Status Report (11 June 2023)
Some quick notes on the state of Architect of Worlds.
While I was doing further layout, I realized two things. First, the extended examples at the end of each section of the main design sequence were a mess – I had let them get out of synch with each other and with the design rules while those evolved. Second, I wasn’t happy with some of the previous layout; in particular, I’ve decided that I would prefer to have every step in the design sequence start at the top of a page, allowing more space for interior art when the layout is finished.
I’m going to have to correct both of those items at some point, so I’ve decided to go back and do it now. I’ve been reworking the “Arcadia” extended example in particular, since that was the one that got into trouble. Once that’s done, which may be as early as today, I’m going to go back and start reworking the layout through the design sequence. That may lead to some repagination, and in particular I may end up having to move a lot of the tables around. I may take the opportunity to tweak the master page setup too.
All this may take me a few more days, during which I won’t be laying out any new material, but the book will look better and more coherent in the long run. It may impact my tentative milestones for June, though.
5 thoughts on “Status Report (11 June 2023)”
I love what I’m seeing of this project on Patreon.
Will a “plain” version every be available in PDF (or better, EPUB) format? I have been getting treated for vision problems, and the older b/w layout is easier for me to read lately.
Hmm. Hard to say – the older “plain” layout was from Word, and the text has changed from that version to the one I’m working on in InDesign. What’s giving you the most difficulty? For example, I suspect the typeface I’m using in tables is a bit small . . .
I was recently treated for cataracts. Before that, I had to display everything as light fonts on dark backgrounds (and squint a lot). Since then, I’ve been getting treated for a swelling of the retina that throws the center of my field of vision out of focus. It’s sad that it took the risk of losing my vision to make me aware I was diabetic. Diet and increased exercise have dropped my blood sugar to where I won’t need insulin, but the vision problems persist.
Light on dark themes can help, but page backgrounds really play heck with that. Mainly it’s just BIG fonts. For tables, PDF is without equal; for text, EPUB really shines because it re-flows the text as it’s re-sized. I’ve also found some benefit in switching to fonts designed for dyslexics. The letters are comprehensible even when slightly out of focus. Again, this is where EPUB format stands out.
My sympathies. I’m a type-2 diabetic, although I got the diagnosis and got my blood sugar under control before I took any damage to my eyes. My legs are another matter . . .
Hmm. It sounds like the best thing I can do to help you and readers like you is to ensure I can produce an EPUB version. Adobe InDesign can manage that, although there may be some obstacles I’ll need to scout out. Meanwhile, the PDF version should work great when zoomed in. I’m embedding all the mathematical formulae as vector images, for example, and those should look fine when magnified. I’ll investigate and see what my options are.
I’m grateful for your consideration in the matter. The material would be worth it to me, even if it required extra effort to read, but if that effort can be avoided, well…
Thanks again.