printable to make a set?

(On a side note, if anyone knows how to make CLs from e23 a practical alternative to the classic reprints from ADB, I'd be eager to hear them
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Shawn Hantke
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Joined: 23 Oct 2009
Posts: 10
Location: South Dakota

PostPosted: Wed Feb 06, 2013 5:09 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

Quote the files were blurry on my portable devices and e-readers and were unreadable if you tried to zoom in this was later fixed when Apple updated their book reader, but it took weeks before I could port the files around with me

the files took AGES to load up each page even after they became readable the files would take 10 to 20 seconds per page for a page to load and the process would reset itself each time you left that page (making the files painful to scan through

I am not sure what you are using for your e-reader but you mentioned Apple. In the past everyone has had better luck using https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/adobe-reader/id469337564?mt=8 for Droid devices use https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.adobe.reader

Quote the files did not print easily; I took a mix of ADB files to a print shop and the newer materials printed in a few moments. The old CL scans took an average of three hours a piece to print. No joke! I literally had to leave the shop for the day and come back after some meetings to collect my two CL issues. The files for some reason clogged the store's network and were nearly unworkable.

the files did not print with any form of a margin whatsoever; I tried everything and various software settings and fixes to get them to print where they would give me at least a few millimeters to bind them with. the words were right up against the edge of the pages After having two computer techs look at it, I ended up having to print the issues up(at three hours a go and then have the thinnest binding I could find clip off the words on left side of the pages which was very frustrating to say the least. I had a professional print shop unable to help me

I am not sure what software the print shop is using but they should be using Adobe reader. First you have to realize that the older stuff is scanned and not generated from a source file. So basically the older pdfs are a bunch of images not a document. That is why the files are bigger and harder to print. The original margins were made for a bound book, they were not made to be hole punched. The print shop should be able to adjust the print settings to shrink the page to print at 95% instead of 100% which will make the page slightly smaller and maybe give you a bigger margin. The other option is to place the pages in sheet protectors and put the sheet protectors in a binder.

Quote I am looking to get a copy of Federation Space to have on the go and to print for a playable copy with my local battle group. We just started F&E for the first time and I wanted to show off this classic.

Is this file in a different format from the old CLs? Are the counters and map even printable to make a set?

No, it is a scan also. The counters and map might be tough for your local print shop to print right if they dont know how to adjust the size of what they are printing to get the counters exactly half inch and to get the map hex sizes right. Printing at home, what I do with that kind of file is print a test page of the counters and measure them with a ruler to make sure the size is right, then adjust the size as needed. When I get the size right, I print the counters on cardstock and then cover the sheet with clear shelf paper then cut the counters apart. The map was made to be printed as four sections or as one large piece. If you go the four section route print the map first and then adjust the counter size to fit the hexes. The one piece map will have to be printed on a large scale printer and will be harder to get the size exactly right.

Quote On a side note, if anyone knows how to make CLs from e23 a practical alternative to the classic reprints from ADB, I'd be eager to hear them.

I gave you the best advice I know off, I hope it helps.
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lb4269
Ensign


Joined: 29 Apr 2011
Posts: 13
Location: Singapore

PostPosted: Thu Feb 07, 2013 12:56 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Shawn, thanks for the response.

I did at first assume the problem with the file reading was just for my Apple device. I have since gone and gotten a SONY Viao Duo (a tablet PC) which is pretty darn beefy in computing power. I just loaded up the files in both the latest version of Adobe (in the desktop mode) and also in the Windows 8 reader app.

The Adobe files loaded, quite slowly, and it took the computer a long time to zoom in and out of sections and an even longer time for the text to set and to de-blurr again.

For the Windows 8 reader app, the files had the same problem as my I-Pad, where they just blurred to a point of unreadability when they were zoomed in on at all (and as full-pages per screen they are far to small to read clearly).

(I'd love to take a small section screen shot to show you, but I would need permission from ADB before I would do any kind of screen capture.)

(I don't plan to ask unless ADB needs it to evaluate the problem.)

The print shop I went to was using Adobe and the latest software. They were doing entire books for other customers in a matter of minutes. Only the ADB file scans clogged their system, and they were baffled and had never run into that sort of problem before. I tried a few test pages at home, and though they took a bit longer than normal, it didn't take three hours. (It was almost an amusing experience to have the printer and I standing around the printer in his shop waiting for the second page to load and then being relieved when it did show up over two minutes later and finding the system hadn't totally clogged down or crashed.)

I did consider sheet protectors for each and every CL page after I printed them, but it gets bulkier, and there is something about holding a proper paper magazine / log that doesn't quite cut it the same as the sheet protectors. (I did sheet protect the master rulebook and in fact that may be the best fix around this
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