Bioshock Infinite: City Location? (no spoilers)

[Preaplanes]

Okay, should be simple.

In Bioshock Infinite, I cannot find any maps of the world or references to it online. They don't tell you outright where Columbia is. However, there might be a way to tell.

However, at one point, Booker dials in the direction of New York City: 40 north by 74 west

Elisabeth, moments later, puts in the direction of Paris, France: 12 south by 72 east

Given that Paris is 3530 miles from New York City, what is the latitude and longitude of the floating city state of Columbia? Or is it a mathematically impossible BS location? I'm afraid my geometric math is terribly rusty.

[Animastryfe]

The city can move around. Columbia put down the Boxer rebellion, which partly lead to Columbia seceding from the US. If you are asking where approximately the city was during the course of the game, I may be able to figure it out later tonight.

[Preaplanes]

The city can move around. Columbia put down the Boxer rebellion, which partly lead to Columbia seceding from the US. If you are asking where approximately the city was during the course of the game, I may be able to figure it out later tonight.

That's not quite accurate: Elisabeth immediately calls Booker out on putting in New York's coordinates. She must have known a relatively fixed location offhand in order to do that.

But yes, that would be much appreciated.

[huttj509]

Okay, should be simple.

In Bioshock Infinite, I cannot find any maps of the world or references to it online. They don't tell you outright where Columbia is. However, there might be a way to tell.

However, at one point, Booker dials in the direction of New York City: 40 north by 74 west

Elisabeth, moments later, puts in the direction of Paris, France: 12 south by 72 east

Given that Paris is 3530 miles from New York City, what is the latitude and longitude of the floating city state of Columbia? Or is it a mathematically impossible BS location? I'm afraid my geometric math is terribly rusty.

So, the numbers for the New York heading ARE NY's latitude and longitude.

Paris, however, is 48.8567° N, 2.3508° E, the coordinates listed are off the coast of India (https://www.google.com/maps/preview/place/%2B12%C2%B00'0.00%22,+%2B72%C2%B00'0.00%22/@9.7127469,71.197998,5z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0)

[Animastryfe]

So, the numbers for the New York heading ARE NY's latitude and longitude.

Paris, however, is 48.8567° N, 2.3508° E, the coordinates listed are off the coast of India (https://www.google.com/maps/preview/place/%2B12%C2%B00'0.00%22,+%2B72%C2%B00'0.00%22/@9.7127469,71.197998,5z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x0:0x0)

I found out that too. I am not familiar with navigation, but if the navigational tool on the aircraft would work simply by entering the longitude and latitude of the destination, then we can not find out Columbia's location from this. The information given by the OP supports this. However, if the numbers refer to a bearing written in a way that is not familiar to me, then we might be able to tell, although it strains my suspension of disbelief if the characters can quickly mentally calculate the destination from just knowing the bearing.

If the information given by the OP referred to cartesian coordinates, and the vector defined by the coordinates refer to the land navigation bearing, then Columbia would be at the intersection of the two great circles defined by the locations of the three cities. I used this site (http://www.movable-type.co.uk/scripts/latlong.html) to try to calculate if such a location exists, but it seems that there is not such location. It seems that the developers just got Paris's longitude and latitude wrong, but we should wait for someone knowledgeable about navigation to answer.

[Kitten Champion]

I thought it was off the coast of Maine, at least in the beginning. Wasn't that where the lighthouse was that took Booker up?

[factotum]

Isn't there a map in said lighthouse that shows the course Columbia followed at one point? It might not still be following said course after seceding from the US, though...