Frequently asked questions

Is MapFight.xyz the same as mapfight.appspot.com ?

Yes. Earlier the app was hosted on Google Appengine. I moved the app to a static site builder - Hugo - on Netlify.

How do I access the old version of the site ?

You can access the old archived site here. This site will not be updated or maintained.

Are the old URLs still valid ?

Mostly yes. Earlier the URLs were of this format

mapfight.appspot.com/XX-vs-YY/..

That has changed to this format.

mapfight.xyz/map/XX/#YY

The old URLs will forward to the new ones.

How do I compare two specific maps in the new interface ?

The new MapFight interface is based on individual maps (vs comparisons in the previous ones).

To compare maps, you may visit the browse page, then click on the “Compare” button for any two maps.

Alternatively, you may visit any map page and select a comparison map in one of the following ways.

1. Use a map from the comparison list. You may search for a map using the filter feature, or use the “Random” button.
2. Use a map from the grouped comparisons.
3. Use a map from the “Saved maps” section.

Where is the draw page ?

I have retired the draw page due to excessive spam. Sorry for the inconvenience.

What are the keyboard shortcuts ?

1. S - saves map.
2. R - load random comparision.

Why are some maps not in alphabetical sort on the Browse page ?

The alphabetical sort uses the map code for sorting. For country maps, I use ISO 3166-1 codes. Some countries like United Kingdom (gb), Switzerland (ch) or United Arab Emirates (ae) may not be sorted as expected.

Why are archipelagos or island groups not added to MapFight ?

It is hard to visualize non-contiguous areas. So I avoid adding island groups - especially when the water area is a lot higher than the actual land area.

What kind of maps do you avoid adding ?

I avoid adding the following kind of maps.

1. Fictional maps - I will make exceptions if the map is very well defined.
2. Extra terrestrial maps - I have added some extra terrestrial maps in the past - Moon, Jupiter etc - but don’t plan to anymore.
3. Non-contiguous maps - This is hard to visualize. I prefer to break the non-contiguous map into individual components and add them.
4. Micro maps - I have added some very small things - iPhone, average man etc - but don’t plan to anymore.
5. Obscure maps - Going forward I will use Wikipedia popularity to decide if a map should be added or not. The Wikipedia article should have at least 10,000 pageviews in the last 30 days to be added.
6. Political transnational groups - I have added some maps like United Nations, European Union etc - but I don’t plan to add more.
7. Fast changing maps - A map needs to be stable at least over short term to be added.