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24 changes: 17 additions & 7 deletions doc/rst/source/explain_line_draw.rst_
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**-A**\ [**x**\|\ **y**]
By default, geographic line segments are drawn as great circle arcs by resampling
coarse input data along such arcs. To disable this sampling and draw them as
straight lines, use the |-A| flag. For Cartesian data, points are simply connected.
To adjust these behaviors, append a directive:
Control how consecutive geographic points are connected:

- **x** - First follow *x*, then *y* for staircase curves.
- **y** - First follow *y*, then *x* for staircase curves.
- Without |-A|, two points are joined along the shorter great circle arc (e.g., from
longitude 0 to 181 the line passes through the western hemisphere). To follow the
longer arc instead, add an intermediate point on that side. Antipodal points have no
unique great circle and cause an error.
- With |-A|, the points are joined by straight lines on the map, as in a Cartesian
plot, so the result depends on the map projection and region (e.g., rhumb lines on a
Mercator map). These lines are not split at the map edges, so for data that cross the
east or west edge of a global map (e.g., tracks across the Dateline) either omit |-A|,
center the map on the data, or split the data at that edge.

For Cartesian data, points are simply connected by straight lines. For either kind of
data, append a directive to draw staircase curves instead:

- **x** - First follow *x*, then *y*.
- **y** - First follow *y*, then *x*.

Here, *x* and *y* have the following meanings:

- For Cartesian projections, *x* and *y* are the X- and Y-axis.
- For gragraphic projections, *x* and *y* are parallels and meridians.
- For geographic projections, *x* and *y* are parallels and meridians.
- For polar projections, *x* and *y* are theta and radius.

When used together with |-S|\ **v** (Cartesian vectors), the **x** and **y**
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