Tag Archives: Map

Humankind: Cultures of Oceania – Map-It

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TL;DR – We map all of the eras of Humankind all in one map … okay many maps

Indian Subcontinent.

Humankind Map

One of the joys I get is mapping out universes, while I have charted out movie universes like the MCU and Grand Designs. However, one of my favourite things has been charting how 4X video games explore the world and its history. Today, I get to update one of the most complicated maps I have ever made for this channel, charting all of Humankind up to the Cultures of Oceania DLC from Amplitude Studios and Sega.

We started this mapping process last year, and it took many different attempts before we found a mapping system that worked. Chaos mode is fun, but it is not always revealing. The First Map covered everything from the base game and up to the Cultures of Latin America DLC. This update includes everything since then, including the Para Bellum Wonders Pack, the Together We Rule Expansion Pack, and the titular Cultures of Oceania DLC.

As a reminder, we have split all the content into eras, and if you want to look at the chaos of what we get when all of them are together, then wait until the end. As always, a big thanks to the Humankind Wiki for collating all the cities for me so I did not have to dive into the code. Also, if you want to find out more about all the locations indicated on the map, check out our Humankind Cartographic Educational Database.

While all attempts have been made to ensure that everything is accurately placed, putting this together meant working from multiple sources, map projections, and sometimes not firm locations. As such, no matter how much you try, there might be slight discrepancies. With that in mind, let us dive into the maps. Also, please note that the map files are pretty big, so there may be loading issues if you are looking on Mobile.  

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Mapping the Uncharted Games – Map-It

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TL;DR – We map the route Nathan Drake, and the gang took on their adventures in the quadrilogy of games.  

Mapping Uncharted –

Whenever I upload one of my maps, I ask if there is anything else people would like to map? Often, I get some excellent suggestions, and today’s is just such a case. A little birdy asked me if I could map the Uncharted video game series? Well, yes, of course, I could, and after much thought, I decided to do it in the same style as my Indiana Jones Trilogy map. You will instantly get the comparison if you have played/watched the two.

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Mapping Star Trek Series – Map-It

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TL;DR – We map every location on Earth used as a ship name in the Star Trek universe.

The fleet comes together.

Mapping Star Trek –

At the end of last season of Star Trek: Lower Decks, we were introduced to nineteen new members of the California Class. Which made me wonder where they fit on a map of California and lo our Lower Decks Map was created. However, since then, I have wondered what would happen if we expanded it globally. We have had 849 episodes of Star Trek at the time of writing, so we have charted every ship, shuttle, class and transport named after an Earth location.  

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Mapping Enya’s Orinoco Flow – Map-It

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TL;DR – We map all the references made in Enya’s Orinoco Flow from Bali to Cali, far beneath the Coral Sea

Ocean and Clouds

Mapping Orinoco Flow –

Some songs are so iconic that you can recognise them by a single chord or word. For me [and I assume many others], one of those songs is Enya’s Orinoco Flow. The song has a rare power to rip me back to the early 1990s in a way I don’t think any other work of media can.

Orinoco Flow is a cultural touchstone, so of course, it has been used in films and TV, both full of irony or used with sincerity. Recently, it was used to strong effect in Gran Turismo, and as I was listening to it, the song came alive. For maybe the first time, I didn’t just vibe with it. I listened to the lyrics.

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The Flight of the Milkmen in Twisted Metal Season 1 – Map-It

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TL;DR – We chart the route of John Doe the Milkman through post-apocalyptic America in Twisted Metal.

A vulture on the roof.

Mapping Twisted Metal –

We have just finished Twisted Metal, and at the time of writing, our full review will be out soon. I did want to take a moment to look at the route that they took across the post-apocalyptic landscape of America.

In some respects, I got feelings of The Last of Us, but with a loop rather than a march across the continent. Also, vultures other than zombies. Oh, and a markedly increased vehicular murder count.

