Lxcharon
!https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/d1/ad/21/d1ad21391098f433eef0aa712e24c97b.jpg!
So I made this map a few years ago when I first created Terrasia, now that I have better cartography skills I'm starting to redo the map from scratch. I was wondering your guy's opinion on it. What do you think could be improved upon or changed so I know where to focus when I remap it. Is there anything that sticks out as wrong? Any feedback would be appreciated! Thank you ahead of time. (be rough I'm a graphic designer and can take criticism.)
Comments
twigs
"I met a traveller from an antique land....."
CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.
Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign
Inner Council Member
Do you have a larger version somewhere, so I can look at it closer? I might have some suggestions about how you are representing certain features like mountains and such.
And Basileus, the answer is yes and no. You can look at it "here":https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/originals/d1/ad/21/d1ad21391098f433eef0aa712e24c97b.jpg but it's not really a larger version, just a version you can zoom in on. I've at some point lost the original PSD version of this map. (making remapping from scratch not only something I want, but something I need to do)
This looks great Lxcharon. Do you have any tips in regards to how you created that?
-Abersade
DM of "Rise of the Durnskald - Wrath of the Fallen Goddess":https://rise-of-the-durnskald.obsidianportal.com/
"Campaign of the Month - February 2016":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/obsidian-portal-campaign-of-the-month-february-2016-rise-of-the-durnskald/
GM of Rise of the Durnskald: Wrath of the Fallen Goddess - February 2016 CotM
GM of Core: The Ashes of Alcarna - April 2020 CotM
GM of Stream of Kairos
Need CSS Help? It may be covered here: Abersade's CSS Hub
Just trying to help out.
Also those thousands of dollars I spent on attending art school and the years of photoshop use help as well. But also don't sell the old school blue grid map short. Different campaigns call for different maps.
Killervp, funny story I actually have that page bookmarked from a few years ago, before I ever even joined OP!
Subforum for mapmaking requests "here":http://www.cartographersguild.com/forumdisplay.php?f=51. Just make sure that you mark your thread as a "Paid" opportunity.
# There appear to be several rivers that traverse the continent from sea to sea. Clearer definition of a few drainage basins and or continental divides would be beneficial (avoid having river systems cross mountains - they can source in mountains, and frequently do, but should never traverse them barring some supernatural or very unique situation).
# The rough mountainous texture looks good at full size, but got lost in the snow at the smaller size. I'd make it a bit stronger this time around.
# I'd tighten up the islands around Orran Moth, so that the larger ones indicate the submerged ridge between either side of the bay, with tighter clustering along that line. ...Unless its an impact crater?
All I got for now.
Keelah Se'lai,
Keryth
"Shadows Over New York":http://www.obsidianportal.com/campaigns/shadows-over-new-york
"2013 Campaign of The Year":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/2013-coty-shadows-over-new-york/
"Campaign of the Month July 2013":http://blog.obsidianportal.com/shadows-over-new-york-julys-campaign-of-the-month/
I'm completely rehauling the mountains texture so hopefully that will be fixed.
And Orran Moth is kind of an impact crater. It was a land bridge similar to mexico between terrasia and a country to the south but a terrible war decimated the land completely destroying most of it. I'm hand drawing the ocean shelf texture this time around to give me more variability to make it look more jagged and destroyed.
Thanks for the feedback Basileus!
twigs
"I met a traveller from an antique land....."
CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.
Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign
Inner Council Member
Basileus's comments are good. More pronounced rivers should look pretty cool.
twigs
"I met a traveller from an antique land....."
CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.
Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign
Inner Council Member
The Rules of Rivers, borrowed from ProFantasy's "primer on mapping rivers":http://rpgmaps.profantasy.com/?p=2017:
# Rivers always flow from higher to lower elevations.
# Wetlands, swamps, and marshes are generally found in flood plains.
# Floodplains are generally found where rivers are thickest, and where they branch out – and in the shallows of lakes closest to the shoreline.
# Rivers are thickest – and branch out – in areas of uniform lower elevation in comparison to the surrounding terrain – typically in the lowest regions of valleys, or areas that are generally flat or depressed terrain.
# Warm, humid areas will have more swamps and marshes than any other – irregardless of whether or not they (other areas) fulfill the prior criteria – due to greater rain fall.
