How Big Is a Map Hex?

[Hexidecimark]

While not instantly notable, the map hex is a very real unit of measurement both here and on tabletop. But, how big is it? After all, how much water is in a water space? How many trees does it take for a 'mech to lose itself in a forest? If I want to dig a big hole and fill it with water, then add a solid acid, how much equipment will I need to deal that sweet d6 per location acid damage to people (it's a real thing!)?

A hex is 30m long, so half of that, the apothem, is 15m.
The formula for area of a hexagon is A=1/2 x Perimeter x apothem.



But how do we find the perimeter? It's six times a side. P=6 x S

A side though? That's a small amount more complex. We need to make a right triangle so that its hypotenuse (the long part that doesn't touch the right angle) hits the corner of any side of hexagon, and the other sides make a right angle in the middle of a side.

Basically, the non-hypotenuse side that isn't going to be 15 is half our side length. We'll call it X. For this equation, the apothem will be "E".

X = E * 3^(1/2)

X = 15 * rt(3) = 25.9808

So 2*X = S = 51.962.

6S, then, is 311.77m- that means the perimeter of a hex is as long as the Eiffel tower is high.


That also means we can say that the Area is
A = 1/2 x 311.77 * 15 *.5 = 2338.3m^2, about 1.5 times the area of a hockey rink. So be sure your hockey rinks are kept safe from artillery fire!


But what about water? Volume?

Well, the standard 'mech is two 'levels' in height, so each hex works like an infinite stack of 'levels'. Each level is 6m tall, and the formula for a hexagonal prism's volume is 3 * S * H * E.
3 * 51.962 * 6 * 15 = about 14 cubic kilometers! You could fit 5,800 pyramids of Giza in that!

One level of water in battletech is TWENTY TIMES the volume of the Sydney Harbor!

So to summarize-
A hex is 30m across,
Has an area of 2338.3m^2,
Has a volume of 14km^3 per level,
and has a side length of 52m for a perimeter of about 312m.

The things I do for my tabletop players...

 

[Lardaltef]

But I think others calculated a hex in the PC game to be closer to 23. something meters. So stuff doesn't quite translate fully.

 

[Hexidecimark]

But I think others calculated a hex in the PC game to be closer to 23. something meters. So stuff doesn't quite translate fully.

This seems to be the thread: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/psa-each-dot-is-24-meters-not-30.1073715/

Seems like the actual size of a hex isn't very clear-cut at all, with estimates ranging from 24-26+; what's more, these are beta maps, and there's no way to tell how much things have changed, or if the measurements are even accurate on standard maps.

I just went with the TT 30 because it's the only readily available number.

 

[The Shadowhawke]

There still must be some system of scaling in the game. At the very least, I would like to have the ranges to targets in meters shown when in the over-the-shoulder view for combat.

The game has shown us that is an extended range for ranged weapons; you can hit well past normal sensor range with LRMs and light A.C.s for example, with another unit well forward with line of sight. It would also be very useful to have the range in meters or kilometers for map objective points.

 

[Timaeus]

This seems to be the thread: https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/forum/index.php?threads/psa-each-dot-is-24-meters-not-30.1073715/

Seems like the actual size of a hex isn't very clear-cut at all, with estimates ranging from 24-26+; what's more, these are beta maps, and there's no way to tell how much things have changed, or if the measurements are even accurate on standard maps.

I just went with the TT 30 because it's the only readily available number.

https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...24-meters-not-30.1073715/page-3#post-23905822
The grid system is the same between the beta and release. It is also adjustable in json (combatconstants I believe).
24m if it's a straight line point to point on the grid, 21m or 25m if at a diagonal on the grid. 24m across is probably the reasonable distance to use for calculations.

There still must be some system of scaling in the game. At the very least, I would like to have the ranges to targets in meters shown when in the over-the-shoulder view for combat.

The game has shown us that is an extended range for ranged weapons; you can hit well past normal sensor range with LRMs and light A.C.s for example, with another unit well forward with line of sight. It would also be very useful to have the range in meters or kilometers for map objective points.

Ranges are in given in meters in the json files for weapons. For example short range (not melee) weapons will ranges listed as being 270 (9*30 [the number of hexes short range weapons typically reach in TT multiplied by the length across a hex is in TT]).

 

[Spartakus]

Can I just point out that there are a ton of math errors in the OP? A basic hex has an area of a mere 779 m^2. Not 2,338m^2!
How one can reach several cubic kilometers by multilying this with 6m is beyond me. (Hint: it's actually 4,677m^3, which is 0.0000004677 cubic kilometers)

 

[The Shadowhawke]

https://forum.paradoxplaza.com/foru...24-meters-not-30.1073715/page-3#post-23905822
The grid system is the same between the beta and release. It is also adjustable in json (combatconstants I believe).
24m if it's a straight line point to point on the grid, 21m or 25m if at a diagonal on the grid. 24m across is probably the reasonable distance to use for calculations.




Ranges are in given in meters in the json files for weapons. For example short range (not melee) weapons will ranges listed as being 270 (9*30 [the number of hexes short range weapons typically reach in TT multiplied by the length across a hex is in TT]).

I'm talking showimg the exact range to the enemy during targeting phase..we don't have exact numbers in the game, just semi fuzzy distances with the shaded firing arcs when we're determining our facings.

 

[Prussian Havoc]

I'm talking showimg the exact range to the enemy during targeting phase..we don't have exact numbers in the game, just semi fuzzy distances with the shaded firing arcs when we're determining our facings.

That is a key difference between TableTop where all is known precisely (baring double-blind being in-play) and BATTLETECH with its Clausewitzian Fog and Friction of War. BATTLETECH, single-player is quite properly a CommandSIM with its Strategic Layer and Tactical Layer, as well as its Random Event System, MechWarrior Progression, Contract Negotiation & Remuneration, etc.

The assessment of Risk, the weighing of various Courses of Action, judgement calls when circumstances conspire against us... an important BATTLETECH element of all of this is the imprecision and unknowns inherent in ClausewitzIan Fog and Friction of War.

I very much like and applaud just how well HBS-style Fog and Friction of War has been established in BATTLETECH.

And I very much look forward to how HBS refines and explores these aspects as Team HBS moves BATTLETECH forward. :bow:

 

[The Shadowhawke]

I'm not so sure all that applies to having a simple accurate value of meters though. I feel a lack of sense of scale on many of the maps.

 

[Prussian Havoc]

I'm not so sure all that applies to having a simple accurate value of meters though. I feel a lack of sense of scale on many of the maps.

HBS has mentioned that since BATTLETECH is a game about Big and Stompy Mechs, that their size has been accentuated compared to that of Vehicles, Buildings and other terrestrial odds and ends.