TF 4.05 wants to download MyTopo tiles that I already downloaded

[Probabilly]

I just updated to version 4.05 from 4.0 and TF is downloading MyTopo tiles again in areas that were previously downloaded. The Color and Aerial maps of areas previously downloaded are displaying and not downloading correctly.  On a second computer with TF 4.00 installed the previously downloaded MyTopo maps are displaying and not downloading again as appropriate.  This appears to be an issue only affecting MyTopo maps and caused by TF 4.05.  I had been using TF 4.00, checked for and installed the update, then continued in TF 4.05 and MyTopo immediately started downloading in the area I was just looking at.  If this is an intentional update of the My Topo maps, it would have been appropriate to notify users in advance. 

[ScottMorris]

It is not intentional, no.  I actually did notice the same thing on a friend's PC, but we were not sure the area had actually been downloaded before, and other cached myTopo maps seemed to be showing up.

So, this is something I need to look at quickly.  I can't think of anything that changed from 4.0 to 4.05 that could be causing it, or think why I haven't noticed it on any of my computers.  Very strange.

You may want to jump back to 4.0, see if the maps show up again, and stay there for the time being.

Thanks for the post.

[Probabilly]

I went back to 4.00 and the previously downloaded MyTopo maps display.  I'll stick with the older version for now.  Good luck chasing this one down.

[klasjdfa]

I noticed this as well.  It looks like the "new" 4.05 MyTopo tiles are lower-res (or more 'lossy'?) than the 4.00 MyTopo titles.  On the plus size, I can now get a region about 2x the size when exporting a 100-tile area to my Oregon - so I'm guessing the resolution is lower and a larger area can fit inside each 1000x1000 bitmap tile.  If I go directly to mytopo.com and view the tiles there, they look like the cleaner tiles that I used to get out of 4.00.

I don't think the resolution difference should really matter to anyone who isn't 'pixel-peeping.' =)

- Steve

[ScottMorris]

Well spotted good sir!  That is indeed the issue -- the smallest tileset was changed from zoom level 16 (4.0) to 15 (4.05).  Again, this wasn't intentional, but I remember experimenting with it when zoom 16 went down on the myTopo server.

There are some reasons to use zoom 15 instead of zoom 16, but I am not sold on them yet, so I think I will go back to 16 with a quick release and then debate further on it.  As you said, the difference is subtle and you get the bonus of fitting more tiles onto KMZ exports.

Thanks.

[Probabilly]

Have you decided to continue using the zoom level 15 of the My Topo maps?  I download another copy of TF 4.05 and it has the same issue as my original post.  I really don't want to spend the hours to manually downloading the level 15 files when I already have level 16 files as part of the 22 GB of TF data files already downloaded.  It wouldn't be an issue if the My Topo people allowed you the include their maps in the Load Maps tool.   

The level 15 files do have some advantages as you pointed out.  Is it time to pour a glass of wine and scroll around as the boxes fill in?

Bill

[ScottMorris]

No need for that!  Check out the latest beta version -- I have added a checkbox to Options->prefs->tilesets to turn on/off zoom 16.  So you can choose which is your most detailed tileset. 

All those 16's previously downloaded should show up.