# There are really no set rules on where a river will begin or end – but generally the longest and widest rivers (like the Mississippi river, The Amazon River, The Brazos River, The Nile River, The Danube, etc.) – either start, end, or start AND end at delta spillways into larger lakes, seas, and oceans.
# Most of your vegetation distributed on a given land mass will be associated with an adjoining body of water, i.e. Forests and swamps will be most numerous and dense along and around rivers, streams, ponds, lakes, and coastal sea shores. Wetlands, Marshes, and Swamps are often found at the forking areas / branching origins of multiple river systems that connect or branch off of each other – and along / atop the shallowest areas of freshwater seas, lakes, and ponds in locations along shores that are nearest dry land.
# Civilization LOVES water. Towns, cities, hamlets, villages, settlements, and camps will nearly ALWAYS be close to some kind of water source. Human civilization first began next to a river. The more geopolitical boundaries (political borders) a body of water intersects – the more settlements will be situated near it as a trade artery. The largest / longest body of water within any political division will have the highest concentration of civilized settlements (more accurately – POPULATION) within that division.
"I met a traveller from an antique land....."
CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.
Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign
Inner Council Member
I fixed some of the rivers, bumped up mountains and forests. I changed the location markers and fonts. One thing I'm really looking at is which ocean label to use the one for Soren Ocean or the one for Mara Ocean, let me know which you think looks better. And anything else I should change now before I start making aesthetic changes (like lines and borders and compasses).
Thanks for your help!
!https://db4sgowjqfwig.cloudfront.net/campaigns/133325/assets/567094/RSG_map_WiP4.jpg?1457634693!
(I wish I could explain how big this map is too. if I printed it out at full size it would be over six foot by something. It's making my computer run soooo slow so I'm ready to finish this thing!)
~
The wars of man are nothing to the wars of Gods.
"Realm of the Six Gods":https://terrasia.obsidianportal.com/
twigs
"I met a traveller from an antique land....."
CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.
Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign
Inner Council Member
While I like both Ocean typographies, I think I prefer the style used on Soren more.
Only other thing it may be missing is a map scale.
On further review of the map, I'm curious...how does a country like Milesworth protect its continent-wide borders on both sides? How does a nation like that function/support itself?
I imagine heavy tolling of roads as all land travel N/S would pass through Milesworth, although that could also make them enemies of many. Or maybe there are some highly-competitive contracts and trade agreements involved?
Oh, how giant maps make me giddy. :D
As Always,
_~Mae_
~Mae
CotM Selection Committee
Per is just a city! Soren is the one I'm leaning towards as well. And these are all state borders not country borders, so protecting the borders aren't a primary concern, but even if it was Milesworth is a almost corporatocracal state that is a trade route that all the other states use. So there is both heaving tolling and trade agreements involved.
thanks for the input!
~
The wars of man are nothing to the wars of Gods.
"Realm of the Six Gods":https://terrasia.obsidianportal.com/
You make me curiouser and curiouser, L.
OT: Have you given any thought to marking any major landmarks? Or naming the lakes?
~Mae
CotM Selection Committee
twigs
"I met a traveller from an antique land....."
CotM May 2016: Mysteria: set in Wolfgang Baur’s MIDGARD.
Previous CotM Aug 2012: Shimring: High Level Multiplanar Campaign
Inner Council Member
And I think Soren is the style i'm going with NikMak
This probably won't bother 9 out of 10 people, so it might be low on the priority list of fixes.
P.S. Dude, you're main page is looking sweet! I love the cape painted/dripping into the page.
And thank you! I'm trying to up my game to keep up with all of your guys awesome pages! Gotta play with the big boys!
Just trying to help out.
Made the rivers more prominent, broke some of them up, finished all the little frivolous things.
!https://db4sgowjqfwig.cloudfront.net/campaigns/131198/assets/570231/RSG_map_small.jpg?1458340351!
killervp
"A God...Rebuilt":https://a-god-rebuilt.obsidianportal.com
Just trying to help out.
I can kinda make out that you named the ocean above Terrasia, but the frame covers most of it from view.
Other than that, I think it looks perfect!
As Always,
_~Mae_
~Mae
CotM Selection Committee