#mental mapping

[bialerwochenblat]

Atlas map pamięci/ The Atlas of Memory Maps, issued in Lublin, Poland this year as a catalogue of an exhibit bearing the same title. The Atlas features more than 150 amazing memory maps created by Jews and non-Jews who tried to depict their pre-war hometowns. Every page is a constellation of languages, perspectives, memories, and, most of all, emotions.

[leveldesignjournal]

Mordhau (2019) - Spacial Rhythm in Multiplayer

Space variation is crucial in competitive multiplayer maps. It can provide a lot: mechanical variety, landmarks and even push or pull tools for designers. Here in Mordhau, the typical fighting space is a large open space, with few connections with other spaces (the 1st picture). This is perfectly adapted to the gameplay and create epic medieval fights, with dozens of knights. It's enticing for every player, since it is big and provide enough informations to players so it feels comfortable. This kind of space is the basis of the game's maps. But there are also, smaller and narrower spaces, where no more than two players can fit (the 2nd picture). Those spaces contrast a lot with the others, creating landmarks in the player's mental map. New players will be reticent to experience those spaces, because they can feel intimidating due to their lack of comfort. On the other hand experienced players will love them. The narrower spaces can create intense one versus one moment of play, crazy situations where a single player holds the entrance (as it is a chokepoint) or even cleve tactical choices if the space in a bit interconnected to other spaces (let's say more than an entrance and an exit).

[peacemore-springs]

Blindfolded Chess

Q) Do professional chess players actually play entire games of chess blindfolded?

The following response will be a shock. It certainly shook me.

A) Yes, professional chess players absolutely do play entire games blindfolded - and not just one at a time. Some of the most astonishing feats in chess history involve blindfold play, where the player cannot see the board or pieces and must rely entirely on memory and visualization.

🧠 What Is Blindfold Chess?

Blindfold chess is a variant where:

Players do not see the board or pieces.

Moves are communicated verbally, in writing, or digitally.

It demands exceptional memory, spatial visualization, and mental endurance.

🕰️ Historical Highlights

Philidor (1783): Played three blindfold games simultaneously in Paris.

Paul Morphy (1858): Took on eight opponents blindfolded in Paris - won six, drew two.

Wilhelm Steinitz (1867): Played six blindfold games in Dundee, Scotland - won three, drew three.

(first World Chess Champion. Who knew?)

🧩 Modern Marvels

Miguel Najdorf (1947): Played 45 blindfold games simultaneously in São Paulo.

Timur Gareyev (2016): Holds the world record—48 blindfold games at once over 19 hours, scoring 35 wins, 7 draws, and 6 losses.

Magnus Carlsen: Has demonstrated blindfold play in elite events like the Amber Chess Tournament.

🔍 How Do They Do It?

They maintain a mental map of the board.

Use algebraic notation to communicate moves.

Often rely on intermediaries to relay moves in simultaneous exhibitions.

Blindfold chess isn’t just a party trick - it’s a profound demonstration of cognitive mastery. Want to dive into how the brain handles this kind of spatial memory, or explore how blindfold chess compares to other mental feats like memory championships?

[sonic-vacation]

Empty Spaces - Sonic Travel

I have been imagining sonic journeys…using the suggestion of thinking about empty buildings, as being places for new business, and locations that you can imagine the past lives of. 

All the sounds of what is gone, combined with sounds generated from ideas about what could be newly in that space.  

This also suggests thinking of locations, and where these places link to elsewhere in the world. IE; an empty French building, thought of, while imaging ideas about Paris. 

I find something about this to be more generative at times, in a different way, from thinking of buildings in contemporary use, that link to others places, and sonic journeys, of a location and where the location that connects to internationally. 

//mental mapping - sonic time travel//

[leveldesignjournal]

Dishonored (2011) - Freedom Feeling

Sometimes it's necessary to have linear paths. One option to make the space more interesting for the players is to create a freedom/openness feeling. On Dishonored it's even more important since freedom is one of the main features of the game.

Here we can see two distinct paths (left and rights), which leeds to the same area with a very small impact on strategic positioning. The space is designed this way to make the player feels he has some 'important' choices.

[leveldesignjournal]

Wolfenstein (2014) - Zen Vista

Here the player arrives in an area where he'll fight a lot of enemies. He arrives through a vent and has the view on the area, he can see which enemies are present, the general geometry and the tools / bonus he will have access in the arena.

This is possible due to the high position of the vista, the safe space and the readability (space clarity) of the arena.

[1dlewild]

This is a funny thing, designed to help blind people. Obviously blind people have been consulted and for some of them this must be effective. The concept of a map is interesting, when you can't see, the idea of a map can be difficult to grasp, let alone a 3-d map like this one. People with vision have a different experience of the entirety of a thing, if we draw a bus it will look very similar to someone else's drawing, for a blind person a bus will be the feel of the seat, the sound of the doors, the smell of the engine, the vibrations. Back to maps, the idea of flying over and looking down on a geographical area seems bizarre to a blind person. It takes a lot of explaining and the general response is, why would you do that? Blind people do create mental maps of places and routes based on textures, smells, sounds, rough pacings, turns and directions. They are used in a linear sequence.

[1000daysof]

Symptomaniac

Suffering from: - Post-intellectual engagement headache. - Acute wallet poisoning. - Inspiration induced insomnia. - Inexplicable deltoid twitch. - Overactive attention-seeking gland. - Disinterested hot sweats. - Self-inhaled respiratory irregularities. - Excess art build-up. - Surprise good boy syndrome.