In the map, we have, of course, the main route that they take from New San Francisco to New Chicago and back again. But also every location mentioned in the show or seen on different maps. The red line is the apparent barricade stretching across the continent, a significant effort. I would have liked to see more walled-up cities, but this was a good start.

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Mapping Mission: Impossible 2023 Update – Map-It

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TL;DR – We map all the locations Ethan Hunt and his team have visited.  

Ethan Hunt/Tom Cruise running.

Mapping the Impossible –

All the way back in the before times of 2018, one of the first maps we constructed for our Map-It series was of the Mission: Impossible franchise. It was an old-style map, and parts of it have not aged all that well. But with Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One jumping back onto our screens galivanting across the planet, now felt like the perfect time for an update.

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How a World Map Got the Barbie Movie Banned in Vietnam – Map-It

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TL;DR – We explore the context behind why the Barbie movie got banned in Vietnam.

Barbie Land.

Barbie World Map Time –

When you dive into the world of media classification, many odd things can get a movie/show/game banned in a particular country. Pepper Pig could have an episode on Spiders are Friends, which you understandably don’t want to air in Australia. Or Zoolander being banned in Malaysia, which is fair given the country’s depiction. But can a film be banned for a map? Well, yes, as the Barbie Movie has found out today.

This leads us to have a bit of a different Map-It than usual as I combine my twin loves of Pop-Culture and International Relations to explain what has happened. To start with, what happened? Yesterday it was announced by Vi Kiến Thành, head of the Department of Cinema under the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, that National Council for Film Appraisal and Classification had banned the Barbie film after a review of the movie [1]. But why could a map get a film banned? Well, can I introduce you to the Nine-Dash Line and Exclusive Economic Zones.

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Mapping the Transformers Series – Map-It

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TL;DR – We map the many locations featured in Transformers, including that one time that all the Transformers went on holiday to Havana for some reason.  

Optimus Prime.

Mapping Transformers –

With the release of Transformers: Rise of the Beasts, I decided it was a good time to go back and look at the Transformers Series as a whole. There are some areas where it is still the trailblazer it was and others that have aged, as well as blue cheese, left out in the summer sun. You can read it all HERE.

However, as I started this process, I wondered how global the series got, given its first very American focus and then that odd moment when China was bribing good coverage in Hollywood. Before I knew it, a map was being made, and it might have been the best part of looking back.  

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Mapping the Indiana Jones Trilogy – Map-It

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TL;DR – We map the route that Indiana Jones took on his adventures in the first trilogy of films.  

Indiana Jones and Raiders of the Lost Ark. Image Credit: Lucasfilm Ltd.

Mapping Indy –

Whenever I upload one of my maps, I ask if there is anything else people would like to map? Often I get some excellent suggestions. After I uploaded my Independence Day Map, I probably got the best suggestion [and well timed one] so far because with the new Indiana Jones coming out later this month, it was the perfect time to jump back in and revisit the old films. Also, unlike many films today, the Indiana Jones films know how to use a map.

Indiana Jones Map - America. Image Credit: Brian MacNamara.
Flying through the East Coast of America. Image Credit: Brian MacNamara.
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Mapping the War of 1996 [Independence Day] – Map-It

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TL;DR – We map the carnage over four days of July in 1996 on Independence Day.

The Aliens arrive over New York.

Mapping Independence –

Well, I had been feeling off, and when that happens, one of the best remedies is to go back to one of your comfort films. While everyone has their own list of comfort films, mine include Ever After, 10 Things I Hate About You, and today’s focus Independence Day.     

As I was watching the film, I wondered what the global extent of the attack would be because the film’s focus is America, but it was an international event, given what we can see in snippets throughout the film. I went through the original movie with a fine-toothed comb and any references in Independence Day Resurgence to get the locations here. However, this only painted part of the picture, and the novel of the first film differs from the movie in places, so that is an issue.

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