This is fantastic, thank you so much... The folks in this forum just blow me away. Thanks for pointing out that the first map is not Sinusoidal. Still learning terminology and I think what I'm really looking for is just an "interrupted" map then?
The maps you've showed me look -great-! Now the tricky part for my brain is, to make these "threadfall charts" I need to take a pattern of bands, (like a series of meteor showers that typically have the same configuration) and move them based on the rotation of the planet, as they move in a SE direction - X degrees East and X degrees South.. need to read my notes again to know the exact numbers. Each chart represents a "fall cycle" which is a span of 50 days, before the cycle restarts, probably with some variation in the arrangement or "fall pattern." So the pattern of falls is a long strip with these bands scattered around on it that I need to move around the planet, over and down before each "fall." Fall representing when the strips of meteors actually get close enough to the planet to hit the atmosphere and rain down on the planet below. Hope I'm describing things well. I'm an artist, not a mapper, or a scientist, but this project has been so fascinating. Here's a threadfall chart from the book, which doesn't actually make any practical sense: http://www.agriphoto.nl/pma/Maps%20a...p005_DDcUS.jpg
With that being said, I suppose I could work with either type of map. But I have an easier time wrapping my head around the second map, being that it's.. horizontal? I don't know the words I need, haha. Still a bit broken up, however. Would putting it into 3 parts instead of 6 cause a lot more distortion? (Some distortion is ok.)
I can't express how thankful I am for any and all input, but do not feel obligated to go out of your way to answer my noobish questions. Thank you guys for everything.
I just downloaded G.Projector, and I've got updated Java, but still getting error message on start up, so I'll be trying to sort that out now. Can't wait to make some incredible (at least to me) maps like those you did there, Waldronate. And, I am quite sure that my map is Equirectangular. (I had to look that word up.) These are the maps I've been working from: Pern Map - Current Stage by AMCAlmaron on deviantART and http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o...6.png~original